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{{:Infobox:Cargo wagon}}
{{:Infobox:Cargo wagon}}
 
The '''Cargo wagon''' is used in conjunction with [[locomotive]]s to form [[train]]s for the [[railway]].
The '''Cargo wagon''' is used in conjunction with [[Locomotive]]s to form [[Train]]s for the [[Railway]].


A wagon is used to transport items and can be filled and emptied like a chest, but with many more inserters at the same time. Up to 12 inserters per wagon are possible (from both sides).
A wagon is used to transport items and can be filled and emptied like a chest, but with many more inserters at the same time. Up to 12 inserters per wagon are possible (from both sides).
The [[Inserter item stack size]] is important to fill the wagon fast!
The [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)|inserter item stack size]] is important to fill the wagon fast!


In manual-mode cargo wagons can only be filled or emptied when they are not moving and horizontally or vertically orientated. In automated-mode it is the same, but additionally they can only filled/empty, when stopped on a train-stop (not on a signal). A spot where inserters are prepositioned to transfer cargo for wagons is called a [[Railway_network/Train_station|train station]].
In manual-mode cargo wagons can only be filled or emptied when they are not moving. In automated-mode it is the same, but additionally they can only filled/empty, when stopped on a train-stop (not at a signal). A spot where inserters are positioned to transfer cargo for wagons is called a [[Railway#Stations|train station]].


== Stack limitation ==
Wagons have a [[Stack#Stack limitation|stack limitation]] option the same way chests do, which can be used to limit the number of transported items.
Each stack in the cargo wagon can be filtered. This works in the same way as the filtering slots in other vehicles; the default key to define or remove the filter is the {{Keybinding|mmb}}. [[Player]]s can enter a cargo wagon and control any connected locomotives.


Wagons have a [[Stack#Stack limitation|stack limitation]] option the same way chests do, which is useful if you need to limit the number of transported items for some reason.
== Processing of items before transport ==


== Stack filter ==
A cargo wagon can be filled with 2000 items of ores ([[Copper ore|copper]], [[Iron ore|iron]], ...) or 4000 items of processed plates ([[Copper plate]]s, [[iron plate]]s, ...). This can make preprocessing of ores into plates near the mines a useful strategy, because the transport of plates is more efficient.


Each stack in the cargo wagon can be filtered. This works in the same way as the quick bar (toolbelt); the default key to define or remove the filter is the middle mouse button.
Stack size is not the only factor to consider when comparing train transport of preprocessed items to raw items. Some raw items craft into a smaller amount of processed items. One example are iron plates, 5 iron plates can be crafted into 1 steel plate which means that when transported by train, the throughput increases by 5 times.


This can be used to transport different items in one wagon.  For example, you could transport both empty and full oil barrels in one wagon; at the train stations, the barrels would be handled using smart inserters for each kind of barrel.  This is discussed in the forum thread [http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=68288&p=53467&hilit=Filter#p53467 Tired of babysitting expansions? Auto-supply w/ trains!].
== Use as a big chest ==


== Compressing items ==
It is possible to use the cargo wagon as a "big chest": Place rails, put an unmoving wagon on it and inserters around. The advantages of this construction are:
 
* Cargo can be transferred with many more inserters than with a chest, bypassing the limitations of the [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)|inserter stack size bonus]].
A cargo wagon can be filled with 2000 items of ores ([[Copper ore|copper]], [[Iron ore|iron]], [[Coal|coal]]...) or 4000 items of processed plates ([[Copper plate|copper plates]], [[Iron plate|iron plates]], [[Steel plate|steel]]). This makes preprocessing your ores into plates (near the mines) a useful strategy, before you transport it to your factory.  
* Items are transported instantly over the length of the wagon. Correctly configured, this is faster than a transport belt.
 
* The inventory slots can be filtered and the inventory size can be limited.
===Pre-production reduces needed space===
 
As you see in [[Transport belts/Physics]], the throughput depends on density and density on space (or on belt length). So when you reduce the required space, you increase throughput. You cannot make items smaller, but you can compress them!
 
