Factorio Forums

Using LTN, I had intended to setup stack inseters to quickly fill train engines using the locomotive position encoding and then use a long arm inserter to remove any "leftover" items in the stack inserter's hand to ensure if a cargo wagon pulled into that slot the next time, the fuel wouldn't get dumped in the cargo wagon. However, I noticed that a long arm inserter won't take items from a stack inserter if the "drop point" is on top of a rail. During testing, I also observed the same behavior with chests. I was able to duplicate the behavior without any mods installed as well.

Not sure if this is intended behavior or not.

Reproduction steps:

• Place some straight rail.
• Place a stack inserter pointing at the rail (so it could supply an engine) supplied by a chest full of fuel.
• Place an engine where the stack inserter will fuel it.
• Place a long arm inserter across the rail so that it could grab where the stack inserter drops items.
• Wait for the engine to fill.
• Move or pickup the engine
• Observe the long arm inserter does not take items from the stack inserter.
• Delete the rail where the stack inserter would place items.
• Observe the long arm inserter beings taking items from the stack inserter.

Thanks for the report.
Inserters never take items from one to another. One inserter places item onto a ground and another one picks it up from the ground. And it is undesirable for inserters to place items on rails.
Not a bug.

Ahh, okay. Due to the angle, it looked like the inserters were taking directly from one another. Makes total sense what's going on. My mistake, thanks for the clarification!