CONTENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Appendix

1. The World of Railroad Tycoon II
2. The Economy
   Table 2-1. Cargo Demand Table
   Table 2-2. Percentage of Full Price
3. Men Machines and Industries
   Table 3-1. Tycoon Tendencies
   Table 3-2. The Managers
4. The Trains
   Table 4-1. Train Crash Odds
5. Building Your Railroad Empire
   Table 5-1. Station Improvements
   Table 5-2. Revenue Modifier
   Table 5-3. Bridge Types
   Table 5-4: Base Track Costs
   Table 5-5. Target Ratios: Debt-to-Asset
6. The Lay of the Land
7. Stand Alone Scenarios
8. Running With the Big Dogs - strategies
9. Making Your Own Maps
   Table 9-1. City Sizes
10. The Team Behind Railroad Tycoon II
11. The Second Century
12. Railroad Tycoon II: Gold

This chapter is designed to give you a good working knowledge of the basic factors involved in playing Railroad Tycoon II. After reading this chapter, you will have gained a solid working knowledge of all the basic factors involved in building your railroad empire.

Breaking It Down

The world of Railroad Tycoon II revolves around three segments that are all intimately tied together: infrastructure, management, and finance. Infrastructure has to do with all construction details, such as starting a company, laying and upgrading track, building and upgrading stations, and buying trains. This is the beginning point for everything else in the game.

Once you have your infrastructure in place, you have to manage it, using the tools in the game. Management includes setting up train consists (cargo loads), managing traffic, buying industries, monitoring goodwill in other territories, and making the decisions about where and how to expand.

Management doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The primary challenge of Railroad Tycoon II is that you must build an infrastructure and manage it within a financial framework. There are real consequences for mismanagement in the real world, and these are accurately reflected in the game. Finance includes company finances (incurring debt, issuing stock, and maximizing shareholder revenues) as well as personal finances (managing your personal stock portfolio, net worth maximization).

In reality, the distinction between these game segments is rather blurry, since you are tasked with managing the infrastructure of your empire within a financial framework. In the following sections, we’ll explore how these segments are all tied together.

Infrastructure

Think of the infrastructure as the building block of the game. You need to build tracks and stations and buy upgrades and buildings before you can start with the day-to-day operation of your railroad. Most of these transactions can be done with the game paused.

Starting a Company

Your first step is to start a company. Unless you plan to strictly play the stock market, you must start a company in order to play the scenarios. Starting a company is very straightforward—simply double-click on the Start a New Company tab in the Central List Box. The Start New Company dialog box will appear.

When you start a company, you must choose how much money you will personally put into the company, and how much you will accept from outside investors. The more money you put in, the more outside investors will be willing to put in. Usually, you can push both sliders all the way to the right to maximize your starting capital, but some scenarios will limit your options.

You can also select a name and logo for your company—these are both purely cosmetic, and you can change them at any time from the Company Detail Screen.

Laying Your First Track

Once you’ve started a company, it’s time to get down to business. The first thing you need to do is lay some track. Select two cities or towns—preferably two that have a good concentration of passengers or other cargo—then connect them with track by clicking on the Lay Track button (it’s the button that looks like railroad tracks) in the Main Window.

Once you’ve clicked on the Lay Track button, click at one of your destinations, then hold the mouse button down and drag the track to the other destination. Once there, release the mouse button and the track will be laid.

The numbers that float above the track as you lay it serve two important functions. There are two types of numbers—Cost numbers (white), and Grade numbers (green, yellow, or red). Cost numbers are white and appear above the proposed track. The cost will vary based upon the terrain you are trying to lay track over, and the grade of the proposed track. The total cost of the entire length of track will appear below the Central List Box.

Grade numbers come in three shades—green, yellow, and red—and each color appears based upon the grade of the stretch of track:

• Green numbers appear when the proposed track’s grade is optimal. Try to keep all your track in the green as you lay it—trains will move much faster along track that has a low grade.

• Yellow numbers indicate track with marginal grades. Do your best to avoid these areas by taking track around them if at all possible.

• Red numbers indicate prohibitive grades. These are grades that will stop a train in

its tracks—literally. Avoid these grades at all costs—they will kill even the most lucrative routes.

Building Stations

In order to pick up cargo, trains must stop at stations. Now that you have some track laid, you need to put stations at each end of your track.

Select the Build a New Station button, and the Center List Box will change to display three station choices—Small, Medium, and Large. You will also see several choices for the architecture of your stations. Each station type collects resources from the area surrounding them, just as if those areas are bringing resources to the station for shipment. This collection zone varies by station size—small stations collect from a relatively small area, medium stations collect from a somewhat larger one, and large stations collect from the largest surrounding area.

When you’re placing stations, there are a few guidelines to follow:

• Choose the right size for the area—It’s a waste of money to put down a large or medium station when a small one will do. Place your track as close to the resource as you can so you can be conservative with station size.

• Span multiple areas with large stations—A large station can be placed between two resources or cities so that it overlaps both of them. This is also an excellent way to reach areas that would be more costly otherwise (due to bridges, terrain, and so on).

• Multiple stations can collect from the same area—If a parallel set of track is laid, you can put a station very close to another one. In effect, the stations will split the total cargo available, and it will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Once you have your stations in place, you can enter the Station Detail Screen and upgrade them with various improvements. For more information, see Chapter 5: Building Your Railroad Empire.

Buying Trains

With two stations in place, you’re ready to buy a train to haul cargo between them. Click on the Purchase a New Train button (it’s the button that looks like a train—pretty obvious, but hey, we had to tell you).

