A newly-discovered feature is the schedule sequence. This is like a schedule, but instead of bringing up a list of blocks to visit, it brings up a list of complete sequences that will be executed instead.

The schedule sequence is needed where a given train route would go through the same block more than once. A schedule can't do that (other than by running the same sequence several times). So if I want a train to go on a long journey - for example from Portsmouth, round the railway 3 times then back - it can't done in a single schedule. What you can do is make up discrete schedules, then chain them together in a sequence. So my "long journey" can be:

Portsmouth to green fiddle yard ( a short run);

Green fiddle yard to green fiddle yard, twice;

Green fiddle yard to orange fiddle yard;

Orange fiddle yard to orange fiddle yard, twice;

Orange fiddle yard to Portsmouth.

That now takes several minutes with lots of activity!

 

Another possible benefit of sequences is to cut down the number of sequences required. Instead of lots of individual sequences, you can instead have sequences for all of the main "point to point" operations required then treat a train journey as a sequence of them.

1st Oct 2016 - we have discovered more about sequences. There are some things to remember:

  • If you need to terminate a schedule, then terminating the sequence doesn't terminate the schedule that the train is on. You need to terminate that lower level schedule.
  • We had generated some "cycle" schedules. These only use the front 3 roads in the fiddle yards (to avoid being blocked behind another short train) and some are set to do several "laps".
  • They do several laps because you can only list a schedule once in a schedule sequence. So if in once sequence you might want 2 laps round the railway and in another sequence you want 5 laps, you need to make 2 sequences.
  • The rules for the schedules forming a sequence need to include "train may stay in start block" being ticked. If not, there can be a case where the path ahead is blocked and the train can't go; the whole sequence gets terminated with the train left out of position.

 

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