UK Level Crossing Mod idea

[LevelCrossingFan555]

I am tired of only one ungated crossing in OpenTTD. If you are tired too, then this is for you! The plan is: the mod must have every type of crossing in UK.
Here is a list of types:
MCB Manually controlled barriers
MCG Manually controlled gates
AOCL Automatic open crossing locally monitored
ABCL Automatic barrier crossing locally monitored
AOCR Automatic open crossing remotely monitored
AHB Automatic half barrier
UWC User worked crossing
OC Open crossing

Those crossings should be roads, you put a road crossing the tracks and you get the type of the crossing you selected.
AOCL and ABCL when flashing red lights should have a white light on the track side, that signal indicates the crossing works normally.
AHB and AOCR have lights, AHB have barriers, but they do not have white lights.
There should be an option to make the crossing TMO, trainman operated. So a train has to stop and driver has to operate barriers, or guard open the gates. That would be realisticer.
And also, extra road signs! Like drivers of large and slow vehicles must phone to get permission to cross, and drivers of long low vehicles phone before crossing.
MCG have gates shut across the railway and closed across the road when a train comes, by wheel or by hand. UWC should have gates closed across the road, and they open the opposite side of railway.
You can also put Stop always telephone signs on a UWC with telephones, or Stop look listen on a UWC without telephones. Also on the railway you can put a stop board instructing to operate the barrier, press plunger or open crossing gates. I would appreciate if this mod was really made. I have a farm crossing and in need of UWC. Well how the UWC works: Driver stops, opens both gates if no train approaching, crosses, closes both gates.

[planetmaker]

If you only know ungated level crossings, you haven't played with a track set which implements gated ones. With a bit of trickery one could even implement at least 4 different types in a single set.

[Chrill]

At a simpler level, most of this can be achieved with objects/eyecandy rather than fully integrated features. But yes, there are already NewGRFs around that alter the crossing. Have a look at, I believe, the UK Road set.

[LevelCrossingFan555]

I forgot, the crossing has a amber light which turns on before the red lights start to flash. The crossings are also year locked. MCG and OC is available from the start of game, 1900. First MCB is available in 1954. First automatic crossing AHB is available in 1960. First AOCL is available in 1963. In 1964 MWL lights for user worked crossings are available. First ABCL is available in 1988. First AOCR is available in 1983. MCG crossings are locked in 2000. You can make the MCG's remain for preservation, either replace them with MCB.

[Dave]

I appreciate the desire for realism but there are a number of issues with what you've suggested

Firstly, train speeds aren't affected by level crossings, even if the graphics are changed, so there'd be no game play benefit.

Secondly, it'd be almost impossible at this scale to show signs like those you want (don't know what extra zoom does)

Thirdly, having AOCL and AOCR (for example) would be identical in the game because they're treated the same. Same as UWC and MCG.

Cornelius (I think) released a UK LC grf with a gated crossing early on. I don't know if it progressed beyond that. Pikka's finescale tracks also have a couple of UK centric LCs.

And finally - if you want to see these things, best way to do it would be to draw it yourself!

I "simulated" a TOB crossing v recently in my screenshot thread...

[LevelCrossingFan555]

Can you please give me a link to the page of TOB and how did you make it work like that?

[Dave]

http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php? ... 0#p1154287

I stopped the train next to the crossing and took a screenshot

[LevelCrossingFan555]

Someone please make a stop board universal. You can put it as eyecandy on left side of rails. Lower side left hand stop board, Lower side right hand stop board, same with those up but all grey when up. The stop boards look like that and also have instructions for each type of stop board: . Of course, full zoom may also help. Level crossing types in real life: AOCL , pretty much yeah, they do not have a telephone and instead have blue To contact railway signs. ABCL: . Clear shot: . UWC: .
Find more by googling level crossing types.

[Dave]

I'm not sure how feasible all this is...

It might be doable in 32bpp but I don't think there's enough detail in the original graphics.

To be fair to you I'd been considering a UK eyecandy set for a while. Signal cabinets, access roads etc.

But I'm not sure how it'd be implemented. You could add waypoints for some things but for others it'd look messy. New objects might work - but it'd have to be a super offset graphic on the tile next to it, which then ties up the tile next to it too. Maybe a new track type.

God knows.

[Eddi]

each track type can have two types of level crossings: inside cities [area with pavement] and outside cities.
(this way you can also set speed limits for trains for those types of level crossings)

[LevelCrossingFan555]

I found out, to simulate the plunger TMO crossing, add a signal directly to the crossing, then very close to the signal a station, the train arrives, when it departs it will activate crossing. In the other side i do not know, probably we need a mod that helds the train for nothing on a red signal and after 3 secs clears the signal to lower crossing. We may create eyecandy stop board for the signals.