Rail handcars are a mode of transportation. They can be used to travel on rails.

Rail Handcar
Rail Handcar
Rail Handcar


Category Tool
Use Travel
Tool
Stackable Yes (99)


"Ride the rails."

Appearance

A rail handcar looks like a wooden platform with a wheel at each corner. A post in the center supports a teeter-totter like crossbar.

When a blockhead rides a handcar, it stands on the back end and moves up and down as if pumping the crossbar.

Where Found

Rail handcars must be made on a train yard for four train wheels and two wood.

Location Input Item 1 Input Item 2 Input Item 3 Input Item 4 Input Item 5 Crafted Output
    +   + + + =  
Train Yard Train Wheel Wood [[]] [[]] [[]] Rail Handcar
Quantity 4 2 {{{Qty3}}} {{{Qty4}}} {{{Qty5}}} 10
Rush Cost
8  
Double-Time
4  

Use

The only place a rail handcar can be used is on a connected series of rails. If it leaves the rails, the handcar will fall as a loose item. It cannot carry more than one blockhead during a trip.

Similar to riding a boat, a handcar must first be placed on rails and then selected for riding. That changes the display into riding mode, and tilting the device will cause the handcar (and blockhead) to move toward the lowered end. The greater the tilt, the faster it goes. To stop, bring the device level relative to the display.

The speed of a rail handcar is faster than a steam locomotive when it is traveling downhill or on flat ground. When traveling uphill, the player slows down, and if they slow down too much, Blockheads will roll back downhill.

As rail handcars can leave their rails, it is possible for a handcar to leave the ground. If it travels 30 or more blocks, upon landing it will display the number of blocks traveled in the air. However, if a handcar crashes into a solid block at a high enough speed, the riding blockhead will lose health. Even running off the end of a rail fast enough will cause injuries.

While a handcars can be used in only two blocks of vertical space, three are recommended, particularly around changes in elevation. Insufficient height will cause a blockhead to collide with an overhead block, knocking it off the handcar and the handcar off the rails.

Jumps

If a handcar is ridden with enough speed and there is enough open space, a blockhead can use an up-slope to launch themselves through the air. The distance jumped will be reported at the top of the screen. Jumping 30 or more blocks distance will earn the player the achievement "Airtime."

Notes

Unlike other rail carriages such as the Passenger Car, the handcar cannot be coupled, making it useful for solo transportation but not for grouped transportation.