CHAPTER 01 · BUILD / CONNECT / DELIVER
Your first railway
Start with one useful connection. Bring raw materials to your factory, turn them into finished goods, then carry those goods to a city.
- 01 / COLLECTSteel mill, farm or energy plant
Produces raw materials.
- 02 / PROCESSYour factory
Uses raw materials to make goods.
- 03 / DELIVERA city
Accepts finished goods.
Choose a nearby supplier and keep the first line simple. This example starts with a steel mill and your factory, two stations, a short track and a steam locomotive with two steel cars.
Watch it. Try each step.
The theater follows all 16 moments of the handbook animation. Choose any step to inspect it, or press Play animation to watch the whole sequence. Selecting a step pauses the scene so you can read at your own pace.
Read the 16 steps below, or use the interactive theater with JavaScript enabled.
Farm, energy and city scenes show other services you can build. In your game, choose the matching cars and stop orders for each service.
01 / 16 · PLAN
Find your first connection
The factory is on the left; the steel mill is on the right. Steel travels to the factory. Finished goods will need a second connection to a city.
In your game
Locate your factory and a nearby raw-material site. Leave room beside each building for a station and a clear approach for the track.
Watch for
The buildings are slightly offset. A useful first line can include a gentle bend; it does not have to follow one straight hex axis.
02 / 16 · STATIONS
Choose Build station
Every end of the service needs a station. Track beside a building alone cannot load or unload a train.
In your game
Select Build station in the toolbar, or press S. This example uses one platform track, three tiles long.
Watch for
The station icon and its shortcut appear above the map. Three platform tiles give this locomotive and its two cars room to stop.
03 / 16 · STATIONS
Preview beside the steel mill
The translucent station follows the cursor. Its platform must sit outside the building footprint and touch the site it will serve.
In your game
Move the preview beside the supplier. Press Space to rotate the station if needed. Check the placement quote before clicking.
Watch for
A blocked preview turns red. The steel mill lights up when the platform is beside it. Keep the station ends clear so rails can approach.
04 / 16 · STATIONS
Place the supplier station
The first station appears below the steel mill. This will be the pickup stop for the steel service.
In your game
Click to confirm a legal station beside the mill. Check that it serves the steel mill and that an exposed end faces the route to your factory.
Watch for
The transparent preview becomes a solid platform. The station serves the adjacent building; it does not produce its own cargo.
05 / 16 · STATIONS
Place the factory station
The second station appears beside your factory. It will accept the steel brought from the mill.
In your game
Keep Build station selected and place another platform beside your factory. Use enough platform length for the train you intend to run.
Watch for
Both buildings now have stations, but there is still a gap between them. A train needs a continuous rail connection as well as stops.
06 / 16 · TRACK
Choose Build track
The next job is connecting the two station platforms. This example uses a short surface route on flat ground.
In your game
Select Draw track, or press H. Use Autoroute for this example, then select an exposed end of one station as the starting point.
Watch for
The track icon replaces the station icon. Start and finish on the station rails so the route joins the platforms.
07 / 16 · TRACK
Preview the connection
A white route joins the station ends. The faded rails show where Autoroute intends to build; they are still a proposal.
In your game
Move to the other station's exposed end. Inspect the route and its quote. Check that it avoids buildings and uses legal bends before confirming.
Watch for
The two round markers identify the endpoints. Curves change direction gradually. Read Legal track curves if a route is rejected.
08 / 16 · TRACK
Compare the other bend
The same endpoints can be connected with the turn earlier or later along the route. The animation compares both arrangements.
In your game
While previewing an Autoroute connection, press Space to change the turn order. Press it again to return to the original proposal.
Watch for
The middle of the route shifts while both station ends stay fixed. This changes the preview; it does not move track you have already built.
09 / 16 · TRACK
Confirm and let the rails finish
The chosen route becomes a construction job. Progress bars fill along the connection, and the finished track becomes solid.
In your game
Click the destination endpoint to confirm the quoted route. Let construction complete before buying a service that needs this connection.
Watch for
Rails appear in sequence. A preview or unfinished segment is not a completed connection. The theater speeds up construction and train movement for the demonstration.
10 / 16 · TRAIN
Choose Build train
With both stations connected, you can create the first cargo service. A locomotive supplies movement; its cars determine what it can carry.
In your game
Select Build train, or press T. Choose a locomotive you can afford and add two steel cars for this mill-to-factory example.
