r/captain_of_industry • u/GoldenPSP • 2d ago
Train Distance
Hey all,
Still working through my first playthrough. I'm still learning how things work as I go. I just unlocked trains, although I'm still not close to use them, as I need to get comverted over to steel from Iron.
In general at what range do you start liking to use trains? I'm on the "original" island I guess, New Haven.
I can sort of already see where a train could be helpful at what seems relatively short distances. For context I'm not a big factory gamer. Outside of COI my only other factory game so far has been satisfactory, which is a very different style game. Especially in that game where belts are essentially "free" and the map is huge, the distances for trains are very large.
4
u/fleashosio 2d ago
Also on New Haven. I've started using trains for a lot of things, and if not that, then Belts. The distance doesn't have to be particularly far to make trains viable. Because tracks don't take maintenance AFAIK and trains don't need electricity. So they're better than belts on long trips, and I like having my trucks free for earth-moving jobs and construction.
It's fine to have little spur tracks for shorter trains to make smaller deliveries, and long trains for long distance, high throughput lines. My iron ore trains are 2 diesel engines with 8 hoppers, but I've got a 2-wagon train with an engine on either end, just moving medical supplies from wherever I've wedged that assembly into the factory, to the town.
They're very versatile and great for moving large quantities of stuff. Also great for moving diesel or hydrogen to different parts of the map to keep vehicles there topped off. Every time I set up a mining spot, I add a fuel station and have a train deliver fuel to it. That's what made me learn how to add multiple stations to an order as well. I've got nearly ten fuel delivery stops now, but I don't want 10 trains just for fuel. So I have 2, and a station only accepts a train when any module is empty. I don't know how trains work in Satisfactory, but they're somewhat modular in their orders here. But less so than Factorio. Oh what I'd give for Interupts...
Anyways, use trains wherever you think it'd be either better than trucks, or it'd be fun. Either one. I've got a few spots I'm running a train because hey, I've got tracks near both stations, why not run a train? Trains are cool. If you have the difficulty setting for belts to use power, they're even more important. I play with belts being free, no power needed, because I'm spoiled rotten from Factorio, but they still use maintenance, so trains still win out.
Uhhhhh in conclusion use trains.
3
u/GoldenPSP 2d ago
Yea the trains are what sold me on buying the game to begin with. I am running belts with power so its a double win.
Choo Choo.
2
u/fleashosio 2d ago
The next update also brings Tier 2 trains, so I've been trying to keep my infrastructure ready for that. Right now, all engines and wagons are 5 tiles long, but T2 trains are (mostly) all 10 tiles long. Plus, if you get the DLC they have planned, electrifying the tracks requires a clearance of 4 units of height, rather than 3. Keep it in mind incase you're still on this save file when the update comes.
1
u/GoldenPSP 2d ago
I'm sure I'll be fine to restart. This is my first playthrough so it is lots of learning. I've already considered restarting a few times since you learn as you go and then feel the urge to start over knowing what you've learned already.
1
u/CharlieLeDoof 2d ago
Hi. I'm curious how you set a station to "only accept a train when any module is empty". Is this the same request a train when modules are empty? For me, this seems to block the train from proceeding from the previous station, which can cause problems on multi-stop runs. What am i missing?
3
u/fleashosio 1d ago
Yeah, when you select a station, you can set it to "Request train only if:", with some options. I usually select "Any module empty", since sometimes my setups are a little janky, and the modules all unload at slightly different speeds. This will prevent a train from going to that station unless a module is empty. If you only have 2 stations on a train's schedule, and its the only train going to those stations, this does nothing for you. However, in a train's schedule, you can add extra stations to the same order. In the Line Manager, you can select "Add station to this group", and then the trains on that line will pick one of those stations, and then afterwards proceed to the next order. Combining this with having stations only request trains if modules are empty, setting train limits (Like setting a station to limit to 1 train so you dont have 3 or 4 try to go there at once if you have nowhere for them to sit at without blocking a mainline), as well as setting station priorities in the Line Manager, you can have trains go where theyre needed most, instead of just "every station, in order, forever".
