Factorio – Is There an Edge to the Factorio Map?

Your solution basically switches on both inserters, only when both boxes are filled with at least one frame.

You can do this easier by just directly wiring the inserters and chests crosswise (connect each inserter with the other inserter's source) and checking for "frames > 0".

If both chests have at least one frame, both inserters move. If only one of them contains a frame, the opposite inserter would move, but can't (because there is nothing to take).

This still does not help you with the stack size bonus, but at least you get rid of the inserters.

From my tentative understanding of Factorio train mechanics, and tidbits I found on the web (I've been working on a very similar type of system recently), there are two factors here:

• A train does not recalculate its path every time it is stuck, but only when it leaves a stop or it passes a regular signal. (There's also some kind of timeout or scheduled recalculation so trains don't remain stuck forever, though I think that might be newer than the version you were using.)

• When a train is choosing a stop, it doesn't matter if another train is already planning to go there, but only whether the block is currently occupied.

Therefore, two trains may pick the same stop while some distance away and not notice the interference. Here's how to help them notice, at least within your Yard:

• Do not allow any stacking of trains before the Yard stops. Branch the track as close to the stops as you can, and use a chain signal at the entrance to the branching. This ensures that a train will be seen to occupy the stop as soon as possible after it's actually committed to that stop.

• Place a regular signal shortly before the branching point, even though that means it's right before the previously mentioned chain signal. This will ensure that the train has picked a free stop based on the latest available information.

Unfortunately, there is a case where a train is doomed to wait unnecessarily: when all stops of that name are occupied. In this case, it will always pick one and head as close to it as signals allow, then wait there until the time-based recalculation sends it elsewhere (or that one stop becomes available). The way to make the best of this is to be sure to use chain signals to prevent the train from heading down a branch before that branch's stop is available.

(Your Unload stations seem to be designed suitably already, so it might be simply that the Yard isn't efficient enough to feed them.)

Finally, one weird possibly-bogus fact that you might bump into if you expand this further: from my own testing, it seems that a train will only choose between 10 same-named stations. Any more than that, and it will only check the nearest 10. You can work around this by using tricks like having trains arriving in different directions (having a different idea of the 10 nearest), or a multi-stage choice (e.g. each yard stop goes to a different set of 10 unloading stops), which is what I'm doing.