Friday Facts #81 - Chain signals

[ssilk]

As I understood it: Yes.

BTW (and a bit off-topic): https://github.com/vbarbaresi/MetroGit

[roy7]

You have a train depot with 3 platforms for unloading.
There are 2 tracks coming and you connect them vise-versa.
You have something like this:

Code: Select all

DEPOT

S S S
| | |
|\|/|
\ V /
 V V
 | |
 C C
 | |
  
INCOMING

S= Normal Signal
C = Chain Signal
| \ / V = Tracks

If any of the Signals is Green, the Chains also get green?

Regard,
Karo

Here's my question on this. If a two trains are coming into this setup, and the first train on the right has entered the block after the chain signal but before the normal signal, what's happening to the other chain signal on the left entrance? Is it green if the train is heading to the right hand station (since you could enter chain signal block and exit to left side station) but red if the first train in (from right side entrance) is heading to the left hand destination (and is cutting across all paths to the other stations)?

If the left chain is green even while a train is in the middle section going to the left destination since there are other valid destinations to exit the block at, does this mean the left side train can enter and crash into the first train that's cutting from right entrance to left exit? This would be a design fault by the player of course since I suspect it might actually work this way.

I'm having trouble understanding for sure how chain signals work in situations where they are before a complex block of multiple paths with multiple exits, or if they are not intended to be used in that situation.

[Takezu]

I think those things work just like regular signals, to speak, if train in block then red. But they have the addition to say also, if next signal red also red.

Hope i'm right with this, signaling my crossings with those functions would be less of a pain.

[roy7]

That makes total sense. I somehow got fixated on chains tying to the later normal signals and didn't even consider they also work as standard signals, if the block in front of them is blocked then they go red like normal. Thanks.