Overview[1]
Allows players to store extra items; Can be fortified and used as shelter; Can run over entities, dealing rapid damage to them until they die; Has a top speed of at least 65 km/h The Train is the main aspect of Dead Rails.
The Train is the primary mode of transportation in Dead Rails, allowing players to travel along a track from the starting point near San Antonio, USA to the US-Mexico border. It is the fastest way to traverse the map, but requires Fuel to move. Coal is the recommended fuel source, being relatively easy to obtain and filling 25% of the fuel gauge. Corpses are significantly less effective, though they usually compensate for this with their greater availability. Certain Junk and other items can burn with mixed results, but none are as efficient as Coal. The Train's firebox can also be used to ignite certain items. The Train needs a player sitting in the cab's operator chair to operate. Pressing W on PC or Forward on Mobile will make the train accelerate while pressing S on PC or Backwards on Mobile will activate its brakes. The train cannot drive backwards, so planning ahead is crucial. If the operator gets up or does not make any input, the Train will slowly roll to a stop if it is in motion. There is also a whistle which can be activated by clicking the lever in the cab. It can be used to signal the trains departure to teammates who are not currently on the train. When traveling at max speed or when no input is made, trains will use 7/8 of the fuel they use when accelerating.
Stats
- Type
- 4-4-0 American Steam Locomotive, Utility
Train Variants
The Train has multiple variants that can be purchased at the Train Station in the Lobby for Bonds. Different trains have certain advantages and disadvantages that the player can make good use of in their runs. The game will always use the train of the player who created the party. Currently, it costs 3100 Bonds to obtain all Train variants in the game. Note that certain Train variants are unobtainable at the moment.
Strategy
At Night or when facing multiple troublesome enemies, lure them into the cab and stand on top of the control panel, this will cause their AI to break and you can safely kill the enemies without them reaching you. This trick work best against Zombies and may fail to work against other entities. This can be used to safely pass the Night and refuel the train without needing to collect Corpses and manually bring them to the train. This; however, only works with certain train. Some of the train's control panel just tilt at the right angle for the zombies to climb up, others are because the zombies clipped right into the control panel, forcing them to stand on it. The best fortification is Sheet Metal, due to their size and bulletproof property. Sometimes, Zombies can just clip inside even if the windows are fortified. It is advised for the players to be careful even if their windows are covered up. Just because Newspapers and other non-bulletproof items lost their bulletproof ability(due to a QoL update), they're still worth using early game to prevent enemies from entering the cab, with the exception of Zombies, who can get in through windows. Wheels & Ladders can be used to fortify the Train's windows to prevent Zombies from entering, and you can still see through them. They aren't bulletproof, however.
Patch history
It is unknown why the train's speed units are in Metric units when the United States used Imperial Units (U.S. Customary Units) from 1832 and onward. This was likely an oversight or intentional for simplification in the game, even though the train is of U.S origin. The Train can move faster than any entity in the game. The fastest entity is the Unicorn with 45 km/h (compared to the train's base 65 km/h). However, a sprinting Vampire under the effect of 3 Snake Oils or a Milkman sufficiently covered in milk can outrun the Train. The only fuel item better than Coal is Nikola Tesla's corpse, which fills the gauge to maximum capacity. However, by the time players kill Tesla, they will have already traveled to the end. This makes it pointless to use him for fuel. Players who get hit by a moving train will usually glitch underneath it, though they will not take any damage. They can get out by moving while holding the jump button. If a train runs over a Horse, its corpse will lodge underneath and often make it stuck. This can force players to step off and remove it. Welding too many objects to the Train can slow down its speed and acceleration due to the increased weight and increased server-side lag. This is more noticeable with corpses due to being composed of multiple individual parts, especially Werewolf or Boss corpses. All enemies excluding Wolves and enemies on horseback can climb onto open flatcars, making it an unreliable shelter unless it is in motion or fortified with welded items.
