STA Standards Manual

Preface

Purpose of This Document

The Rail and Road Standards Manual establishes a standard for the design and structure of rail and road networks maintained or overseen by the Shire Transit Authority (STA). The standards described in this document are not a strict design limitation of new or existing parts of the networks but merely a guide to assist those unfamiliar with STA standards in creating a local transportation network that can interconnect to the existing intra-build railway network.

Process for Establishment of Standards

The initial standards described in this document are based on the common standards utilized within the STA Networks as of May 25, 2022. Modifications to this document are subject to the approval of STA members.

Members

The following is a list of active STA members:

• Nebbers
• CoffeeAndChill
• Antheus
• Smoot

Formatting

Throughout this document, formatting is used to describe how the text on signs should be written. Depending on your rank you may have access to sign color formatting. The following is a list of formatting codes and how they appear in this document and on the server. Please note that using the codes takes up two of the fifteen characters allowed per line on signs.

Colors

List of color codes

Color	Sign Code
Black	&0
Dark Blue	&1
Dark Green	&2
Dark Aqua	&3
Dark Red	&4
Dark Purple	&5
Gold	&6
Gray	&7
Dark Gray	&8
Blue	&9
Green	&a
Aqua	&b
Red	&c
Light Purple	&d
Yellow	&e
White	&f

Text

List of special formatting codes

Format	Sign Code
Bold	&b
Strikethrough	&m
Underline	&n
Italics	&o
Reset	&r

Special Symbols

In some signs the guillemet symbols (» and «) are used. If your keyboard layout does not natively have these symbols you can copy them from another source or, if you are on Windows, use the alt codes Alt+174 for « and Alt+175 for ».

Other useful characters are ↑, ↓, →, ←, ↔, and ↕. These can be accessed with Alt + [23, 24, 25, 26, 27,28]

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Rail Standards

Standards can be either required or recommended. The words "must", "must not", "should", "should not", and "may" are used as defined in https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt.

Rail Design

This section covers the placement, construction, and signage of rails.

Rail Placement

• Rails should follow the most direct route between stations.
• Rails should be above or at ground level when possible.
  • This can be difficult in areas that are already established.
• Rails that are below ground must take caution to avoid underground builds.

Rail Construction

Rail construction is standardized. Because the design requirements can vary based on location only STA members are allowed to maintain the rail network. If you have any questions ask an STA Engineer.

• Rails must be 3 wide with the following format: [Rail][Air][Rail]
  • Some existing rails are 4 wide ([Rail][Air][Air][Rail). These should be updated to meet this requirement where able.
• Rails should travel north, south, east, or west.
  • Diagonal rails are possible but they should not be used.
• Corners in rails must be curved.
  • Corners must not be 90-degree turns. Even a small curve is better than a sharp 90-degree corner.
• Regular rails must be used except for the following exceptions:
  • Activator rails for the stop point within a station.
  • Detector rails when utilizing redstone.
  • Powered rails must not be used.
    • There are legacy rails that still have powered rails from before plugins that modified minecart speeds and allowed them to maintain momentum. Replacement of these rails should take into consideration the historical value and aesthetic of powered rails.
• Intersections with other rail lines should be avoided
• Materials used for the rail bed, tunnels, and bridges should match the style of the area.
• Rails that cross highways, roads, or paths should include a method to warn pedestrians of the crossing.
  • This could be simple redstone torches or a more complicated setup with bells and gates.

Speed Blocks

The shire utilizes a plugin to control the speed of minecarts.

• Normal Speed
  • 10 Blocks/Second
• Gold Speed
  • 20 Blocks/Second
• Diamond Speed
  • 60 Blocks/Second

Speed is controlled by blocks placed below the rail. The blocks utilized are as follows:

• Gold block
  • 1 to speed up to gold speed.
  • 2 to slow down from diamond speed.
• Gold ore
  • 2 to slow down from gold speed
• Diamond ore
  • 1 to speed up to diamond speed from gold speed

The following standards are established for the use of these speed blocks:

• Gold blocks should be placed 15 blocks from the boundary of a normal-speed zone.
• Diamond-ore blocks should be placed 40 blocks from the boundary of a gold speed zone.
• Speed must be slowed down to normal speed before going up an incline or entering a curve.

Rail Signage

Rail signage has not been historically standardized within the STA network. However, using signs to label infrastructure can be helpful to engineers doing maintenance at a later time.

