What is the simpliest way to supply outposts?

[Sephrat]

I just launched my first few rockets and I'm now trying to optimize my outposts because I'm tired of manually refilling my roboports with repair kits and ammos.
I'm looking for something not too tedious nor complicated (no over-complicated circuit conditions please, I'm still a noob at this ).

The ideas I've thought of seem too tedious:

• Add another wagon to my trains that go from my outpost to my main base. This wagon will get filled in my main base and emptied in my outpost => I need to review all my rail network and stations because it was properly designed for 2-wagon trains only.
• Add another station at every outpost + one at my main base dedicated to outpost supplying => I need to enlarge all my outposts + schedule x trains or have one train go to x stations.

Are these the only possible ways or am I not creative enough? How did you deal with this automation in your factories?

[Optera]

If you don't feel like having any combinator black magic nor change the freight trains, adding a dedicated supply train to each outpost would be the easiest way.

The complicated way is to make each outpost report back it's current supply level and have a smart loader fill just what's needed in the ore trains since they go back empty anyway.

A Compromise of both would be to sacrifice stacks of ore in your ore trains, setting filters for ore + 1 each for repair kits, ammo and c.bots. Your unload station then could have "stupid" inserters trying to fill that waggon with each item. Just use one inserter for each or they will block.

[Hannu]

I set filters in car next to the locomotive. I use always filters in resource trains because sometimes trains can stop on wrong stops. I put some requester chests to unload station in the base and load the car with supplies. I unload them to provider chests in outposts. I use one chest per item type and simple circuits because chests are cheap and it needs least work. You should use filter inserters to unload wagons (it is always good idea).

Later I build a large defense wall which have own tracks, supply stations and trains.

[Thegrover]

Easy, make sure that trains are loaded only from one side. Add a few unloaders into passive providers, which are restricted to just a few slots each. Load a single wagon train up with goodies and restrict it's contents to only ammo/repair kits etc. and send it round all your outposts. Voilla

[Sephrat]

Easy, make sure that trains are loaded only from one side. Add a few unloaders into passive providers, which are restricted to just a few slots each. Load a single wagon train up with goodies and restrict it's contents to only ammo/repair kits etc. and send it round all your outposts. Voilla

Oh yes I don't know why I didn't think of that. Quite simple indeed and that will give me time to upgrade my outposts for the cleaner solutions proposed above. I quite like the idea of having a dedicated station for each outpost later on.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

[TheTom]

Separate train. I run 6 wagon ore trains now. And my outposts have 3 stops per default - Build, Supply, Bulk.

Bulk is where the trains get loaded.
Supply is the station for the 6 wagon supply train (which also takes random crap in the last 2 wagons)
Build is where I build the station - and what my personal train uses when I need to visit.

I have a 4x4 map grid layout for the station with all elements needed and 2 attachment points as a blueprint, so it is trivial to put it in, then get it built by robots.

I originally had supplies in my ore trains, but i take it the capacity can be much better used.