Locomotive Factorio Guidebook

This guide will provide a complete instruction to build a rail system and everything about trains.

Introduction

First of all...

Keep in mind that,

• Just like many other facility in the game, a lot of space and time is required.
  
• You will make a mistake - no matter how veteran or careful you are.

Topic 1 : Rail

Building Your Railway

Instruction :

1. Place your first pieced of railway on the ground.
   
2. Hover your cursor on said piece, you will see a yellow arrow. The arrow indicates where your future railway will go. Click on it and drag your cursor into any direction you wish.
   
3. Now, your can build a long rails extended from the pieces of railway.
   
4. SHIFT + click on the arrow to command your bots build for you.
   
5. Place train stops on each desired destination.

Warning ! :
the direction of train stops arrow must match the way of incoming train or it will not dock in.

Topic 2 : Train and Station

Positioning Your Train

Instruction :

1. Place your main locomotive. It should head toward your destination with a spare space for cargo wagons or fluid wagons.
   
2. Place your cargo/fluid wagons. Two or three of them should do.
   
3. Place your back locomotive. It should head at the opposide of the main locomotive in order to make the train driving backward toward the original destination.
   
4. Check if the train is well connected.

Fuel Your Train and Set Up Your Station

Instruction :

1. Put fuel into locomotive's fuel slot, like woods or coals.
   
2. Set up your loaders at each destination. You can learn how to build them properly in previous automation guide book here.

Warning ! :

• Your loaders will load whatever that is in front of them.
  Fuel loaders must be at locomotive's side and item loaders at cargo/fluid wagons' side, or your station will not work correctly.
  
• Loader's positions are different for terminals and outpost stations
  The first loader of terminal station is the last loader for the outpost station, and vice versa.
  
• Use filter inserters to prevent contamination
  Place them at the first line of inserters to load items into chests and use regular inserters at the second line to put items into transport belts.

Changing Train Station Name

Instruction :

1. Click on the train stop, then click on the pencil icon beside the logistic button.
   
2. Type the name you want in the input. Recommenting a name that is easy to recognize like iron mine, Iron terminal, fuel station, etc. with a specific number behind.
   
3. Click the apply button when you are finish.
   
4. Repeated on the other station.

Warning! :
Only automated trains with a destination at the train stop will be show in the GUI.

Topic 3 : Schedule

Train GUI

When you click on any train, this GUI will show up and wait for your command.

1. Schedule : This is where you give an order to your train and run them in automatic mode.
   
2. Fuel : Your train can be given fuel manually here.
   
3. Color : Your train color can be change here for a cosmetic and color coding purpose.
   
4. Manual - Automatic Switch : Toggle to change between,
   
   • Manual mode : the locomotive need to be driven by the engineer with follow keys,
     
     • Enter : to get in the locomotive regardless of its mode.
       
     • W / S / A / D : to move (forward / backward / left / right) on (rails / junctions).
       
     • G : to disconnect the locomotive from the line.
   • Automatic mode : the locomotive will follow the schedule set by the engineer.
5. Train Station Buttons : You can set your train's destination here with (respectively),
   
   • Add Station : Add your desired stations to your schedule.
     
   • Remove Station : Delete selected unwanted stations from your schedule.
     
   • Sent the train to selected station : Set off the train to the destination immediately (will trigger automation mode).
6. Condition Buttons : You can set your train's setting off condition here with (respectively),
   
   • Add Condition : Add your desired stations to your schedule.
     
   • Remove Condition : Delete selected unwanted stations from your schedule.
     
   • And / Or buttons : The train will move when all and condition are met and one of or condition are met.

Setting Train Schedules

Instruction 1 :

1. Click the add station button.
   
2. Choose your desired station.
   
3. Choose your desired condition. Each condition will set off the train when,
   
   • Time passed : the time has passed for fixed seconds.
     
   • Inventory full / empty : all the wagons are full / empty.
     
   • Item counted : the items have been more / less then or equal to fixed numbers or item quantities. (Common used)
     
   • Circuit condition : when the signal from the circuit condition met its condition. (Require Factorio circuit proficiency to operate)
     
   • Inactive : no other machinery interacting to the train for fixed seconds.
4. The GUI should show this command if the proceduce has been done correctly.

Instruction 2 :

1. Click the blank box, assuming your selected condition is item counted.
   
2. Selected your desired delivery items. For example, iron ores for its mine to foundry.
   
3. Set the more, equal, less sign. For terminal, all unloaded item should be equal to 0.
   
4. Adding the next station. The schedule must have at least two destinations or the train will be sent to nowhere.

Instruction 3 :

1. Repeated the instruction 2 on the new destination.
   
2. Click on the number box. For some station, a specfic quantity need to be set.
   
3. Set a constant number or item (together with its quantity) to compare. Then, click "set" button.

Instruction 4 :

1. Check if your schedule is correct. The GUI showing here is a simple loading order from an outpost with iron ores need to be delivered more than 100 units per run.
   
