Basic signals don't work right

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j7n
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Basic signals don't work right

Post by j7n »

I'm totally new to Locomotion, and started the first campaign scenario. I built a very basic track and basic signals on it, but the signals don't work as they should. I believe they are simple signals because nowhere on the interface I see any selection of their type, nor the Control key does anything.

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There are three trains on the network, two of them currently visible. Signals A and B are red when they shouldn't be. Signals marked C are all red when no train is directly behind them. The moving train will stop at A and refuse to enter the free station platform. If forced, it will collide with the third train, which will not stop at D.

Signals C will turn green once the first train is ready to move out, so it will be able to take the 'intended' path. If the moving train is forced to proceed on red, it will not see the empty platform, as if it was 'reserved' by an invisible signal, and head towards the occupied one, stopping before it.

I expect the first train to arrive at the signal block to pass. Here the third train should be forced to wait because it came last. Ideally, A and D should be pre-signals, but I can't see how to make them such.

What's going on with these signals? Is the game bugged?
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Zakos
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Re: Basic signals don't work right

Post by Zakos »

Use one-way signals whenever possible, so as to guide the trains on the appropriate path. Make sure you have routes set up for those trains as well. Also try to have more than one separate platform, as it's likely that yours is just very backed up.

If you're looking for a more advanced technique to increase efficiency, also try searching for a type of station called "roro."
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Walter1940
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Re: Basic signals don't work right

Post by Walter1940 »

Here are two little guides for railbuilding and stations

https://users.tt-forums.net/bufu/guide_easy.htm

https://koti.mbnet.fi/peksoft/lomo/help/ ... index.html

And her a picture from a ro-ro station

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http://www.walter1940.de
Vehicles for Locomotion

Tutorials in english
- From MSTS to Locomotion ---> http://www.walter1940.de/tutorial/msts2loco/
- Wally ---> http://www.walter1940.de/tutorial/wally/
- xml-modding ---> http://www.walter1940.de/tutorial/xml-modding/
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j7n
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Re: Basic signals don't work right

Post by j7n »

Thank you for the descriptions of those junctions.

RoRo is definitely the type of station to use on bigger maps. This one's too cramped, and I want to understand the basics first before I proceed. Most of my track is in fact one way and trains have explicit routes.

On another observation, it seems that signals remain red by default until a train calls them, what seems to be three blocks ahead in its route, to turn them green for itself if possible (as if there was a long invisible extension of the train in front of it); and any other train cannot enter those reserved blocks even if it's closer. The visible part of the train doesn't re-evaluate signals anymore, because its invisible part has already passed them. Is this correct? (Weird and not self explanatory...)

What is the function of the lines to and from south-east on the rollon_rolloff picture? It seems that the top line can never be entered because trains don't come out of the station in that direction, and the bottom one can never be exited because the station has the backsides of one-way signals in front of it.
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Re: Basic signals don't work right

Post by Zakos »

j7n wrote:What is the function of the lines to and from south-east on the rollon_rolloff picture? It seems that the top line can never be entered because trains don't come out of the station in that direction, and the bottom one can never be exited because the station has the backsides of one-way signals in front of it.
It's a signal error. The purpose of the picture is only to demonstrate how that type of station works.
j7n wrote:On another observation, it seems that signals remain red by default until a train calls them, what seems to be three blocks ahead in its route, to turn them green for itself if possible (as if there was a long invisible extension of the train in front of it); and any other train cannot enter those reserved blocks even if it's closer. The visible part of the train doesn't re-evaluate signals anymore, because its invisible part has already passed them. Is this correct? (Weird and not self explanatory...)
They are always green, unless the section between a given signal and the next signal is filled or blocked somehow.
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Re: Basic signals don't work right

Post by Greyfox »

In my games the signals are always red until a train approaches the signal before, then it changes to green on the proviso that the way is clear. If not they remain red. :wink:
Windows 10 discussion here: http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72527
Looking for AMI trains, Chicago Locomotive Works, etc: You'll find your needs here: http://www.locomotiondepot.net/
Here's another: http://www.walter1940.de Lots of interesting stuff on this site, including tutorials.
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j7n
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Re: Basic signals don't work right

Post by j7n »

And so are signals on all the linked tutorial pictures (rollon_rolloff.jpg has subsampled color, but faint red patches can still be seen). I think trains in Locomotion reserve a generous stopping distance in front of them. And signals indicate how far ahead it goes. I think I'm gonna go back to OpenTTD.
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