How cargo income is calculated

Revenue rises with speed and distance, and distance is measured in a straight line between the source and the final destination. Maintenance is charged on the real length of road or track, so an S- or U-shaped detour costs upkeep without adding income.

Empty vehicles earn nothing. The manual’s own fix is to let vehicles that carry raw material out carry finished goods back. It also warns that a complex network may lose money for several months before it pays off.

Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Company and Finances

Starter chains with the fewest handoffs

Each extra leg needs another line, and each line change needs a warehouse. The chains below reach a town in one or two legs. Pick one that a nearby town currently demands.

ChainLegsRecipeClimatesWhy it starts well
Crop Farm → Town Shops (Vegetables)1Up to 16 Vegetables per cycleAll 4 climatesThe manual’s suggested first cargo chain
Fishing Grounds → Town Shops (Fish)1Up to 12 Fish per cycleTemperate, Subarctic, TropicNo processing; the source is on water
Logging Camp → Saw Mill → Town Industry (Planks)24 Logs → 8 Planks + 4 SawdustAll 4 climates4 Logs become 8 Planks; Sawdust can feed a Subarctic Paper Mill
Oil Well → Oil Refinery → Town Industry (Fuel)24 Crude Oil → 2 Fuel + 1 Fertilizer + 4 ChemicalsAll 4 climatesFertilizer gives the trucks a return load to farms
Crop Farm → Livestock Farm → Town Shops (Meat)27 Grain → 3 Meat + 4 WoolAll 4 climatesUses the Grain a Vegetables route leaves behind
Clay Pit → Brickworks → Town Industry (Bricks)24 Clay → 4 BricksTemperate, DryOne input, one output
Quarry → Cement Plant → Town Industry (Cement)24 Stone → 2 CementSubarctic, TropicOne input, one output; GameWatcher lists Subarctic only
Evidence note

The order by number of legs is Routebook’s planning choice, not a measured profit ranking. Town demand, distance and terrain decide whether a route pays in your save.

Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo · GameWatcher · TF3 production chains

Backhaul loops from the recipes

A booster is the easiest return load because the raw producer that ships the outbound cargo is also its consumer. Freight wagons, trucks and cargo ships refit automatically at stations. A vehicle carrying a different specialization on the way back loads more slowly, so compare a shared fleet with two specialized lines.

Outbound legReturn loadRecipe link
Crude Oil → Oil RefineryFertilizer → Crop Farm, Cotton Farm, Rubber FarmThe Refinery makes 1 Fertilizer for every 4 Crude Oil
Planks → Tools FactoryTools → Sand Pit, Fishing Grounds, Coal Mine, Oil Platform, Clay Pit, Quarry5 Tools per 4 Planks + 2 Plastic
Steel → Machine FactoryMachines → Logging Camp, Sand Dredger, Iron Ore Mine, Oil Well7 Machines per 7 Steel + 4 Plastic
Iron Ore and Coal → Steel MillMachines → Iron Ore Mine; Tools → Coal MineThe two mines take different boosters
Grain → Livestock Farm or BreweryFertilizer → Crop FarmFertilizer comes from the Refinery, so this needs an oil chain
Evidence note

Booster amounts per delivery are listed on the industries page; they come from GameWatcher’s game-file table.

Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo · GameWatcher · TF3 production chains

Keep maintenance under control

  • Give every train enough wagons. The manual says an under-filled train is likely to lose money.
  • Match the locomotive’s top speed to its wagons.
  • Make platforms at least as long as the train.
  • Use specialized vehicles and terminals to shorten loading times.
  • Follow contour lines. Terrain changes are expensive, slow vehicles on hills and cost reputation.
  • Remove vehicles that run half empty before you change anything else.

Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles

A first build order

  1. Take one loan for one project. Up to four loans can run at once, and interest is charged monthly.
  2. Build a one-leg chain to a town that currently demands the cargo, such as Vegetables to Town Shops.
  3. Watch the line’s Balance graph for a full year before adding vehicles.
  4. Add a two-leg chain with a warehouse at the transfer, such as Logs to a Saw Mill for Planks.
  5. Add a return load from the backhaul table, then deliver boosters to the raw producers that limit you.
  6. Repay loans early once the cash is there.
Evidence note

Routebook planning sequence based on the manual’s finance and tips pages; it does not promise a profit in a given year.

Sources: TF3 manual · Company and Finances · TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks

SOURCE NOTEBOOK

Where this answer comes from

Checked 2026-10-14. Each claim links to the published material it comes from. Inspection sequences are Routebook’s editorial suggestions.

Editorial method & corrections →