Pictures of your games (non-OT thread)

[Flamelord]

Flamelord.

Nice layout. I always tend to have one layer of exit lines but notice you have 2 layers...obviously allowed since PBS appeared... I will try that.

I also like the large gap between the station and the exit layers that is big enough for a train to sit while freeing up the platform for another train.

<snip>

Yes, I have noticed that my layout allows for greater exiting efficiency. The entrance of that station has 6 tracks leading in. The two exit tracks on the northwest end lead off and gain a track from somewhere else to form a short 3-track line before two tracks split off after a crossing. In the same area, two of the tracks join up with another track to form another 3-track area, which leads into that station. I'll attach a couple screenshots of the area to show you what I mean...

[Lloyd Wolf]

While we're all on exiting efficiency, here's what I've got in a current game; in addition to having that piece of "sitting track" (And notice the "sitting track" on the right is at a lower height than the station - the slope promotes acceleration out of the platform) behind each platform, the left and right exits are independent of each other (As I mentioned before - trains on the right don't need to stop while trains on the left exit, and vice versa). Because the right entrance overflows into the left, but not vice versa, the exit tracks on the left wrap around to exit in the same direction as the right entrance tracks.

[Flamelord]

Very nice, Lloyd Wolf. I like your layout.

[3iff]

Flamelord and Lloyd Wolf.

Very impressive. I always tend to have more cramped and claustrophobic layouts...not enough planning ahead!

Anyway, I extended my factory station into 8 platforms of length 7 and added a second exit layer controlled by PBS. This allows 2 trains to exit at the same time (sometimes). Unfortunately I'm limited to just one exit route as I'm boxed in by an oil well and a factory but I might be able to reposition the station a bit to give me more room. I now have 4 feeder lines approaching the station which allows trains to select an empty platform closer to where they enter the station rather than having to block the PBS junction as they move to an empty platform far away from where they enter.

When exiting, I now have 2 separate lines that trains can choose, and as they curve to the south from the exit area I've limited the first 2 platforms to take only the first line. That stops some trains 'PBS blocking' access to the second line, allowing two trains to exit at the same time...trains on platforms 3-8 can gain access to the second exit line without any interference from platforms 1 and 2.

With approx 60 trains using the station I'm now able to keep things running fairly smoothly. It's certainly a lot better than it was some years ago! Trains might wait just a short time before finding an empty platform, this despite having goods and oil trains waiting for full loads. I should probably have dedicated platforms for loading trains (I normally do...) but space is still at a premium for now.

[Flamelord]

With eight platforms that need to exit, I would give 3 and 4 the choice between the inner exit line and the outer exit line. But, it's your choice!

[Lloyd Wolf]

3iff - I'd like to see a pic of this station. If you're not TERRIBLY blocked in by the factory and/or oil well you could try building those "sitting tracks" as 7 length tunnels UNDER the factory/well. Therefore you could build the rest of the exit assembly somewhere that is somewhat less cluttered.

I spent a lot of Thanksgiving at my computer (I'm definitely thankful for it), 20 years since the last screen, and I've got something fancy going...

(A new pic later)

[3iff]

Well, I've redesigned that blocked in station by 'shifting' it SW slightly...adding platform blocks at the entrance and removing platform at the exit side to give me space to have exit layers.

Unfortunately, I was too enthusiastic and moved the station out of the range of the factory! I had to build an isolated station square to regain the factory in my zone of control. Thankfully we now have irregular stations.

So, I now have 3 exit lines for the bulk of the station and 8 platforms of length 7. Very acceptable to maintain train flow for the 80 or so trains (of 135) that visit. Four feeder lines hold arriving trains.

I might have a screenshot on this computer...I'll have a look.

[3iff]

Here is the station in an earlier incarnation. I've moved on about 130 years from this point. Zaragoso city is just off the map in the top right corner, next to the water tower.

The station is now 2 squares SW of the position shown and 8 platforms wide (2 extra to the SE, 3 to the NE). The western oil well is gone and that horrible side branch on the west of the entrance block is gone. It was doing terrible things to some waiting trains.

The exit now has 3 layers of PBS track all exiting to the SE and south. I now pick up splashes of oil from the station and around 3000 goods per month. I've ripped out the townhouses and flattened terrain as I'm not moving any passengers around the map, just freight. Goods trains wait on full load at this station and don't block incoming trains to any great extent...a practice I avoid if possible.

This is the only factory I'm operating and all goods go to the single city that wants them. Most goods trains carry about 880 goods that bring in around £160,000 per delivery (no inflation).

Using the US train set, costs are relatively high so even now I'm only up to £800m. However, I've ripped up a few industries and flattened almost all terrain to one step above sea level.

Were I to start the game again, I would build the station pointing NW/SE. I could have easily fitted it between the two oil wells.

[Lloyd Wolf]

Man, I can imagine your pain trying to expand that thing...

I'd still load goods trains at a separate station. Makes things cleaner if you ask me. You'll never have to worry about 8 trains blocking all the input lines and causing a jam, too (I've had that before... it's UGLY) :D

[3iff]

Man, I can imagine your pain trying to expand that thing...

