Turnout Naming

frogpipe

Yesterdayz Trainz Member
I was wondering if I could get some route devs to share their wisdom on turnout names? Up till now I let the game throw out it's random numbers, but as I near completion of this small part of the route, I started thinking about it and wondering what is the custom?

Also, as an aside, what is done prototypically? Junction random number like in the game?
 
I usually use two letters to represent the location name, followed by a two digit sequence number (with a leading "0" for 1 to 9) and, if needed (e.g. for pair of linked switches) and "A" or a "B".

Examples:

Conara Junction, the 3rd and 4th sets of points, a pair of crossover switches - would be named "CJ03A" and "CJ03B"
St Marys, the 1st set of points (leading to a siding) - would be named "SM01"
 
That's very close to old UK prototypical practice.
In "Steam" days, each junction or signal name / number would be prefaced by the (abbreviated) name of the Signal Box controlling it.
The switch / point names were even put on the sleepers themselves in some locations. York was an example. This can be seen in photographs of the area.
However, signals did not often show a name/number until we moved to Power Signal Boxes and semaphore signals were replaced.
 
Same as "pware" but adding direction CJ01W would be Conara Junction #1 Turnout West, and a signal at the junction would be SJ01W a signal on the convering junction of the main would be SJ01WR.


John
 
So off the top of my head there are 20-30 turnouts some for a yard, others are crossovers, and a few deadend sidings. All are in or adjacent to the Baltimore Yard. So by this logic these would be BY01 - BY30 (with some As and Bs for the crossovers of course)? If so, which way would they be numbered? Traditionally South to North or North to South or starting at one end or the other at random?
 
It depends on how the yard is set out. The points on the main line would be classed as junctions. Once you are in the yard area proper, it depends on the layout. Often, groups of sidings are given distinct names, Example - "Coal" and "Merchandise", or "Bill" and "Mary" (honestly!) and the points would be numbered / named accordingly. On the main line, as for the actual numbering, there is always a "system", but there is no standard rule. Generally, you can go North South, or vice-versa, or start with the main junction and fan outwards. The main convention is that cross overs have pairs of points, and these are numbered in pairs xxA and xxB. In complex areas, there might even be xxC, xxD etc. With loops, in real life, there is no rationale. However, it makes sense to number the points on a loop in pairs - so xxI for In and xxO for Out. Or xxE (east end) and xxW (west end). The main thing to bear in mind though is to try use a system that is easy for YOU to remember.
 
Since I'm building a fictional route I'm not constrained by prototype.

I use junction names like:

Meat Packing W Crossover 1
Meat Packing W Crossover 2
Meat Packing W Siding
Meat Packing W Siding 2
Meat Packing W Siding 3

For the east side, replace W with E.

Junctions to industries are named similarly:

Brewery 1
Brewery 2
etc...
 
Yabbut how do you spell "Waucapaucashooey"?

Seems like every town in Wisconsin has a name that looks like that, never could find my way around. :hehe:

Well, only thing I need named switches for is when debugging AI traffic in a session;

86975711.jpg


So what I do is leave all the switches named whatever they're named, except for the ones that an AI train will need to meet opposing AI traffic, usually single track "choke points". Name the switch at each end of the single track sections something, then if there's some kind of standoff developing I know just where to go. For my purposes there's no need to name any other switches.
 
The main line on my route is a 57 miles long in a circal so i name my switches CW J 1.(clockwise Junction 1)&(CC J 1) In INDs i name switches
to reflex where they will go when throned.( Coal Mine) My yard is named by towns.(cars are sorted by the town that need them loaded or unloaded)The route i'm working on,all main line junctions are set to change when you (as a driver)approch a junction.All junction to the stations
will change for the passenger trains also. All you(as a driver) have to worry about is stopping in time.
 
Cant judge for your local situation, but this is an example of the numbers used in a real world situation for the tracks between Haarlem and Den Haag (the Hague) in the Netherlands. The switch numbers are in blue and red. In black you see signal numbers.
You will notice that the "sets" of juctions have the same number followed by an A or B.
So, semi random numbers do match the real situation in some cases.

I do like / would advice you to do what others already have suggested: Add a pre-fix for where about the switches are to make it easyer to find them / debug AI.
 
Ahh, that diagram and this advise from others does indeed give me an idea of what I want to do. Thanks to all.

I had tried to examine some old similar diagrams from Pennsy, but there were so blurry, I couldn't make it out at all.

Thanks to everyone for the input.
 
Is it absolutely necessary that junctions be named with descriptive words ?

I name all my junctions (an apostrophe) '

I find that long names of turnouts just get in the way of viewing Trainz, where as complex progressively descriptive laid out breadcrumb trackmarkers will guide an AI (pigeon brained) train through any path you want it to take, and switches are thrown automatically, even though your thousands of junctions are all named: ' (an apostrophe).

