Locomotive
Runs automated schedules and pulls rolling stock.
Overview
A locomotive is the powered vehicle that pulls trains in Factorio. It is used to move cargo wagons, fluid wagons, and artillery wagons along rails, and it can also be used to push or pull other locomotives when assembling longer trains. Because the locomotive is the head of the train, its properties strongly affect train performance, especially speed and braking.
Locomotives are connected to other rolling stock by placing cars adjacent on the track, which shows an outlined green connection, or by driving an already disconnected locomotive near another car and using the connect command. A train can be separated by disconnecting the last car with the corresponding command. On default controls, these bindings can be changed in the Settings menu.
A locomotive has lower air resistance than cargo wagons, so placing a locomotive at the front of a train improves efficiency. Its listed prototype values are a weight of 2000, air resistance of 0.0075, friction force of 0.5, and braking force of 10. The train’s maximum speed depends on the full consist, the number of locomotives driving in the direction of travel, and fuel. The game also caps train speed at 1.2 × fuel_top_speed_multiplier. When braking, the train’s speed is reduced according to the total braking force of the train and its total weight.
Fuel choice determines how long the locomotive can keep running before refueling. One item of fuel lasts for approximately:
In practice, better fuel greatly improves sustained rail transport, and higher-tier fuels are especially useful for long or busy rail networks. Because the locomotive’s acceleration bonus is tied to the fuel it burns, the same train can perform very differently depending on what is fed into its engines.
A moving locomotive is extremely dangerous. It can usually crash through biters, other vehicles, and even the player, but if it is moving too slowly or the target is too tough, the train can be stopped instead. Once stopped, the train can continue dealing damage if it keeps trying to accelerate. If a locomotive hits enemies, they will fight back and attempt to destroy the train and the rails, so rail lines through hostile territory need protection.
Construction robots are a strong complement to rail defense, since they can automatically repair damage at train stations. This is especially useful for locomotives that regularly pass through combat zones or remote outposts.
When using a controller, the left joystick is used for acceleration, braking, and choosing junction directions, and the vehicle driving behavior can be switched between relative and absolute modes.
Official description
Runs automated schedules and pulls rolling stock.