I’ve wondered about the real-world precident for this. Not that Train Fever needs to be slavishly realistic of course, I’m just interested in what ways it could inform gameplay.
Are trucks on real-world freight train routes often reused for different goods in each direction, in order to maximize efficiency, or are factors like cross-contamination too big of an issue?
I’d hazard a guess that raw materials (coal/iron/oil… I guess lumber by virtue of needing specialised log-trucks) tend to stick to dedicated single-use containers, while packaged/dry goods probably end up in mixed-use trucks.
I suppose Train Fever tends to be fairly light on the packaged goods side… that’s all encapsulated as “goods”, so it sort of makes sense that the rest are dedicated use.
One thing I’m wondering about, but haven’t tried yet – I seem to recall loaded/empty truck weight is simulated by the game, in which case, might it be a valid endeavor to attach two different sets of trucks to the same train, one for each direction? Only one set would be heavy at a time, so it wouldn’t slow the train to a crawl, and it might make more effective use of the vehicle overall.