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if my routes has 2 terminus, ie: Mount Union and Johnstown

I start in Mount Union complexly naming my trackmarkers

There are 4 tracks, and I name the trackmarkers all alphabetically progressively all down the line.

I divide the line in to alphabetically named block segments "A" block being Mount Union ... "Z" block being Johnstown

So on #1 track in Mount Union I place a trackmarker 'A1 1, and a bit further up the line on track #1 I name the next trackmarker 'A1 2 ... by the time I get to the Horseshoe Curve it may be in the 'F1 named track block area ... by the time I get to Cresson on track #1 it may be in the 'J1 named track block area ... eventually by the time I get to Johnstown it may be in the 'Z1 named track block area.

Likewise ... On track # 2 it's trackmarkers are named: 'A2-1 ... 'A2 2 ... ... all the way up to 'Z2-8 and 'Z2-9
And on track #3 it's trackmarkers are named: 'A3-1 ... 'A3 2 ... ... all the way up to 'Z3-8 and 'Z3-9
And on track #3 it's trackmarkers are named: 'A4-1 ... 'A4 2 ... ... all the way up to 'Z4-8 and 'Z4-9

This way on my "Drive Via Trackmaker" list, all the trackmarkers are laid out alphabetically ... So I can tell a train to drive via 'A1 (and 'B1 'C1 'D1) ... to 'Z1


Driving on track #1, Example: >==>[ 'A1 1 >======> 'A1 12 ] >==> [ 'B1 1 >======> 'B1 12 ] >==> ... [ 'Z1 1 >======> 'Z1 12 ]

The apostrophe ( ' ) is most important symbol, as it makes all the tracklmarkers fall in line under: ( apostrophe / alphabetically / track# / block numeral )
 
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Wow, bump of the century with an incredible idea.

I wonder how Set Junction or Release Junction might work on your route...
And god forbid someday you might want to run a train that doesn't follow all the trackmarks in that exact order. :eek:



Being constructive now; I like to apply idiot-proof naming conventions for everything I do, Trainz is no different. No point labeling consistently labeling everything neatly with cryptic codes, initials and acronyms that nobody except the route builder can understand. Even as route builder, I sometimes forget certain things about my route when I come back from a long break.

Example:
A junction just south of Quahog will be called...Quahog S 01. The next junction will be called...Quahog S 02. All trackside object names are intrinsically linked. A high speed crossover that goes from Cook main #2 to #1 (in the main general direction) will be called...Cook Hspd Xover 2-1. So you spend a little bit more time typing out names in full instead of lazily dropping a comma and/or not knowing how to hide junction overlays, but it pays off because there is no guesswork, no confusion.

No silly stuff like CKJ-HS-XO-E1/2A. < What in the world is that?
 
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The problem with that is if the first town is named Grassflat, and the next town is named Zenopoly, and the next town is called Coolridge, and the next town is named Wadsworth ... the alphabetical naming gets all thrown out of whack.

You could also use the same trackmarker names like US road systems use: "Drive Via Trackmarker" Exit '1 D, to Exit '137 C

The apostrophe ( ' ) is most important symbol, as it makes all the tracklmarkers fall in line under: ( apostrophe / alphabetically / track# / block numeral )

Just as if you renamed all you JointedRail locos with the prefix of "JR (space)" ... they would all be grouped alphabetically, and easy to locate

Example: JR PRR SD45 ... JR SD45 CR ... JR Dead RS7

All of RGCX's cars could be renamed with the prefix "R" ... and Bdaneals locos "B" ... Sporbust locos "S" ...
 
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The problem with that is if the first town is named Grassflat, and the next town is named Zenopoly, and the next town is called Coolridge, and the next town is named Wadsworth ... the alphabetical naming gets all thrown out of whack.

You could also use the same trackmarker names like US road systems use: "Drive Via Trackmarker" Exit '1 D, to Exit '137 C

The apostrophe ( ' ) is most important symbol, as it makes all the tracklmarkers fall in line under: ( apostrophe / alphabetically / track# / block numeral )

Just as if you renamed all you JointedRail locos with the prefix of "JR (space)" ... they would all be grouped alphabetically, and easy to locate

Example: JR PRR SD45 ... JR SD45 CR ... JR Dead RS7

All of RGCX's cars could be renamed with the prefix "R" ... and Bdaneals locos "B" ... Sporbust locos "S" ...

Okay. What if I just wanted to go to somewhere in between, which trackmark in a sequence of a hundred others would I know which to pick? You'd have to be a sorry excuse of a route builder if you don't even know in which order your stations are. Now, I have no right to tell you how to build your route, but please keep these...unorthodox practices where the sun don't shine. I don't think anyone would like to download a route only to find all the junctions don't have names and trackmarks are a game of cryptology.

If you wanted rcgx's cars, wouldn't it be more logical to, gee I don't know...simply enter rcgx in the Author search filter?
 
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