Is it the convention for TRAINZ trains to drive on the LEFT-hand

[JonMyrlennBailey]

track on a double-track section?

Placing track marks on the right-hand track and commanding the AI fellows to drive those via those marks has gotten me pure static from them.

It seems my AI drivers favor the left-hand track.

Does Priority 1 mean the right-hand track and Priority 2 mean the left-hand track?

 

[edh6]

In the real world most trains travel on the same side of the double track as cars travel on the road. There are of course exceptions in specific cases, the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland or Snaefell Mountain spring to mind as UK railways using right hand running contrary to standard British practice.

In Trainz you need to use track direction markers (they look like yellow trackmarks) to mark tracks as single direction. The arrow shape of the marker should point in the desired direction of travel on your double line section.

 

[nicky9499]

If by "double track section" you mean a multi-track spline, delete it and lay two normal tracks each in the direction they are meant to be used. This may be new to you but the direction in which a track is laid can affect AI behavior so care must be taken. To check an existing track's direction simply place a track direction marker; it will point in the track direction by default.

To add on to edh6's post, a track direction marker is absolute. So if there's only one way to a destination and there's a counter-facing direction marker, your AI train will not proceed. The use of excessive direction markers can also confuse AI.

 

[pware]

No, the purple priority markers dictate the route taken by trains that have been set a priority level (you do this in the properties "?" button for each train) at and above the priority setting for the track as indicated by the priority marker on the track - but this may only be effective to the next track junction and trains will ignore the marker if there is no other route available.

A better way may be to use the yellow direction trackmarks that force all trains to travel in the direction set by the marker. So you could set the left track with a direction marker pointing the way you want them to go and the right track with the marker pointing in the opposite direction. The direction markers are the only one of the three (trackmark, direction marker, priority marker) where the direction of the marker (the pointy bit at the end) has any meaning.

By the way, driving on the LEFT side is the CORRECT way - it is the Kings side of the road. You rebels corrupted all that with your 1776 revolution and turned it all around the wrong way

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

By "double tracks" I mean any two tracks running side by side.

 

[iannz]

Track priority has nothing to do with left or right. It has to do with what priority your train is. In most cases, a priority 1 train will follow a priority 1 track for example. Same with 2 and 3. Not all trains seem to recognise this though. Example: If you have a 4 lane track (2 up and 2 down) and you want passenger trains to go up the left up and freight to go up the right up, label your left up track priority 1 and your right up priority 2 (also use your direction tags) and set your passenger trains to priority 1 and your freight trains to priority 2. Sometimes it takes quite a bit of setting up, especially if you want them to change tracks to bypass a station platform track or something, but the results are well worth it and AI trains look great using them. Just be prepared that it doesn't always work with every train.

 

[boc61]

The AI drivers and the fiddling you have to do to get then to work properly has always been on of my biggest frustrations.

 

[nicky9499]

By "double tracks" I mean any two tracks running side by side.

In this case simply be mindful of tracklaying direction and you should be fine.

 

[davidbird]

... lay two normal tracks each in the direction they are meant to be used. ... the direction in which a track is laid can affect AI behavior ...

Is this the Trainz version of the "Urban Myth"? Which direction would you lay a length of single track?
I have never been particular with my track laying direction but with careful use of signals, trackmarks or direction markers I have never had any problems.
One thing to watch out for is if you try to get AI to "Drive To" or "Drive via" a trackmark, it will try to take the shortest route. So it will try to take the inside of a double-track curve, regardless of which way the tracks were laid.

 

[cascaderailroad]

I always use single tracks, and always lay tracks in the intended direction of travel, as it does reverse the direction, when you place a new loco, or consist, and it does reverse signals and switch levers positions ... I never use multi-track splines ... and rarely use AI ... I use manual control, moving the handles by hand

 

[JCitron]

The direction the track is laid does not affect the AI drivers. This is an urban myth according to the N3V developers. Track directions, however, will affect the direction of track objects and trains when placed, so it's best to lay the track in the direction of travel. It really does save a lot of time when placing objects as there is less fiddling to do with the track marks.

Trainz has always favored left-hand running. This was something the developers chose due to obvious cultural reasons. To get around this there are direction-specific track marks called direction markers to force the AI to take that particular track. They work like one-way signs and prevent the AI from taking the wrong track and force them to remain on the side you want them to.

In addition to the direction marks, there are also signals which will force the driver to take a right or a left. Their designation is something like Signal 06 RD, or Signal 06 Left RD. This means it's a type 06 signal that is set up so the trains are forced to take the right hand track. The Left in the name means it's a left-side signal.

You may want to look at the tutorial hear on signals and track laying. These are a bit dated, meaning written around an earlier version of Trainz, however, the concepts are the same and haven't changed much and are just as valid today as when they were written. Again, ignore the myth regarding track direction.

http://trains.0catch.com/tutorial.html

We say that there is a right or wrong side of the route for trains to run on. Keep in mind that in modern railroading, especially one that employs CTC, there is no such thing. A train can switch sides at any time to get around slower traffic or to get out of the way of faster trains. There are some railroads, though, in the US where predominant right-hand running is more common, that ran wrong main as it was called. One of them that comes to mind is the old Chicago and Northwestern, now a portion of the UP.

John

 

[cascaderailroad]

A real easy way to change track directions (and also the type of track) on a long section of track, is to lay 2 spine points really close to each other ... (delete the mid section between them) ... (lay the type of track desired) ... delete the rear spline point that is close together, then delete the front spline point that is close together ... and the direction of the track will be running in the direction towards where you deleted the front spline point last.

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

I think the yellow markers are much easier to get the "virtual" bozos at the engine controls "on the right track, so to speak, and headed the right way.

 

[JCitron]

I think the yellow markers are much easier to get the "virtual" bozos at the engine controls "on the right track, so to speak, and headed the right way.

I agree! Every time there's a double-track from single, I send my AI drivers to the right. It's simpler than playing with rules and triggers and what not. KISS.