Making a country in BAHN

[1993matias]

Before I continue working with this map, there is a big hurdle ahead that I want to plan before dealing with it. In Denmark, all long distance routes are connected somehow with trains splitting and coupling in many different places, leaving pretty much all of Denmark with a direct train to Copenhagen at some point. The problem is that they all connect to the same 2-3 hourly trains which then have different destinations throughout the day in addition to its usual destination (i.e. Copenhagen - Århus/Ålborg). See the map below, I am talking about all yellow and red lines being interconnected (disregard the one going to Sweden).


My problem has several parts:
- I have alarms turned on for missed departures from a Timing Point to catch problems early. This means I can't do gradual increase in service day by day, I have to add all trains to all lines at once (that's ~70 departures from Copenhagen and back), each with slightly different destinations and train consists.
- Some regional lines (green) are connected to the InterCity lines at night, but not during the day, further complicating matters.
- The same number of train cars have to go east and west, so all ~70 departures have to be balanced with the right number of cars at the right time
- Coupling and decoupling: How much testing is needed to make it 100% working correctly?

What I am most afraid of is having problems right when I start all the trains. How do you do it? What tips do you have? Maybe I should have fiddle yards to do partial implementations first? Or cross my fingers? Please help

- - -

Reading about InterCity on wikipedia in English, more detailed in Danish or the concept briefly in German.

[1993matias]

Well, writing a post late at night doesn't make it more reading-friendly. In essence, my question is:
If you have a huge (~1000km) interconnected network of lines that can't be implemented in sections/parts but only as a whole. How do you do it?

[Steffen]

Hello Matias,

I have not build such a hugh system with splitting up trains like you yet, but other through-coach-systems.
There I worked in tree steps.

1.) Build the main line, eg. Copenhagen - Århus/Ålborg and testing it.
2.) Build the connecting services that later will be split up e.g. Fredericia - Esbjerg, so that the passenger have to "change" the trains. Than test the network again.
3.) Install the shuntig activities between the conntecting trains so that there are "through-trains"

Hope this advices will help you.

Best regards.
Steffen

[Seb144]

What I am most afraid of is having problems right when I start all the trains.

Helllo Mathias,

personally I think it is impossible to start all the trains at once, esp. if they are connected the way you described it. There are just to many occasions for errors. As you cannot surveil every detail in this large layout a major breakdown of the network is most likely. Perhaps you will have a nervous breakdown as well.

My suggestion is to build it bit by bit. Start with the trains leaving and arriving at Copenhagen - as far as I see it there are two major directions. Take one direction and commence service station by station. For the other lines just build temporary solutions, e.g. that trains can return, but don't put too much efford into them. Ignore the timing point alarms of the areas, which are not finished yet. Test the areas that are finished, and when they work properly, go to the next station.

That's a piece of work, but believe me, starting all trains at once is hardly going to work. Only a prodigy could anticipate every situation that might occur and enter the correct conditions for shunting points etc.

Good Luck and best regards,


Sebastian
_________________
Berlin und Umgebung im Jahr 1989

http://www.bahn1989.berlin

[1993matias]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I think the partial approach is the way to go, the problem is that this simulation also simulates correct train lengths in regards to time of day and the composition of trains. The key to all of this (where most splitting and coupling takes place) is Fredericia.
By doing a partial implementation I would have to have very big fiddle yards for trains to turn around with the correct train number and composition for their return journey (unless I do an 'unrealistic' partial implementation first). I hope to have some idea of what to do and try it out this coming week.

[1993matias]

Conclusion: I make a fiddle yard north of Frederecia, but keep trains to all other parts south of it. I hope that is a good limitation.

On another note, I made the train for the line Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn (VLTJ or MjbaD), it's uploaded on www.jbss-bahnarchiv.de/

[1993matias]

Progress!!! Copenhagen Central Station has been inaugurated by regional trains! Right now only 3-4 trains per hour continue from the fiddle yard to Copenhagen (seats might be crowded...), but I have managed to get them working with overnight stabling and everything.
Schedules (passenger trains) are supposed to be 99,9% correct in this map, but around Copenhagen that might just be around 95%. Some trains continue/return as non-revenue empty services, I have tried my best to use actual train numbers and schedules for these. What took the most amount of time (other than building) was assigning each train number a time slot on the platforms. Most of the time they are the same, but then there is rush hour trains, reversing at the platform, etc., which made it quite complicated. Denmark might have a "taktfahrplan"/"fixed minute" schedule in theory, but ... that's not entirely true
A few screenshots to show the progress. First off the platforms and two trains. 4517 is a stopping service to Holbæk (down) just arrived at track 7 from the stabling tracks. Train 9621 is an empty service to Copenhagen Østerport station (up) where almost all regional trains turn around. Here it will turn around to revenue service to Holbæk.


