Receipe: Creating a simple timetable

  • This article explains step by step how to create a very simple timetable.

    1 Introduction

    At the moment (!), timetables can only be created for your own map. For this reason, the :MapEditor: must be started and a suitable map must be loaded.


    To create a complete timetable, appropriate train plan sublists should be created beforehand, which can then be selected as train parts for the trips. See for this:


    https://www.lotus-simulator.de…hp?entry/182-train-plans/

    2 Stations

    At first, stations have to be created. A station combines the individual associated tracks and/or stop positions of a station, stopping point, bus station, etc:

    1. Create a new station by clicking on "+" under the list in the "Stations" section.

    2. Enter the name, for example "Acity"

    3. A window opens for the configuration of the station and a 2D map. Enter the abbreviation, e.g. "A".
    4. Now an entry must be added to the "Tracks/Stops" list for each track or stop position. To do this, click on "Add". An empty entry appears and the option to set the corresponding properties is created on the right:

    5. Now click on the button "Add elements to map", this will activate it.
    6. Move the 2D map, which can be opened again via the "Open Map..." button at the bottom of the configuration window, into the area of the station and zoom in. To do this, turn the mouse wheel (zoom) or hold it down and drag (move the map).

    7. Now click on all the track sections that belong to the track you have just created. These are then coloured in. In this example, the track consists of only one section, but any number of sections are possible:



      Alternatively: If it is a bus stop, then a corresponding street path segment and a bus stop (see arrow!) must be selected:



      Important: The determination of whether the vehicle is at the stop (e.g. for on-board equipment, etc.) is based, among other things, on the fact that the first axle is in the area of the marked paths. The selected paths should therefore not begin too close to the stop sign point, but extend at least a few metres towards the rear of the vehicle!
    8. Now click on the platform side, whereby the direction of the arrow should be used as a guide. In our case, since it is a central platform, it is on the left. The configuration of the track is now complete and further tracks can be created if necessary. "Add elements to map" can, but does not have to, be switched on and off as desired. It is only important that the button is activated as soon as track sections, road paths or stops are to be added to tracks.

    The list contains the following information: [T] = Railway (alternatively [B] for bus or, if it cannot be clearly determined whether it is a railway track or a stop position, [T]/[B]).

    The station configuration is now completed and further stations can be added.

    3 Timetable

    Next, a new timetable must be created; to do this, again click on the "+" under the timetable list in the "Timetables" section. The timetable window appears where the rest of the configuration takes place:



    For the sake of simplicity, we will leave out the traffic days for now. So let's start with the routes:

    4 Routes

    Routes represent the basic framework along which the actual trips are to take place. However, a trip does not have to follow an entire route, but can only travel along a part of it, but can also travel along several sections of the route. For the beginning, however, we define only one route, on which only complete journeys are made in both directions. Routes are generally defined in both directions, but can be defined in one direction only (e.g. for ring lines, etc.).

    1. Under the list "(2) Routes" click on the "+" and enter a name. A new entry is created, which is then double-clicked on:



      At the top, the name and an abbreviation can be entered and below that, it can be specified whether the route can only be travelled in one direction. Below this, the stations and tracks are defined on one tab and the transit times on the other tab.
    2. Click on the "+" for each station in turn and select the station itself at the bottom and select the desired track under "Stop" in the outward and return direction:



      Parallel to this, the planning can be viewed on the 2D map.
    3. Switch to the "time profiles" tab, click on "+" next to the "Profiles" selection box and assign a name, e.g. Standard. The list of stations with their transit times appears at the bottom. Now enter the scheduled arrival at the last station on the left-hand side and the scheduled arrival at the first station on the right-hand side (return direction):

    4. If desired, the intermediate times can also be adjusted after removing the ticks, or how the stops are to be approached (only when required, always, never, etc.).
    5. After all configurations have been made, close the route window with "OK".

    5 Ways

    Define routes where the trips are to be made. For this purpose, the individual route sections are defined, which are to be travelled one after the other. The change of the route section is only carried out in a common station. A route can be assigned to the route of an FIS file by line and route code.

