What is the point of the baggage cars?

[The Pacific Railfan]

Can someone tell me.

[DorniNerd]

Right now it doesn't serve a purpose... In future we would like it to be utilized for the game in some way.

[SquawkVFR1200]

Would there be a possibility of RPO cars? Railway Post Office - we could get a fee for delivery of the mail! :)

[The Pacific Railfan]

it would be nice if it can give you like a 25% bonus if there is 2 at the font of a passenger train

[thebear05]

I believe that the baggage car would be more suitable for freight deliveries to the railroad house tracks. After all these goods for delivery to the house tracks are the railroads responsibility. Here some years ago parcels could be lodged and collected at your local railway station. A business I worked for in the early 70s used this method to send goods all over the state.

[coenvijge]

Maybe at the start or the end of a trip serving the House Track, but normally loading/unloading during the regular pax stop at the normal track used for passengers. It was all about baggage / small freight being transported 'fast' with normal pax trains.

[bfcmik]

I'm sure that baggage cars and cabooses will eventually have a purpose. There are still many facets of this game that have to be worked on by the developer

[SquawkVFR1200]

Originally posted by bfcmik:

I'm sure that baggage cars and cabooses will eventually have a purpose. There are still many facets of this game that have to be worked on by the developer

For cabooses, I like to ride in them, especially up in the cupola! Other than that, there really isn't a purpose in the game for them yet.

[kildar501]

Baggage cars or RPOs (Modified baggage cars usually) would be a great addition for revenue generation since mail moved by train over long distances and into remote areas during this time period. It would also just kind of complete the look for a passenger train, you know?

[sbmarauderman03]

Combine

[kildar501]

I think it would just be nice if we could bring the baggage cars over from the sandbox to the company mode. Even if they don't serve a purpose, for the looks factor.

[Chally]

How is passenger demand calculated? Maybe a train with a baggage car could have a smallish bonus to demand over a train without.

[coenvijge]

Originally posted by kildar501:

I think it would just be nice if we could bring the baggage cars over from the sandbox to the company mode. Even if they don't serve a purpose, for the looks factor.

I heard you can do that. ((save game) > while playing go to the sandbox (command screen: mode sandbox) > do what you want to do (i.e. get a baggage car) > go back to the campaign mode (via the command screen: mode campaign)).

[coenvijge]

Originally posted by Chally:

How is passenger demand calculated? ........................

ATM it doesn't take a baggage car into account; dev posted:

Originally posted by DorniNerd:

Right now it doesn't serve a purpose... In future we would like it to be utilized for the game in some way.

[DorniNerd]

Originally posted by Chally:

How is passenger demand calculated? Maybe a train with a baggage car could have a smallish bonus to demand over a train without.

There isn't really a "demand" so to speak. Just a spawn rate at stations... It goes up based on the local areas freight contract tiers.

[TheLostPenguin]

Originally posted by Chally:

How is passenger demand calculated? Maybe a train with a baggage car could have a smallish bonus to demand over a train without.

Not quite sure how that could work since demand is independent of any given set of coaches/wagons. About the only way that would work is if magical extra passengers were spawned it at time of boarding depending on what vehicles were in the set.
Easier and more transparent would just be to add another revenue modifier similar to the observation cars, although that does also have a slight risk of potentially starting to slip into a nightmare of stacking/not stacking modifiers all piled on top of one another.