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Pak128.Britain-Ex / Re: Tracks and signalling
As said before, if the limit is due to braking, then that means that the blocks are too short, and simutrans will already make the trains run slower (break earlier than at the signal). And that should force you to fix the signalling - either use 4-aspects, or make longer blocks. Also in real world, when train is ****embled, its weight and braking capabilities must be calculated and compared with the tracks requirements - steepness of downhill parts and block length (or distance of distant signals), and the top speed might be limited if necessary. That is done by simutrans automatically, as if the driver always knows where the main signal is and know when to start braking.
This is interesting topic and made me study more about railways. In CZ freight trains are generally limited to 100 km/h - this can be enforced in the dat file for wagons. Only some can go 120 km/h when loaded, some others can go 120 km/h only empty. Every freight wagon has a table stating how much you can load it (at 100 or 120 km/h) in order not to go over the allowed axle load for given cl**** of track.
A = 16 t/axle; B = 18 t/axle; C = 20 t/axle; This makes it quite complicated. Part of that would be nice to have in simutrans. If the track (or road in general) to the destination is weak to support fully loaded vehicles, load them only partially so that they can p****. That would be nice addition to enforce_weight limits.Also tracks support different axle loads at different speeds. As the freight trains are limited to 100 km/h, the weight limits usually apply to this speed. P****enger trains are usually lighter (and break faster) so they may go faster. For example, Concrete sleepers B03 (252 kg) with rails S49 (49 kg/m) support 22.5 t/axle at 120 km/h but only 18 t/axle at 160 km/h. It might be nice to be able to specify set of weight/speed parameters for single way type.
To sum it up I think we could have these improvements:
- more pairs of weight/speed limits for each way
- instead of tilting 0/1, have a % how faster or slower can given train go in curves than "normal train"
- allow vehicles to load only partially in order to use weaker ways
However I do not see these as really fundamental problem.