electric trains

[Kalabint]

What do you think?

What of that quote is your suggestion? Please try to formulate a single suggestion, that can stand alone and which can be discussed. (some hints are in https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=6&t=3394 )

I have more time this evening to write more, i will do a collection of ideas and will think up a few example pictures.

Also now i know that there are already more threads of this Topic :S

[bobingabout]

I still think this should be a thing. Currently you can set trains (via modding) to be powered by electricity, there just isn't any method to deliver the electricity to the train (without crazy scripting)

[Piranha]

Wouldn't it be easier to write a script for powering the track instead.. (X ammount of power per tile) - (distance from closest power source)..

Example with numbers:
Wire reach for Big Electric Poles is 30.. So every say 150 tiles you would need to put a transformer down to make the powered rail back to its peak potential.
[(5 Big Electric Poles x 30 Wire Reach) / 2] = 75 for half the distance or else it would power twice as far.

EX.
[Transformer @ 150kw][Big Electric Pole]---[BEP]---[BEP @75kw power on the rail]---[BEP]---[BEP][Transformer @ 150kw]




Some made up numbers:
Then have it so the train will run if it has 75kw energy on the rail. With the transformer giving 150kw power and losing 1kw per tile away from it. That way if spaced right every 5 Big Electric Poles would be the exact distance for the middle between them to not reach lower than 75kw.


-Obviously the number would need some research to make them balanced with the game.
-Power rails would be made of same material + electric circuits
-Solar Locomotive could be it's own unique piece where the top if it is solar panels (tweak recipe accordingly)
--Pros: would run on normal rails
--Cons: no power during the night


Hopefully that all made sense and gets more ideas flowing. I like the way trains are set up now though, seems good enough to me although making a more eco-friendly alternative may be nice for some who woul.... wait what am I saying? horrible idea, more red clouds for those pesky aliens!!

[Zeblote]

Electric trains should require fancy cables hanging along the rail, just like in real life. Magically getting powered by transformers sitting next to the rail makes no sense in a game striving for a bit of realism like this.

Like this (random images from google) except in isometric factorio art style. Should be really cheap to build though, like electric poles... except only for rails and fancy.

[quinor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail

That's cableless solution Zeblote; it's also reallife.

[Kalabint]

Electric trains should require fancy cables hanging along the rail, just like in real life. Magically getting powered by transformers sitting next to the rail makes no sense in a game striving for a bit of realism like this.

Like this (random images from google) except in isometric factorio art style. Should be really cheap to build though, like electric poles... except only for rails and fancy

I fully agree with you

So, Solution B1, but how much Power should a Locomotive take out of the Grid? Because i think 600kW is not enough, normal Trains (with Cargo, and faster acceleration) take up to 8.8 MW (probably more).

[Zeblote]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail

That's cableless solution Zeblote; it's also reallife.

But that's so boooooring.

I want as detailed graphics as possible

[Piranha]

But that's so boooooring.

He's got a point.. the late 1800's would seem pretty boring now.



Let's go new age, how about Maglev trains?
-No noise
-Lighting speed
-No wires
-No moving parts

Sounds awesome!

*Heavy Sarcasm*

[katyal]

Maglev's been done? How about building a hyperloop?

[Kalabint]

Maglev's been done? How about building a hyperloop?

I don't think that Maglev is already in the Game (as mod). But i also don't think so that its a good idea for the Game.

It would need a new type of (very expensive) Rails.
Also i think it would take a bit of the Fun of the Game, because Items can be almost transported instant to another Place. If integrated it should be unlocked as late as possible.
There is a Map, where you can travel 6 Min arround, without getting to the same Place, this would be much shorter

[Kalabint]

Userstory: Collect Electric Locomotive variants on one Place
Prerequisites: Open. Still searching for new Ideas
Game-value: More Transport Options (Railway based)
Developer-costs: Railway part and dependent parts, new graphics.
User-opinions: Indifferent

[Edited -- ßilk]

[Venrob]

Joined -- ssilk
Train has internal buffer of energy (Like accumulators/roboport). When stopped at train stop, if in range of electric poles, recharges off of electric network.

