Hi! There sure are others more qualified to answer your question but I’ll give it a try.
This game has a number of oddities compared to other transportation simulations but after some time spent with it I have to say I actually prefer most of them.
First, you need to have a look at TF from this angle: It’s about demand, not supply and you are simply a transportation company. Your customers have transportation needs and your job is to figure these out and provide the means to fulfill those needs.
What that means? You have to search from the top of the cargo chain. Find a city you want to supply, find a suitable goods producer and then see whether you can provide raw materials. When the city isn’t supplied yet, by creating a transportation chain you almost certainly succeed in creating the demand as well. On the other hand, if a city is supplied already, the best thing to do is simply transport the existing supply – demand chain.
It even happens that your well established transportation chain collapses due to the city switching the supplier. Many people consider this a bug, I say that’s life, adjust to the new situation a maximize your profits. The inability to adjust to market changes bankrupted many in real life 😉
Also, don’t forget about the 20 minute rule. Google it up, there’s lots of info to be found. Pretty much, as long as the cargo can be transported to the destination within 20 minutes (including it’s walking time), it will use any transportation on the way. So as long as your track -> train chain can deliver on time and follows the supply – demand chain, the goods will use all the transportation means on the way. So yes, the cargo will transfer from depot to the train station.
Of course, you need to create a line and assign vehicles to it. Once you do that, the cargo will see whether your line is better than walking the cargo and if so, it will use it.
Hope this helps a bit.
