Before the SEHS route was extended a while back, Rainham Level Crossing would be a working level crossin, so much so that almost every eastbound (Faversham bound) service would be held at the red signal at Rainham station, until the level crossing was activated in front of you (amber lights, then flashing red with the barriers coming down), and then the signal infront of you would step up to green. this was such a great touch for the route, really adding to the immersion, but ever since the extension the crossing is permenantly down, and the signal at the end of platform 2 (eastbound) at Rainham is always clear on arrival, there's no longer an approach control to the crossing like there used to be it's only a minor thing, but could it be possible to re-introduce the working crossing here (and anywhere across the game where it could be implemented) as it was a really nice feature that kept the gameplay interesting? thank Katia edit: i should add i believe the level crossing does work, it's just it seems to trigger way earlier heading eastbound than it used to before the extension, as pre-extension i was almost always temporarily held at a red light at Rainham station as the crossing lowered, whereas post-extension the crossing is already down and the station signal aspect on clear/green on arrival.. again only a minor thing but it would be nice to go back to how it used to be if possible!
Yeah I noticed this, it seems everything Eastbound is treated as a non stopper, bet the road traffic loves that Same on the East Coastway, when you are a stopper you get greens at the stations with level crossings when in reality you would roll into the platform on a red while the barriers are lowered.
yeah exactly this, and it's the same on ecw like you say too.. i know it's only a small thing but it would be nice to see it introduced on a route like ecw, and re-introduced on sehs
I’ve spent time watching at that crossing and it is quite comical how far back the car traffic builds up because they stay closed for so long and only open for a very short time. I looked on the map to see when the crossing gets triggered and it is a couple of stations back before the train has even departed, so there is a considerable time before the train will actually pass the crossing.
that's really interesting, and it wasn't like that before the extended version of SEHS was released, it's only been happening since the extension. it's a shame really as before it was a really nice feature and made for a more realistic step down sequence for the signalling, it would be nice if it could somehow be reverted to how it used to be
Gillingham station/crossing behaved the same way pre SEHS extended if I recall. I would also like to see this reintroduced
Given how the Awesome Service Mode Runs tend to revolve around adverse signals, this seems like a nearly-free (not knowing how signalling is implemented and what testing would be required) way to spice up a great route.
definitely agree with you here, and considering that it was already a feature before the route was extended, surely it would be relatively easy to 're-implement', i know it would not be high on a priority list but for me it would massive improve the gameplay
For what it's worth, I've started playing around with timetables in the official editor, and discovered how this works. Instructions to trains have a "dispatch beyond" checkbox which, if checked, will continue to create a path reservation beyond the order. Otherwise, the path ends at the order destination. To leave the level crossing clear, the "dispatch beyond" box for the Go To order should be unchecked, making the reservation end at the signal just beyond the platform and leaving the level crossing open. We have two options to trigger the level crossing to close and the signal to clear: As soon as we open the doors to begin loading/unloading (check "dispatch beyond" on the load/unload order) or as soon as the doors close (check nothing, but then it's time to head for the next station). I understand there's a rule against closing the doors in preparation for departure when there's a red starting signal. So I would assume the former is best. But what prompts the crossing to activate and clear these signals to clear in real life? Also, does the crossing have to be some safe overlap distance past the signal to remain open safely? Berwick on ECW is very, very close so a train that SPADs would end up on the crossing.
Yes thats the downside of using that function is that the barriers don’t lower and signal clear just before departure but its better than nothing. Signals can be close to the crossing and a train roll up to them at red like at Berwick.
How does it actually get triggered in real life? Is it based on the scheduled departure time? Does the driver or guard push a button on the platform?
In the case of Berwick it’s when the train occupies a certain axle counter section so generally for a stopper the barriers are lowering as the train comes into the platform, it will have a proceed before the train stops.
Ah, perfect. That actually works well with how I'm setting it up in the editor (on ECW, for anyone who's interested ).
