Freight route/train setup...help or tutorial

[larsi64]

is there a good guide or tutorial on how to run cargo traffic between cities??? I end up with an awfull lot of idle trains in the later stages of the game, losing track of which cities are connected etc. I uinderstand, that with passenger trains, the pax will take the train that brings them closer to their end goal; Is that the same with the freight/cargo trains....Or do I have to run separate lines of trains from each city, in order to move goods?

Links or good tutorials/eplanations appreciated

[NetPCDoc]

You might try reading the in-game Tips & Tricks? (to see what is in there?)

Tip: While it may pay to haul Passengers (and mail - aka express items) long distances, it is usually better to go short distances with Freight.

Might, also, try using the "Resource" view to see where the 'carters guilds' are moving goods from and to ... and setting up rail routes to compete with them; only using your own distribution plans where goods are not otherwise already being hauled.

Short answer; while passengers may 'self-relay' through connecting cities ... freight (and mail?) do NOT!

[larsi64]

been reading the tips and tricks but haven't gotten any wiser.... Have put up warehouses everywhere and trying to supply cities with manufactured goods, to no avail.. Most train runing idle between citties

[chaney]

It seems like you are looking for play style and techniques tips. You'll have to scour the forum to root those out ... there are some smart players with experience that have revealed good stuff as well as some poor advice out there.

You can work out your own reasoning of course, but the game manuals/tips and tricks are not very complete. I tried to compile the essential mechanics in my guide. It includes a lot of undocumented features and behavior details discovered from this forum and my own testing. If you don't mind a dry read you might find something helpful there, including a detailed manual route setup.

[rff1]

Freight is of two types. The first is raw materials, from rural stations: transport these to a city where there is a demand. Some of these are consumables, such as Corn, which help city growth; some, such as Cotton, need to go to a suitable factory; some, such as Grain, do both. The second type is goods produced by a factory, which need to be taken to another city where there is a demand.

Both types can be taken to warehouses ( set up to accept them) and thence to where they are wanted. Trains to warehouses produce no income; you get the money when the goods arrive at a city.

[larsi64]

Originally posted by chaney:

It seems like you are looking for play style and techniques tips. You'll have to scour the forum to root those out ... there are some smart players with experience that have revealed good stuff as well as some poor advice out there.

You can work out your own reasoning of course, but the game manuals/tips and tricks are not very complete. I tried to compile the essential mechanics in my guide. It includes a lot of undocumented features and behavior details discovered from this forum and my own testing. If you don't mind a dry read you might find something helpful there, including a detailed manual route setup.

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Thanks...i have watched a few tips on youtube....I will trr to reread tips and tricks

[larsi64]

@ rff1
Freight is of two types. The first is raw materials, from rural stations: transport these to a city where there is a demand. Some of these are consumables, such as Corn, which help city growth; some, such as Cotton, need to go to a suitable factory; some, such as Grain, do both. The second type is goods produced by a factory, which need to be taken to another city where there is a demand.

Both types can be taken to warehouses ( set up to accept them) and thence to where they are wanted. Trains to warehouses produce no income; you get the money when the goods arrive at a city.
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I am aware, bot I cant find a way around that when i try to ship manufactured goods around to different cities, they run idle 85% of the time

[larsi64]

Originally posted by rff1:

Freight is of two types. The first is raw materials, from rural stations: transport these to a city where there is a demand. Some of these are consumables, such as Corn, which help city growth; some, such as Cotton, need to go to a suitable factory; some, such as Grain, do both. The second type is goods produced by a factory, which need to be taken to another city where there is a demand.

Both types can be taken to warehouses ( set up to accept them) and thence to where they are wanted. Trains to warehouses produce no income; you get the money when the goods arrive at a city.

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I am aware, bot I cant find a way around that when i try to ship manufactured goods around to different cities, they run idle 85% of the time

[rff1]

Freight trains between cities will run empty or underloaded for several reasons.
1. Low production at start of run. Increase supply of raw material and/or expand factory.
2. Low demand at end of run; city may be fully stocked. Expand city and/or factory there.
3. Destination city just does not want the freight allocated to the train. Check route.
4. Too many trains trying to transport the goods. Run less trains.
5. Run may be OK in one direction but not the other, e.g. furniture from A to B is OK, but B does not produce anything that A wants so train returns empty. Again, check route.
6. Any combination of the above.

By "check route" I mean examine, and amend, the train setup. Is it set for a minimum number of cars? Is loading automatic or manual? What cargo is it set for? Is it freight only? That should be goods which are provided at the start and end of each run in both directions.

[Dray Prescot]

Another suggestion, rename your Stations, particularly the Resource sites so that the automatic names for new trains are more meaningful, e.g. names such as Grain, Coffee Wood (in the Mexican Scenario), Cattle, Milk, Fruit, Vegetables, etc. It makes keeping track of trains a lot easier, and you do not have to manually rename the trains as much.

Later in the game you run into two basic problems: one is overloaded tracks and stations, i.e. too many trains trying to use them. The second is that the private investor controlled Resource Sites and Industries in the Cities with your Stations, do not expand enough and soon enough to keep up with your demands for their outputs (and demands for inputs for you to supply as well). You may have to buy them yourself in order to expand them. As well destroying some old Industries in order to replace them with different Industies in those Cities.

Be willing to destroy tracks and Stations and rebuild them in somewhat different locations and orientations. Particularly to upgrade to Signal Control versions of old Stations and Warehouses, which may require repositioning them to fit in the space available.

[RuhRoh]

Adekyn has some great tutuorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Adekyn100/videos