space tractor trains.

[telegraph (OP)]

Is it possible to use space trains?
A locomotive with engines and tractor beam.
A fuel car with fuel and tractor beam.
A number of cars with payload(terraformers, maintenance, cargo, gate building facilities, etc...) and tractor beam.

Will it be possible to link everything recursively so that it works like a big space-era train? or will I need all of tractor beams on a locomotive?

[Nibelung44]

I asked myself that too... Never went around testing it though.

[Erik L]

If I recall, you can only tractor one ship. So at best you'd have a semi-tractor/trailer design.

[Hawkeye]

I believe there was the work-around (or exploit) of having the tractor beam on the trailer, so several trailers would lock on to a single tug (each tractor equipped ship could only lock on to _one_  ship, but several tractor beam ships could lock on to the same non-tractor ship).
Not sure if Steve changed this for 6.3

[Narmio]

Speaking of tractors, has anyone experimented with the use of fuel-efficient tractors for fast warships since the fuel-use and engine power changes? Is it at all feasible to drag ships near to a combat zone, then drop them from their Engine Power x0.25 tractors and have them fire up their own Engine Power x2.00 engines for a big cavalry charge?

[telegraph (OP)]

Speaking of tractors, has anyone experimented with the use of fuel-efficient tractors for fast warships since the fuel-use and engine power changes? Is it at all feasible to drag ships near to a combat zone, then drop them from their Engine Power x0.25 tractors and have them fire up their own Engine Power x2.00 engines for a big cavalry charge?

I remember a devlog entry saying that all engines are working during towing (both tug and tow), but you could save some fuel if you are towing a big egg-shell(lot of hangar space), with a warship inside.

[Narmio]

I remember a devlog entry saying that all engines are working during towing (both tug and tow), but you could save some fuel if you are towing a big egg-shell(lot of hangar space), with a warship inside.

Although at that point you could just make an eggshell with an engine on the back.  I considered this for a while, designing "cruiser sleds" that carried around each battlecruiser and then detached in a combat situation.  They were never battle tested, but I did note one significant disadvantage: you need twice as many big naval shipyards.

[ArchRylen]

I've gone with carrier-sleds occasionally. The carriers need naval shipyards. The tractors need a few layers of armor, CISW, and AMM escorts (which are there for the carrier, anyway.)

I've always paired one tractor equipped tug to a carrier. I hadn't thought about the converse, with the carrier having the tractor. Having a single ship pull multiple carriers will make an interesting change in moving things around.

[Narmio]

I've gone with carrier-sleds occasionally. The carriers need naval shipyards. The tractors need a few layers of armor, CISW, and AMM escorts (which are there for the carrier, anyway.)

Do you feel that this is a significant saving over bringing along giant tankers and additional fuel harvester infrastructure to support them?  The tankers, at least, are civilian vessels.  That's what I've used for my 1.5x power engines in my current beam-heavy game - one tanker per two cruiser-sized ships.  I use forward scouts launched from boat bays and thus haven't lost a tanker as of yet. I do, however, wind up with rather a lot of fuel harvesters.

[telegraph (OP)]

I unfortunately have to say that space trains do not work. My two linked car even teleported to the sun after an overflow error...
Steve, if you are reading this - please, allow us to have space trains. I love space and I love trains. Space trains are awesome...

[ArchRylen]

Do you feel that this is a significant saving over bringing along giant tankers and additional fuel harvester infrastructure to support them? 

I haven't thought through the economics. I wanted 10k hanger space carriers to swallow captured ships before they fell apart. I didn't have naval ship yards big enough to build those + have enough engines they would get anywhere.