Yes I’m doing quite long distances, but I have to use several trains to fit under 20 minutes. Here are the rules I usually follow:
– if the distance is short (< 2-3 km approx) – one track, one train, no signals
– if distance 3-15 km – double track (one way each), two trains, two signal ranges (just 1 signal at the exit of every station, to keep trains from getting too close to each other and creating gaps)
– > 15 km distance – double track, more trains, more signal ranges, depending on the distance
My general rule – check the interval for your line in “Lines” window. It should NEVER be more than 10 minutes, otherwise cargo production will drop (other 10 minutes are needed to get cargo to/from the station). The key to keep it under 10 minutes is the number of trains and their speed.
Yes my cargo trains go at least 100 km/h, but yes they can be long and yes they can travel far.
I once did a very long Iron Ore line, the length of one full side of the biggest map. I had 5 trains about 20 wagons each travelling at 120 km/h and 6 signal ranges to keep them apart. Together with shorter Coal line it served goods for 3 cities, and it was working well. The income for each train trip was about 1M 🙂
Not the Arizona-4-locos-150-wagons-30-mph beasts but it was working and I had my fun with it…
