Gentek Rail System

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. Numeric-only identifiers reserved for engines and possibly self-contained power cars for more realistic number display.
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