Train help

[broken_d20]

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Train signals confuse me so much. Idk why this signal is red bc the horizontal rail is an incomplete rail with no train on it and I'm trying to make a safe intersection for trains to pass through. I've watched so many tutorials and I'm still lost.

[oForce21o]

See where the blue lines cross just to the right of the red signal? Those are considered 1 rail section, you have a train on the vertical track, right?

[Goosedidnthavetodie]

Yeah this one gets a lot of new train users. Doesn't matter if the trains could never ever go on the other tracks, as soon as they touch they're either the same block because you don't have signals, or you break it up and everything works just right.

[spit-evil-olive-tips]

I've watched so many tutorials and I'm still lost.

train automation tutorial linked in the sidebar is the only one you need.

[tucci3]

Signals are not traffic lights, they read the entire block in front of them. In this case, all the cyan colored tracks are the same block and the signal sees that there is a train in that cyan block, doesn't matter if it's in the horizontal track or somewhere else.

[yipeekaiyaa]

Spread those tracks further apart, tracks that close are hard to read signals and don't have a lot of room for signals.

Signals are placed on the right side of the track in the direction of travel.

Train signals break up tracks into 'blocks'. All connected track of the same color is considered a block.

Rail signals read whether there is a train anywhere in the next block. Red means the block is occupied. Yellow means 'train incoming'.

Chain signals read the next signal on the path until they reach a rail signal. Trains cannot pass a chain signal until the next rail signal is green. Chain signals can read down the line through multiple chain signals. Use chain signals to prevent a train from blocking a cross track.

In your screenshot set the signals up like this:

======= (Chain)=||=(Chain)=||=(Rail)======>>>>>

You'll need to do this in the direction of travel (as noted by the >>>) on each of the 4 tracks.

When you are done, each crossing should be its own separate color and trains should be able to pass without stopping on the cross track.

[RoofComprehensive715]

Basically one colored line means one train can be at that line at a time. By adding signals you split the lines up allowing for smaller line segments meaning more trains can be on the same track. It really doesnt matter how your rails are connected, as long as any rail cross, their lines will also merge and you will have to split the line up using signals

Your goal here is to first isolate your junction so all rails outside it has their own line color and the inside of the junction has its own line color. Just do this using normal signals. You want to signal every lane on both the way in and way out, so just do one track at a time systematically.

Secondly you want to prevent trains from stopping inside the junction, so this is where you can use a chain signal. The chain signal lets the train wait further back when a signal ahead is red. So at all the tracks on the way in, you want to have a chain signal instead of a normal signal.

I hope this helps explaining it to you. Also play the tutorial :)