I wish to Build a Sawmill so I can keep the logging chain going. But I cannot build one. Why?

[RolandBP]

I have tried several times to build a sawmill, but it remains RED.
I appear to have enough money.
Is there something I need to do first?

[Just PeterD]

Hi,
In order to build a factory in a city, there are a few criteria in place.
It depends on the size of a city if and how many factories you can build and the maximum is 3 I think.
Usually when you hover over the city, you can see from the icons if you can build a factory or not. (You would see a factory with + icon if you can)
There are 2 ways to get your sawmill in place:
1: If you cannot build a new factory, destroy the existing factory and then build your sawmill. Note: you might need to buy the existing factory first then!
2: Make the city grow so it gets large enough for the next factory.

From the top of my head, you need at least 40000 citizens for the second factory to be built.
If the city is that big and you waited too long to build a second (or third) factory yourself, somebody else comes in a starts its own factory, so keep an eye on that.

Hope this helps.
Peter

[Dray Prescot]

A brand new, very small City will have 1 Industrial site.
At 40,000 Population you get a 2nd Industrial Site.
At 90,000 Population you get a 3rd (and last) Industrial Site.

At the start of a new game most small Cities will already have one Industry in their Industrial slot, depending on how the Map for that Game and the conditions for that Game during set up.

An open Industrial Site will show a + sign inside a small black box below the name of the City.

In order to build an Industrial Site, you have to have an open Industrial Site, AND there has to be a City somewhere(anywhere) on the Map that demands that Manufactured good. I am fairly sure this requires a population of 55,000 to demand Planks.

Population (over 55k) requires Planks and a Furniture Industry will also require Planks

Also when you build an Industry, you click on it in the list of possible Industries, and THEN you have to place the new Building somewhere inside the limits of that City.

You also have to have enough cash to pay for it.

Screen shoot showing placing and building a Sawmill as Dodge City. It has to be inside the green City Limits. The entire building has to be inside the green circle for that City.

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198041532360/screenshot/2058759873528967644/

It is possible that there is enough other stuff, stations, tracks, and other buildings, that there is not a large enough clear in that City to place the Plank Factory. It does not happen often, but if you have enough tracks inside your City limits, you might have a problem placing a new Industry. Try placing a new Station on the edge of the City, that should give you more space to build on. The City limits expand around each new building or Station placed in the City. In Chapter 2, I was able to really stretch/expand the City limits of London.

PS You can not build a Plank Factory at the Wood Resource Rural Station, only at a City where you have a Station. Unlike Rail Road Tycoon, living quarters/housing, i.e. a Village/City, do not appear at a Resource location. So we can NOT develop a Resource Site into a City in RE 2.

[RolandBP]

To Just PD {Peter} Thanks
To Dray Prescot, Excellent, thanks.