• Interchanges should have signs labeling lines and other important information about the interchange.
• Tunnels and Bridges should have a sign that lists who made it and when.
  • You may also include a name for the tunnel or bridge.
• When a line ends a sign should indicate if future expansion is planned or any other important information.
• Decommissioned line segments should be labeled.
  • What line it was part of?
  • Why it was decommissioned?
  • Who decommissioned it?
  • When was it decommissioned?

Station Design

Station Placement

When determining the location of a new station the following should be considered:

• Where is the nearest existing rail line?
• Which direction will the rails be going when they leave the station?
• How far is this station from other nearby stations?
  • Stations should be at least 100 blocks apart.
  • Stations must be more than 50 blocks from each other.
• Is the location worthy of having a station?
• Where will the platforms be located?
• Will the rail line entering and leaving the station be under or above ground?
  • The STA encourages above-ground rails to allow for the build to be seen.

Station Construction

The following should be considered when designing a new station:

• How will riders touch in and out of the rail system?
  • The STA currently provides two methods of touching in or out:
    • Gates with stone pressure plates (Preferred).
    • Stone or oak buttons on a special sign (Discouraged).
• Is the width of the distance between rails on the same line an odd number?
  • See Standards/Rail Networks/Track Design/Track Construction/Track Width.
• Is the width of the station along the axis of the rails an odd number?
  • See Standards/Rail Networks/Station Design/Signage.
• Are there at least two blocks of space under the rail blocks that can be modified for STA use?
  • This ensures we can configure the rails to utilize our custom plugins properly.
• Is there space for other amenities?
  • While not required, various amenities such as restrooms and shops help with the station's atmosphere.
• Is there enough space for all platforms to be connected without requiring the rider to touch out and then back in?

Minimum Requirements

• Stations must be at least 50 blocks from the nearest station.
• There must be space to place a sign under the block the rail is placed on top of at the point where riders will embark or disembark.
• There must be space for a button and a command block to summon the minecart.
• There must be space for touch in/out gates or buttons.
  • Buttons should be avoided as they do not force users to utilize them.
• You must obtain approval from an STA member for any connections to any rails that fall under STA jurisdiction.

Suggested Design

While the STA respects the design choices of the builder of the station, we encourage the following:

• The station should be designed in the style of the local area.
• The distance between the rails should be an odd number.
• The length of the station parallel to the rails should be an odd number.
• There should be places for advertisements that are 4 blocks in width and 2 blocks in height.
  • We have many map images that advertise various places on the server. They are usually 4 maps wide and 2 maps tall. We have a small number of advertisements that are 3 wide by 2 high.

Station Signage

Station signage is standardized throughout the STA rail network.

Station Identification

Definition

Station identification signage is typically used at the entrance of a station to inform riders of the station name and the lines that provide service. Optionally the name of the network can be provided (E.g., STA Railways, Riverwood Intraurban, Phobean Isle Subway).

Sign Layout

Station identification signs should be formatted as follows:

• Station name in Bold.
• (If used) Network in italics.
• Lines that provide service in the standardized color of the line.
• The name of the line should be capitalized like a proper noun.
• The word “line” should be lowercase.
• If all the information you wish to provide can not fit on four lines additional signs can be placed below.

Below are some examples that are taken from around the shire:

       Spawn Station:
           Spawn Station
           STA Railways
           _ * _
           Mainland Metro

       Little Venice:
       Little Venice
       Intraurban
       Central line
       Low line

You may find signs using deprecated formatting throughout the shire. Common causes of this are changes in plugins. An example of a sign using deprecated formatting is as follows:

       Riverwood Grand:
           R I V E R W O O
           [dsign:cerelia1]
           [dsign:cerelia2]
           STA Railways

As you can see this sign has the station name cut off and attempts to utilize a dynamic signs plugin that no longer functions. If you were the STA Engineer in charge of this station you should update the sign to current standards. An example of a corrected sign for this station would be

       Riverwood Grand:
           Riverwood
           Cerelia line
           Norshire line
           Low line

Rather than having the full station name of Riverwood Grand, Riverwood was used due to length limitations when adding &l for bold text.

Line Identification

Definition

A line identification sign set consists of at least three signs placed laterally next to each other.

Sign Layout

Line identification signs should meet the following criteria: First Sign:

• Line in color.
• Platform in bold.
• “Towards” in Italics.
  • If the line terminates at this station this should read “Service” with the following line reading “Terminates.”
  • The final station of the line in this direction.

Second Sign:

• Previous station.
  • If there is no previous station this line should be the current station followed by the next three stations.
• » Current Station. «
  • Use » and « with a “ “ between the symbols and the station.
• Next station.
• Second next station.
  • If there is no next station this line should be the current station preceded by the three previous stations.

