What is everyone's preferred train size

[TRUEpicness]

I use 2 4 2s (that means 2 locos 4 wagons and then 2 more locos for people who don't know)

[impetus maximus]

1:2 for most, 1:2:1 for ore (terminus station), 1:1 for liquids.

[5thHorseman]

1-2 here. My brain won't allow me to always drag unused engine mass around.

I blame Kerbal Space Program.

[saturn7]

1-2-1 at the beginning, usually with single tracks for each ore patch. Later, I build a centralized station with loops, and slowly phase to 2-4 trains.

[torham]

1:4

[BlakeMW]

For standard resource worlds 1-2 is a very logical choice because there are very few ore patches capable of saturating even a single 1-2 train (in fact some like uranium/oil aren't even going to saturate a 1-1), only in the extreme late game with mining productivity it can make sense to start using longer trains. For non-standard worlds with reduced frequency/increased bigness of ore patches I tend to use 1-4. I'm not a fan of double-headers because they don't have a proper forward/reverse direction which makes it awkward to use different wagons for different things.

[Qon]

Single headed trains.
Locomotives ~ Wagons / 4
Wagons ~ 20 to 200

I build big bases and single headed and long trains are superior.

[OdinYggd]

2-8-2-8-2

These monster sized trains stand 22 wagon lengths long, and can move literally thousands of plates per trip. Interestingly enough it is not bidirectional- all 6 engines face the same direction.

But I run such mighty beasts on my mainline train, connecting bulk cargo from place to place. Shorter trains run on the line as well for tasks like mixed goods deliveries and maintenance trains.

Usually I have a few shortlines running as well using 1-4-1 arrangements to provide push pull services that connect ore deposits to the smelters or nuclear materials from the main factory to the power reactor facility.

[LazyLoneLion]

Used to build 1-2 trains.
Dropped all alternatives after having tried 1-1 trains. They are simple, fast, stations are small, outposts are small as well and can't saturate big trains anyway. And you can use more trains and run them often when it's not enough.

And more trains is always better, right?

Smaller trains load/unload faster, they block less rail-blocks, they are just *totally* more convenient.

[BlakeMW]

One other advantage of 1-1 and 1-2 trains is they don't tend to be lethal if you have a good power armor II setup.

[impetus maximus]

One other advantage of 1-1 and 1-2 trains is they don't tend to be lethal if you have a good power armor II setup.

a very good point.

[Zavian]

We need to get Xterminator using them

[MeduSalem]

Single-headed 2:4.

I generally dislike terminus stations for various reasons... so I don't really need double-headed trains. With a 2:4 setup the train stations also fit nicely within the distance of 2 Roboports, which plays a huge role in my grid/module system.


Though I consider switching to Single-Headed 1:4:1... With both the front and the rear engine still facing the same direction. It simply would make the train stations more symmetrical... which has some minor OCD-friendly advantages. xD

[Turbofant]

1-2-1 double header for distributing materials around the different parts of my base and 1-5 for hauling ore from the mining outpost. The first cargo wagon is reserved for supply materials for the mining outposts (repair packs, walls, laser turrets, constructions bot, etc.). Every mining outpost has its own logistic network and has a circuit logic to take all missing materials from the train.

(Am I the only one who uses an odd number of cargo wagons? )

[Rakshasa]

Uni-directional 3-8-3 on railworld.

[Xtrafresh]

I've used pretty much every one of these, and then some others too. Recently made a fun setup with 6-30-6 monsters.

I seem to be settling on the following mix though:
2-8-2 for ore to smelters. They operate on a simplified network that does not connect to any other lines.
1-4-1 for high-throughput items in the base
1-1 for low-throughput items
2-2 for fluids, with the wagons first. This way the stations can be really small, as the locs are sitting in the bend. I'm using LTN to dispatch the trains.

[RocketManChronicles]

As being a railroad fan, there is something to long trains, efficiency. the heavier trains should be long for fuel efficiency and in throughput (ore/sec or plates/sec). So, following real-world lessons learned, I sue long trains for the heavy stuff, and smaller trains for the goods (finished products). the smaller trains always pass the larger ones on the 4-lane main line near the base. I just wish I could give the long trains lower preference at intersections to keep the faster ones moving as they carry the stuff to fight the biters!

2-16-2: All ore/plate trains.
1-8-1: All high value ores (uranium in vanilla; gold, silver, gems in Bob's mods), crude oil trains back to the refinery.
1-4-1: Finished goods (Ammo, vehicles, turrets, walls, mines, belts, repair packs), lubricant, light oil to walls, acid transport
1-2-1: Personal Transport Shuttle, carries ammo, weapons, armors, vehicles

[impetus maximus]

I'm using LTN to dispatch the trains.

*Logistic Train Network mod.

[Xtrafresh]

the smaller trains always pass the larger ones on the 4-lane main line near the base. I just wish I could give the long trains lower preference at intersections to keep the faster ones moving as they carry the stuff to fight the biters!

You could look into running them on their own network. Even when the two networks cross, it gives a whole lot of breathing room to the smaller trains to have their own playground that's not bogged down by trundling behemoths

[HurkWurk]

i use 1-4-1. most of my trains are terminus to terminus only, get ore here, take it to smelt there kind of thing.