The purchase dialog will appear with a list of all currently available locomotives. Select one, and its details will appear on the right side of the screen. If it appears to be the one you wish to purchase, click Purchase to buy it.

When buying trains, be careful which ones you purchase:

• Tailor each train to its route—If the grade the train will be travelling is steep, be sure to choose a good performer on steep grades. If the grade is flat, then select one that does well in that situation.

• Buy trains with average or better reliability—Breakdowns will occur more frequently for trains with below average numbers in reliability. Buy them at your own risk.

• Expensive doesn’t equal best—Don’t plunk down cash for the most expensive train in all cases; it may not be the best buy for your route or situation. You’ll repeat these steps over and over, but not without some of the ones that follow in the next section.

Management involves taking the infrastructure you’ve built, and using it to turn a profit for your company. This is the most complex portion of the game, since it crosses so many other areas. To keep things simple, you should distinguish between:

• Train/Consists management—Selecting cargo for each train, optimized for the highest profits per run

• Expansion management—Growing your railroad properly and planning

for future growth

• Company management—Taking the necessary steps to build your company, increase return on investment for shareholders, and generally run a profitable, growing business

Train/Consists Management

Once you’ve purchased a train, it’s time to assign its consist, or cargo cars. Railroad Tycoon II enables you to do this every time a train is in a station, and in the early going, you’ll need to be sure you do this every time.

After the purchase dialog disappears, you’ll be taken to the consists management screen. This screen has the map of the scenario on the right side. From this map, select the two end-points of your run. They will appear on the left half of the screen. Double-click on each one in turn, and the right side of the screen will become the Cars List.

You can add any car to the train’s consist for this station, but unless you select from the Cars Supplied by this Station grouping, you won’t be hauling any cargo. At the bottom of the screen, you can see what cargo is available (Supply) and what that particular station demands.

Before picking cars for this consist, double-click the next station and check its Demands list. Now, return to the previous station and select from the available cars only those that are demanded by the second station. Repeat the process with the next station, and you should now have full consists for both stations.

Send the train on its way, and you’ll turn a profit when it reaches the next station. There, it will load the consist you’ve indicated and return to its starting point. This might seem simple, but if this were all there is to it, you’d get bored quickly. Following are a few tips for managing consists:

• Keep trains below three cars initially—In most cases, it’s best to keep trains under three cars to keep their weight reasonable, and allow them to move quickly to their destinations. This is especially true with older trains (pre-1880).

• Don’t send a train out empty—If your first station has no demand for the second station’s cargo, find a third station that does and send the train there next. Too many empty runs will get you in trouble quickly.

• Stations cannot store cargo from other stations—You can’t haul a cargo to one station, drop it off, and then haul it to the next station. You’ll need to take the cargo to a station that demands it first.

The next phase of railroad management is that of expanding your enterprise. Two stations and one train simply won’t cut it—at least not if you expect to go down in history as one of the great tycoons, rather than "that guy who had a train."

Your first concern is where to expand. Look for:

• Large cities—In general, you can’t go wrong if you place a station in a large city (New York, Buenos Aires, or Tokyo). Passenger and mail traffic will be high to and from the city, and it will demand almost all other cargo.

• Look to cover a complete product cycle—The home run in hauling cargo is to haul the initial component (Coal) to a secondary point (Steel Mill), then haul the finished product (Steel) to the next step (Tool and Die Factory), which is ideally located near the first step. One train can make your company a fortune with this kind of route.

• Don’t get ahead of yourself—Maintaining track can get expensive. Don’t lay track unless you are able to use it immediately. Long hauls of track will kill your expansion, unless you have enough short routes to offset the cost.

• Stick to coastlines at first—In most countries, cities are located along the coast, making it easy to haul cargo between them.

• Snatch up short, lucrative routes—It doesn’t matter what the cargo is. If both ends demand the other’s cargo, get them up and running quickly. Passenger routes of medium distance between cities work the same way.

Next, you need to look for other types of expansion. If you are playing on the Expert Industrial mode, you’ll be able to buy industries around the map. When you’re deciding to buy an industry:

• Choose industries with Good or better profitability—Don’t buy industries that aren’t doing well. The only exception is when you find one that you can easily make profitable yourself.

• Buy industries on competitors’ routes—Nothing is sweeter than making money from your competitors’ efforts. If you own a lucrative industry on one of their routes, they are making money for you with every load they haul.

• Combine tactics to score big—Combine the expansion tactic of hauling cargo to a complete industry cycle (Coal - Steel Mill - Steel - Tool and Die Factory) with buying industries. If you own all the industries you are hauling to and from along this vector, you’ll really cash in.

The final type of management expansion is a merger with another company. While a large portion of a merger’s tactics occur in the financial arena, deciding when to merge is strictly a measure of your analysis of a competitor’s position.

The main criterion that decides whether you should attempt a merger is how much of the other company’s stock you own. If you own none of it, don’t try it unless you can pay top dollar. If, however, you own the majority of the company’s shares, you are guaranteed to win, unless you vote against yourself—in which case you should seek professional help.

The financial portion of Railroad Tycoon II is the linchpin that the rest of the game hinges upon. If you do a phenomenal job of building your infrastructure and managing your railroad, you will still lose if you ignore the financial side of the game.

There are two sides to the financial picture and, depending upon the scenario, either or both of them will be important to your victory. The first is corporate finance, which is concerned with the financial picture of your company, and the second is personal finance, which basically tracks your ability to earn personal wealth.

