Just how many blocks?

For practical purposes, MF has only 4 blocks in load, lift, course/waiting zone and unload. However, doesn't there have to be more?

You can't have more than 2 train's occupy the same block. However when trains are advanced, you'll notice that when one is leaving lets say the load block, the other one already starts to come in, so there are 2 trains in the same block. This can't be!

Lets say blue train is moving into load from unload. Yellow starts to come in to unload but while this happens the kicker wheel motor blows out and blue cannot advance all the way into load. What's to stop yellow from moving up and hitting blue!

So doesn't there have to be more than 4 blocks in order for it to work, unless they are  breaking the rules. Does anybody know just how many blocks Millennium Force has?

This was a problem back in May 2000 .  Yes, one block has to be empty in order for the next train to roll in.  What I think happened is a little creative programming.  Imagine that each station is split into two sub-blocks.  Each half of the station has some sort of train control: Load has the lift in front and wheels in the back,  unload has two sets of wheels.  (I might be wrong on the location of the kickers, please correct me if I am)  When one sub-block clears, you can roll the next train.  Now you can move trains simultaneously and clear the course brake sooner.

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Scott W. Short, Rail Junkie
mailto:scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

Creative programming....I like that :).  Generally to do a simultaneous advance or dispatch, the code is written to keep the trains a certain distance apart.  Since the areas where this is allowed tend to be heavily controlled by brakes and motors, this isn't too hard to do.  What ends up being formed is a moving block area.

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-Brian
One of us..