Missioncodes at multi platform terminus stations

Hi All, I'm wondering what the best way to set up mission codes for terminus station with multiple platforms would be?

Should I set up mission codes for the entire length of route with a change of path for each platform at the end station, (For example Plymouth to Penzance Plat 1, Plymouth to Penzance Plat 2 etc...) or is there a better approach?

Also what would be the best thing to do with trains departing the terminus?

Thanks,
Mark

Hi Mark

I would set up a MC named Penz to be used for the bulk of the route with a change to one of four MCs a couple of miles outside the station - Penz P1, Penz P2 etc - depending which platform you want the train to go into. Pierre has an AutoDrivePastSignal command that is ideal for this situation. Normally I keep MCs names short as it can get tedious entering long winded names.

As for leaving the station, set up the four paths and give them the same mission code e.g. Padd. The first driver command should be Set Mission Code followed by ITMCAssignNextPath which will set the path out for the train no matter which platform it is in. I often add a delay of 1 second between the two commands to ensure that the MC has been set properly before being acted on.

If you wanted a train to randomly select any vacant platform you would need to set up Track Circuit Blocks (TCB) to indicate to the train which platform(s) are occupied. You could then use the MCPathStop object to drive to which would mean the train wouldn't need an individual MC for each platform. The train will still use the same commands mentioned above to exit whichever platform it is in.

Regards

Brian

Thanks for that Brian. I think I will set the Penzance mission codes just before the train leaves St Erth., I have tested it with AI and all works well.

One thing to bear in mind is that, depending on how complex your session gets, it might be easier to diagnose issues / troubleshoot if you have a unique MC for each platform destination. For example, I use pguy's QuickCustomHud to display a train's mission code and, where appropriate, timetable information. This can be very useful to determine which station and platform a train is headed for, regardless of where it is on the route. I can then try to ensure other timetabled trains are not going to clash. If I had several trains all with the same simple <destination station> mission code, I'd need to do more digging.

But it's a trade-off between more upfront configuration versus run-time information clarity, so ultimately a user choice.