u/Beton1975

So for my latest playthrough I was looking for an easy way to use the new network mixed train stations to transition from truck to train. I was tired of designing complicated and space consuming train stations. So I designed these building blocks that can help you transition fully: https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/2442
The overall process is:

1. Copy the boxes from your factory and connect them to the original boxes with ramps (if you still need truck access).
2. Copy and paste the building blocks (loose, unit or liquid) with input or output.
3. Set the train stations to the correct material and link all the boxes.
4. Copy and paste the stations to how many you need to get the input required.
5. Add them all to your network and you are done!

I made a few versions to show how they look and work but the most important info here is that they are all stackable so easy to extend.
https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/1391 (Mine Sorters with Stations)
https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/1414 (Concrete Factory with Stations)
https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/2434 (Stations for Calens Factory)
https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/2453 (Large Coal Power with Stations)
https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/2454 (Stations for Calens Manufacturing Hub)

Just as a word of caution...these stations are not perfect for high throughput since the stations are all copies of one another and do not distinguish between high and low demand (you can mitigate that a little as I have done with duplicating some boxes and make loading and unloading faster but still). They are perfect though for low throughput manufacturing and delivering.

Hope you like the idea...

The logic here is the same as with trucks. Since you have no desire to empty the desired mining product from the mine (you do that via request from the receiving station) but you need to empty rock and dirt to have it function correctly, there is no reason to touch the sand slider! You should not move any slider lower than the train capacity if not absolutely necessary.

Trains and Bridges Map

In this thread I asked for suggestions for Maps that need Trains and Bridges. I tried them all but none was quite what I was looking for. They either had all resources close by or all resources on the next island or were in dire need of terraforming. So I finally made my own. I used another map as a starter and made some changes. So now everything is pretty flat, resources are mainly on different island (besides iron, copper, limestone, coal and sand for the starter but limited). The distances are huge and do not even think about doing that with trucks. I am in no way an expert map maker but this is what makes COI so unique and it helps with the midgame terraforming grind!
Hope you like it and have suggestions, comments or do even come up with your own version of it.

Trains and Bridges Map

It is amazing that after sleeping over something as trivial as a combined factory+station+mine so much work has to be invested...I am quite proud of these. They do all the endgame concrete and have a really small footprint if you use the ones without truck delivery. Can use any combination of Rock, Slag and Sand....can use its own rock from mine but exports if too much - can create its own hydrogen.

https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/1414

Not sure if anyone needs such a thing but here it is ;)

https://hub.coigame.com/Blueprint/Detail/1414

So I tested a complete mixed station (simply copying the input boxes with iron and copperx2) with Calens Unified Foundry in endgame (used the underground pipe mod) and no it does not work...the queue for unloading is long and the foundry is starving.

My hope was that mixed stations and networks would make trains and train stations much less space demanding but it just does not work.

To achieve that trains must either carry more or load/unload much faster.

The good news is that mixed stations are great for lower demand factories.

By using retaining walls and digging 2 tiles deep you can cross with normal trucks and when digging only 1 tile deep you can let mega excavators and trucks pass on overpasses with height 6. Not sure if this is news for anyone