Railroad Stations

[Thorin]

Has anyone come across a way to create railroads with stations where the tracks are one giant loop and the carts can be stopped at the station without using inclines / declines?  I find the idea of a hill with a drop in the middle of your beautiful train station visually dysfunctional.

[Mr. Analog]

Unpowered, powered rail acts as a brake

[Lazybones]

The drop is not to stop the cart, and technically nether is the piston.

The stations are the way they are because:
- the drop is needed to start the cart or you need to have it right against a static block to launch
- the piston was adds to the dip so that the carts didn't slip "as often" out when the rider exits.


The newer stations with dispenser use a drop and block for launching


It might be possible to design something with sticky pistons that alters the track just for launch but it would be complicated since track blocks break if the block they are on moves, so you need to move the track and the block.

[Thorin]

Yep, I understand that there has to be a solid block behind, or an incline.  That doesn't make it pretty   The newer drop and block design looks fine for the subway, in fact it doesn't bother me there at all.  But I'm trying to design an old-timey above-ground railway station with a wooden outdoor platform, and raising the carts a couple of blocks and then dropping them right before stopping doesn't fit that theme at all.

Hmm, this can be fixed with the use of horizontal pistons pushing blocks that push the rails (you're right that a piston pushing a rail directly breaks the rail): http://youtu.be/FBA7pHmMLOo

So two pistons facing each other with four blocks of space in between.  Three of those four spaces are solidblock-rail-solidblock, the fourth space is where these three slide into.

bbbrbb
p brbp
bbbrbb

activate the right piston to move the rail over and place a solid block in the way:

bbbrbb
pbrb p
bbbrbb

Then activate your rail so that you can go, because there is now a solid block behind you.  Use timers to activate the left piston to reset:

bbbrbb
p brbp
bbbrbb

If you did this on both sides of where they get out of the cart, you could have a block to stop them when they're coming in (unpowered golden rails don't always stop the cart in the exact same spot), which disappears when they want to go.

[Tom]

Have the really fancy old school automatic stations been broken in some way? There used to be all kinds of really neat looking designs about the tubes.

[Lazybones]

Boosters, ie having another mincart on a side track nolonger works since powered rails where added.

I would say more than half the demo videos and forum posts are for the old booster method.

[Tom]

Boosters, ie having another mincart on a side track nolonger works since powered rails where added.

I would say more than half the demo videos and forum posts are for the old booster method.

Yeah... hmm. Is there no way to get powered rails to work? Stick a couple of them together with a detector rail maybe? Hmmm...

[Mr. Analog]

If you can figure out an invisible launcher then I think Thorin will be happy.

Of course if he was REALLY going old school (Wild West) he'd use a slow-ass furnace minecart to push him through

[Tom]

UUggh, powered rail doesn't actually start up a cart on flat track, how stupid is that.

[Mr. Analog]

UUggh, powered rail doesn't actually start up a cart on flat track, how stupid is that.

Exactly the problem, hence dip stations

[Tom]

Yeah, the only options I'm finding are dip stations of some kind, or slight rise + drop off. I think I'll put the rise+drop in my line to US Rail. I have an idea that'll make it work bi-directionally with a single track.

[Thorin]

I've got a design figured out that is completely flat.

Player walks up to station, finds minecart on golden rail between two solid blocks.  Player gets in minecart, pushes button at eye height.  Button powers a piston that pushes the solid block out of the way and moves a rail in front of the cart.  Button powers the golden rail and minecart starts moving because there is a solid block behind it.  Minecart moves away, meanwhile button powers delaying repeaters that power a piston to push the rail out of the way and the solid block back.

The station now has a railway going through it with two solid blocks with an empty spot for another minecart.

Minecart comes into station, crosses detector rail.  Detector rail powers a piston that pushes one of the solid blocks out of the way and moves a rail in front of the cart.  Minecart stops against the other solid block (the one that moved earlier when the minecart left).  The detector rail powers delaying repeaters that power a piston that pushes the rail out of the way and the solid block back.

The player gets out of the minecart.  There is now a minecart between two solid blocks again.

It works really neat, but it takes a fair bit of space.

Now to find time and materiel to create it.

[Mr. Analog]

Sounds impressive! Got any screens?

[LennyLen]

Ask kdevil if you see him on.  The station on his server is fully automated and doesn't require inclines.  You can check it out for yourself at mc.kentdev.net.  The main station is close to the spawn point.

[Tom]

I've got a hacked up station at my second base if anyone cares to check it out. single track, bi directional. Of course the station is dual track, but it works ok. Take the main US rail to my stop, then the track behind the door to my second base, and from the station there, you can get to my underground mine.