- - -

Speaking of stabling tracks... Here they are at the same time. Currently only trains going to Kalundborg/Holbæk are going to Copenhagen, the rest turn around at the fiddle yard.


- - -

Further north of Østerport is the EMU depot. Maintenance and stabling of the Øresund trains and other EMUs is done here. There are two tracks also used for diesel trains to turn around (nearest Svanemøllen S-train station). No trains here - yet!

[Seb144]

Hello Mathias,

congratulations on the inauguration of Copenhagen Central Station!

Is it possible to integrate another train (arrival at 20:57h)?

D_320_Neptun.PNG

Perhaps via a new interface in BAHN 3.90?
Just kidding...

Best regards and keep going,

Sebastian
_________________
Berlin und Umgebung im Jahr 1989

http://www.bahn1989.berlin

[1993matias]

Hello Mathias,

congratulations on the inauguration of Copenhagen Central Station!

Is it possible to integrate another train (arrival at 20:57h)?[...]

Yes, according to my platform occupancy spreadsheet there is plenty of space at 20:57
How do you keep track of all your trains and platform usages? Plenty of spreadsheets?

- - -

Small progress update, the east-west mainline is complete, connecting Esbjerg to Copenhagen. Next step is to create regional trains Esbjerg-Fredericia and then InterCity trains Esbjerg-Odense-Copenhagen. Progress map below, red=all trackwork complete, orange=some trains running, green=all trains running
.

There are some 104 train consists in the layout, with hundreds of departures per day. Green lines have at least two trains per hour all day, some even more!
Current extent: ~280 km east-west, ~165 km north-south
Download:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SSf0l ... Vw-Zf6-z2p
You need also the DSB ME and Danish Lint pack from the folder - or download them from jbss-bahnarchiv (http://www.jbss-bahnarchiv.de/filebase/ ... %A4nemark/)

[MLG]

Skide godt!

[Seb144]

How do you keep track of all your trains and platform usages? Plenty of spreadsheets?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SSf0l ... Vw-Zf6-z2p

Hello Mathias,

no, I don't use Excel spreadsheets for this purpose. For some major stations I have simple text files with arrival and departure times for every platform.

I recommend including all the additional files in the nt3-file when publishing your layout. You can find this in "Options" - "File options", selcet checkbox "Save: add additional files to layout file" (or something like that, I've just translated from the German version).
Plus it would be good to zip the file in the ende to reduce the file size.

Have fun and best regards,


Sebastian
_________________
Berlin und Umgebung im Jahr 1989

http://www.bahn1989.berlin

[1993matias]

Quick update:
After 24h with no dispatcher messages ( I know! :O ) I decided to venture into the lands of InterCity. The mainline trains from Esbjerg (in the west) to Copenhagen (in the east) are fairly simple. Halfway, in Odense, there is usually one trainset extra onwards to Copenhagen. A few times a day the trains continue from Copenhagen northwards with rush hour trains. See the updated map below for progress.
In comparison to this, the rest of InterCity lines will be a challenge - couplings in Odense, Fredericia, Århus, and Aalborg, different length trains, different stopping patterns, sometimes train parts to Esbjerg... Soon... Maybe...

[1993matias]

What better way to start a new year than to inaugurate 110 kilometres of new railway? Introducing the regional train to Aarhus! Now all trains to Esbjerg from the east are running. Next step will be the regional services north and west from Aarhus in preparation for the Intercity services.

As usual, red=all trackwork complete, orange=some trains running, green=all trains running

[Seb144]

Hello,

I've heard there were some fireworks at Aarhus last night, probably because of the new train services...


Best regards,


Sebastian
_________________
Berlin und Umgebung im Jahr 1989

http://www.bahn1989.berlin

[1993matias]

Long overdue update. Regional trains on the line (Fredericia -) Vejle - Herning - Struer (- Thisted) are now running. Some of the regional trains are replaced by train parts detached from the fast train service Copenhagen - Fredericia - Århus. These are currently stored in a fiddle yard under Fredericia.
This was the first big single-track line put into operation with remarkably few crashes! That calls for a celebration!

Also, the commuter line north of Copenhagen to Helsingør is now working at full capacity. Up to nine trains per hour per direction, it is very crowded. These trains usually continue to Sweden while rush hour extras continue to/from services to Slagelse or Esbjerg.

Trying to make this as exact as possible is turning out rather tricky, since non-revenue trains are not always as straight-forward as you would expect. Lots of coupling and decoupling happening too.

New progress map:
Green: All trains running
Yellow: Some trains running
Red: Few trains running
Brown: Track aligned and prepared