A sensible alternative utilisation of the "caboose" feature

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For the scale of operations and the level of selective compression intended by the general configuration of the RR Tycoon III environment, the conventional employment of a caboose as envisaged by the program's creators looks way out of scope and feasibility:
  1. Most importantly, the provision of a caboose takes out one eighth of a train's potential payload, which is overly disadvantageous in relation to the real world. Especially in combination with the other deficiency of the cargo priority algorithms of RR Tycoon, which may make this missed cargo the reason for the train freeze at the next station "waiting for more cargo".
  2. The intended scale of operations and time compression combined with the reasonable scaling range of a map (see discussion here) implies that each train rather represents a group of real-world trains. In this aspect, each breakdown has an excessive impact on traffic evolution.
  3. There can be other, statistically more realistic ways, to give each scenario options of decisionmaking by the users to decide for combinations of extra safety measures on an offered cost/benefit basis. Affected parameters could be passenger prices, passenger production (due to unsatisfactory safety policies), direct financial penalties on the annual budget et c.
However, a specialized, meaningful modification of the caboose may be for it to represent a military escort car in wartime scenarios. In such cases, the locomotives' reliability factors can be set to a uniform level, whereby "breakdowns" can be renamed to "partisan attacks" or something similar.

For this purpose, we have started modifying the "Era C" caboose, that is the most turbulent period in railway history so far, comprising both world wars, to armored rail-mounted artillery. The first impressions are published here and it is hoped to replace this extremely un-militaristic red car-skin with a more appropriate, camouflaged one. Once a satisfactory point is reached, the modifications will be made available for downloading.

Assorted troop cars are already underway too. A wartime reskinning of other wagon types to less striking colours may also be advisable.

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