Steam News12 June 202623d ago

Meet the Service Loco

Last time: your railway wears down. This time: the train that fixes it. https://store.steampowered.

In this update9

Full notes

Full Rail Route update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

1 fix1 addition5 changes0 removals

Store
Maps
Server
Fixes

changedhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/4540370/Rail_Route__Expect_Delays/

changedA Service LocomotiveOne yellow locomotive, reporting number SL-01. No passengers, no schedule. You route it yourself, through your own signals and switches, and it occupies track like any other train, getting it across a busy map is part of the job. It causes no wear itself.

changedMaintenance runsAnd if that feels too slow for you: there is a research for it. Field Efficiency doubles the work speed, so one loco can cover much bigger network.

fixedSwitch & Signal Condition → Response DelayWorn switches and signals respond slower. The penalty stays near zero through the healthy band, then ramps up as condition collapses - and a full malfunction stops you cold for a fixed 15 seconds:

addedThe depotThe loco lives in a maintenance depot, a new building you place on your network. It dispatches from there and returns there, so placement is response time.

changedNext timehttps://store.steampowered.com/app/4540370/Rail_Route__Expect_Delays/

Rail Route changes

changedhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/4540370/Rail_Route__Expect_Delays/

changedOne yellow locomotive, reporting number SL-01. No passengers, no schedule. You route it yourself, through your own signals and switches, and it occupies track like any other train, getting it across a busy map is part of the job. It causes no wear itself.

changedAnd if that feels too slow for you: there is a research for it. Field Efficiency doubles the work speed, so one loco can cover much bigger network.

fixedWorn switches and signals respond slower. The penalty stays near zero through the healthy band, then ramps up as condition collapses - and a full malfunction stops you cold for a fixed 15 seconds:

addedThe loco lives in a maintenance depot, a new building you place on your network. It dispatches from there and returns there, so placement is response time.

Last time

your railway wears down.

This time

the train that fixes it.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4540370/Rail_Route__Expect_Delays/

Hey dispatchers,

A service train has been on the suggestion board for years - a slow working unit you send out to repair your tracks. We built it. Here it is.

A Service Locomotive

One yellow locomotive, reporting number SL-01. No passengers, no schedule. You route it yourself, through your own signals and switches, and it occupies track like any other train, getting it across a busy map is part of the job. It causes no wear itself.

Maintenance runs

Switch maintenance mode on and every track, switch and signal it passes is restored to full condition. One pass, fully repaired. Speed depends on what it finds: around 40 km/h over healthy track, a crawl over a corridor you have neglected - the worse the state, the slower the work. With the mode off it runs at up to 100 km/h to get where it is needed.

And if that feels too slow for you: there is a research for it. Field Efficiency doubles the work speed, so one loco can cover much bigger network.

Repairs

A malfunctioned switch takes about 15 seconds to throw, and a busy junction falls apart around it. Route the service loco over it. It slows down on the broken element, fixes it in passing, and the junction is back.

Track Condition → Top Speed

Above 85% condition, track runs at full design speed. Below that, the speed cap falls off - gently at first, then steeply as it approaches critical. Each line class has its own floor it can never drop below:

Condition	40 km/h line	80 km/h line	120 km/h line	200 km/h line
Healthy (85%+)	40	80	120	200
Worn (70%)	35	66	96	155
Degraded (40%)	31	55	63	95
Critical (15%)	26	42	52	73
Worn out (0%)	25	40	50	70
Malfunctioned	4	8	12	20

The faster the line, the more it has to lose - a 200 km/h express line bleeds over 100 km/h of headroom before bottoming out.

Switch & Signal Condition → Response Delay

Worn switches and signals respond slower. The penalty stays near zero through the healthy band, then ramps up as condition collapses - and a full malfunction stops you cold for a fixed 15 seconds:

Condition	Added delay per throw
Healthy (85%+)	0 s
70%	~0.5 s
Degraded (50%)	~1.5 s
Critical (15%)	~4.5 s
Worn out (0%)	6 s
Malfunctioned	15 s (fixed)

Note, that we are still fine tuning the number, so they can change.

Rescues

A train breaks down and the queue behind it grows. Dispatch the loco, couple to the dead train - the same shunting you already know - tow it to a platform and send the loco home. Line clear.

The depot

The loco lives in a maintenance depot, a new building you place on your network. It dispatches from there and returns there, so placement is response time.