Traffic Base
From Freight Yard Manager Wiki
Once you have a found a yard or two to run, and are now settled in, it's time to run some trains. If you don't create a traffic base for your yard, traffic can be light. I will give you some tips on creating a strong traffic base that will keep you busy and your neighbors happy.
As an example, I will use my Sprague Energy ME map. This map loads tanks, open hoppers, and gondolas. It also unloads covered hoppers. When I first started this map, I received about 10 cars or so every 2 weeks. This was about to change. I first started by talking to my neighbors about railroad operations in that area. They helped me out with train symbols and routes. Next I started to create cars. For car numbers I used books I had and a great website: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ . Personally I like to use real car numbers and initals. While this is not necessary, I feel it adds a bit more realism to the FYM experience. The first thing I created was tank cars. I looked up some tank car numbers from Union Tank Car. UTLX. I wanted to create 50 of these cars. I selected UTLX in the Car reporting Marks in the Train Info Window. The number series I used was in the 951000-952000 series. I put 951 in the first box and xxx in the next box. Now all my cars are listed as UTLX cars. I then ran them into my yard. I took them to my refinery tracks and loaded them. When this was done, I clicked on the cut of cars and pressed the space bar. It showed all of my cars that I made, loaded and destinations are listed.
This next step is very important. I highlighted all the cars and selected "Bill" . When you do this a "&" will be visible beside the car destination. When you "bill" a car that you loaded, then when the car is unloaded it will automatically be assigned back to your yard. All these tanks I loaded and billed at my yard will come back, eventually.
At Sprague, I did the same for my gondolas and open hoppers. Since my yard only unloads covered hoppers, I checked around to see what yards in FYM can load this type of car. I then created a bunch of these cars, the same way I did with my tank cars. I can load covered hoppers at Gallup NM. So I assigned a bunch of my empty covered hoppers that I made, to Gallup NM and billed the back to Sprague Energy. You can do this for every yard you have.
For the first month I created cars on a regular basis (average about 75 cars every other day or so). Patience is the key to FYM. It may take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks or a bit more for you traffic to come back. This all depends on the number of maps your cars have to go thru. This time goes quick though. Before I knew it, I had traffic coming back at a regular basis. I also asked my neighbors and fellow FYM'ers to send me traffic as well. Don't rely 100% on your neighbors to create and send you traffic though. You must do some of the work yourself.
Intermodal traffic is done the same way as regular freight is. If your yard loads and unloads well cars, spine cars, and intermodal flat cars, you can create IM trains. When you create Well cars or Spine cars you create them in a 3 car set or a 5 car set. When you make one of these sets (for example a 5 car articulated set), these are considered 1 car and can not be uncoupled. When you assign a destination to this car make sure all five parts of this car have the same destination. Same goes for a 3 car articulated set. These cars can also be "billed" when you load these cars.
At Corwith IL, I get IM (Intermodal) trains. When the loaded train comes in, I send it to my IM unloading tracks. I use a crane to unload these cars. Now they should be assigned and empty. In the real world most IM train are reloaded and sent back. You can send the train back empty but that is not much fun. Now that these cars are empty and unassigned, I click on the cars and hit the "space bar " to view the cars. I then assign the empty cars to the same yard that they are in. In this example it is Corwith IL. I then run the IM crane over the cars to reload them. Next assign them a destination where you want them to go. Select all the cars and select "bill" the same way you did before.
When these cars are reloaded they will automatically be assigned back to your yard. At Corwith IL, I try to run at least 15 trains a week at various destiantions all billed back to Corwith. Now I rarely have to create any more new cars because my old cars are coming back all the time. I am very busy at my yards becuause I took a a few hours a week to create a traffic base that keeps myself and my neighbors very busy. If you have any questions, ask. We are all here to help each other and have a blast running trains.
Text written by Steve (SD452XR)
