How to play the train dispatch game

Deliver every train to its labeled station before the timetable ends. Eight shifts use different arrival schedules and station orders.

Dispatch safely

1. Choose a shift. Each train card shows its approach, destination and arrival tick.
2. Open an approach signal to release one waiting train from that track per tick. Red signals hold trains that have not departed.
3. Advance the clock one tick at a time, or use Run clock for a tick every 1.4 seconds.
4. Moving trains take two more ticks to reach the junction. They keep moving even if their approach signal turns red.
5. Set the junction to Maple, Lake or Harbor before a train leaves it. The selected branch then stays with that train until it reaches the station.
6. Two trains entering the junction on the same tick collide. A train at the wrong station or an unfinished shift at the deadline also ends the shift.

Read the railway

Maple trains are terracotta, Lake trains are blue and Harbor trains are olive. Each train is numbered on the map and has a matching destination card. Station names provide the same information as color.

Hint and undo

Hint suggests a signal and destination for the next safe departure. Turn other signals red after releasing a train. Undo tick returns the whole railway to the state before the last clock tick, including the signal settings. Undo history stays only in the current tab.

Keyboard controls

Focus the railway map. 1, 2 and 3 toggle West, North and South signals. A, B and C select Maple, Lake and Harbor. Space advances the clock, P runs or pauses it, and Z undoes a tick. The clock pauses when the tab is hidden.

Saved progress

Your selected shift, dispatch actions and a list of completed shifts are saved in this browser’s local storage. Saved actions are replayed through the railway rules when restored. The automatic clock and undo history are not restored.