Wagons

Wagons make up the Transarctica. Choosing which wagons to carry and where to put them is a matter of extreme importance.

Considerations

 * The Transarctica has three essential wagons: The engine, the general quarters, and the private wagon or bodouir. If any of these are destroyed in train combat, you are treated to a game over screen, as it cannot continue without them. Any other wagon is expendable, although that doesn't mean you should let them be destroyed: They are expensive and losing a wagon means losing everyone inside.
 * Furthermore, the more wagons you have, the more coal the train needs to move (every wagon adds several dozen tons to the raw mass) and the more difficult it is to defend the train against other trains, since you have more ground to cover. About 25 wagons is the optimal size.
 * When traveling, always try to have a spare transportation wagon for any mammoths or freight you may want to transport.

Engine
The engine is where the magic happens (or at least the coal burning necessary to keep the train running). The little message tube on the left will contain any messages and reports that might come in.


 * The two figures at the front are the loaders, responsible for packing coal into the central firebox. The left one loads low-yield lignite (aka money), the right one high-yield anthracite (engine fuel). Click once to load at a slow rate, click twice to load at a fast rate, click once more to stop.
 * Coal burning in the furnace will generate heat and pressure inside the boiler, which is necessary to keep the train moving. The panel in the background, by the engineer, shows the current temperature (right) and boiler pressure (left). Exceeding the boiler pressure safe level will cause the Transarctica to go boom and the game to end.
 * The lever at the bottom sets the trains speed. It starts at zero and can be set to 100% by putting it all the way to the right (capping at 300 km/h). Speed and train mass affect coal consumption: The faster and the heavier Transarctica gets, the more often will coal have to land in the furnace. Using lower speeds at higher weights helps cut down on coal consumption.
 * To manipulate the direction and stop the train, you can click on the driver or the icons on the map view. Clicking on the wheel changes direction, while pulling the handle toggles the brakes. The dangling chain is the train's whistle.

Private wagon
Your private quarters.


 * The secretary, Kolotov, allows you to peruse the train's inventory and statistics.
 * The open journal allows for saving games (keep note of their names, the game does not have a loading screen GUI).
 * The gun allows for exiting the game to the main menu by putting a slug through your brain.

General quarters
The war room of your expedition.


 * The stoup on the left deposits messages and notifications.
 * The large map in the center opens the global map.
 * The radio station on the left allows you to manage spies.
 * The gruff elderly gentleman allows for dispatching line inspection cars. Once recovered, he will also carry the Geiger counter.

Military
Wagons in this category are essential in train combat sequences. Given that Transarctica will usually be longer than the opposing train, spreading them out across the length of the train is a good idea, as is putting a couple cannons at the front to rapidly attack the enemy locomotive and immobilize it.

Special
Cars that don't fit elsewhere.

It also exists a freezer, which is just useless and should not be bought.