Steam is my favourite in TSW. But I'm still not comfortable with the old signaling on these routes. Want to clarify a few doubts and any additional tips would be welcome Please note that I play with bare-essential HUD elements - Top left stuff to see the next instruction. Upcoming speed limit on HUD because I'm too lazy to memorize / note down the route diagram. Track monitor; can't turn it OFF without turning OFF no. 2 Continued...
2. Even after passing the above signal, the immediate signal is not 'At danger' (sometimes) How should I deal with this and how much should I slow down ? 3. There are some coloured light signals on SoS. Should I ignore them as they are under installation ( in 1958 ) or should I treat them as 'main-signals' ?
The signalling isnt the same as modern routes. As far as my very basic understanding goes the distant signal (Yellow) being on shows that one of the signals in the block ahead is set to danger/theres a train in the block ahead. As signallers etc have their own blocks to move trains in and out and communicate between signal boxes etc. Someone more knowledgeable will no doubt throw a better answer in
4. This location; heading towards Liverpool, just after Ditton... Was doing a run earlier today, and the signal on the right was clear so I flew past at quite a speed and SPADed at the next signal because of a train ahead of me. How would this signal convey the 'Caution' aspect ?
So the gantries with the yellow signals are the ones that indicate you may need to slow down or stop basically as they're your distant signals and indicate that one of the red signals ahead may be set to danger.
5. Unlike other electric signals, you can SPAD at this one for some reason ( found out the hard way ) Also, there is just 1 'Caution' going from 70mph to a complete stop here. How is the player supposed to know that ?
In game, if a yellow semaphore is horizontal, it means any one of the next few red semaphores (until the next yellow semaphore signal) are horizontal. Otherwise, the next few signals until the next yellow semaphore signal are clear. As for electric signals, I would assume that you can follow them.
There is a separate setting for the Track Monitor so it can be turned on and off by itself. But for some reason, if you also have speed and/or distance setting off turning any of these on will turn on the Track Monitor.
BR block signalling works with each signal box being in charge of allowing train movements: - Within the signal box area of action (points, platforms, sidings...), those movements are allowed by the home signal - Into the track section to the next signal box, those movements are allowed by the starting signal Both those signals are linked to the same distant signal, as such, that distant signal showing caution means either the home or starting signal is at danger. You'll regularly see Caution -> Clear -> Danger sequences. In some cases, a signal box may have more than one starting signal (typical for busy stations : Home signal before the points and/or platforms, Starting signal at the end of the platform, Advanced Starting signal a few hundred yards behind the starting signal to allow a train to free the station tracks and platforms without occupying the block to the next station/signal box). In such cases a Caution -> Clear -> Clear -> Danger sequence is possible as well. In the case of relatively short blocks between the signal boxes, a first box starting or advanced starting signal can also carry the distant signal of the next box (which is the case shown on your first pic) There are only two ways to know when a clear signal allows you to get back to line speed: - Route knowledge. While it's mostly trivial to distinguish between a home and starting signal, there's no guessing whether or not you'll run into an advanced starting signal. - Adding the distance to next signal on your HUD: If the HUD tells you there's a signal a few hundred yards after you passing a clear signal, having been shown a caution aspect at the previous distant signal, then you probably passed a clear home signal and should expect a starting or advanced starting signal showing danger. If the HUD tells you the next signal is a mile or more away, then you just passed the last signal of that signal box and will pass an other distant signal before encountering the next stopping signal. A signal is a signal (and, though TSW does not simulate it, an unlit signal is a restrictive signal). You absolutely should obey those as well as semaphores. I'm not sure why you were allowed to SPAD in the case of your fifth picture. You definitely shouldn't have been able to considering the track layout behind that signal. Hope this helps
But you shouldn't, see this thread: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/rule-39a-and-why-it-is-necessary.73240/ Unfortunately TSW's implementation of semaphore absolute block signalling has a lot of issues which force you to drive in ways counter to how an actual driver would.
Thanks for your replies everyone Appreciate that! I take that when I see a distant in horizontal position, I'll need to slow down and keep it slow until I pass the next distant at clear... BTW, what speed do you folks slow down to in this situation ?
It depends on a number of factors. Firstly, do you know where the next signal is? If so, you just need to be going slowly enough at the point at which you first see it, to be able to stop at it if it’s at danger (horizontal). If not, how slowly you need to go depends on the visibility on the section of track in question. If you’re on a straight section of track with no objects - such as bridges - which might block your view of the next signal, and if the weather is good, you can probably maintain about 30mph and still be confident of stopping when you spot the signal. On the other hand, if you’re in an area with sharp curves, bridges, retaining walls on either side etc - or if you’re running in fog or heavy rain - then you really need to get your speed down to be able to stop when you spot the signal - probably to more like 15mph. Over time, for the distant signals which are most often at caution (some are at caution far more often than others) you’ll come to learn where the associated home and starter signals (the red signals) actually are, and how many there are associated with the distant signal. That last point is critical, as once you’ve passed the last one, you can speed up, knowing that the next signal is another distant (yellow) signal.
That does make so much more sense, disappointing that it isn't simulated considering the game should absolutely be able to handle it. As said before, it depends on many things, such as what you're driving, line visibility, weather, inclines... and just like a driver from that era, you have to get a feel for it (and, unlike them, you're not getting any training, so trial and SPAD it is), you're not even getting a speedometer if you're playing without the HUD.
