Usable siding length
Work in progress: This section is still a work in progress — content is being added and revised continuously.
What is checked? For every stub track (storage, loading or platform track with one end at a turnout) the usable length behind the fouling point is measured and compared with the length of your primary train category.
Why does it matter? Train length is THE central planning quantity: it dictates platforms, passing sidings and staging tracks — not the other way round. A storage track that is 14 cm too short means, in practice: the train stands with two cars on the turnout and blocks everything. These are the most expensive mistakes to discover after building.
How to fix it: Lengthen the track (the Trackplanner suggests matching piece combinations where space allows), move the turnout — or shorten the train category (a perfectly legitimate planning decision, too).
Numbers & defaults: target lengths per train category in the train profile; fouling-point allowance 30 mm (H0).