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Genre: Open-World-Survival
Studio: Mojang
Publisher: Mojang
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Minecraft Rails

For the experienced miner, building an expansive network of rails is just part of the job. But if you are just starting out as a constructor of mines, a guide on MC rails is definitely something you should read if you want to become more professional. So, let us show you just how useful  Minecraft rails can be and you should start using them as soon as possible.

Overview Minecraft Rails:

  • used to send minecarts
  • found in mineshafts & mansions
  • part of redstone circuits
  • very helpful for mining
  • follow certain rules when placed

Minecraft Rails: The Basics

First of all, we should look at what Minecraft rails even are. Just as in the real world, rails are used to guide objects with wheels alongside them. While there are no trains in Minecraft at this time, Minecraft tracks, which is the name of several rails combined, are used to guide minecarts. As you can imagine, Minecraft rails are very valuable for mining, since you can easily transport the fruits of your labor back to your camp, where they can be further processed.

With every cart full of ore you send back to the surface, your materials increase and so do your options. For those out there who are tech-savvy enough to construct redstone circuits, this process can be made even faster and more automated. Check out our guide on redstone if you want to learn more.

How to find MC Rails

Minecraft rails can be found in several different biomes. Both the mansion and the mineshaft can contain Minecraft rails, which you can just break and take with you. This is also a good strategy if you want to stop mining in a certain location and take your MC rails with you. 

If these locations seem a bit dangerous to you, you can also always craft the rails yourself by using wood and iron:

6x iron ingots + 1x stick = 16x rails

As you can see, you need a lot of iron if you want to construct a respectable sized network. For that to happen, an iron farm is a good thing to invest in. 

Minecraft Powered Rail

If you have access to some redstone dust and gold, you can use them to construct a Minecraft powered rail, which actively accelerates the cart that rides on it while it’s powered. Keep in mind, though, that an unpowered rail decelerates the carts. If you want to try it out for yourself, here is the Minecraft powered rail recipe:

6x gold ingot + 1x stick + 1x redstone dust = 6x powered rail

Fun Fact While mobs tend to avoid rails in Java Edition, they completely ignore rails in Bedrock Edition.

Minecraft Rails – Advanced Techniques

Now that the basics are clear, let’s look at some of the details that make usage of the Minecraft rails tricky. You always have to keep in mind how a rail behaves when it is placed, which in turn is influenced by the surroundings. Here are the most common factors that play a role in this process:

  • If there are no rails around, the newly placed rail points south or north in Bedrock Edition, while it looks in the same direction as the player in Java Edition.
  • If there already is a Minecraft track the new rail is connected to, it points in the same direction as the track.
  • If the Minecraft rail is placed between two existing rails, it will try to connect them, forming a track. The connection can be straight or a curve.
  • If a new Minecraft rail is placed between 3 rails, it always comes out curved. This is referred to as a T-junction.

If you’re irritated because of the unusual shape of a T-junction, don’t give up just yet. The Minecraft minecarts can still travel on the unconnected rail, but they will always prefer going on the curve. 

You can also build Minecraft rails that lead downward from a hill or mountain, but there are two important factors to be aware of:

  • Minecarts always go from up to down with no issue, but can only climb up to 10 blocks uphill at full speed. 
  • If a track is curved and goes uphill, the minecarts get stuck within the block, so make sure to only build straight Minecraft tracks when an obstacle occurs.

If you want to increase the speed and power of a minecart, you have to connect the Minecraft track to a redstone circuit. At least 3 power every 6 rails will keep up the power. This is important, especially when you dig deep into an ore-heavy cave.

Conclusion: Minecraft Rails

At first, a lot of the rules about Minecraft rails might seem overly complicated, but once you get the hang of it, you will lie down rails like it’s a Sunday walk. And these rails are very helpful indeed: transporting all kinds of materials or even just riding the Minecraft rails for fun is pretty rewarding when you know you built it all yourself. For those talented with redstone circuits, Minecraft mining can be almost completely mechanized, leaving you free to explore the wide world of Minecraft – which gets even bigger with mods like the Minecraft Aether. So, while Minecraft rails are something primarily experienced players should attempt, there is nothing wrong with gaining practical experience. So go out there and put down these Minecraft tracks! And for the best online experience, do it on a Minecraft server from G-Portal. After all, the fun should be what comes first!

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