Railway Dispatch Simulator

🎯 Game Objective

You are a signal operator at a busy railway station.
Your job is to set routes and give the departure signal so every train arriving at the platform can leave safely and on time.

🖥 Screen Layout

• Main Display Area — This is where you actually operate the station.
• Departure Board (top right) — Shows train order, class, and departure times.
• Log Area (bottom left) — Shows warnings and messages.

🗺 Map Controls

Panning

Scroll the map in any direction.

• Right-click + drag to pan

Zoom

Zoom the map in or out.

• + to zoom in
• - to zoom out
• Or Ctrl + mouse wheel

Reset View

Return the map position and zoom — plus the departure board, diagram, and log window layout — to their initial state. Handy if you ever lose track of the view.

• Home to reset
• Or the ◎ button at the bottom left (below the +/− buttons)

⏱ Time Controls

You can pause or run the simulation at 1×, 2×, or 4× speed using the buttons at the top left, or with the keyboard.

• Space — Pause / Resume
• 1 — 1× speed
• 2 — 2× speed
• 3 — 4× speed

🔙 Settings & Return to Title

Press Esc to open the Settings screen. Here you can change the volume, screen mode, language, and more (see Settings Screen below).

The Settings screen also has Return to Title and Quit buttons, which take you back to the main menu or exit the game.

In-game time pauses while the Settings screen is open.

⚙ Settings Screen

The Settings screen lets you adjust the basics like volume and screen mode, and also tune the difficulty of operation — incidents (lost items / emergency stops) and door re-opening — to your taste. Open it from SETTINGS on the title screen, or by pressing Esc during play.

Basic settings

Block signal display

You can turn the display of block signals placed between stations ON / OFF (shown by default). Turn them off to declutter the screen on maps with complex track layouts. The change applies immediately — no need to reload the scenario.

Lost-item / emergency-stop probability

For incidents inside a station (searching for lost items, handling emergency-stop buttons), you can choose whether to play with the scenario's default or to override it yourself.

• Check "Use scenario default" — incidents occur at the probability the scenario intends
• Uncheck it — set the probability of "lost items" and "emergency stops" freely with sliders

Door re-opening

How often doors re-open and re-close (for last-second boarders and the like) can also use the default or be overridden. Uncheck the box to apply a probability and a maximum count (1–4 times) uniformly to all trains.

📋 Core Gameplay Loop

🎮 On-screen Icons

Icons on the map are divided into interactive and display-only elements.

Interactive Icons

• Start Lever (▶) — Click to light up. Marks the start point of a route.
• End Lever (○) — Click this while a Start Lever is lit to try setting a route.
• Departure Button — Gives the departure signal to a train. Click while a route is set.

Display-only Elements

• Signal — Aspect changes automatically based on route state.
• Class Indicator — Shows the class of the departing train once you press the Departure Button.
• Track Circuit (yellow line) — A section where a route is set.
• Track Circuit (red line) — A section currently occupied by a train.

① Using Levers

The ▶ (arrow) icons on the map are levers.
Levers come in two kinds: Start Lever and End Lever.

Check the Target Platform

First, hover your cursor over a train on the map to see its train number. Find that train number on the Departure Board (top right) to see which platform (track) it should be sent to. Then set a route that leads to that platform.

How to Operate

1. Click the Start Lever — it lights up (selected state)
2. Click the End Lever — attempts to set the route

What is a Route?

A route is a single reserved path from a starting point to a destination where a train can run safely. When a route is "set," all switches (points) along it are thrown to the correct position and the section is locked so no other train can enter.

If the route is clear, points throw automatically and the signal advances to a proceed aspect.

② Press the Departure Button

Each platform has a Departure Button. Hover the cursor to see the direction (Outbound / Inbound).

• Click while a route is set → the departure bell sounds and the train starts moving.
• Click with no route set → nothing happens (same as real life).

Pressing the Departure Button also lights up the Class Indicator on the platform, showing the train's class (Ltd. Express, Express, Local, etc.).

③ Releasing the Lever (Clearing the Route)

Once a train has departed, click the Start Lever to clear the route.

