Better to have longer trains or more trains?

[Gudabeg]

I currently run 2 cargo wagons with 2 locomotives on each end. Should I make there be more trains or just add more cargo wagons? My stations are set up with 2 cargo wagons in mind.

[Zoomytoast]

i personally prefer more trains, as it's easier to setup.

[KatherineOfSky]

I prefer 1 locomotive with 4 cargo wagons. In megabases, you might want to convert that to 2 locos, 8-10 wagons.

[Shurenai]

I adjust train length based on payload and distance traveled. The further out it gets, the more i have it bring back each time, And the less the extra weight matters, since once its up to speed it stays that way till it has to brake at the other end. And for certain things I just run less wagons, for example crude oil transport, i have two shorter trains cycling on an isolated track ferrying oil so ones heading out/filling while the other is arriving/delivering.

Edit: For locomotive count, I find for 2-4 wagons, one on each end is sufficient, Even just one on one side if you set your tracks with a loop in them so they dont have to reverse at any time

[Demien]

Originally posted by Being Gneiss Rocks!:

I currently run 2 cargo wagons with 2 locomotives on each end. Should I make there be more trains or just add more cargo wagons? My stations are set up with 2 cargo wagons in mind.

Just use 1 locomotive and double rails. 2 locomotives is slower

[Gudabeg]

Sounds good. When you say double rails you mean make a 2 lane track?

[Demien]

Originally posted by Being Gneiss Rocks!:

Sounds good. When you say double rails you mean make a 2 lane track?

Yes

[impetus_maximus]

2 2 2 will brake sooner, and take longer to slow down. you are better off with 1 2 1 on a double headed train in my opinion. if they are taveling in 1 direction, i would use 1 loco and 2 cargo wagons. that is the best bang per buck. 1 4 is good to if you are going big.

terminus vs loop is up to the user. i use terminus stations only on ore mine sites with loop stations for unloading. terminus stations are easier to set up and take little space. everything else gets loops for traffic throughput, so trains are not waiting on exiting traffic.

also in 0.16 fuel type affects acceleration. going from slowest to fastest> wood, coal, solid fuel, rocket fuel, nuclear fuel.

[3iN4r]

Using 1-5 (last is repair packs, artillery ammo and uran ammo) on double rails, in the beginning one train per mining area, multiple unload stations sharing name and access rail (the trains in queue will enter the closest free one).
If congestion occurs I will probably go to 1-5-1 for increased acceleration, or rebuild meeting points.

Hey, developers, I want underground rails at some point :D

[Kurt]

"Better" depends on the situation. For instance, if one is moving space science packs by rail, one cargo wagon ought to do. If moving iron ore, significantly larger. Be sure to design your junctions for the longest train that uses it.

[Hedning]

I use 4 wagons to 1 locomotive as standard. This means most stations can take up to 4 wagons, so in order not to rebuild them very few trains get to be over 5 sections long.

While I think longer trains look better shorter stations with more platforms look better, so it's really hard to decide on a train length.

For performance though it doesn't really matter, although fewer but longer trains are slightly better.

[Killcreek2]

I prefer RORO (aka loops) to terminus (2-direction trains).

<1-3 to <1-4 is a good size ~ short enough to cross junctions & accellerate to top speed in reasonable times.
Whereas a terminus train of <1-3-1> takes longer to cross junctions (extra wagon length), & accellerates much slower (equivalent to a 1-6 train!).
Both of these factors make a big difference to the max throughput of the track network.


For longer trains, I use a repeating pattern of <LCC<LCC<L or <LCCC<LCCC<L (all locos pointing forwards). This is nice because you get an extra 6-tile gap every 3rd/4th wagon at the train stops where you do not have any unloading chests ~ so you can embed things such as roboports / belt balancer inside the station footprint.

This also means I can mix different length trains using the same stations, & not ever have to worry that the wagons won't align. LCCCLCCCL (3-6) can use same station as LCC (1-2), but a LLLCCCCCC (3-6) cannot share with LCC (1-2) without tweaking the stops.
Additionally, both roro and terminus trains can share the same stops with this repeating design.

[Tarka]

Longer trains for me. When making a multisite factory with each production line in a different location, I have a rule of one wagon for each input/output belt. Which can easily mean 12 wagons or more to move iron ore to a smelter or suchlike.

Fewer and longer also means that the network is less likely to get congested as there is less traffic. Though of course you need more space, and massive amounts of buffer storage at the input and output stations. It is easy to leave too little space between junctions.

Of course, with this sort of train length, the locomotive count can become quite ridiculous. To me, the vanilla locomotives seem completely wrong. Too fast and not powerful enough. Like being given a racing car when you need a truck. Unless going for achievements and therefore needing an unmodded save, I always use the Yuoki Railways mod, which adds much slower, much more powerful locos that can easily haul 10 wagons solo. It also has lower capacity wagons to force trains to be even longer.

Of course, trains to haul intermediate or end products are much shorter than ore or plate trains. The above mentioned mod helps with this as well by providing some small, cheap locos and wagons that can haul small loads more efficiently.

[Drum]

I use 3 loc + 8 wagons since it just looks awesome (loops, so always 1 direction). The downside is that intersections take up a lot of (signal) space, but that is no problem if you take it into account while planning the track.

[Zoomytoast]

Question. If you're using multiple locomotives on a single train on a loop, is it better to have them all at the front or spread out throughout the train?

[Hedning]

Originally posted by JSConnor:

Question. If you're using multiple locomotives on a single train on a loop, is it better to have them all at the front or spread out throughout the train?

Doesn't matter, although your station might be nicer looking if you keep the wagons together.