Thanalan - train tracks... what are they for?

Are they literally JUST FOR scenery or will they eventually have a purpose?
Why add some train tracks if they arent going to ever be used?

I've often wondered this too, where is the actual train??

Doomtrain perchance? (I hope xD)

mine carts?

I always thought that Doomtrain as a roaming primal like Odin would be an awesome thing to have in the game.

Basically, he would appear and he would begin his journey across the map. People wanting to fight him would need to stop him before he reached the end. Just the idea of fighting Doomtrain over a roaming Fate would be awesome.

He's already in the game in ST :P

Those are for mining carts, and leads into mines. Would be nice if they added npcs driving the carts, and we could hop on it for a free ride.

Ever since beta I've been basically praying that one day Doomtrain becomes a FATE like Odin/Behemoth and will ride through Thanalan assaulting people.

Make it so we have to board to fight him, riding through the zone killing him while he just throws out massive uncleansable debuffs on people as he passes by.

Please.

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Originally Posted by Ophie-Mio

I always thought that Doomtrain as a roaming primal like Odin would be an awesome thing to have in the game.

Basically, he would appear and he would begin his journey across the map. People wanting to fight him would need to stop him before he reached the end. Just the idea of fighting Doomtrain over a roaming Fate would be awesome.

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Originally Posted by Chek

Ever since beta I've been basically praying that one day Doomtrain becomes a FATE like Odin/Behemoth and will ride through Thanalan assaulting people.

Make it so we have to board to fight him, riding through the zone killing him while he just throws out massive uncleansable debuffs on people as he passes by.

Please.

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I'm glad I'm not alone in this hope xD

I want them to add regular trains that you can get hit by and go flying comically through the air.

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Originally Posted by KittytheSheGeek

Doomtrain perchance? (I hope xD)

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Only if we can have a cutscene of Godbert suplexing it.

An NPC even says "If you wait long enough you may even see one of those trains come steaming by" Or something to that effect. Waited for hours, and no train. Guess no cereleum to deliver that day.

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Originally Posted by KittytheSheGeek

Doomtrain perchance? (I hope xD)

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The train station in Castrum Meridianum references it

Only way I would want Doomtrain in the game is if they get the rights to use this song. Even just the medley would be fine kind of like how they used the medley from Nightmare Before Christmas on the King Moogle Trial.

I've always wondered about this, too...what are the train tracks for and can we get some trains on them? It would be fun to have one just going around, even if you can't ride on it, but riding on it would also be cool. Just for fun.

They were planned to be tracks for carts before ARR was released I think

There were no train tracks in 1.0...only copy pasta...lots of copy pasta...

I always assumed mine carts.
As they went into the places where the mines where in 1.0.

To enter Gringotts.

They are used by Amajina & Sons to carry ores to Ul'dah. The Miners' guild is near to the "station" in the city, which is off limits.

I like to pretend they're actually there to hold Thanalan together, if you took 'em out the whole region would just come flying apart.

The Phantom Train (from FF6) should be running on those tracks to take you to the Phantom Forest somewhere. (West Shroud, perhaps?)
That'd be better than the Doomtrain imo

Pretty sure the Twin adders destroyed Doomtrain during the Castrum siege of 2.0's storyline....


Phantom Train on the otherhand, would be awesome....

especially of the monk personal limitbreak in 3.x is a suplex...

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Originally Posted by Ilitsa

Pretty sure the Twin adders destroyed Doomtrain during the Castrum siege of 2.0's storyline....


Phantom Train on the otherhand, would be awesome....

especially of the monk personal limitbreak in 3.x is a suplex...

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I think mnk's lb won't changed though. Just like blm's lb.

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Originally Posted by Ilitsa

Pretty sure the Twin adders destroyed Doomtrain during the Castrum siege of 2.0's storyline....


Phantom Train on the otherhand, would be awesome....

especially of the monk personal limitbreak in 3.x is a suplex...

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You have them mixed up - it was actually the Phantom Train that is the name of the secret Garlean railway that runs between Castrum Centri and Castrum Meridanium, and not Doomtrain. The Order of the Twin Adder merely blockaded it though - it's not destroyed (it's tracks still remain intact after all). Either way, Doomtrain could still show up somewhere. ;)

But yeah, I'd love to see Thanalan's railway opened up to players - maybe it could be used like how the small boats are used in Limsa and Gridania (provide access to and from the city out into the field)?

