Hey there farmers!
We’re getting closer and closer to the release of Farming Simulator 17, and we’re continuing to unveil some of our game’s exciting new features in a series of dev blogs. Last time we talked about the animals – now, we’re here to introduce a brand new method of transportation - trains!
Trains are used to quickly transport large amounts of produce across the map. To help you load the trains with harvested wood, there are two areas equipped with heavy duty cranes, which can be manually used to pick up and place the logs onto the carriages.


Goldcrest Railway



The train is available just like any other vehicle, although it will not cost you a maintenance fee. In the North American Goldcrest Valley map, there are two train lines that you can make use of. Trains can be driven manually on these tracks, both forwards and backwards.
It’s also possible to switch crops and wood produce from one train to another at the station. For example, you might want to transport wood from across one half of the map, then transfer it over to another train that goes to the selling point – either Stanton Sawmill or, if you’re selling crops, Maplefield Mill. The trains are fitted with tension belts, ensuring your precious wood doesn’t fall off!
You can also use trains for storage of your grown crops. Crops that can’t be stored in other silos (e.g. Potatoes and Sugar Beet) can be stored in the train silo.

Loading Goods



Trains are an excellent way to stock and sell a large amount of produce at once, so you’ll want to make good use of them! While the wood is loaded onto trains using cranes, your crops are loaded in from your silo via pipe - animals still need to be transported via special trailers on the road!
Goldcrest Valley features two crane points for loading up your trains. A train station lies at the point where the two different tracks meet together– this is the location of one of the cranes. The other can be found at Stanton Sawmill, which is where you can sell your wood. As the loading of wood is performed manually, you’ll need to be careful not to drop your produce!
For farmers currently not in need of trains, on the Options menu you can choose to remove trains from the cycle when tabbing through your owned vehicles.
Thanks for reading the fifth in our series of Farming Simulator 17 dev blogs - look out for more posts in the near future, where we’ll go over even more of the exciting features you can look forward to!

Farming Simulator 17 comes out October 25, 2016, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.