Stations

In TrainPlayer, a "station" is a named location on the layout.  It may represent a terminal, loading dock, warehouse, yard, city, or any place a train might stop to interchange passengers or goods.  By defining stations on the layout, you give the program a way to keep track of where a train has travelled.

A station is represented on the layout as a rectangular area, normally invisible (stations become visible only when the Station tool is selected).  Internally, a station is not a rectangle, but one or more sections of track.  As soon as the lead car of a train enters one of those tracks, then the train is reported to have arrived at that station; it has departed when the last car moves off the set of tracks.

Many of the layouts provided with TrainPlayer are equipped with stations.  This section describes how to define your own, or modify the ones provided.

To define a station:

1. Select the Station tool from the track tools set, or choose Tools > Station.  If there are stations defined on the layout, selecting this tool causes them to become visible as dashed blue rectangles with names:

3. To define a station: press and drag to form a rectangle around the desired area.  You must surround at least one track section inside the rectangle.

The station area is not limited to the space inside the rectangle, but includes the entire length of any track section which intersects it.  For example, in the above diagram, the "Petrolian Alley" station includes both the spur tracks from their termini at the northeast to their junction at the southwest.

4. To name the station, bring up the Inspector Track tab.  If the station is not selected, click on it.  Then enter the name into the Name box:

To modify a station:

You can change the name of a station, but not its size or shape or definition.  To resize or reposition a station, you have to delete it and create a new one.

To delete a station: 

Position the cursor on one edge of the station's outline, right-click and choose Cut or Delete.

To test the station:

1. Use Window > Clock/Schedule to bring up the schedule window.
2. Drive a train onto a track surrounded by the station.
3. You should see a report that the train is arriving at the given station.