The heart of managing corporate finances is the Company Detail Screen. To get there, double-click on your company from the Center List Box. There are several key areas to this corporate ledger:

• Overview—This tab provides at-a-glance information about your performance, your current manager, and a brief snapshot of your company’s current status.

• Income—This is where you can view your income statement and compare revenues with expenses. In case you’re a novice to financial management, the idea is for revenues to exceed expenses. If you open this page and see a lot of red (read negative) numbers, things aren’t going well.

• Balance—Use the balance sheet to get a feel for your company’s current equity position. The stronger your debt-to-equity ratio, the more likely your share price will rise along with your credit rating.

• Territories—This tab is where you can find out what your neighbors think about you. This is important, since you can’t expand into territories you don’t have rights in. It pays to be nice.

• Finances—This is the page you’ll look up most often. Here, you can issue bonds and stock, buy back stock, manage company dividends, attempt mergers, and—if things get ugly—declare bankruptcy.

There’s so much information in these screens, it can be a bit intimidating at first. Fortunately, you won’t need to learn everything until late in the campaign scenarios. Actually, if you learn the Finances section, you will have picked up most of the skills you need.

Since the Finances tab of the ledger is so crucial, there are a few general tips that will help you as you start playing:

• Issuing Bonds—Never rely on bonds to finance your existing operations. Only incur debt when you can use it to expand to grab a lucrative route. Also, you usually don’t need to worry about paying back your bonds—most of the campaigns end before 30 years, which is the payoff date on most bonds.

• Issuing Stock—Issuing stock drives your share price down. You should only do this when you plan on buying up the shares at the new, lower market price. Be sure to pause the game, then issue stock, and then buy it up. If you don’t pause the game, the computer players will buy your stock before you can. Don’t ever issue stock because you’re desperate for cash.

• Buy Back Stock—Buying back stock from the market will drive your share price up. Unlike issuing stock, you can do this whenever you have the cash to afford to buy it. A high stock price will lead to greater personal wealth, and, if you’re lucky, a stock split.

• Change Dividend—As chairman, you have some control over the dividend the company pays shareholders. As the company’s largest shareholder, a higher dividend will increase your personal net worth. However, the board won’t let you push the dividend too high, since it could leave the company unable to operate as effectively.

• Attempt Merger—When you feel that you have a good chance to take control of another company, either through surplus cash or smart investments, you can attempt a merger. The target company’s shareholders will vote, and if they agree, then the merger is successful. Hint: If you are their majority shareholder, you will always win.

• Declare Bankruptcy—As in the real world, declaring bankruptcy is a devastating thing. You’ll lose half your cash, your credit rating will go in the toilet, and you’ll lose your slip at the yacht club. Still, if you need to cut your debt in half, and you have no other options, it’s here for you. Don’t do this unless you are truly desperate.

Personal Finances

Last, but not least, personal finance rounds out our breakdown of the game’s three major segments. There are only a few things you can do to affect personal finance, but if you do them well, the results will be easy to repeat.

If you take a look at the Player Detail Screen, which is accessed by double-clicking your character’s name in the Central List Box, you’ll see that not much information is contained here. You can view your cash on hand, stocks, and your purchasing power.

The next page lists your current stock holdings. You will rarely come to this page. In fact, most of your personal financial management will take place in the stock market. Click on the share of stock on the desk to enter the Stock Market Detail screen.

There are three actions you can perform in the stock market. For more discussion on these topics, see Chapter 5: Building Your own Railroad Empire.

• Buying Stock—If you have sufficient cash, this is a straightforward transaction. If not, then it’s called buying on margin, which can be risky. Don’t attempt it unless you know what you’re doing.

• Selling Stock—Remember that all stock sales will drive share prices down, so don’t unnecessarily sell your stocks unless you plan to buy more at the lower rate. Selling stock when you don’t own it is called short selling, and is equally as risky as buying on margin.

• View Corporate Info—This allows you to see the corporation’s position. Information on all companies in the game is available and includes largest shareholders as part of the mix. Make sure this is always you in your own company.

Now that we’ve reviewed the basic three segments of the game—Infrastructure, Management, and Finance—it’s time to pull it all together and make your mark on history. If you remember the structure we’ve laid out here, it will help you in your decisions throughout the game.

Remember that you can’t rely on expertise in one area to give you victory. You have to become skilled in all three areas. The minute you abandon one is the minute that a competitor uses that one area to ambush you.

The computer’s artificial intelligence (AI) can be brutal, but it will make mistakes. Don’t underestimate its ability to work the stock market, especially on the Expert Financial Model. Make extensive use of the Pause key to avoid this problem.

The most important thing to remember is to take your time. Don’t rush it—you’ll probably spend many games scratching your head until everything clicks, but once it does, you’ll be hooked.

>Chapter Head<

The Economy- Chapter 2 >Table of Contents<

To really make big profits in Railroad Tycoon II, you’ll need to understand how the economy works, both at an overall, map-wide level, and in the small area within which your railroad operates. Much of your operational and stock market strategy will need to be tuned to fit the economy within which you’re operating. Here’s a look at what’s going on behind the scenes in the economy, and how to use this knowledge to enrich your company and yourself.

At the highest level, the prosperity of the map upon which you’re playing is based on a number of global, map-wide parameters that are beyond your control. The biggest of these are the map setup, the starting year, and the current economic status.

