Industry proximity to station question

[Njoel]

Hi,

Been wondering about the placement and location of industry buildings in proximity to the train station, For Example I see a weapons factory that is nearby a town but it's covered by the towns train station, it isn't in the green area when highlighting the station yet it's making crazy amounts of money and producing 5 or 6 car loads a year but...how?

Also various farms through out the country all seem to make money and produce car loads but there is no train nearby or station. So I'm just curious as to how this is happening or do all industry naturally go to the nearest train station in the area and doesn't necessarily need to be in the green area of effect or range of a station?

[Gumboots]

Primary producers (farms, mines, etc) will produce cargo as long as the price for their product is high enough to cover their costs and make a profit. You can see this by checking the cargo map. If it's green for that cargo, producers in that area will do pretty well. No trains or stations are required. If the price is too low (like if Logs have a local price of $0) then production will drop right off to a minimal amount.

If there is no price gradient the product will just sit there in piles. If there is a price gradient to another area, the cargo will slowly move to the higher-priced area. This is a simulation of transport by road or by water.

Secondary producers (that require inputs from primary producers) essentially operate in the same way as primary producers, except that they require a supply of their input cargo(es). This has to be available in sufficient quantity and at a low enough price for them to be profitable.

Short version: trains and stations are not necessary for industry production and profit, although they can be helpful.

This is why building industry before rail can be a good way to start some scenarios. If you choose good buy or build options you can generate profit and cargo. Once there is enough cargo, with a useful price differential to an accessible destination, you build rail to start hauling it.