2. Toggled the automatic mode. Click on the switch to change the train mode.
   
3. The train should follow its schedule now.

Warning! :

The trains need no protection along its railway but its stations. Train terminals and outpost need to be fortified or natives will certainly destroy them during loading / unloading.

Topic 4 : Cross Railway

Rail Signal and Cross Section

Eventually, your railway will cross another and your trains will run into each other if no rail signal is installed. This instruction will give you a brief instruction how to place the signal correctly.

1. Place your Rail chain signal on the rail near the cross railway. Its arrow need to point toward the cross railway and will indicated where your train is going to park.
   
2. Place your Rail signal on the rail near the cross railway. Its arrow need to point out from the cross railway and will indicate the rail to be two way.

Tip : You can make a blueprint for your own rail signal indicator.



The cross railway should look like this in the end. This also works for any junctions as long as the signal is installed correctly.



If there are more than 2 rails crossing each other, the signals only need to be placed like normal crossing - just adding up more signal.

Topic 5 : Fuel

Type	Fuel value	Acceleration bonus	Speed bonus	Max Speed bonus	Duration per Unit
Raw wood	4 MJ	+ 0%	+ 0%	+ 0 kmph	6.7 s
Coal	8 MJ	+ 0%	+ 0%	+ 0 kmph	13.4 s
Solid fuel	25 MJ	+ 20%	+ 5%	+ 13 kmph	41.7 s
Rocket fuel	225 MJ	+ 80%	+ 15%	+ 38.9 kmph	375 s
Nuclear fuel	1.21 GJ	+150 %	+ 15 %	+ 38.9 kmph	2016.7 s

Topic 6 : Color

Color Table

Colors	Cyan	Red	Grey	Green	Orange	White	Black	Purple
Red	0	234	100	0	255	255	0	60
Green	180	17	100	88	75	255	0	0
Blue	255	0	100	0	0	255	0	120

Advanced : Double Railing

Duo rails (Double railing)

Assuming you has already mastered single railing train. Now, it is time for a new way of trasportation grid which is called double railing - a very effective way for a rail trasnportation.

Double railing have many advantage over single railing include,

• The trains have no need to be double-headed but have to run straight.
  
• Similar to the main bus trasportation belts, you need only one main line for all delivery.
  
• Less railways are needed to be builded and demolished.
  
• Much more organized and orderly.

But unlike the single railing, it need a bit skills to connect the rails properly.

Note :

• Chain rail signals must be placed at the entrance of the track.
  
• Rail signals must be placed at the exit of the track.

Terminal

Double railed terminal is a bit different from its counterpart. As it required two exits for the train and fairly complicated signals. Here is its component.

Note : This guild will assuming your direction of train at left rail goes northward and eastward and right rail goes southward and westward.

Components	Description
	Entrance The trains can go in from left and right rails.
	Queuer In order to prevent the trains from being stuck, queuers are designed to let the trains park and wait for their turn to unloading their goods.
	Loader A generic loading area. Enchanted with stack (filter) inserters to unloading items faster (and preventing contamination).
	Exit The trains can go out to left and right rails here.

Station

There are two types of stations here, classified by its entrance and exit.

Types	Description
	One ways station The trains go in and out at the same point. The signal is not different from a single railing transportation.
	Two-ways station The trains go in and out at different location. The signals (chain and rail signals) must be place separately (A rail signal at the entrance and chain signal at exist).

Grid Example

Common Tips

• Do not share a railway between the trains unless you know what to do.
  
• Fluid wagons are more suitable way to transport crude oil than a traditional way of barrels and cargo wagons unless your cargo is designed to carry various items.
  
• Trains schedule can have more than two stations.

[Furmonster]

do you have a blueprint book?

[blackknight24]

nicely done, but the colour section is silly as you only show a drop in the bucket for color combos, and the values are incorrect.

[kittenkin]

@Mice-stro I'm not entirely sure. I mean if it works, it works, I guess.

[Mice-stro]

is it bad that i just use purely chain signals for the highest speed? I have my reasons to, and they function pretty much the same way as a train signal (unless used for queueing.)

[kittenkin]

@Engineer_Boy So basically, we just have to be smarter when putting railways and signals down lol. Also, its worth a mention, that how I always setup is to always have a chain signal for every entrance, and a rail signal for every exit.

[Engi]

@Larvix this is guide outdated, but the information is still relevant (the only major different in the guide and the current game is how the train schedule is laid out, otherwise the trains didn't really change aside form be a little less unwise in path finding)

[Sumo]

Good guide!

[kittenkin]

I haven't played Factorio in a little while, is this still up to date?

[kittenkin]

Its been mentioned already.

[Aegis Kay]

Might be worth a mention that you can have more than 1 locomotive facing in the same direction for more speed and higher pulling power, which increases fuel consumption but makes a lot of sense for reducing the number of trains on the line at once