Hi Fab

#1 This is standard with Rocrail (RR) when a 2 position signal is configured for each block and each side (so 6 signals in your case) . Just right-click on each block, go-to the SIGNAL Tab and you may associate 2 main signals (one for each direction) and 2 advance signals (one for each direction).

#2 This is standard by RR. The signals turn green when an itinerary can be found in fishbowl mode (no programmed schedules in use). So a train, in Blk1 ready to depart to blL2 will get the green light while on Blk2 the signal towards Blk1 is left red.

#3 I don't follow your reasoning: there is NO entry signal in a block but rather the signal of the preceeding block. Lets suppose the Blk1, Blk2, Blk3 direction. A train in Blk1 will get the green light if the route Blk1-Blk2 is authorised. The signal in Blk1 turns green, the trains starts BUT as soon as the train reaches Blk2 (ENTER for instance) the signal in Blk1 for that direction turns red which is exactly what you want.

#4 A trains DOES NOT sets a block as next destination. Rather RR decides in fishbowl mode, what train, in which Blk goes in which direction toward another RR-chosen block. So, in your example RR set another block as destination, then ALL the track pieces and the destination block are reserved and no other interfering route can be selected and cause collisions.
Non stop at Blk2: you train leaving Blk1 towards Blk2 may continue (without stopping) towards Blk3 PROVIDED there is no wait time in Blk2 and provided Blk3 is free.

#5 With RR, signals are PURELY DECORATIVE. So RR does not check signals. Additional signals with more than 2 colours have to be commanded by actions invoked in RR items such as routes, blocks, etc. You turn those signal the colour you want but RR role is to detect what routes can be called depending on the occupancy of nearby blocks, depending on the direction of travel, etc. Do not see all this as restrictions but rather as HUGE possibilities. Of course you may also define the speed depending on routes (deviating points or straight points, etc.

#6 The signals in stations remain all red until a route has been assigned by RR departing from the block in question. This is true for all cases and this results in all signals remaining red unless a route has been assigned by RR. In your example of blk1, Blk2 and Blk3 being used in one direction (two locos in compatible or one loco). In the case of only one loco, it will get the green light permanently in front of it (like a green wave)

Cheers
Jean

Hi Fab
Open Block option:
- instead of what I described before (this option de-activated): for a signal block to turn YELLOW, the TWO following block must be free (and not only one for it to turn GREEN
- de-facto, it allows a 3 color fonstioning for block signals
- I have not used it but it seems to have a great value for 3 color operation and includes speed reduction at yellow

Check Red Signals
Sorry I don't use this feature and I am not sure to understand how pertinent it is.
Cheers
Jean

again, thank you all for your interventions.

i'm doing lots of tests and i think i got the general idea.

i was just wondering, the standard configuration is that each block has a signal on the + and - sides, and those signals are used to indicate ok / ko when the train must leave the block in the corresponding direction. there are no signals to indicate ok / ko to ENTER a block, because that role is played by the signal in the block the trains are coming from. So when a route is locked, the signal in the FROM block is set green, and that's it.

but if i wanted, just for esthetic purposes, to have a signals pair to indicate Ok / Ko ALSO for trains entering a block, can it be done ? i managed to do that by defining this signals pair for a block, and then, when a route is set from block A to block B, i added at the end of the COMMANDS list of the route, a row to turn green the "entry" signal in in block B. And then, i added an action to turn red both signals of the pair that i added, and i trigger that action when the ENTER state of block B is triggered. It seems to work fine.

I was jus wondering if this is a dumb idea (it probably is) and / or there is a better way to implement it. thanks

Hi Fab

Already, when a train enters into a block, the signal of the previous (origin) block turns red.

You may include an action in a block that is trigerred by any status like ghost, enter, in, occupied, reserved, free, closed, open, depart, acceptcode, exit, codemismatch,fifoin.
This action can do anything you want: turn a signal red, orange, green, violet

Nothing is dumb as it is your fantasy or a special signaling case or maybe not related to signaling (anouncements, etc)

Cheers
Jean