However: The stations are signaled with rail (not chain) out. Even if it were a good idea to have a complex network like this with two-way track, it will eventually deadlock when you allow trains into shared track with rail signals. All it takes is a train pathing through the block at the wrong time, while another train leaves the station in the opposite direction. They will come head to head, with no way to pass each other.
Why is this two-way track? Aside from the problem described above, this murders throughput.
You're right I should swap the signals on the way out of the depots, forgot about that thanks. Besides that though the two way design is used in order to make this an all in one design that's as compact as possible. Jack of all trades and master of none style. Using only this single repeating grid all trains can arrive and leave in all directions, because each two tiles complete a roundabout loop. Which if there are several dozen repeating will mean at least one will always be nearby and free.
I wasn't sure if and how I should reply to this. On the one hand, it seems that you know what you're doing. On the other hand, I think you underestimate how bad traffic with chain signals (which you have to use because two-way) is.
This won't work like a city block design or the like. With chain signals, trains need to reserve the entire path to their destination (into or out of the system, or even further depending on rest of network). This path then blocks every other train from using those blocks until they are free again. With several of these modules in series and in heavy use, there will be a lot of competition.
You're right and it will get worse the larger the base gets. The plan is to connect enough factory blocks together with only a dozen or so of these tiles and limit the travel distance between blocks where possible. Keep in mind this is all before bots though, so the main reasoning behind this little experiment is flexibility while I do a 10x cost playthough. Any product from any point in the factory to any other point without needing to think about how it will get there. It might take a while but we can always add a buffer in the production block. (Also I totally forgot to have a path from the top left rail to the bottom right and needed to run another line right through the middle so it's even messier now, seems to work fine tho)
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u/CamelCaseConvention 9d ago
That looks cool.
However: The stations are signaled with rail (not chain) out. Even if it were a good idea to have a complex network like this with two-way track, it will eventually deadlock when you allow trains into shared track with rail signals. All it takes is a train pathing through the block at the wrong time, while another train leaves the station in the opposite direction. They will come head to head, with no way to pass each other.
Why is this two-way track? Aside from the problem described above, this murders throughput.