Pocket Trains Strategy Guide, Tips and Tricks

 

If you're looking for a strategy guide or tips and tricks on making tons of coins and bux in Nimblebit's latest iOS game Pocket Trains, then look no further because listed below are tips and tricks on how to best manage your fleet of Pocket Trains on your way to global locomotion domination. A word of caution though before you plunge into this addictive game -- Pocket Trains will take over your life if you're not careful!

Build up your collection of trains, transport cargo across your network, and expand your network to unlock better trains and more lucrative jobs.

Delivering Cargo - Do I need to stop at a station to deliver cargo, or does just passing through work? For example, I have cargo for station A and B, do I need to stop at A and B separately or can I just head straight to B, passing A along the way? Things get dropped off automatically as you move through, no need to stop.

Jobs Don't Regenerate - Once you stop at a station, the jobs for that train will remain the same until you leave (and return).

Not All Jobs are Created Equal - Jobs to the same location may have different values depending on a scale of 1-4 coins. Also, a single job may have 5 cars or 1 car. Watch out on how many cars your train can pull and balance the value of each job with your capacity.

One Train per Route - You can't send more than one train per track. Plan carefully and accordingly.

Trains Need Fuel - Transporting jobs uses up fuel and your train will need to eventually re-fuel before getting back to work.

Trains can Break Down - Maintenance will need to be performed after a certain mileage is put on. This can be paid for with coins or by using a spare part.

Common Issues
Tracks
Expanding your track network will cost coins. The cost is dependent on the length of the track you are unlocking. You will need to pay an additional coin fee to assign an engine to your new track. Always keep that last point in mind. Also, you will get significantly less coins back from closing tracks. Plan very carefully as you expand.

Railroads
A railroad is separate from a track. A railroad is the network of tracks assigned to an engine. The cost to start a new railroad (i.e. add another engine to your empire) goes up significantly with each railroad you add.

You create a new Railroad by hitting the New RR button in your menu, assigning it to a Train in your Yard, and selecting a city to start the Railroad from.

Assembling new Trains
While earning coins and bux, you will occasionally see a Train Part show up as a job. If you deliver this, you will have a crate in your Craft list. It'll cost 10 bux to open it and it will contain 1 part for a Train. Once you have enough parts to build a new train, you can build an Engine or a Fuel Car (building these costs nothing) and place the newly built equipment in your Yard.

Note: There are two types of Crates, Normal and Special. You can get Special Crates by doing events and leveling up.

FAQ

When do new train types start showing up in my crates?
Around level 5 or 6 for the step up from Steamers.

Are the parts in crates determined by the level you were when you received the crate or when you open the crate?
When you open the crate.

Can I change the engine on a railroad without re-buying all the routes?
Yes! Get the train currently on that line into a station, click on the Train button, and select 'Swap Engine'.

How do I know when I'll need to repair my trains?
You'll get a pop up notifying you when your train needs repairs. It'll also get a little caution symbol on your train list.

What can I upgrade my train to do?
Trains can receive upgrades by adding extra engines or fuel cars. Check the Train info screen to find out what upgrades, if any, you're allowed to buy.
Extra Engines increase your cargo capacity by 50%.
Fuel Cars increase your fuel capacity by 100%.

How do I gift parts? What's a friend code?
To enable cross platform sharing, Nimblebit implemented their own friend codes and the game will prompt you for your friend's code when you gift a part. It's found on the Options screen in the Menu. 

{source: somethingawful.com}