Gentek Rail System

Revision as of 00:43, 5 May 2013 by imported>NelsonJenkins

These are general ideas for a future rail system.

Standards

  • Track gauge (inner <-> inner) = 1.96 m (to allow for SLRR railbed compatibility)
  • Minimum vertical clearance = 5.5 m
  • Minimum horizontal clearance = 4.0 m on straight sections, 5.5 m on curved sections (minimum)
  • General car length, wheel to wheel = 12.5 m
  • General car length, end to end = 16.5 m

Guides

  • Straight
  • Stop buffer (fwd or rev)
    • Instantly stops train to prevent derailment
  • Switch left (switchable, requires 2 connections in one direction)
  • Switch right (switchable, requires 2 connections in one direction)

Guide options

  • Block (acts as signal block delimiter)
  • Signal (can be used with block option, or separate for programmable addressing)
  • Switch Trigger (automatically sets switch for oncoming train, usually in unswitched direction)
  • External API output (sends information on car pass)
  • Autonomous train commands (for selective autonomous train movement with wildcards)
    • Short Horn/Whistle
    • Long Horn/Whistle
    • Bell Start/Stop
    • Set Speed
    • Timed Stop (mostly for stations)
      • Time in Seconds
      • Doors Open
      • Horn/Bell on Depart
      • Departure Speed
      • Reverse
    • Switch Trigger (this will also automatically stop train until switch block is clear)

Train automation

Automated systems will have to be custom-designed, it is prohibitively complex to make automated train control devices (think UR but 10x as complex); nobody will figure it out
Ideally the engines could be remote controlled in a way to start up and assign routes through various switches to reach an endpoint (since freight trains would be stored either in a yard or in a "magic depot" instead of running continuously) but this is obviously not a consumer-friendly setup - continuously automated trains, e.g. Lionheart passenger service, may be an option

Rolling stock

  • Standard Boxcar
    • many different themes (won't list here)
  • Standard Tanker
    • some different themes (to be done)
  • Standard Flatcar
    • not really any themes to make, but has different cargo
  • Standard Hopper
    • themes yes indeedy
  • Standard passenger car
    • could make a lot of themes for this
  • Standard mail/baggage car
    • yep more themes sure thing
  • Russian-styled boxcab engine
  • US-styled hood-unit freight engine
  • F40PH/P42DC passenger service engine
  • Electric standalone passenger unit (metro/subway)
  • Maybe a steam engine (unlikely)

SLRR compatibility

Problems with SLRR compatibility:

  • Guide prims are too close together to have trains travel at speed and calculate movement directions
  • Curve radius is too small (turns too quickly) in some locations, which might screw things up at high speeds
  • Switch designs are passive
  • No signalling, which will be a critical aspect of the system (particularly for automated trains)
  • Public SLRR lines have no control system or prompt maintenance
  • Tier for trackside yards/depots would be too expensive
  • Privatized SLRR lines can just set up additional guide pieces

Numbering

4-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to all cars, with O, Q, I, and S excluded (to avoid misinterpreting as 0, 1, and 5) similar to VIN2 system. Supports approximately 1 million cars.
NOTE: Need to find a way to safely reuse numbers.

Problem pessimist checklist

Works

  • Crossing sims with keyframed movement
  • moving_end to detect when movement stops
  • Shout can be used across sim borders
  • Particles can have target in other sim

Doesn't works

  • Sensor across sim borders (not necessarily needed)

Untested

  • Curve system feasibility
  • Chained communications down entire consist when car(s) crossing border
  • Movement determination in each car (possibly by connecting guides?)

Path calculation

Aligned & no rotation OR any combination w/o smoothing

Get direct line between two points

Rotated w/ smoothing

If horiz offset <= depth distance, get arc on unit circle, then scale to ellipse marked by guides; otherwise, get above scenario at 1:1 ratio and scale horizontally (technically impossible for rails to be laid like this)

Offset & no rotation w/ smoothing

Internally plot midpoint of direct line, map two arcs using above method