Figure 2-1. A sample map

Obviously, all maps differ from each other in look and feel. Beyond the basic differences of varying coastlines, mountain ranges, and forests, each map has a unique economy, set up by the map’s designer (Figure 2-1). In the map editor, there are a variety of tools that control which industries appear, where they appear, and how dense they are. These are used by the map designer to simulate the real economy of the area depicted. The exact distribution is determined randomly when the map is started, but if you restart the same map several times in a row, you’ll definitely see trends.

For example, on the Eastern U.S. map, cotton appears in the Carolinas, auto factories appear in the upper Midwest (especially around Detroit), and so on. The impact of this is that certain maps lend themselves to certain strategies. For example, the map of China has a number of densely populated cities all located fairly close to each other in the broad central plain. These cities are easily connected, and the fastest way to get a jump in this scenario is to haul passengers and mail between these cities, adding industrial routes with the profits you earn. In South America, by contrast, big cities are fewer in number and more difficult to connect, but there is a broad area in Argentina densely packed with grain and cattle farms. Connect these farms and haul the cattle to a nearby meatpacking plant, and you’ll make a fortune.

Shortly after the invention of the Iron Horse, railroads were the preferred method of transportation for passengers, and for virtually every type of cargo, as well. Railroads tended to be short, but with no other competition for overland routes, they became the dominant forms of transportation. However, new forms of transportation, notably the automobile and the airplane, carved away key cargoes from the railroads. Today, few passengers use railroads in North America, though they remain popular in Europe and other parts of the world. Most high value, priority cargoes—such as food and finished goods—rely on trucks for short hauls (less than 500 miles or so) and only travel via rail for longer hauls. Heavy commodities, such as coal and iron, still rely almost exclusively on rail transport.

In the game, you’ll see a drop-off in passenger traffic in the 20th century, particularly in North America. You’ll also see short hauls become less profitable, and you’ll need to focus on long profitable runs, preferably with a different cargo available to haul back, so you can make money on both legs of the round trip.

Figure 2-2. The Economy constantly changes.

The overall economy within each map swings cyclically up and down, just like the real-world economy (Figure 2-2). The player has no control over this—so many factors are involved that the performance of any one railroad (or even all of them) is negligible. The economy can be in any of these five states:

• Depression

• Recession

• Normal

• Prosperity

• Boom Times

It tends to change up or down a level every 6 to 18 months, often making a full swing from depression to boom times or back in about 5 years. The economy also has momentum, if it has just moved up a grade, it is probably more likely to move up another grade than to move back down.

The game’s economic state affects these individual variables (which in turn can and should affect your strategy):

• Cargo Generation Rate—For every level up (or down) from normal, 8 percent more (or fewer) cargo is generated by each building. In boom times, 16 percent more cargo is being generated.

• Cargo Revenues—Not only is there more cargo in boom times, the cargo is worth more as well. Revenues per load hauled (all else being equal) are 10 percent higher (or lower), per economic level above (or below) normal.

The combination of these two makes revenue swings even more pronounced, since in boom times, you’ll be generating 1.16 times more cargo at 1.2 times more revenue per load, for a total effect of:

1.16 x 1.2 = 1.39 times more revenue than normal

In depression, the formula is:

.84 x .8 = .67 times normal revenue

So your revenue potential is about twice as high in boom times as it is in a depression. Since many of your costs are relatively fixed, you can see the same railroad that made big profits in boom times start losing money at a torrential rate during a depression.

Other variables that can and should affect your strategy include:

• Track laying—Track laying is 10 percent more (or less) expensive for each level above (or below) normal.

• Stock prices—Stock prices are also 10 percent higher (or lower) for each economic level above (or below) normal. This assumes all else is equal. Since, as we’ve seen above, revenue and especially profits swing significantly depending on the economy, the stock price effect is usually a lot more than 10 percent.

• Interest rates—The prime rate runs from 5 percent in boom times to 9 percent in depression. Your credit rating will also affect the actual rate at which you can issue bonds.

In general, when the economy is booming, you should consider these options:

• Add more trains—Look around at your stations and consider adding more trains to haul any excess cargo piling up.

• Refinance bonds—Refinance any bonds you issued at high interest rates.

• Play the stock market cautiously—Don’t get too aggressive in the stock market—you’ve probably made a nice profit with the rising economy, but pushing things now (especially heavy use of margin) could put you in trouble when the economy inevitably drops a bit. If the economy takes a sharp dive, it could bankrupt you.

• Issue stock—Conversely, now is a good time for your company to issue stock—you’ll get a premium price without diluting your stock much.

When the economy is in a depression, you should consider these options:

• Retire old trains—To help ward off losses, this is also a good time to look through your train list and see if any of your older trains are losing money—they might be good candidates for retirement.

• Buy stock—If you can afford it, this is a also good time for you to buy up stock, either on the personal level or the corporate level. Prices should be low.

• Issue Bond—If your company has a decent credit rating, consider issuing a bond and doing a little track expansion. You can refinance the bond when the economy improves—and the track laying itself will be cheaper in a poor economy.

In an ideal world, you’d always have a booming economy. In reality, however, this won’t happen, and it’s best to prepare for bad times.

The economy as a whole is comprised of many individual industries, as depicted by the individual buildings on the map. These buildings represent entire industries native to a particular area. The industries included in the game represent some of the most common industries that relied upon railroads for transportation. Note that most of these industries had other means of transporting their goods, which are not visually depicted on the map. The primary competitor to railways for hauling large bulky goods was shipping—either using big clippers on the ocean or using barges on rivers and canals for shipping inland.