    1. The creation is done in the list "(3) Ways" in the same way as for routes. After double-clicking on the list entry, the route configuration window opens, in which the name (if required), line and course can be entered at the top:

    2. A new entry is now created in the section list and the route just created is selected, with the start and end stations below it:

    3. On the "Tracks" tab, changes can be made to the stop/passage tracks if desired.
    4. A profile is again created on the "Profiles" tab. Below this, you can select for each route section which profile is to be used there. Below this, the route passage times calculated from this data are listed:

    5. The way is thus sufficiently defined and can be saved with "OK". Another path leading from "C" to "A" is necessary so that trips can be made in both directions:

    6 Trips

    Trips now combine a route and one or more time profiles to define a concrete trip of a train or bus. They are created in the same way as routes in the list "(4) Trips". After double-clicking, the configuration window for journeys is displayed.

    1. On the first tab, the underlying route is selected:



      It is not necessary to enter a name.
    2. Already when creating the trip, a first train part was defined. This will be clicked and the corresponding train plan sub-list will be selected, from which LOTUS will later - when there is AI - select the vehicle(s).
    3. On the "Tracks" tab, changes can again be made individually for this trip
    4. On the "time profiles" tab, the start time and the profile to be used as a basis must be selected and individual changes can also be made again:

    7 Lines/courses

    Lines and courses combine the trips into logical units. They do not, however, define the final transition of vehicles from one journey to the next; this is determined later via the tours.


    1. Lines are newly created as usual in the list "(5) Lines". In the following window a new course is created with "Add course":

    2. Drag and drop the two rides from the list on the left onto the course:
    3. Navigation in the course window is the same as in the 2D map. Right-clicking on the trips opens a context menu that can be used to delete, edit, copy, etc. the trips.

    It is worth mentioning briefly (before the learning-by-doing begins ;-) ) that the line-course window does not have a cancel button, so that all changes are applied directly. It is also important that the trips shown here are "the same" as in the list in the main timetable window. If properties are changed here or the trips are moved along the time axis, then these are actual changes to the "original trips"!


    For this reason there are also two ways to delete trips in the line-course window: With the command "Remove trip from course" in the context menu only from the respective course - then the trips themselves continue to exist, thus remain in the trip list in the main window and reappear in the line-course window on the left in the list and can be dragged onto a course again. On the other hand, the command "Delete trip completely" both removes the trip from the course and then deletes it completely and it can no longer be used.

    8 Tours

    A tour is the chain of trips that a very specific vehicle or train part is to serve in sequence. Which vehicle or train part contains which trips is recorded in the tour schedule, and there is a separate tour schedule for each vehicle/train part type and again for each combination of traffic days used by the trips concerned. For example, if ten trips are made between A and B during the week, and only four are made on weekends, then there will necessarily be one schedule for the week and another for the weekends. On the other hand, if four trips are always made by a solo bus and six trips are always made by an articulated bus, then there will also be at least two circulation plans - one for the solo cars, one for the articulated buses.


    The schedules are generated automatically by the MapEditor, based on the available trips, also taking into account the constructed lines and courses, so you don't have to worry about it if you don't want to. For this reason, we will not go into further detail about the schedules here - but at least, as soon as trips with assigned train plans have been created, the list of schedules should fill up.

    9 Done & Prospect

    As soon as the window has been closed, the main window has been confirmed with "OK" and the map has been saved & packed, the trip can now be selected and driven in the simulator.


    Although this cookbook entry goes the whole way of setting up timetable trips, you will have seen a wealth of other functions and settings to the left and right of the described path. However, these must be explained elsewhere, but reading this can only be strongly suggested so that in the future, when things really get going, you do not unnecessarily make a lot of work for yourself (e.g. because there are still ambiguities in the route-path principle) or in the event that the MapEditor calculations of the path do not correspond to what you had imagined.


    If you encounter any questions, please ask us in the forum!