To quote Selphie: "I like trains." :3

Did they ever do anything with the train tracks in Gustaburg in XI? I played that game through the first 4 expansions and they were never more than scenery the entire time.

Here's hoping that something cool does eventually take place upon the Thanalan tracks, but I doubt it.

What I find depressing is that if you follow them to the tunnel there are PERMANENT blockades on tracks.

I really hope they give these a purpose someday. It would be awesome to see a train pass by every now and then.

Need to turn them into a roller coaster ride for the gold saucer.

i love how everyone is saying doom train or phantom train, all the tracks are are simple minecart rails, the area of thanalan has a lot of mines coal mines copper mines and even gold mines so the tracks (which if you look go to the Athercite in central thanalan (i forgot its name)) there is the coal deposit, the tracks go though this area and to another mine :3

no doomtrain
no phantom train
just mines :D

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Originally Posted by DracotheDragon

i love how everyone is saying doom train or phantom train, all the tracks are are simple minecart rails, the area of thanalan has a lot of mines coal mines copper mines and even gold mines so the tracks (which if you look go to the Athercite in central thanalan (i forgot its name)) there is the coal deposit, the tracks go though this area and to another mine :3

no doomtrain
no phantom train
just mines :D

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Actually, that's not quite correct - the line that runs between Castrum Meridanium in Northern Thanalan and Castrum Centri in Mor Dhona is completely separate from Ul'dah's mining line - they're not even the same 'gauge' (term for the distance between the rails - I told you I like trains! ;)), it was built and is owned by the Garlean Empire, and is used by the Garleans for moving weapons and personnel between the two Castrum - it this that is frequently referred to in the story as 'the Phantom Train', presumably because of it's secretive military nature. This line has no connection to the Ul'dahn line that runs from under Ul'dah through Black Brush to the Nanawa Mines which is indeed used for hauling ore, which is the line most players are wanting to see opened up for gameplay purposes.

As for Doomtrain, given how it's stated Primals are formed, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to find that maybe one day some overworked trackganger at Black Brush Station in his cups blames his lack of sobriety on a 'doomtrain' that chased him through the night (garbling vague mentions overheard about the secret Garlean line from returned Twin Adder soldiers after Operation Archon), and the idea spreads by word of mouth, until finally, someone who happened to come into possession of a quantity of crystals is whispered in his ear by a black clad figure and makes the mistake of turning what was an urban legend whispered in taverns into a terrifying reality. ;)

I'm almost certain Doom train = Phantom train. However considering some things I heard about in 1.0. I'm in agreement with the mine carts. Actually there, may have been a train of sorts running loads to and from the quarry/mines >Black Brush Station> The Royal Plantations. There's Nanawa Mines by the zone to north thanalan (yet there's no mining points there). A train tunnel going to an unknown area by the Rats Nest. Though most likely into the Copper Bell mines. The tracks to the north Might be into Cutters cry, Nanawa, or an area that was removed or never built (that waterway). Ul'dah was basically financed from all the mines, which drove commerce, and created the aristocracy and synicate. Currently they are financially strapped from Garliand 1.0, the mafia(syndicate) and refuges. Suggesting that the mines are no longer as productive thus no need for all the trains. Although it would be nice if we could take a train to and from sections in other areas, or into a dungeon.

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Originally Posted by OMEGA_HACK

kind of like how they used the medley from Nightmare Before Christmas on the King Moogle Trial.

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They didn't.

I disagree that they are for minecarts. It's plausible that the tracks far out are for minecarts because there are some mines nearby, and they are talked about in the Amajina & Sons sidequests.

But that doesn't explain the one right next to town. There is like a train station outside of Ul'dah (think about the place where that guy gets assassinated). I don't believe there are any mines near there at all. To me they seem like Train Tracks but there is little to no indication of where they go or what they're there for.

The Garlean Empire has train tracks in Castrum Centri and they are talked about in the storyline. We have never seen their trains, but we do know that they exist. I would guess that Eorzea has train technology as well.