Assuming that you have a combination of coal and iron ore in close quarters, but are far away from your base factory, the pre-production of steel makes sense. This is because 1 steel needs 5 iron ore, so the iron ore is compressed by a factor of 5! This means that the output of 50+ iron ore mines can be easily transported with one lane of a basic belt, which is much cheaper and easier to build than a train. And the overflow can be transported with the other side of the belt. Nothing can be faster and you only need miners, furnaces, belts and inserters. This can also be done with other items (see below). It also makes sense to power external mines with only solar power, to reduce the extreme pollution.


The downside to this approach is that you don't have as much control over production rates as when you produce the stuff in your central factory. This is due to the long transport distances involved, so the reaction to under or over production is slow. '''Use such external factory parts as "basic supply" and produce the rest in your main factory on demand.'''
Disadvantages include:
* It cannot be connected to the [[circuit network]]. Its contents can be read from a station if it is part of a train stopped at that station, but different wagons in the same train cannot be distinguished.
* It cannot be accessed by [[logistic robot]]s.
* It has a smaller capacity than a [[steel chest]] (40 slots vs 48), which is not affected by [[quality]]{{SA}}.


Good candidates:
== History ==
* [[steel bar]]s (5 iron plates => 1 steel bar, 5/1)
{{history|0.15.0|
* [[electronic circuit]] (1 iron plate + 1.5 copper => 1 electronic circuit, 5/2; more complex, because you also need copper; so doesn't always makes sense, if the resources aren't within reach)
* Cargo wagons can have settings copied from any distance like Locomotives.
* [[Transport belt]]s (3 iron plates => 2 belts, 3/2) if you limit the output, because most you need yourself)
* Train stop can output the contents of the stopped train's cargo to the [[circuit network]].}}
* any items that need lots of resources, but which you also need in large quantity.


For example: [[inserter]]s compress well (11/2), but aren't needed in large quantity. The pre-production of [[iron gear wheel]]s is also questionable (2/1), because it only has a compression factor of two and they are normally needed immediately, but not in large quantity. On-demand production seems to be better for that. On the other hand, the pre-production of [[regular magazine]]s makes sense, because there is no dependency.
{{history|0.14.0|
* Added support for equipment grids in cargo wagons.}}


Bad candidates:
{{History|0.13.0|
* [[copper cable]]s (1/2 !!)
* New cargo wagon graphics.
* any item that doesn't compress or even inflates when produced (e.g. [[Alien science pack]])
* Increased inventory size of cargo wagon from 30 to 40 stacks.}}


Note that with the productivity modules this technique may become more or less effective.
{{History|0.11.18|
* Increased inventory size of cargo wagon from 20 to 30 stacks.}}


=== Compression for trains ===
{{History|0.10.1|
* Increased inventory size of cargo wagon from 15 to 20 stacks.}}


When using mining outposts (> 500 tiles distant) connected by train you should smelt the ore locally at your outposts. This is because you can store only 50 ores in a stack, compared to 100 furnaced materials! That doubles the capacity of wagons and makes routing easier.
{{History|0.10.0|
* Cargo wagon can have filters in the inventory.}}


There are quite significant differences for the stack sizes:
{{history|0.4.1|
* Ore, stone and coal have a stack size of 50.
* Smooth (precise) rolling stock placement.
* Iron/copper plates and so on have significantly bigger stack sizes: 100
* Rotating while building affects the direction of the rolling stock.
* Processed materials such as electric circuits: 200
* Rolling stocks can be disconnected from both sides.}}
 
This means that you can transport much more with fewer wagons!
 
For example: instead of two wagons, one with copper and one with iron ore you can transport the same amount with one wagon, half copper/iron plates. Or even less if you produce electric circuits or iron wheels. You can regulate the production of the materials by unloading only the required stuff using a logistic network.
 
Program the stacks of the wagons (since v0.10) to transport multiple materials in one wagon, without overfilling.
 
Danger: furnaces and assemblies produce [[Pollution]].
 
=== Use as a big chest ===
 
It is possible to use the cargo wagon as a "big chest": Place rails, put an unmoving wagon on it and inserters around. The advantages of this construction are:
* Cargo can be transferred with many more inserters than with a chest, bypassing the limitations of the [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)|inserter stack size bonus]].
* Items are transported instantly over the length of the wagon.  Correctly configured, this is faster than a transport belt.