When a new map is started, the game has a target size for each city, and a target density for the areas outside the cities, called regions, which generally contain most of the mines and farms. This is largely pre-determined, as set up by the map’s designer. For example, New York and London will always start out as big cities. However, there is a random factor built in that accounts for about 30 percent of a city’s starting size—New York will always start out big, but sometimes it will start out very big, or perhaps only moderately big. In addition, the actual variety and distribution of industries is randomized, from within a set of available industries. On the Eastern U.S. map, Detroit will almost always have an auto plant, but sometimes it won’t. Detroit has about a 50/50 shot of having a lumber mill. Detroit has no chance at all of having a produce orchard or a cattle yard.

Beyond the starting setup, the growth of a city or region is largely based on how well it is serviced by the rail industry. Chicago grew from a small frontier town to the third largest city in the nation in just a few decades, based largely on its role as the biggest railroad hub in the United States. Western towns that were bypassed by the railroads shriveled and died, while small towns boomed if they were serviced by multiple rail lines.

In Railroad Tycoon II, a city has the potential to grow to roughly 3 times its original size, if it is well served by the rail industry, with plenty of cargo hauled both into and out of the town. It won’t happen instantly, but over the course of 10 to 15 years, you’ll definitely see the growth. A city with no rail service will generally not disappear, but it certainly won’t grow, and it will often shrink by 10 to 30 percent over the course of a decade or two.

Regions experience a bit more moderate growth, but you’ll still notice it. The map’s designer defines regions, and there is no way to directly detect the boundaries of a region within the game itself. However, if you load up any map in the editor, you’ll see icons on the screen representing different regions, with different cargo distributions. Most maps have 10 to 20 regions defined. If you hover the mouse over one of the icons, you’ll see the extent of the region.

Figure 2-3. Supply and Demand Overview

The product of all these industries on the map is a supply of cargoes (Figure 2-3), which will be made available for hauling from any station close enough to the industry in question. Many buildings produce cargo at a relatively fixed rate—an iron mine produces two loads of cargo per year. Some buildings produce cargo at a fixed rate, but that rate can be increased a bit. Farms, orchards, and livestock industries are examples of industries that produce at a set rate, but supplying them with another item can increase their rate of production.

For example, all farms and orchards (cotton, grain, sugar, produce, and coffee) receive a 50 percent production bonus to their base rate of two cargoes per year if supplied with fertilizer. One load of fertilizer is used for every two loads of crops produced, so for optimal production, supply all your farms with about one-and-a-half loads of fertilizer per year. Don’t oversupply a farm if you can avoid it, it’s probably better to use the excess on another farm. Similarly, the livestock-based industries (cattle ranch, sheep farm, and dairy farm) get a 50 percent production bonus if supplied with grain.

Finally, many industries produce only if supplied with raw materials (coal and iron are used by the steel mill to make steel). These industries can be particularly useful. Given one load each of iron and coal, you can generate up to six haulable loads, for three times normal profits, by properly hauling them first to a steel mill (where they are turned into steel) then hauling the two loads of steel to a tool and die factory (to become goods), then hauling the goods to a town for final sale.

Moreover, you’ll generally be paid more for hauling more cargoes further along the processing chain. Hauling a load of iron is only worth a base fee of $28,000. The resulting cargo of steel will generate another $35,000 in hauling fees. The end product, goods, is worth a base fee of $42,000. The total for all three is $105,000, quite a bit more than if you’d just hauled the iron and forgotten about the rest. Of course, the base fee is only a rough guideline to what you’ll actually receive. Still, the biggest profits can only be had by properly servicing most or all of the industries near your tracks.

The basics of demand are quite easy. Different industries demand various cargoes, as shown on the reference card included with the game. Overall demand at a station is the sum of the demand of the individual buildings encompassed within that station’s radius. A special category of a "town" or a "city" is created if a station has more than four or eight houses, respectively within its radius.

Things get more interesting on the expert industrial model, thanks to the introduction of "price levels." Demand ceases to be a black or white situation. At this level, some stations have demand, but at a low price, whereas others will pay a hefty premium for some cargoes.

Table 2-1 shows the relationship between each cargo and the demand for it. The first column, Cargo, is the name of the cargo. Base Price shows the number of days you have to deliver the cargo before it disappears from a station. For instance, if you do not pick up mail within 300 days, it will disappear from the station (the assumption is that your customers got sick of waiting for the train and sent it by other means). Ship Distance Base shows the modifier applied to the base price as distance hauled increases. The higher this number is, the more you will receive for hauling that cargo across longer distances. Next, are three dates; First Year—the first year the cargo appears, Cutoff for Towns—the last date towns will accept the cargo, and Cutoff for Cities—the last date cities will accept the cargo. Demand per House shows the demand for the cargo per house in any given town or city, and the Storage Building column lists the station improvement that affects the cargo.

Table 2-1. Cargo Demand Table

Cargo pricing starts with the base value listed in the chart. It is modified for distance hauled and time to deliver according to the factors mentioned above. If cargo is hauled to a station that doesn’t demand it, only a fractional price will be paid, depending on the industrial model setting for the scenario—the one you chose when starting the scenario. The prices for cargo not in demand are 80 percent, 50 percent, and 30 percent of full price, respectively, depending on whether the player is at the Easy, Medium or Hard industry model. If the cargo is in demand, 100 percent is paid, unless the industry model is Expert, in which case demand levels kick in as shown in Table 2-2. Demand levels are based on the number of houses or industries in the area demanding the cargo, and how much of that cargo they have received recently. If they receive a lot of cargo, demand falls off. The maximum demand level is 9, and the minimum is 0. There’s almost a threefold price swing between the highest and lowest level, so this is an important item.

