Trains in train network not accepting low capacity tasks.

I'm not sure if this is an intended mechanic but seems strange so I wanted to post here too. I have these two stations in my network. Important part is that the station in push configuration has a capacity of 740 for tree sapling and is almost full. Normally this station should create train orders to move the content to other station.

I have two T2 trains with two T2 flatbed wagons each, so each train can carry 960 items. Both trains have been sitting idle at the waypoint for a long time. For some reason, these trains are not moving this cargo. I am assuming they don't take the job because it will not utilize their full capacity.

If I edit one train to be single wagon, so 480 capacity, then it starts actively moving the saplings.

I can see this being the intended behaviour as it avoids inefficient routing in a large network. But I feel like if a job is pending for a long time but can't find trains to take it, it might try a larger train so it can be completed.

This is (or at the very lerast was) intended behavior.

Train networks imply the "only handle full trains"
toggle in the enabled state, that train lines have.

(To my knowledge) this was the case since the first public
experimantal release of train networks, but before the UI
for networks & lines used the same panel & the button
explained this to be the case.

And in the case that a train's capacity is higher than
the station & it's linked storages, it will wait until all of that
is emptied completely, before it can be schedueled there
with the used capacity being limited to whatever the station holds.

Basically, if you want to use networks efficiently, you are
forced to have big buffers on all stations, so they can hold
more than multiple train loads of cargo.

I mean that makes sense. It would be an inefficient network if they were constantly moving small loads anyway. Trains shine when they move lots of cargo.

Maybe the right way to approach this problem is to have two seperate networks. One with large, one with small trains so products that are used in low quantities can be moved as well.

That is one of the currently suggested workarounds
to having both small & large capacity trains be in a network.

And yeah, that will likely work pretty good too 👍.

I have the smae problem but I think this shouldn't be intended behaviour. Since the game knows that there are no trains in the network that can be completely filled with that pending order, it should send a train and let it run partially full, Because unless I increase the storage size or add a small train, the job will never be serviced.

Technically the station will be serviced, there's an exception to the rule whereby if an import station completely empties or an export station is completely full, then any size train will be dispatched, and only fill to the size of the smaller station.

Obviously this isn't great throughput if trains are waiting to the last minute

In my case, no train takes a job for graphite. It is full and empty so it should trigger the exception. To be sure, I created several smaller trains with smaller capacity and it does not help. Also the priority seems have no effect. If I use old line system, the stations are serviced. Any idea what is wrong?

huh, you have trains available at waiting bays I assume? provide the save

sid_the.lenochod [discord] wrote:

In my case, no train takes a job for graphite. It is full and empty so it should trigger the exception. To be sure, I created several smaller trains...

🤔 both stations have the same train network & train line assigned to it;
maybe the train line has reserved the space/cargo & it doesn't how over here ???

I mean, it would make sense for this to happen, if there is support for
the "only handle full trains" button's functionality that the train lines have.

i believe reservations are shown across network/lines.

timj11dude6711 [discord] wrote:

huh, you have trains available at waiting bays I assume? provide the save

yes, plenty 🙂

timj11dude6711 [discord] wrote:

Technically the station will be serviced, there's an exception to the rule whereby if an import station completely empties or an export station is...

Oh you are right. Large trains are only dispatched if the station and linked storage are 100% full. In the screenshot I posted, they were not being sent because it was 8 saplings short.

Though that is a bit inconvenient, because no truck will take that order to carry 8 saplings, so that station is stuck in that case.

Forwarded message

This will be fixed in the next patch

might already be fixed issue here

sid_the.lenochod [discord] wrote:

yes, plenty 🙂

ok, found your issue. You have the "In aluminium processing" configured as a fuel station not a cargo station.
Perhaps this still could warrant having the station network icon show the refuel icon in the network name, that is a tricksy one.

hi, thank you, that was tricky, if icon or color could mark the stop as refueling or waypoint in station overview I could spot it but this, especially if you have a lot of stops/ lines, is difficult. btw. in same save, there is another puzzle for me, why do trains on food loose network always go to station that does biofuel instead of city or food processing stations those are empty, have higher priority, train have smaller capacity and still the first option is biofuel station.

https://ideas.captain-of-industry.com/suggestions/709662/mark-train-linenetworks-assigned-to-a-station-with-refuel-icon

I can take a look later perhaps, or share some screenshots it might be possible to diagnose from the train. 🙂

sid_the.lenochod [discord] wrote:

hi, thank you, that was tricky, if icon or color could mark the stop as refueling or waypoint in station overview I could spot it but this, especially...

I think I see what you are talking about in the screenshot. There's a train on the food loose network taking food from the potato out station to the bio fuel in station? I could summise that it's opportunisitic, you've got a "pull" request on the bio fuel in, and a lot of spare capacity for any size train to accomodate. Networks won't withhold trains from dispatching for lower priority jobs if no suitably sized train is available. An interesting design challenge to tackle. I could suggest, instead of the in bio fuel station "pulling" resources, allow the potato out station to "push" when nearly full, should present more opportunities for the city to have resources to call on when it's supplies fall low enough for a network train of a suitable size to dispatched.

Here a full example, train #213 just departed from Out Corn farm station with corn, it is only 480 and it goes directly to In biofuel. I assigned In biofuel to 15 priority and it is farthest station. The closest is In Corn with 10 priority and 980 free space and In City Potatoes Corn with priority 1 has also 980 free space. And this seems to be happening with other farm products as well, it prioritize In Biofuel over other. I had to limit number of trains that can stop there and will probably switch back to lines for those products as I am not able to figure out how to prioritize food and city over biofuel. I tried also change In Biofuel pull to 0 (the last snip) but next train that used farm Out Corn (I waiting for it to be assign) headed directly to in Biofuel as well 🙁 again ignoring the other empty stations like in the previous case.

Ok, I think you've come across a legit bug then. I wonder if it's to do with the being fully empty/full, as that triggers a special behaviour for dispatching trains.

I'd mark this post as "Working as Intended" for Haldamir's original message. And create a new post with your issue @sid_the.lenochod [discord] .