Third Sign:

• “← You are here” on the line of the current station.
• “← Next station” on the line of the next station if applicable.

This is the arrow character described in Special Symbols. Below are some examples of station signage from around the shire.

       Riverwood Grand, Platform 2, Cerelia line:
           Cerelia line    |    - - - -            |    
           Platform 2    |    » Riverwood «        |    ← You are here
           Towards    |    Amphitheatre        |    ← Next station
           Fulfwotz    |    Modaora Stn.        |

Emerald City, Platform 1, Quintus line:

           Quintus line    |    Monticello        |    
           Platform 1    |    » Emerald City «    |    ← You are here
           Towards    |    Exton            |    ← Next station
           Gong-Chengshi|    Leuton            |

Platform Identification

Definition

Platform identification signs are placed throughout a station to identify and guide riders to platforms.

Sign Layout

Platform identification signs vary across stations however they should at the bare minimum contain the following:

• Platform Number(s)
• Directional arrows
  • Optionally they can contain the following information:
• Lines providing service to the platform(s)
  • This is commonly done with either the name of the line in color or by coloring the platform and/or the platform number with the color of the line.

Gate Identification

Definition

Gates or buttons for riders to touch in or out of the rail system should be clearly identified. This is required for the tracking of station usage and trips taken by riders.

Sign Layout

Touch In/Out signs have no set standard but they should aim to meet the following criteria:

• Identification of Entry versus Exit points when using gates.
• If using buttons they should direct to and identify touch-in/out buttons.

Entrances and Exits can be identified by either signs or item frames using emeralds and barrier blocks. If using signs it is encouraged to use green for entry and red for exit. It should be possible for color-blind rail users to distinguish between entrances and exits; this can be done with item frames by using an emerald for entry, and a barrier for exit.

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Road Standards

Shire Roads are a lot less complicated than the rail system, but there are still some guidelines that should be followed to ensure proper integration throughout the world. Similar to railways, roads that interconnect between settlements must be approved by the STA Road Team prior and after construction. Roads within your own region are subject to the guidelines below.

Roads should be a minimum of two blocks wide. This is common for dirt paths. 3 blocks wide is the de facto standard for most walkways. Wider than this is also acceptable.

Roads MUST be built out of firm materials, with an exception to CONCRETE POWDER - which can be an excellent stand-in for asphalt. See New Clementine for effective use of concrete powder as roads.

Various stones are encouraged. Terracotta, quartz, bricks, and so on are all acceptable road materials. Solid concretes are discouraged, as the texture-less surface is less appealing. Coal blocks are not recommended - consider black concrete powder instead.

Wood is less common but can be used to fit your particular build style.

Also similar to railways, single roads should not have abrupt 90 degree turns. Rounded edges are ideal. An exception to this would be a 4-way or 3-way intersection.

Road signs are strongly encouraged. Directional signs, road names, and points of interest are a great way to add extra detail and life into your road project.

The dirt paths found throughout the world that interconnect so many of the Shire's settlements are NOT sacred. If such a path interferes with your project, you're welcome to integrate it within your project as you see fit - whether replacing it with a real road, altering its course, adding bridges, etc. Please do not leave any dirt paths 'orphaned' - don't sever a path in the middle with no new link between the two sides.

Elevated roads must have a support system. With few exceptions, roads are not allowed to be 'floating' without some kind of support or pillar.

Finally: Railings and lighting. This is up to you and your build style. Some kind of lighting is encouraged, however, especially in populated areas.

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Special Formatting

The following is a non-exhaustive list of special formatting utilized within the STA network:

• West Shire Rail
  • westshirerail
• Riverwood Intraurban
  • Intraurban

Abbreviations

Given the fifteen-character limit per line of Minecraft signs, abbreviations are a necessity when making signs. The following is a list of common words or names and their accepted abbreviations:

Generic Terms

• Station
  • Stn.
• Platform(s)
  • Plat.

Rail Lines

• East Shire Transit
  • E.S.T. Railways
• Phobean Subway
  • Phobean S'way

Locations

• Belthil Tower
  • Belthil
• Fulfwotz Grand Terminal
  • Fulfwotz GT
• Grand Naolian
  • Naoki
• Laurelian International
  • Laurelian
• Laurelian International Hope
  • Laurelian Hope
• Lythia University
  • Lythia Uni.
• Riverwood
  • Rwd.
• Schaufensterpuppen
  • Sch'puppen
• Sozkvanmalaville
  • Sozk'ville
• University of Clementine
  • UoC
• University of Riverwood
  • UoR