[quinor]

https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=6&t=4806

[GopherAtl]

I'd be in favor of rails as the source of power, and I'd actually go for 2 tiers of electric trains.

The first electric engines you could build would be the most expensive, being essentially one of the current engines, but with an electric instead of regular engine as well as an accumulator. They would charge their internal accumulator when resting on special powered rails, or possibly when next to a powering station beside the rail; this would happen when they're stopped at stations, and would effectively limit how far a train could go on a single charge, but would require only fairly minor changes to an existing rail network to put into action. These engines would be the same speed, possibly with slightly lower acceleration if anything, as the regular, coal-powered trains.

The third tier of trains, second tier of electric, would get power directly from new powered rails, meaning you would have to upgrade/replace your existing rail tracks to switch to them. The trains themselves would be a bit cheaper than the tier 2, not requiring an accumulator in their crafting. They'd be lighter - probably not shorter, since that would just complicate things at loading/unloading stations when transitioning - and for the price of laying the more expensive new powered rails, they would be faster, with better acceleration and a higher top speed, as well as being more energy-efficient than the tier 2 trains. The new rails themselves should be backwards-compatible, allowing existing and lower-tier engines to run on the new rails; in the case of tier 2 engines, they should be able to operate without concern for their level of charge on the new rails, further smoothing the transition up the train tech tree, and allowing a stop-gap fix to tracks too long for the tier 2 trains power storage to handle in one go by upgrading portions of the rail and allowing them to recharge mid-route.

That's just my thoughts on how I would approach it, personally; having laid that out, I have to say, I'm not sure how high-value electric trains would be in terms of gameplay enhancement. It's mainly a matter of appealing to and facilitating many players' desire to "go green" in their game worlds, more than actually enhancing the gameplay itself. Other train-based features, like official vanilla versions of tanker cars for carrying fluids, circuit logic systems for doing more advanced and precision control of trains as they enter and leave stations, and perhaps even ways to automate coupling/decoupling of cars, would all seem to add more to the mechanics and possibilities than electric trains.

[Dan4815]

Joned -- ssilk
I would like, to trains will powered electricity. Player would have to build transformator and join with electricity networks.

[Lupoviridae]

I would love to see a second tier of trains above diesel, including a second tier of rails for it to run on that are laid over existing rail networks.

[Custom]

Electric trains should require fancy cables hanging along the rail, just like in real life. Magically getting powered by transformers sitting next to the rail makes no sense in a game striving for a bit of realism like this.

Like this (random images from google) except in isometric factorio art style. Should be really cheap to build though, like electric poles... except only for rails and fancy.

I really like this idea! Rail in Factorio has so much potential, definitely worth some specialist power lines for it.

Maybe even a high speed track that requires power too?

[Killavirus]

Love this idea !!!

Why limit it to 1 type of electric train though why not a electric train that can do both roles???

Incentive to go electric:
increase the pollution of the diesel. (if you have large junctions, this would anger the biters, but a single train passing every 5 min would be fine)

How to power the trains:
Add overhead lines and battery operated trains to the repertoire, Charging is obviously a slow process which means your trains are sat there doing nothing whilst charging, but you can build a overhead line (at greater cost (a NEED FOR WOOD in the game YAY: for the overhead lines) but this means the trains can travel and charge at the same time, but this would realistically only be a local or hub solution.

Local Power:
I like the idea of having modular batteries on the train, this means you can balance the distance you need to travel, as one size is not going to fit all.

Balance:
Electric = very low pollution,
higher speed
same acceleration.

[Harkonnen604]

Electric trains are good just for you don't need to deliver coal to power them. That's more essential for megabases where you may have sub-factories having no coal at all in them (e.g. train between electric copper smelting sub-factory to circuits production). So I'd stick to the simplest solution - charge from any power pole when stationary. 10 seconds should be enough to charge after ridiculously long trip. It may be also advised to use electric trains if diesel trains attract biters like radars do.

[ssilk]

I use the smart trains mods. That is able to send a train to a "refuel" station, when there is too lees energy in it.