TOPIC:

so that leads us to the main question: if don't improve the ratings (or even make them dowm, as you said), why insist on it... and why make the transfers?

That is not the main question, the main question was is it rating pushing?, which I think I have proved not the case.
Why am I doing it...? Oh man, you really think having at least 70% loaded trains is just an excuse for this ultimate rating push, don't you?

I will also allow myself an assumption: not relating to that

It's disapointing that you assume all my experiments and ideas are atempts to bend rules and test limits

is a confirmation for me.

So why ARE you doing it? You mentioned in your very first post that there was something set up to keep the station rating as high as possible - that's the definition of a ratings push, if you ask me.

Looks like someone is checking out how the game-mechanics work in detail. Krawco, listen, this is the wrong place to experiment or test your «innovations»

Having stations set up to keep ratings as high as possible is not rating pushing. Rating pushing is when you have vehicle which only purpose is to keep rating high. You didn't even relate to other examples of setups that provide high rating, you just took a sentence out of context for what ST is patting you on the back.

I will say it one last time and I don't want any further "why am I doing it" questions, as it is not the subject of this discussion:

I am doing it because I do not want empty nor nearly empty trains rolling through MACHINE SHOP station that in my network design is ALWAYS a very crowded zone. Crowded, because I always claim a town with Machine Shop and since it's close to town - apart from supply trains, there are numerous other trains transporting raw and processed resources.

I don't understand why are you hanging onto single sentence where I admited I tried to do something about rating loss from transfer to initial staion and it kind of worked but wouldn't bring back 100% rating that the simplest setup provides.

well, I'll make this simple:
There's several ways to push the ratings illegally (not only the one you specified), wich includes deliver cargo to same station (leads to why the cargo was taken, to return unmodified). I'm not gonna mention the logic on that.

There are several legit ways of keeping ratings high, use them! To me, similar situations are abusive, included on the ratings pushing, which I will not allow. If you want, make small station transfering to a main station, aka Feeder service , fully or not fully loading, up to you. But your presented case don't fit and the intentions why you created it are well explained in 1st post.