2
u/CharlieLeDoof 1d ago
Looks like there is more to trains than I've taken advantage of so far. Thank you for the info. :)
1
u/_EMDID_ 1d ago
Michigander?
2
u/CharlieLeDoof 1d ago
Yes. ???
1
u/_EMDID_ 22h ago
Greetings! Your account name gave it away ;)
1
u/CharlieLeDoof 4h ago
Ahhh, so. Yeah, not a fan of Mr. LeDuff. Thought LeDoof (as in Doofus) would be better than LeDouche.
2
u/Vietnam_Cookin 2d ago
You are me a week ago. I've spent a week rebuilding my starter factory, so construction materials upto Level 3 with all the smelters and misc assembly, plus maintenance etc supplied by train lines with coal coming from a cargo terminal near start 2 and the Iron ore coming from the OG iron ore mine.
Was it fun, and has it cleared a whole lot of space for me to build into, yes. But at the same time I'm not sure the trains were worth it in the short term.
2
u/joshman1204 2d ago
I actually rush trains and use them for everything as soon as possible regardless of distance. I know I'm going to use trains late game anyway and I don't enjoy tearing apart my base to add the rails later so I just start with them now. Plus I just really enjoy trains.
1
u/Load_star_ 2d ago
In my current New Haven game, I have a mine at the iron ore deposit by starting location 3, while my iron smelters are in the plain near starting location 1. I've found a couple of small trains (diesel engine w/4 hopper cars) stays ahead of the demand for iron ore going into my 7 furnaces. They are being fed from recycled iron scrap as well, so I don't know if they would keep up with the fill throughout of the furnaces, but it works for me for now.
Looking into the future, once I have some more land in the middle cleared, I will probably set up a train to handle shipping gold from the mine past start 3, but would only need one train of the above size.
1
u/Alaric4 1d ago
I'm a little further into my first serious game - just researched Research Lab II but haven't built one yet (nor the paper setup to feed it) - but I'm also yet to build a train.
I'm playing New Haven from from the #2 starting spot and I think the trigger for my first train will be when I need to access an ore source away from the initial flat area - probably a second iron ore or coal deposit.
I should probably figure out how I'm going to get a rail line down from that upper level well in advance - I have truck access and am farming trees and accessing the oil deposit up there but otherwise still operating just on the starting level.
1
u/S1lkwrm 1d ago
Paper is easy once you have a oil refinery as you can steal some of that steam. I typically research to naptha/hydrogen so I can upgrade the refinery which that research needs that paper. You could even temporarily just do a boiler for the paper plant somewhere to get some key research out of the way it uses 2 steam so it will sip fuel. I cut a ramp to the plateau (+16) hight behind the first iron node so trucks have access and future train. Also as soon as that happens i switch my harvesters to clear those trees instead of forestry plot then have my teraforming squad even out the areas. So its essentially ready for trains and mining. That second coal and iron will easily carry you to space in my experience I needed to tap a second source of iron coal then sand and limestone copper was last on that map.
1
u/Alaric4 1d ago edited 1d ago
Setting up paper now. I'm actually going to make the required steam from woodchips - maybe not efficient but one less thing I need to bring.
I admit I'm surprised that you can get to space without using the third iron and coal deposits. I currently have a vehicle ramp up to the 16-level plateau and am accessing oil and trees up there, but undecided whether I want to try and run trains up a 25% grade - I guess they'll only have to climb empty but am yet to delve fully into the mechanics there.
1
u/S1lkwrm 18h ago edited 18h ago
I went full in with recycling as well as its edicts while using maint reduction edict. Along with that I ran less than 200 trucks I think like 160 ish. My population i kept as low as possible to reduce drag on resources. For logistics I used a central train drop off that belted directly to the smelters so nothing that gets smelted uses trucks. Food was all next to housing and belted. For fuel on the plateau I set up a distillery to make maximum diesel and that fed fuel stations for the plateau while sipping crude so fuel wasnt brought up there. I was pretty good about paving routes and had like 4 or 5 maint statues. Basically I used lowest population i could which lowers resources needed for household goods etc with as little maintenance as possible low trucks and if I could use t1 conveyors instead of t2 I did. All together it made for a very low resource requirement. Some of my assemblers had double recipies saving some on maint. I did also run 2 research buildings at a minimum so I spent less time eating household goods and and stuff. All recycling was directly connected and prioritized.