I'd still load goods trains at a separate station. Makes things cleaner if you ask me. You'll never have to worry about 8 trains blocking all the input lines and causing a jam, too (I've had that before... it's UGLY)

I know... I'm still considering doing that at some stage but if you think that picture is bad, then you don't want to see the rest of the network. Some of it is absolutely terrible...even I'm ashamed of it.

As I said, I normally have goods pickups on a different station to avoid deadlocks. So far, I've avoided that here. The trip to deliver the goods is 3-4 months or more so it's unlikely that all the goods trains will arrive at the same time.

[The Irish]

... The trip to deliver the goods is 3-4 months or more so it's unlikely that all the goods trains will arrive at the same time.

Don't count on that. I thought so as well, in some of my games, but of course, somehow they all managed to be there at the same time...

[3iff]

I don't count on that...I often pop back to the station and check the free flow of things. Worst case so far was 6 of 8 platforms blocked by loading trains. Actually, as all goods trains go to just 1 city, perhaps I can move everything over to a dedicated line...hmmmm

I also check the train list using "profit last year" and check any trains with low profits.

Not forgetting "Train xx appears to be lost" which I get a lot...mainly because travel times are relatively slow (freight at 60 or 80mph) and distances long and lost trains are set to 150 days.

I do get some fairly serious deadlocks still but that's because my main network is chaotic...adds to the fun I suppose.

[Denver]

I just got an idea to improve my trains system and I did double tracks in each direction. What do you think about that? Are signals fine? If you still don't catch the idea, it's simple - if one train is for example broken, then the one behind him can still go the other lane and bypass him. Is everything ok? It works fine, but maybe I made some strange, not neccessary signals... Plz help

[Flamelord]

I think that if you want it to work properly, you'll need to change the combo signals (Yellow vertical bar) to entrance signals (Yellow horizontal bar) and make the exit signals two-way.

[nicfer]

I think that if you want it to work properly, you'll need to change the combo signals (Yellow vertical bar) to entrance signals (Yellow horizontal bar) and make the exit signals two-way.

And convert the signals to PBS...

[Lloyd Wolf]

I think that if you want it to work properly, you'll need to change the combo signals (Yellow vertical bar) to entrance signals (Yellow horizontal bar) and make the exit signals two-way.

And convert the signals to PBS...

Yeah, definitely PBS. If you're not a PBS fan you can always add a row of squares between the double track and then put signals on the "bridges" between the two tracks to get a PBS effect.

[^Cartman^]

Denver: Nice to have a double track system like this if you have breakdowns on, or if it is many slower trains driving on the same line, but you should use PBS (path based signaling) instead of presignals.

[Lloyd Wolf]

Alright, here we go. The evolution of "The Exchange" from 1990 to 2040:

(Map is "The Factory" (1998) by someone or another)

This game began in 1964. I first built five seperate stations around the factory - four for input, one for goods output. In the early 80's, while traffic was still relatively low, I decided to optimize early.

The original version of this station used the left side of the station for livestock and grain coming in from the northeast and southwest, there were four 90/90 farms at the end of each of those two lines run by three 2 engine/12 car trains. Steel came in from the southeast and northwest, also by means of three 2 engine/8 car trains on each side - each steel mill at the end of each of those lines was served by SIX 90 unit iron ore mines.

Goods went to some remote station in the northwest corner of the map by means of abusing the AEM-7's ability to pull goods - 2 engines pulling 8 "Heavy Item" flatcars. Each of these trains was making $1.000k by 1990 - with inflation.

Originally the iron ore/steel mill production rose much faster than the livestock/grain production - the right side of The Exchange was allowed to overflow onto the left side, but not vice verca. An overflow was not added until the late 2000's.

The goods trains' 150 mph-ish speed began to conflict with the steel trains' 130 mph-ish speed (20% speed increase with multihead), so I spent a few years doubling up the input and output lines. Several more years were spent tweaking some sub-junctions before I standardized trains.

The Acela HHP-8 is the fastest freight capable unit in the US set. All my trains became twin headed Acela HHP-8's. With a 20% increase for multi-heads, Acela's top speed becomes 161mph - just enough to run them in conjunction with Acela Expresses, maxing out at 165 mph. A total of twenty four passenger trains eventually run through the junction.

Much of the next decade was spent tweaking lines and waiting for production increases. In the mid 2035's, the farms in the northeast quadrupled net production. By 2040, an estimated 80 - 90 of 105 trains use the junction, with 60 or so using the station complex.

Whew, long post.

[RPharazon]

Oh, very nice groupings. I wonder how you make it all work.
Maybe you should decorate your airport a bit, you could make it all nice, and also integrate that into your station design to make a quick detour for another line.

[Lloyd Wolf]

Eh heh, airport got deleted for the expansion of the overflow system. The mess of farms in the northeast increased production to the point that I had to add another exit layer to keep the trains running. 360/360 + 360/360 + 720/720 + 180/180 = 3240 units of livestock/grain.

The factory makes 10k units of goods, 95% transported. I'll post a save in 2050.

EDIT: The save, if anyone wants to see it:

http://tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?p=377736#377736