Price levels range from zero (0) to nine (9). A price level of zero for a particular cargo is still better than no demand at all, it just means that price level is as low as it will go for any station that demands a cargo.

Table 2-2. Percentage of Full Price paid based upon Demand Level

Basically, the price level depends on how badly the cargo is needed at that station. This depends on the number and type of industries demanding the cargo, and how much of that cargo they’ve received recently. If more than one industry at a station demand the cargo, the price level will usually be higher, and will be slower to drop and faster to rebound if a large delivery is made.

There are several other things that can bump up cargo revenues. Many station buildings bump up passenger revenue, as does a dining car. A train that has set a speed record gets a 15 percent bonus on passenger revenue. Various manager bonuses can also increase cargo revenues.

If, for a particular run, your train travels over tracks or to or from a station that doesn’t belong to you, you have to pay the owner a chunk of the revenue. The owner will not contribute to the fuel or train costs, so you have to keep the portion of the revenue you’re paying down or you can lose money on a run.

If you don’t own the origination station, you have to pay a fee of $1,000 per cargo hauled to its owner—a full, six-car train will pay $6,000. If you don’t own the destination station, you also have to pay $1,000 per cargo, plus give up any station bonuses (restaurant, hotel and saloon bonuses to passenger revenue) to the owner.

If you don’t own all the track, then the non-station revenue (total revenue minus the above amounts) is split, according to the percentage of track upon which the route was run. If your train hauls 3 loads of coal 20 squares, of which 16 are yours and 4 belong to the Union Pacific (UP), for a total run of $106,000, then the non-station revenue is $100,000 (excluding the $6,000 in station fees). You get 16/20 or 80 percent of the non-station revenue ($80,000). The UP gets $20,000. If you own both stations, you also get to keep the $6,000 in station fees. Note that the UP does not have to eat a portion of your train’s fuel or maintenance costs.

Figure 2-4. You can buy industry on the expert industrial model.

The ability to buy industries opens a lot of new possibilities, but is only available on the expert industrial model. In general, by buying up the most profitable industries you’re servicing, you’ll be able to significantly increase your profits, and often turn a marginal line into a profitable one, with industrial profits making up for lackluster hauling revenues.

You can buy any industry on the map except housing. Click on an industry to see how profitable it is, and how much it costs. Industry profitability is determined by how many loads are delivered to and picked up from an industry. To count towards profitability, a picked-up load must be delivered to another station that demands it. Profitability is based on a running average of the last few years, so if an industry is ignored for a year, it does not immediately plunge into heavy losses. As you start to service an industry, you’ll often see a profitability increase over several years from merely "good" to the optimal "gushing cash." The actual dollar profit of an industry is based on its purchase price—a steel mill (cost $800,000) rated as "gushing cash" will usually be making about four times as much as a cotton farm (cost $200,000). In general, you want to buy only industries rated "lucrative", "very lucrative", or "gushing cash". An industry rated as "gushing cash" will usually make an annual return of 20 percent or more on its purchase price (about $160,000 for a steel mill).

One downside to buying industries is that it encourages you to oversupply the stations at which you own industries—trading hauling profits for industry profits. As a general rule of thumb, if you can easily distribute your cargo to three or more industries that demand it, do so, keeping price levels high, but probably holding down industry profits below a level where you’d be inclined to buy them. If you’re forced to haul to only the one or two industries that demand your cargoes, do so, suffer the low price level, but be prepared to buy up those industries as their profits rise. If you’re playing against AI opponents, you might want to buy the industries before they become lucrative, to prevent the AI from buying them out from under you.

There are a number of bonuses to be awarded and earned throughout the game. They all vary from hard-set percentages to random event-driven bonuses, including:

• Company managers can add a percentage of added value to certain cargo. For example, Andrew Carnegie produces a big revenue bonus for steel for any company he manages.

• Event-driven bonuses occur throughout the game such as a coal strike raising the price of coal hauls or a city announcing an incentive bonus for connecting to it.

• Dining cars attached to at least one other passenger car increase the value of that haul by 20 percent.

• Record-setting trains, if hauling passengers, increase that haul’s value by 15 percent.

• Current economic states, such as "boom times" will incur bonuses of 20 percent.

• Large restaurants, small restaurants, large hotels, small hotels, and saloons will bring bonuses of 30 percent, 20 percent, 40 percent, 20 percent, and 10 percent, respectively.

>Chapter Head<

Men, Machines, and Industries- Chapter 3 >Table of Contents<

A solid understanding of the economics of the game—and some basic strategies will only get you so far—shows that there are other factors that directly impact your ability to manage your fledgling iron empire. This section covers the tycoons, managers, and industries of Railroad Tycoon II, giving you information and strategies for beating them, using them, and maximizing their strengths respectively.

Of Railroad Barons and Robbers

If you’re like most players, you originally thought that the computer players—the tycoons you face in the game—are pretty much the same. However, if you’ve played through a few of the scenarios, you’ve discovered that their styles are very different, making them challenging opponents. Likewise, you may have noticed the differences in manager bonuses, but you probably haven’t taken complete advantage of them. This section gives you some dirt on each tycoon and manager that you’ll find useful whenever you go head-to-head with them, or whenever you look to hire a particular manager.

The Chairmen

Each chairman has unique tendencies that are, for the most part, based upon their historical actions. For instance, don’t expect Jay Gould—a stockbroker by trade—to back out of your company’s stock for any reason—he’ll hold on like a pit bull through just about every trick you throw at him, while he does his best to undermine you. Likewise, don’t expect Mr. Gould to start his own company—he’d rather mess with yours. When he shows up in the opponent list, it’s going to get nasty in a hurry.