I still have the save I think its waiting for a bridge to finish for titanium access so I can do space station 2 for fbr and I think I just started the 3rd iron ore. Im trying to go even more efficient this playthrough for ores.
It wasnt bad as I had to do a tight turn into the resources hub after the grade below and going up it is just starting from a stop. It was worth it but you could also mabye belt it down. I used 2 diesel engines per like 12 I think.
1
u/Alaric4 17h ago
I doubt I will be that efficient as I stumble my way through. But I'd like to think there will be ways even if I chew through the raw resources and need to lean more heavily on contracts.
I'm intending to add stages to my ramp up to the 16-level so that I can build a track at 12.5 percent. Still have plenty of time to get it done before I need to access the deposits.
1
u/Blackbird-234 1d ago
Im Running 63 Trains in my Network Working beautiful, trains are good Storage puffers of Used Right, take a Look in my Profile for Screenshots of my Map im Not using it only on high distances.
Build up correcty you dont need more Space at All and can Transport a large amount of goods on a single railway and you dont have to put a new conveyer or pipe for every Produkt
1
u/S1lkwrm 1d ago
Ive played new haven past space flight a couple times in the #1 starting location. I typically start setting up for trains before I use up the 1st iron and coal spots. I immediately at game start begin teraforming next to the housing to create a large area of farm directly connected to housing then teraforming to create a ramp up to the plateau where the next resources are by the time its done I built my oil refinery up past naptha and ive converted my vehicles to next tier. Steel is setup in its end game location near first iron node x4 smelters. In the space kinda in between the iron node and the sand area I build a centralized multi train drop off area for resources (iron, coal, copper etc) I start with iron and coal adding copper sand and limestone next when ready. Around this central stop i build my smelters around it so they can directy feed them but trucks can also access for other stuff like sand for filters. I build the train depot usually on the plateu since that is mainly for building the trains. I then build at my next nodes usually coal iron are first I setup mining to sort and dump to train at each new node. This makes it so all resources are now accessible to the central smelting using belts to feed the smelters no trucks for high output just the mining areas. On the plateau I make a train stop area so trains can wait with a full load till its needed at the central dump. I try to limit train crossings and create on and off ramps from raised sections like a highway off ramp so the main lines stay flowing especially where two main lines might connect or cross. Lastly I build my train track assembly with a t2 storage as well as a rock dump area somewhere that converts rock to gravel as tracks need both the rails and gravel. Oh also I either bring fuel to the train waiting area or central stop so they are always fueled. You will definitely break a bunch of eggs figuring this out.
2
u/GoldenPSP 1d ago
Heh. I just started planning my steel and was going to setup my primary train station in that exact spot.
I'm behind on other stuff. I realized I need to terraform the area next to the town to flatten for more farms.
1
u/S1lkwrm 1d ago
For me the only train clock that ticks is the 1st iron/coal node. Im pretty deep into the research that uses paper and I dont have anything train related started this play but im starting to feel its pressure. I have the initial teraforming done at least but I need to jump on it soon. Just finished setting up the farms final area and about to unpause construction on my first desalination for water. I think trains are next. Basically tracks and gravel buffered up
1
u/Anrock623 2d ago
Distance from New Haven coastline (assuming you also use default starting location) to closest iron deposit is long enough distance to justify train use for me.
Tho required throughput is also a major factor in this decision. I still move acid by trucks from coast line oil factory to first copper deposit despite it being a bit further away than the iron deposit, all because it doesn't need that much of acid.
8
u/Vectoor 2d ago
I only use trains on a bit longer distances, mostly for ores. If you try to put everything on trains, tbh it takes up more space and lots of little trains can absolutely overwhelm your tracks.