How useful are trains?

[JustSmile]

As per the topic. I have not played since like 2021 so I'm rediscovering the game. Just reached trains on my new save and I'm wondering: just how feasible are they for transporting ores from distant resource patches compared to just running belts?

I can't help but compare them to Factorio, and between comparably small map, massive size of train infrastructure, elevation changes blocking train routes, infinite nodes eliminating a lot expandability issues... Belts just feel more convenient.

[Rezznor7]

Trains are expandable. You need to carry more resources? Slap another car on that train.
Vs.
You need to transport more resources via belt from biome to biome? Have fun. 1.5 hours later.... What, you're still laying belts?

[Jack-o-Lantern]

I never.used them in EA...
Then last couple of months had to move huge quantities of resources from two locations to a third...

Experimented with trains and have to say that are convenient provided you plan for space for them

[XistenZ]

Depends on distance and what you're actually doing.
Trains can transport massive amounts, once the infrastructure is laid out it's just about adding carts (and additional platforms) which is wildly easier than putting down 50 kilometers of extra belts.

[DaBa]

Trains have very similar advantages in Satisfactory as they do in Factorio:

- Trains have a very high throughput when compared to belts, especially when compared to Mk4 belts which is the highest tier you have available to you when you get access to trains. This is only magnified the smaller the distance is between stations. More often than not a single train will be able to transport multiple belts worth of ore over the same distance.

- Because of the above Trains end up being cheaper to set up since you don't need to use up multiple stacks of resources just to create the belts, you just pay for cheap rails and the small initial cost of a train and the stations.

- Even if you think setting up trains is more tedious and takes longer than just using belts, the initial investment can be easily justified by how easy it is to upgrade this setup and expand it. If you want more throughput from belts, you have to run an entire new belt or upgrade the existing ones to a new tier. If you want the same with trains, just add an extra train station on both ends, or even just an extra train to the same system. If you've set the rail network from the beginning with future expansion in mind this will be an extremely easy process and will save you a lot of time in a long run.

- Let's be honest, what is cooler: a conveyor belt, or A TRAIN. Trains are COOL! Even if trains were objectively worse in every way I'd still use them, because TRAINS! This is why I still use trucks too, because TRUCKS! Who wants to have ugly conveyor belts everywhere when you could have TRUCKS and TRAINS!

[Khirareq]

"How useful are trains?"

Ask my sister!


Hey ooooooooooooo!!!


(Im going to get banned again)

[Dwane Dibbley]

I would say its optional and depends on your playstyle.

I like to manufacture locally and transport final parts, which wasnt that bad with just belts. So i could skip cars+trains entirely and by the time i needed better way to transport, i jumped on drones.

But if you like to hoard alot of resources to "main factory" where you manufacture everything, its worth to learn and use trains.

[🎮AliveSince1961🎮]

What about liquids? I tried this a long time ago and using the tank cart didn't hold as much volume as the packaged liquid and used the freight cart instead.

Has this been updated?

[Sonic Titan]

They have a horn; I mean, come on

[shoopy]

The coolest thing about trains is the individual cars, so you can transport different items and each one has its own station and separate conveyor system so that you don't have to deal with smart splitting or so-called sushi belts. You can even have one train drop specific cars at different stations (this is what the blank platforms are for)

[JustSmile]

Originally posted by DaBa:

This is only magnified the smaller the distance is between stations. More often than not a single train will be able to transport multiple belts worth of ore over the same distance.

You're saying a train would be superior even for small distances? What's the distance between the stops you would consider a train superior to belts? 500m? A kilometre?

[JimboTCB]

Originally posted by 🎮AliveSince1961🎮:

What about liquids? I tried this a long time ago and using the tank cart didn't hold as much volume as the packaged liquid and used the freight cart instead.

Has this been updated?

You can just add more cars to each train. I'd still rather use fluid cars for fluids, otherwise you have to mess around packaging/unpackaging at either end and shipping empty canisters around.

The actual amount that each train carries is only relevant to the extent that you need to carry enough on each journey to make sure the destination station doesn't run out between deliveries, as your maximum throughput is still ultimately limited by the belt speeds in/out of a station.

[Mystokai]

You can always start small, just Point A - Point B to help you carry big chunk of cargo.
They can drive both way too on single straight Rail if you put Train on both sides of Cargo.

And since they only run on Electricity, they are pretty much free if you have good supply of Steel based materials to construct it.

Then you can try to expand and go for more advanced stuff.

[🎮AliveSince1961🎮]

Originally posted by JimboTCB:

Originally posted by 🎮AliveSince1961🎮:

What about liquids? I tried this a long time ago and using the tank cart didn't hold as much volume as the packaged liquid and used the freight cart instead.

Has this been updated?

You can just add more cars to each train. I'd still rather use fluid cars for fluids, otherwise you have to mess around packaging/unpackaging at either end and shipping empty canisters around.

The actual amount that each train carries is only relevant to the extent that you need to carry enough on each journey to make sure the destination station doesn't run out between deliveries, as your maximum throughput is still ultimately limited by the belt speeds in/out of a station.

That's my dilemma, I like trains and complex factories. So I'm thinking of combining the two. Half tank, half packed.

[Ray Garraty]

I prefer belts: set up once and forget about them for a long time. And you can put a hypertube on top of the belts bus ;-)

[GAMING_Alligator]

As a long time Factorio player, I'm counting down the hours until I can make my train network!