Minecart Rail Stations

I'm still playing with minecarts and trying to build better rail stations. I've built quite a few now.

The minecarts can now travel everywhere in Apvia including Lakewood!

I've learned a few things since my last post on minecarts.

Trying to make minecarts that continuously travel from one destination to another is possible and looks pretty cool, however, since they don't travel that far empty building them is really super expensive! The other problem is, well.... this:

So I'm going to stick with the button method in my builds, however that is annoying too. The carts stop when they reach unpowered power rail, so you have to push it back or break it down and replace it.

My solution is to add a second switch at the end of the booster rail. That way I can hit the button and nudge the cart and it'll return to the starting position.

So I get in the cart and hit button 1 and I'm off (in this case to Empire Station) but when I return the cart will stop right away. To get it back against the starting block I just hit button 2 and nudge the cart. It works pretty well.

The other thing I discovered was some magic squid that could float in the air!?!

Oh well, they made me laugh.

Java... go figure.

>

Minecraft Powered Rail

I thought I would post about the best way I've found to use powered rail so far.


There are stations all over Apvia to save walking time rail has become really important.


To start: this is the basic starter booster I have been using. It is a chest to hold minecarts, a block and switch and 5 powered rails (which minecraft wiki says gives the biggest boost).

Below are examples of  two way powered boosters (they'll boost a cart traveling either direction. The one on the right uses switches that turn power on when a cart runs over them. The one on the left is permenantly on by way of a redstone torch.

Below is an illustration of how a permanently running station works. The cart is always moving between the ends of the line.

I added two redstone torches per booster because sometimes the cart will stop. I'm not sure if it's a bug or I'm doing something wrong. Either way two torches fixes the problem

There is a loading platform where travelers can get in and out of the carts with a right click. Users simply wait at the station for the train to arrive and get off wherever it is they want to go. You can have many platforms and make the lines as long or short as you want or even make it go in a circle. I'm not sure if this is too disruptive on a server though since minecarts tend to use up a lot of clock cycles.

Mobs will, however, gum up the works on occasion. I'm waiting for the first creeper to arrive on a platform.

Thanx for following :)



.

Minecart Powered rail

I finished the small minecart station (Boodle Station) at the end of the Fucushima line and in the process got to play with powered rails.

I have decided to leave the booster carts on this line (I loose - nostalgia) but enhanced the line with power. My future lines will all be powered as I expect boosters to stop working in some future update.

This is Abby Station where all you need to do is get in the cart and hit the button. It's simple to build: two rails and a block with a button. The chest holds spare carts.

I experimented with different boosters and found one rail and two buttons works the best; anymore rails and the booster gets unpredictable.

This is the approach to Boodle Station.

This is the approach but from inside the station. The cart has the same 2 rail and button configuration.

This is the station from outside. I got tired of waiting for it to stop raining.

This is the Boodle district. The building to the far left is Boodle House: an exclusive club for gentlemen.

Here is a map of Boodle so far:

I rendered a world map and it came out at 37mb! Blogger rejected it.

Boodle was the name of the very first gentleman's club in England and Harrington house is named after the type font I'm using for these maps.


.

Minecart Railway Station

I started a new minecart station and finished a new rail cart line: the Fucushima express. I just got really sick and tired of walking all that way.

The railway is under the Fucushima road and while it doesn't actually go to Fukushima nuclear reactor it does go by it (thus the name). The railway doesn't really go anywhere yet but its destination is close to the Creeper temple I last posted about.

Fucushima road is above and the rail below. Just beyond the far hill is the power plant.

 The building on the right is where Abby station is located.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The line starts at Abby station which is under The Plutus Group Building (the one on the right in the above picture). In the picture below is the bridge where the smoking room is located. The new bridge (closest) is for the minecart track.

The two sets of ascending stairs lead to platform B where the Fucushima express departs.

This is platform B where the mine cart departs. I built a booster beside it and the container box has some spare carts in it.

This is a clear view of the bridge between the buildings:

The booster cart automatically resets itself.

Here is where the mine cart leaves the second building and descends into the tube. You can see the Fucushima reactor in the background. It's still leaking.

The track turns left here then right where it encounters a booster.

On the right the track goes to Apvia and on the left past Fucushima.:

Here is another booster. This one will boost a cart no matter what direction it is traveling in. It's strong enough to boost a cart right to the end of the line:

I tamed another wolf and he (she?) decided to catch a ride. I learned It's hard to get them out of a cart.

The wolf climbed in a few carts while I was building the tunnel. He (she?) was even boosted way down the line a couple of times! More often than not it just got in my way and stopped my cart.


I hope to build a line out to Lakewood soon:

 
.