Watch for
The train icon and shortcut appear. Choose cars for the supplier's cargo: goods cars are for the later factory-to-city service.
11 / 16 · TRAIN
Choose stops and cargo orders
The cursor points to the mill station first, then the factory station. These become the pickup and delivery stops.
In your game
Begin at the supplier station and choose the factory as the next stop. At the mill, set Loading to Full load any and Unloading to No unloading. At the factory, use No loading and Unload accepted cargo.
Watch for
Each stop has separate loading and unloading orders. Choosing a destination does not replace checking those orders.
12 / 16 · TRAIN
Run the steel service
The steam locomotive and its two steel cars shuttle between the stations. The service picks up steel at the mill and unloads it at the factory.
In your game
Confirm the train purchase and watch its first trip. Check the train's cargo and status at each stop, then check your factory for incoming materials and production.
Watch for
The train uses the same platforms and curves in both directions. A Full load order can make it wait at the supplier until enough cargo is ready.
13 / 16 · OTHER CARGO
Use grain and livestock cars at a farm
The supplier changes to a farm and the cars change to livestock and grain. This illustrates another raw-material service to your factory.
In your game
Connect a farm and choose grain or livestock cars, or a mix of both. Load at the farm and unload accepted cargo at your factory.
Watch for
The two car types match the farm's two outputs. Full load any can depart when one matching cargo type is full; Full load all waits for every matching cargo type.
14 / 16 · OTHER CARGO
Use energy cars at an energy plant
The supplier becomes an energy plant, with two energy cars on the train. Energy is another input your factory can process.
In your game
Build a station beside an energy plant, connect it to your factory and buy a service with energy cars. Load at the plant and unload at the factory.
Watch for
The car type changes with the cargo. Adding different raw-material categories can improve factory output; keep the first connection working before expanding.
15 / 16 · FINISHED GOODS
Carry finished goods to a city
The building on the right becomes a city and the train has goods cars. The cargo flow now starts at your factory and ends at the city.
In your game
Connect your factory station to a station beside a city. Use goods cars, load goods at the factory and unload accepted cargo at the city.
Watch for
A city receives finished goods rather than raw steel, grain, livestock or energy. The factory needs time and raw materials to make those goods.
16 / 16 · NEXT STEPS
Build the full chain
You have seen the whole sequence: place stations, connect them, choose cargo cars and set stop orders. In the handbook, the example resets here and repeats.
In your game
Keep the supplier-to-factory train running, then add the factory-to-city goods service. Check income and running costs, and expand toward your match's victory goal.
Watch for
This walkthrough stops here so you can review. Play animation starts it again. When several trains share rails, continue with Signals and train traffic.
Which cargo goes where?
Set Loading and Unloading separately for every stop. These are useful starting orders for a simple two-stop service; the train repeats its stop list.
| Service | Cars | Pickup orders | Delivery orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel mill → factory | Steel | Mill: Full load any / No unloading | Factory: No loading / Unload accepted cargo |
| Farm → factory | Grain and/or livestock | Farm: Full load any / No unloading | Factory: No loading / Unload accepted cargo |
| Energy plant → factory | Energy | Plant: Full load any / No unloading | Factory: No loading / Unload accepted cargo |
| Factory → city | Goods | Factory: Full load any / No unloading | City: No loading / Unload accepted cargo |
Available cargo picks up what is ready and lets the train depart. Full load any waits until one matching cargo type is full. Full load all waits until all matching types are full. Only cars that fit the platform can load or unload, so give your locomotive and working cars enough station length.
Raw-material pickups and accepted factory deliveries earn income. The factory processes its inputs into goods over time; accepted city deliveries earn goods income and contribute to city satisfaction. Check the Accounting panel and your match objective to decide where to expand.
Check your first delivery
Before you buy
- Each station serves the intended building.
- There is a continuous, finished track between the platforms.
- The stations are long enough for your locomotive and cargo cars.
- The cars match the cargo, and each stop has the right orders.
- You can afford the purchase and ongoing train costs.
If the train waits
- Check its status: loading, unfinished track and blocked traffic need different fixes.
- A Full load order needs enough supply. Try Available cargo to leave with a partial load.
- If it carries cargo past a stop, check Unload accepted cargo and whether that building accepts the cargo.
- If goods are not ready, inspect the factory's raw-material supply and processing.
- For shared-track traffic, use the signal theater to learn how trains reserve their way forward.
One reliable supply line is a strong start. Complete the route to a city, watch the deliveries, and grow from there. All aboard!