Where To Stop At A Platform?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by operator#7940, Jul 14, 2026.

  1. operator#7940

    operator#7940 Well-Known Member

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    I'm gonna admit it's user error here, but where do you actually have to stop in the game regarding platforms and sidings? Is it more important to have the locomotive in the area, or the whole cargo/passenger area?
    I keep being slightly "off" somehow and not getting credit or failing missions.
    Sometimes it works, sometimes it's not registering.
    It's not just one route so I'm not sure if there's generally a rule of what is the most important to have in the "stopping zone" on the track monitor?
     
  2. 70045

    70045 Active Member

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    Providing the route's plaforms are set up correctly, you should stop with all vehicles in the defined green area on the map. But as long as some of the train's doors open, it classes as a stop as far as the game is concerned.

    The most common reason for "failing" a stop is timekeeping.

    John
     
  3. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    Sometimes you need to stop at the 0.0 marker at the end of the platform,

    As you are arriving at the station it counts down to the stopping point
     
  4. operator#7940

    operator#7940 Well-Known Member

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    Ok thank you I'll try those suggestions.
    To be clear you need to stop at the 0.0 point with the nose of the train?
     
  5. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    When you are stopping it counts down - when you get to 0.0 or just before then Stop

    Note that if you are Late arriving then it sometimes doe not record a successful stop
     
  6. operator#7940

    operator#7940 Well-Known Member

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    A lot of what I play is freight, so the time isn't really that important (although not all, since I like the Japanese passenger stuff for example)
    I'm not as concerned about points per se, as just completing the runs successfully =-)
     
  7. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    If its freight you don't have to stop in a station platform.

    There might be another reason why the scenario did not complete sucessfully
    Check the instructions to see if you should stop en route.

    I got caught out on a freight run as the timetable said I should stop at a junction
    As the signal was clear I kept going so it said I had failed the scenario.
     
  8. triznya.andras

    triznya.andras Well-Known Member

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    Some platforms are weird, but if there is a stopping instruction and you get the red bar rolling after pressing T (or the respective button on the HUD), the stopping itself did work.

    In standard scenarios the timetable is strict. Most often when the F1 instruction and the HUD says you have to arrive at, say, 16:51 (or 16:51:25), you have until the last second of the minute to register successfully. Some scenarios have further leeway. Some scenarios are extremely tight and you have to arrive by 15:51:59 according to the timetable, so being 1 second late makes you fail.
    If you are playing earlier versions, you should pay attention to the ETA next to the objective instead of any other clock, it tracks the timer that the game will see when you stop. This issue has been fixed in recent versions, but you may play an older one for better headlights and such.

    If you are playing career scenarios, the stop instruction should always succeed. The only possible failures are slipping past the marker entirely (even if you reverse) and moving the train with the doors open.

    Occasionally the scenario instructions are a bit weird in that there are multiple wait-like commands lined up - stop at a marker and decouple. If you decouple before the stop ends, that's a fail. Same about stop, split (uncouple rear coaches). You should always wait until the red bar disappears. Usually it's just an innocent sequence (stop & uncouple), with the stop being unnecessary. Sometimes the author may intend you to stop and wait at a platform before opening the doors for passengers, logically when starting a scenario, bringing your train in from storage. Even then it may not fail.

    In extremely rare situations there may be hidden go via or stop at instructions, which you may miss if you do the scenario too casually or aggressively. But in 11 years I've had maybe 2 of those scenarios.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2026
  9. 70045

    70045 Active Member

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    Although others say so I do not believe this is essential.

    In both real life and in the game, the primary aim (in the UK, at least) should be to aim to fit all passenger coaches in the platform area with (secondarily) the centre of the train as near as possible to the exit or footbridge steps. In older times this was done by judgement, but in the present era signs are usually provided to assist drivers in stopping trains, numbered to show the length of train. I believe the times that doesn't work in the game are entirely down to the way the platforms and animated passengers are configured by the route designer. There are some fundamental design mistakes that seem to be repeated again and again, perfectly fixable by those familiar with editing. Such a shame that more care isn't taken with the original build.

    And of course should you take your hand to editing, Career Scenarios will no longer function correctly.

    John
     
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