To use wheelbarrows for retrieving ore, you should do the following: They are very good for serving fixed position resources, such as sand, clay and farms. This is not to say that minecarts do not have their place. They will never cause a collision injury with a dwarf or livestock. Wheelbarrows are easier to do other ad-hoc work near.This means that wheelbarrows can use your pre-dug path. Minecarts need track laid out, this takes a lot of time and, potentially, resources.If you use a minecart then you have to keep on building track. When mining the source of the materials you want is always moving, and never returns to the same spot.However for the case of returning mining products wheelbarrows have several major advantages. The other option is to set up a minecart system. The miners won't always finish out a level before starting a new one, and actually explore pretty quickly.Īs far as retrieving the resources exposed in this manner, you can set up all sorts of complicated hauling systems with minecarts and whatever, but I find the most efficient way is to use wheelbarrows. I usually dig my main shafts as 3x3 columns, especially if I am planning to move a lot of stuff through.

It will select the entire cube from your start point to your end point. In the newest version you can start by indicating an area at the top and then moving the cursor down however many z-levels you want before ending the selection. You can build a shaft quickly by designating up/down stairs with the (d)esignate (i)up/down stairway command.

Dwarf fortress charcoal stockpile