Mandatory Train Servicing

In the race to make millions, vehicle breakdowns are probably your biggest obstacle. In a busy station serving a dozen trains or more, having even one train break down on its way into or out of the station can cause freight-train gridlock. Other trains waiting to get in or get out will also break down, causing a chain reaction of breakdowns which cause ratings to nosedive and profits to plummet.

Keeping your trains running at optimum reliability might seem as simple as changing it's servicing schedule from 150 days (the default) to 100 days or less.

The problem with this is that trains making the most profitable runs usually are running on very long routes. One such train might leave the station just as it's service schedule comes up. The computer determines which depot is nearest (in distance) to that train and instructs the train to go to THAT depot. Unfortunately, the computer can't (or won't) determine if that is the depot which the train can arrive at the quickest, and it won't tell the train to reverse direction to find that nearest depot. Instead, the train forges ahead, looking for a way to turn around. Often times, the only place to turn around is the destination station. The train gets there, ignoring depots near that station, and turns back to the original depot.

The end result is that by the time the train gets serviced and returns to the destination station, it has travelled more than twice the required distance, and your profits from that run reflect this in a bad way. And I mean bad as in 'BAD'.

The solution to this vexing dilema is to be in control of when and where the trains get serviced without leaving it up to chance.

(This solution depends on the signalling features introduced in Transport Tycoon DELUXE. The original version of Transport Tycoon does not have the advanced signalling required to make this work.)

Consider the following screenshot...

This diagram should help explain how to build this 'Mandatory Service' Depot.

All trains running on the top track (from east to west) come upon a fork in the tracks. By continuing straight, the train would meet the 'wrong' side of a one-way signal. It sees this and makes the turn into the depot, where it's reliability rating is increased to maximum. It then leaves the depot and continues on.

The straight section below the depot is required. If this section is not in place, the train will be unable to find a route to it's destination.

Designing Profitable Stations

In addition to reliability issues, the next most important factor in maximizing profit is in designing your stations to be as efficient as possible.

Hundreds of hours of experience (just ask my wife) has led to me design what I believe may be the most efficient design possible for an extremely high-traffic train station. Even though it has only four loading platforms (the max), this station should provide service to a dozen or more trains, depending on the distances they travel, the rate of production of the factory being serviced and several other factors.

• 1, 2, 3, and 4 indicate track pairs which lead to 4 different destinations.
• When trains enter the station, they travel counter-clockwise toward point 'A'. If any one of the four loading platforms is open (signal is green) that train will enter the station and pick-up or drop-off cargo. When the station is busy, and all four platforms are occupied, the train continues around past point 'A' toward the exit tracks. But instead of exiting, the train continues on around past point 'B' to make another attempt. This is very similiar to a well designed airport where cars which are leaving can take a route marked 'Return to Terminal'.
• The train will make the obligitory stop at the depot as it rounds the corner. Observe the signal arrangement which makes this possible.

This design is recommended when you have a station which BOTH accepts cargo(s) and produces other cargo(s). For stations which only accept cargo or only produce cargo, a simpler design should be satisfactory.