For some reason I remember them talking about trains around the Ceruleum Processing Plant as well. There are a bunch of areas inaccessible on that map but are quite visible if you look down.

I have a feeling they were gonna add trains and stuff to the storyline but they never finished it or they decided to cut it out. Perhaps they are relics from before the Calamity? I'm not sure because I didn't play during 1.0. Does anyone remember trains during the 1.0 era?

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Originally Posted by Kotemon

There's Nanawa Mines by the zone to north thanalan (yet there's no mining points there).

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That would be because Nanawa Mines is actually after the zoneline, you go through the mines to enter North Thanalan, but the mines are skipped in gameplay (much like Coerthas Eastern Lowlands and Coerthas Central Lowlands), it was a playable open world dungeon in 1.0.

The railway in Thanalan is definitely recent technology and did not exist prior to the Calamity (hence, it didn't exist in 1.0 Thanalan, although there were mine cart tracks in Nanawa Mines if I remember right) - the Lodestone formerly mentioned this fact, stating that it "would not be long before Garlean magitek innovation would be fused with the mine carts of Ul'dah to form a web of iron causeways across the desert wastes!" (paraphrased), but sadly it seems to have disappeared.

From what I understand also the Ul'dah storyline does go into more detail about the railway's use for transporting ore from the mines (it's under the control of Amaijina and Sons Mineral Concern), and that the Sultana actually wants to open up for passenger use, but due to the Syndicate (specifically, Lord Lorolito and the East Aldernard Trading Company losing their monopoly on transport through Thanalan if people started travelling by train instead of merchant chocobo carriage) that hasn't occurred. Additionally certain npcs at both the Ul'dah Dispatch Yard and Black Brush Station mention how hard it is to maintain the railway and that monsters (specifically spriggans) often damage the track and thus cause train derailments (this would also explain the wrecked ore carriages under the bridge near Black Brush Station where a group of qi'qirn have turned into an encampment).

I'm not sure of the specifics though, as being Gridanian naturally I was never privy to this plotline and thus this information was gained from others, meaning I can't guarantee how accurate it is. :p

So basically we've established -> everyone loves trains and wants to see someone suplex a train.

Please look forward to it. :cool:

While it has its faults, one of the new WoW instances takes place on a moving train and it is one of the more popular instances of the newest expansion. It would be great to have a instance in FFXIV where we fighting inside or along a moving train.

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Originally Posted by Dhex

everyone loves trains and wants to see someone suplex a train.

Please look forward to it.

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I'm maining MNK since I started playing but planning to switch over to Machinist after the expansion. If they add new MNK skills from Sabin such as Suplex and Bumrush I will reconsider staying MNK.

To stay on topic I don't see why we can't have trains. We already have airships and engineers and fancy science people. Surely they could make it happen! The mention of politics from the Syndicate in Ul'dah is the only plausible reason holding it back!
Some inspirational Train Music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TaTSIDarZA

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Originally Posted by LystAP

It would be great to have a instance in FFXIV where we fighting inside or along a moving train.

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I thought of that once.. However it wound up looking to much like a homage to the intro of FF7 and the train top battle from FF6

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Originally Posted by Sove92

That would be because Nanawa Mines is actually after the zoneline, you go through the mines to enter North Thanalan, but the mines are skipped in gameplay (much like Coerthas Eastern Lowlands and Coerthas Central Lowlands), it was a playable open world dungeon in 1.0.

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Are you sure it's not a case of the map being labeled oddly? Where it says Nanawa Mines isn't right on the zone line. It seems to refer to that entire area outside of the mines as "Nanawa Mines" (which isn't nearly as ridiculous as Silvertear Lake being labeled as "Silvertear Falls"). It could mean:

1) Nanawa Mines is actually where the train/cart/whatever tracks lead into.
2) Nanawa Mines proper is completely caved in, and they only bothered to dig out enough to make a pass between Central Thanalan and Northern Thanalan.

Also, you don't skip past Coerthas Eastern Highlands. The new zone connection from North Shroud goes west AROUND Coerthas Eastern Highlands (does not pass through it) and into Coerthas Central Highlands. You'll note the zone line into Highlands is quite a bit west of Griffin Crossing (down for repairs), which is how you would zone into Coerthas Eastern Highlands in 1.0.