Why can i put more in a single chest than in a cargo wagon?

[jackaroo]

If you take a single chest you have 48 slots while the cargo wagon has only 40 slots.
If you do the math quickly you would get:
48*12=576 slots
This is for only 1 cargo wagon it's a difference of 736 slots for the same amount of space they take.
maybe this can be even out more.

[Ranakastrasz]

Several reasons, all theory. Mainly balance. If the cargo wagon had proportional storage, then trains wouldn't have to run nearly as often, which would be less fun. Having to have 4 or more cargo wagons for reasonable throughput, or almost constant running makes it more interesting.


Also, you can imagine chests as going underground some ways, while cargo wagons have a lot of space used up for other components.

[BenSeidel]

Mainly because you can really only get one or two sea containers on a rail wagon where when put on the ground you can do this

sea containers.jpg (14.6 KiB) Viewed 1228 times

I believe that the issue with trains is not the amount that a single wagon can carry but the amount that the entire train can carry.

iron ore train.jpg (12.37 KiB) Viewed 1228 times

If the number of locomotives required per cargo carriage was far less it would be both more entertaining and more realistic.