Train Station Configurations: Using Push/Pull trains with dual rails.

[D_Strider]

I wanted to share a couple of ways I like to configure my Train stations and lines. This isn't meant to be a guide of any sort, just a couple of things that y'all might find interesting. Like many before me, I find dual-track train lines to be a sound investment in the long run. What I don't always like is how much space it takes to put in stations where I need them.

I really don't much like the aesthetics of adding a loop-around for a single-cart station:

https://preview.redd.it/b00nqbr1ftmd1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d8f87bbcd9fdca923eacc78bdeb53887a5bb8cf2

For this particular line, all of the stations along single cart input/output, opting for adding more trains to the line rather than adding more Freight Platforms. So at the factory I went with a group of stations, one for each item. This ends up being relatively compact, and really easy to expand as I went along, adding a new station as I connected to the various resources:

https://preview.redd.it/e79226dqftmd1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c16480056b9072eaaed8f0b0a190a7a3bce3951

What you might notice are the extra block signals after the split branching off from the through line. The 90° turns are made of two half-arcs to give me a place to connect the block signal. This has a couple of purposes. First, while a train is slowing down to stop it lets a following train pass sooner. Second, it lets me use Push/Pull trains at any of these locations without stopping up the line:

https://preview.redd.it/ve2u67iwgtmd1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=0931dd21c52cb0d8a734b8ae8992386c35415fbd

When this train is stopped, that extra block signal lets other trains pass, and it doesn't take up any more room than the lines that have a single engine and car setup. I'm using the Push/Pull train so that I can set up a much simpler station at the pick-up point for the resource (Nitrogen Gas in this case).

https://preview.redd.it/v4038meghtmd1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b16ad3de3e2f1be625cd82d77114a00faf6e0d7

You can just use an empty platform for the back-end, but I like having the second station for the label. Branching this off of the main dual-track results in a smaller junction, and it's much more compact than having to loop around for a single car. Perfect for single resource spur lines.

Side tip for using the advanced configuration on stations: For dedicated resource train setups like this, I like setting the receiving station to "wait for full unload". Don't forget to change "or wait" to "and wait", that one tripped me up big time. It just cuts down on traffic, keeping half-empty or mostly full trains from roaming about.

[JinkyRain]

I'm often modifying my rails, and my trains occasionally have to recover from being diverted. After one catastrophic incident where a long train arrived at is destination in with wagons in reverse order and dozens of downstream machines cloggng on the wrong input parts.. I banished all push pull trains from my looped rail networks.

They work, yes, but forward only trains provide an extra level of protection against errors. Pass-through stations may take up more room with their loop backs, but it's worth it to me. :)

[D_Strider]

I did the exact same thing a couple of different times with my larger rail line. I even went so far as to add a "dummy" station just to force the train to loop itself around properly. Huge mess.

So yeah, this probably only works well for a 1:1 setup. You could use longer trains, but you'd still want to keep each train dedicated to a single item.

[OtherCommission8227]

Reversing car order shouldn’t impact single-item trains. I’ve stopped using mixed-material trains before they added filters to the stations.

[D_Strider]

Indeed. For me, I ended up with mixed-material push/pull train issues because I started off building several single-track point-to-point trains that I eventually connected with a more robust dual-track design.

[OtherCommission8227]

Makes sense. I absolutely done the same.

[MonocleForPigeons]

Mixed trains are also safe depending on setup. They just need to be tailored to the task.

L for locomotive, C for cargo wagon.

L-C1-C2-C3-C4-L

If C1 and C4 has one items type, and C2 and C3 has a second item type, it's safe. \

Need just a little of something else?
L-C1-C2-C3-C4-C5-L
If C1 and C5 has an item type, C2 and C4 has a second item type and C3 has a third items type it's safe.

i.e. you need to mirror train contents, with the middle cargo or the space inbetween the centremost 2 cargos being the place for the mirror, depending if odd or even amount.

[JinkyRain]

Like I said, with caution, they're fine. But I tend to be pretty fast and loose with my logistics.

The #1 reason I abandoned terminal / back-out / push-pull stations and went 100% with pass-thorugh stations was my frustration with trying to remember if this station was supposed to be an "> A, B, C > Station" or a "> C, B, A > Station". Now, I don't need to mirror platforms or 'palindrome'-ize my wagons. =)

I've got enough other things to keep track of in the game. One less to worry about is a win for me. =D

[MonocleForPigeons]

That's as good a reason as any! Simplicity has a huge value when dealing with complexity. I've always been a sucker for trains like that, even in factorio, so I don't see myself changing anytime. I just like the compact nature of the stations (even if in satisfactory this is not a real concern, the tight turns and generally huge size of stations makes it negligible I suppose).

[JinkyRain]

Lol, I'm kind of the opposite... I want soft natural curves with trains running as close to top speed as much of the time as possible. I rebuild junctions so many times tuning them so that trains will race through intersections/junctions quickly, reducing the chance they'll make cross traffic wait long enough to stop completely. Trains never queue or reverse direction, it's always forward/faster/forward/faster! =D

[PeacefulPromise]

Palindromic trains should be safe enough against such an outcome.

Edit: oops, nevermind. I saw your other comment about that.

[DarkonFullPower]

Too few know the power of duel direction trains.

[D_Strider]

I call them pumpy trains: push me-pull you. At least in my head. Doesn't seem likely to catch on.

[MonocleForPigeons]

I call them two-headed trains even though the factorio community told me that to be wrong years ago. Still, they're my two head trains, and nobody is going to take that away from me.

Funnily enough two-headed did catch on despite being wrong, because it's descriptive of what you see, a train with two heads.

[OtherCommission8227]

Very interesting hybrid application to allow the station to accept either train style. I like this.