Table 3-1 lists the inclinations of the tycoons when they’re played by the AI. Here’s how to read the seven categories:

• Starts Company—Higher number means they’ll start a company earlier in the face of more competition

• Margin Buying—Higher number is more inclined to use margin, if available

• Short Selling—Higher number is more inclined to short sell stocks, if available

• Investing in Others—Higher number is more inclined to invest in companies other than their own (such as perhaps your company)

• Issue Bonds—Higher number will more readily issue bonds with their company, for expansion and other purposes.

• Expand Rail—Higher number will expand track faster and to more far flung places.

• Industry Investment—Higher number will buy more buildings on the map.

When interpreting the table, 100 is average and 200 is maximum. A tycoon with a below average number in a given column is very unlikely to focus on that strategy while a tycoon with a 200 score in a column will always focus on that strategy. Numbers below 100 are rarely acted upon unless following that tactic yields a very obvious successful outcome.

Table 3-1. Tycoon Tendencies

Since these tendencies can be combined in many ways, and none are absolute guarantees of the AI’s behavior in every situation, it’s best to think of these in general terms, or better, general tycoon types:

• Expansionist (Company Starts/Expand Rail) — Because Railroad Tycoon II does not exclude multiple stations in a service area, an aggressive expansion by the computer will not necessarily exclude you from important regions. This will give the expansionist first dibs on optimal station placement but not exclusive rights to the resources there. This means the player who provides the most comprehensive service (material delivery and pick up) will get the cargo. This leads to natural competition for cargo without using an artificial rate war. The longer you have a train wait for cargo the lower the rate earned due to maintenance costs and lost opportunity.

• Stock Market Wrangler (Investing in Others/Margin Buying/Short Selling) — Since some scenarios rely on personal net worth, an aggressive stock manipulator can be particularly difficult to deal with. It is best not to delay in acquiring at least some of such an opponent’s stock. Later in the game it may be all but impossible to dig them out. Also, the same will hold true for your own stock. Keep as much of your stock in your own hands when playing such an opponent—this goes for human opponents too!

• Centralist (Industry Investments/Issue Bonds) — Because the centralist doesn’t usually "dabble" in the stock market heavily, they usually become well entrenched in their own stock and rapidly buy up industries that they will service with their railroad. They also have the annoying habit of buying profitable industries you are servicing. If an industry you are servicing is gushing cash or very lucrative, and you don’t own it, then this type will likely buy it up in a single heartbeat.

 Okay, there’s one important point here to remember! These managers don’t carry grudges so use them like tools! Really, they like it. If you need to build a lot of track and Robert Stevens shows up at your company door looking for work, hire him, it usually pays. When that phase of your work is done, you can fire him and get someone who is suited to help you with the next phase of your work.

Managers also can figure into winning strategies in the campaign. Results vary, but you can always see where you’re losing money. You should see if a particular manager is available to plug that hole. Lowering your diesel engine purchase costs by 30 percent can go a very long way in the "Dilemma Down Under" scenario. Also artificially lowering your own stock price with a manager is a great way to buy into your own company and make a sudden profit when you fire that manager.

The managers perform tasks that can both improve and hinder your performance; however, unlike in the real world, there are no managers in Railroad Tycoon II that don’t have a single useful function.

Each manager must be paid a monthly salary in exchange for his bonus. No manager will have more than four bonuses; however, not all managers are equally skilled when it comes to money management and purchases. Pick the right manager for the job that needs to be done, and use your manager’s skills to your advantage as you are in control of that manager’s employment. Table 3-2 lists each manager’s salary and explains each bonus.

Table 3-2. The Managers

>Chapter Head<

The Trains- Chapter 4 >Table of Contents<

With 60 locomotives to choose from, you need to pick your engines carefully. It’s best to select a train based on all the requirements for the run you have in mind. While a general approach may apply at times, to get the best results you’ll need to get the right locomotive for the job. This chapter gives you all of the information you’ll need to make an informed choice.

Workhorses of the Iron Highway

Your railroad won’t get very far without careful selection, management, and maintenance of trains. Railroad Tycoon II spans roughly 200 years, and in each time period, you’ll be able to select various trains to get the job done. Before taking a look at some of the more useful engines in the game, let’s take a look at some of the factors that affect trains and their operation in Railroad Tycoon II.

 

 

 

Purchasing Factors

When you decide to purchase a train in Railroad Tycoon II, the Purchase dialog provides crucial information about each train that is currently available. It’s important to choose carefully, especially when money is tight. You’ll have to live with the choices you make, so take the time to analyze your purchase before making it:

• Cost—This is the price of the train you are analyzing. It’s important to know that the most expensive train you can buy is not always the best train to buy. Look at all other factors first, then take a look at cost as the final determining factor.

• Maintenance—This is the cost of keeping the train running during the course of a year. Every train has a maintenance cost associated with it, so the important thing here is to weigh this factor against the pros and cons of other trains available. A train with a high maintenance cost may make sense, given good numbers in its other attributes.

• Fuel—This line gives you the fuel type and cost for each locomotive. As with maintenance, every train has this cost associated with it, so do some comparisons based upon the other factors first. If, however, a train’s fuel cost is out of line, select another train, provided its capabilities are similar. Note that the fuel cost shown is an estimate, and takes distance traveled into account. Faster trains will tend to use more fuel, since they travel further per year.