However, in these cases the route cannot be cleared immediately:

Approach Locking

If a train is actively approaching the route, you cannot release the lever. Once the train stops, a 30-second countdown must elapse before the lock automatically releases. The remaining time is shown in the log on the left.

Occupancy Locking

While a train is occupying a track inside the route, that section cannot be reused by another route. It releases automatically once the train has cleared.

🚦 Route Preview

Click a running train's icon to enter Route Preview, which highlights the path the train is about to take along the track with color coding. See at a glance "where is this train headed?" and "which platform will it reach?".

• Orange — the leg toward a stop
• Cyan — a leg it passes through

In-game time pauses during preview, so you can study the route at your leisure.

How to exit

• Press Esc or right-click to end the preview
• On exit, the track circuit colors return to normal and time resumes at its previous speed
• Clicking a different train switches straight to that train's route

💡 Useful Tips

Conflicting Routes

Routes that cross or overlap cannot be set at the same time. If a conflicting route is already active, the log will tell you.

Checking Train Info

Hover over any train on the map to see its class and train number.

Timetable

The right panel shows the arrival/departure schedule for each platform.

Log Panel

Actions and warnings appear on the left side of the screen. Whenever ⚠ appears, read the message carefully.

"X" and "Y" on the Track Diagram

You may see an X or a Y at the end of a track. It marks two stretches of track that are drawn apart but are actually joined. Matching letters connect to each other: a train that runs into one X comes out of the other X, and the same goes for Y.

The track diagram is not a scale drawing of the real layout, so a single line is sometimes split between two places on the screen. Without the marker it would look like a dead end, so the letters show you where it continues.

🔧 Lever Types

There are two kinds of levers: Main Line and Shunting. Tell them apart by the color when selected.

🚦 Signal Types

The map has four types of signals.

🔴 Signal Aspects (What They Mean)

Signal aspects change automatically based on route state and conditions ahead.

🔁 Signal Handling Mode (Hold / Auto)

You can switch the signal handling style from the settings screen. Hold mode is the default — it's simple and easy to operate.

Hold (default, recommended)

When a train enters the route, the route is automatically cleared and both the start and end levers return to neutral. The signal turns red and stays red until you set up the next route.

• Beginner-friendly: trains stop at the signal, so you don't need to plan as far ahead
• Less approach-locking trouble: a clear signal won't suddenly flip to red while a train is approaching

Auto (non-hold)

When a train enters the route, the levers stay in place and the signal can return to a proceed aspect automatically once conditions are met. Useful for running many trains through the same route in quick succession.

🔒 Interlocking in Detail

Approach Locking

Activated while a train is traveling toward a route. It prevents you from clearing the route and leaving the train with nowhere to go. Once the train stops, a 30-second countdown elapses and the lock releases automatically.

Occupancy Locking

While a train is on a track inside the route, that section stays locked. It releases once the train clears the section.

Sectional Locking

Even after a route is cleared, any track circuits the train hasn't yet passed remain individually locked. This prevents the following route from being set until the previous train has fully cleared.

🔄 Turnaround Trains

Some trains reach a terminal platform and then depart in the opposite direction — a "turnaround." For these trains you must set an outgoing route in the reversed direction. Check the arrow direction in the timetable carefully before setting the route.

🏆 Scoring Mode

When you start a scenario with Scoring Mode ON from the title screen, every dispatch action earns or costs points. On-time departures and well-timed departure signals add points; delays, wrong order, and mistakes deduct points. At the end of the scenario you receive a total score and a S / A / B / C / D rank.

With scoring OFF (Sandbox Mode) you can practice the same scenario freely. No score is recorded.

Bonus Points

Penalties

Rank Calculation

Achievement rate = Earned Score ÷ Scenario Maximum Score × 100%.

High Scores & Achievements

Your best score is automatically saved per map × scenario. Replay the same scenario and aim for an S rank or a penalty-free run. A few Steam achievements are also tied to scoring — for first completion, S rank, no-penalty runs, and a full on-time run.

❓ FAQ

Related Guides

• Customizing Train Icons — How to replace train images with your own.