Useful to use multiple locomotives per train?

[JuggernautOfWar]

Is it useful to have pusher/puller and/or multiple locomotives per train? Would this accelerate the rate at which a given train reaches its top speed, or maybe provide more power for climbing hills?

I know locomotives weigh many tons, so I'm not sure how this is modeled in the game.

[Selfizz]

Yes it does speed up the acceleration and also the max speed when climbing hills. Trains are also heavier when loaded. Normally you only need 2 locomotives for very long trains or on steep tracks. I like to have long Cargo trains with 2 diesel-loks. There also are locomotives better suited for hillclimbing (normally lower top speed, more power) and others are better for long high speed lines.

[genemead]

Hill climbing? "Traction" is an important factor when deciding which engine to use (along with "power").

Personally, if your down to needing 2 engines for speed and acceleration, I think I'd rather have 2 shorter trains. So if your trying to pull 20 cars up a hill, I'd do it with 2 trains, 10 cars each.

[gc]

I also always tended to do as geneomead (it is better for frequency), but I recently found that doubling engines can be useful when there are many trains on the same line (less wasted time at signals and loading trains at stations) or in the beginning times when engines are cheap and not powerful enough.

[larry_roberts]

Yes I have put two engines on the front of a train, when there hasn't been a suitable more powerful engine to replace them (or I just couldn't afford a replacement at the time)!.

[Randy Lahey]

On this, how do you get the 2nd engine to show up at the front of the train with the first one (when adding one) without having to manually move it click-by-click up to the front or remove all the cars first?

[ChunkHunter]

Originally posted by aleader:

On this, how do you get the 2nd engine to show up at the front of the train with the first one (when adding one) without having to manually move it click-by-click up to the front or remove all the cars first?

Buy both locos first :)

[JK]

On the 2 engined long train vs 2 short trains quandary. When there is a lot of traffic on a route, the 2 engined long trains might have benefits of less traffic jams and less stopping and starting.

[larry_roberts]

Originally posted by aleader:

On this, how do you get the 2nd engine to show up at the front of the train with the first one (when adding one) without having to manually move it click-by-click up to the front or remove all the cars first?

Or you can buy a second train (just the loco) so you will have the two trains in the depot, just move the train with the wagons down (loco first) to the second train (one piece at a time)!. Or you can just use the replace now option to replace with a train with two locos!.

[Randy Lahey]

Originally posted by larry_roberts:

Originally posted by aleader:

On this, how do you get the 2nd engine to show up at the front of the train with the first one (when adding one) without having to manually move it click-by-click up to the front or remove all the cars first?

Or you can buy a second train (just the loco) so you will have the two trains in the depot, just move the train with the wagons down (loco first) to the second train (one piece at a time)!. Or you can just use the replace now option to replace with a train with two locos!.

I should have been more clear. When I 'replace now' to add cars and an extra loco, it always adds the 2nd loco to the back, not the front. I was just wondering if there was a way to change that without having to delete the whole thing and start over. I thought I saw a mod for it in Train Fever maybe that also allowed you to turn one backwards? Can't find one for this. By default it should add the 2nd or 3rd loco to the front, that would make the most sense.

[Metacritical]

you need to buy the engines at the same time (and also have no carriages/wagons in the autoupgrade list as well), this is the way to make sure that the engines are at the front.

[JuggernautOfWar]

Does it matter if the locomotives are at the front? Pushing should provide just as much power as pulling.

[Randy Lahey]

Looks better, more realistic, that's all.

[larry_roberts]

I should have been more clear. When I 'replace now' to add cars and an extra loco, it always adds the 2nd loco to the back, not the front. I was just wondering if there was a way to change that without having to delete the whole thing and start over. I thought I saw a mod for it in Train Fever maybe that also allowed you to turn one backwards? Can't find one for this. By default it should add the 2nd or 3rd loco to the front, that would make the most sense.

Never knew that, I obviously haven't double engined since the replace now option came in!. It's probably more realistics, on inclines at least, to have one loco at the front and the other on the rear anyway!.

[sheep21]

I play on a very hilly map and I don't have a huge amount of track that is not going up or down with some rather punishing inclines. Pretty much all my freight trains are double headed tank locos or 0-6-0 tender engines to maintain a decent tractive effort. On the main line my express locos are quite small and also double headed due to weight and speed requirements. Do it. It is prototypical.

[Zapp]

Originally posted by Randy Lahey:

On this, how do you get the 2nd engine to show up at the front of the train with the first one (when adding one) without having to manually move it click-by-click up to the front or remove all the cars first?

Holding SHIFT while clicking the left/right button.