For examples of this, see these forum threads:
{{History|0.4.0|
* [http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3537 Solar panel factory]
* Introduced}}
* [http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7568 Cargo wagon sourced RGB circuits production facility]
* [http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8551 Mass production with ZERO belts and robots]


==See also==
== See also ==
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Fluid wagon]]
* [[Railway]]
* [[Railway]]


{{LogisticsNav}}
{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Transport}}
{{C|Railway}}
{{C|Rolling stock}}

Latest revision as of 01:58, 22 November 2024

Cargo wagon.png
 Cargo wagon

Cargo wagon entity.png

Recipe

Time.png
1
+
Iron gear wheel.png
10
+
Iron plate.png
20
+
Steel plate.png
20
→
Cargo wagon.png
1

Total raw

Time.png
6
+
Iron plate.png
40
+
Steel plate.png
20

Map icon

Cargo wagon map icon.png

Storage size

40

Health

Quality normal.png 600
Quality uncommon.png 780 Quality rare.png 960
Quality epic.png 1140 Quality legendary.png 1500

Resistances

Acid: 3/20%
Explosion: 15/30%
Fire: 15/50%
Impact: 50/60%
Physical: 15/30%

Stack size

5

Rocket capacity

5 (1 stack)

Dimensions

2×6

Mining time

0.5

Weight

1000

Prototype type

cargo-wagon

Internal name

cargo-wagon

Required technologies

Railway (research).png

Boosting technologies

Braking force (research).png

Produced by

Assembling machine 1.png
Assembling machine 2.png
Assembling machine 3.png
Player.png

The Cargo wagon is used in conjunction with locomotives to form trains for the railway.

A wagon is used to transport items and can be filled and emptied like a chest, but with many more inserters at the same time. Up to 12 inserters per wagon are possible (from both sides). The inserter item stack size is important to fill the wagon fast!

In manual-mode cargo wagons can only be filled or emptied when they are not moving. In automated-mode it is the same, but additionally they can only filled/empty, when stopped on a train-stop (not at a signal). A spot where inserters are positioned to transfer cargo for wagons is called a train station.

Wagons have a stack limitation option the same way chests do, which can be used to limit the number of transported items. Each stack in the cargo wagon can be filtered. This works in the same way as the filtering slots in other vehicles; the default key to define or remove the filter is the Middle mouse button. Players can enter a cargo wagon and control any connected locomotives.

Processing of items before transport

A cargo wagon can be filled with 2000 items of ores (copper, iron, ...) or 4000 items of processed plates (Copper plates, iron plates, ...). This can make preprocessing of ores into plates near the mines a useful strategy, because the transport of plates is more efficient.

Stack size is not the only factor to consider when comparing train transport of preprocessed items to raw items. Some raw items craft into a smaller amount of processed items. One example are iron plates, 5 iron plates can be crafted into 1 steel plate which means that when transported by train, the throughput increases by 5 times.

Use as a big chest

It is possible to use the cargo wagon as a "big chest": Place rails, put an unmoving wagon on it and inserters around. The advantages of this construction are:

  • Cargo can be transferred with many more inserters than with a chest, bypassing the limitations of the inserter stack size bonus.
  • Items are transported instantly over the length of the wagon. Correctly configured, this is faster than a transport belt.
  • The inventory slots can be filtered and the inventory size can be limited.

Disadvantages include:

  • It cannot be connected to the circuit network. Its contents can be read from a station if it is part of a train stopped at that station, but different wagons in the same train cannot be distinguished.
  • It cannot be accessed by logistic robots.
  • It has a smaller capacity than a steel chest (40 slots vs 48), which is not affected by quality.

History

  • 0.15.0:
    • Cargo wagons can have settings copied from any distance like Locomotives.
    • Train stop can output the contents of the stopped train's cargo to the circuit network.
  • 0.14.0:
    • Added support for equipment grids in cargo wagons.
  • 0.13.0:
    • New cargo wagon graphics.
    • Increased inventory size of cargo wagon from 30 to 40 stacks.
  • 0.11.18:
    • Increased inventory size of cargo wagon from 20 to 30 stacks.
  • 0.10.1:
    • Increased inventory size of cargo wagon from 15 to 20 stacks.
  • 0.10.0:
    • Cargo wagon can have filters in the inventory.
  • 0.4.1:
    • Smooth (precise) rolling stock placement.
    • Rotating while building affects the direction of the rolling stock.
    • Rolling stocks can be disconnected from both sides.

See also

Logistics

Transport

Terrain

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