• Acceleration—This is a measure of how fast a train will get out of the station and up to top speed. This is important for short routes—if a train has poor (or worse) acceleration, it may never reach top speed before reaching its destination, and you should factor that into your top speed calculations. Also, on heavily traveled routes trains will tend to stop more to let other trains by, especially if the route has only single track.

• Reliability—This is usually the most important factor. If a train is less reliable, breakdowns will occur more often. Be conscious of your connections and the terrain, and try not to choose trains with poor or worse reliability ratings. Also, be more wary of poor reliability on a train that will be on your main line. A blockage on a heavily traveled main line is far worse than one on a spur to a few coal mines.

• Top Speed—Examine this chart carefully. By default, it shows a train’s top speed when hauling a certain number of 40-ton cars over variable grades. You can change the tonnage to see correspondingly different numbers in the chart. Pay special attention to this chart if you’re purchasing a train for a hilly route. However, since you run the whole show, you should minimize poor performance on grades by working to build your track as flat as possible.

Stations are not merely places where trains pick up and deliver cargo. They serve an important role in train maintenance and performance. Within a station, you can—better, you must—add upgrades that will make your trains perform better, and keep breakdowns to a minimum. It’s important to note that a train must merely pass through a station with these upgrades—the train doesn’t have to stop there—for them to have effect:

• Roundhouse—The roundhouse performs necessary maintenance on trains. A train’s oil level is the proxy for how recently it has received maintenance. Trains with less oil run a higher breakdown risk. If your train completely runs out of oil, breakdown risk triples, and maintenance costs go way up, too. If you’re continually running low on oil, add roundhouses along your routes to keep oil levels high.

• Water Tower—Crucial for all steam engines, the water tower enables trains to generate steam. Low water levels will mean that a train can’t move as fast—in fact, in many cases they will take years to limp to their destinations without water. There is no adverse effect until the train runs completely out of water.

• Sanding Tower—Sand is added to trains to improve performance over steep grades. Without sand, the train’s wheels can’t generate traction, and the effect of the grade is doubled — so a 2% grade acts like a 4% grade. There is no adverse effect until the train runs completely out of sand.

The longer it is between stations with these upgrades, the more likely it is that trains will have problems. In general, you’ll want a water tower every 30 squares or so along a line. Sanding tower placement depends on how steep the grades are where you’re building. In a hilly area, you may want sanding towers every 10 squares (even going so far as to place a small station along the track for no reason other than to add sand). In flat areas, you can place sanding towers 50 or even 100 squares apart. Finally, the effect of roundhouses lasts the longest — trains can go 100 squares or more between visits. However, due to their high costs, be conservative with roundhouses initially. As traffic increases, you may want more roundhouses than absolutely necessary, to keep oil levels high and breakdown frequency down.

A train’s cargo, or consist, has everything to do with how it will perform. Additional cars add tonnage to a train’s consist, and based upon engine capabilities, can severely impact a train’s ability to perform.

When you purchase a train, pay close attention to the Top Speed chart in the Purchase dialog box. If your route is over a flat grade, then familiarize yourself with the engine’s 0-2 percent numbers. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that a train with good numbers in this area will do all right when grades hit 4 to 6 percent. There is a marked decrease in performance when trains hit this type of terrain.

Also, note that the number of cars is a huge factor. Don’t overload your trains with multiple cars. They won’t get to their destinations fast enough to help you, and you’ll increase the chances that they’ll breakdown. This is especially true of trains before 1850—be very careful with these older trains and keep them on the light side to avoid problems.

Unfortunately, even the most careful selection of trains, regular maintenance in stations, and careful cargo selection won’t be able to keep your trains from occasionally breaking down or crashing.

When a train breaks down, it will stop for awhile, preventing any train from passing it. Your company’s goodwill will be hurt, and the train in question, as well as those stacked up behind it, will take a lot longer to reach their destination.

The likelihood of any given train breaking down is calculated based upon several factors, but they all begin with a train’s reliability rating. Table 4-1 lists some of the variables that determine the odds of train breakdowns and crashes. The reliability rating is found in each train’s Purchase dialog, and "Cells Traveled Between Breakdowns" is a portion of the calculation used to determine whether or not a train will break down over time.

Beyond these set breakdown rates, there are additional variables in the likelihood of a breakdown or crash:

Table 4-1. Train Crash Odds

• Oil Level—If you’re out of oil, breakdown odds triple. If oil level is one notch above empty, breakdown odds are double. At the half full level, the breakdown odds are 50 percent higher than normal.

• Throttle—Normal throttle setting is just below the red line, or 85 percent of maximum power. At maximum power, the normal breakdown rate is quadrupled.

• Weight Hauled—The first 50 tons hauled are free. Every additional 200 tons hauled doubles the breakdown odds. For heavy freight haulers, pay particular attention to reliability.

• Grade—For every 2 percent grade climbed, weight is roughly quadrupled. For example, a train hauling 120 tons up a 2% grade is effectively hauling about 480 tons—roughly quadrupling normal breakdown odds.

• Engine Age—After 2 years, the odds of breakdown rise steadily. A 10-year-old train is 33 percent more likely to break down. A 20-year-old train is 66 percent more likely to break down.

• Caboose—A caboose reduces breakdown odds by 25 percent.

Crashes are extreme breakdown cases. Once the computer has randomly determined that your trains will breakdown or crash, there is a straight 20 percent chance of it crashing and an 80 percent chance of it having a breakdown.

With all this in mind, a few clear strategies will help you get the most from your trains:

• Use reliable trains for the mountains. The steep grades will greatly increase breakdown percentages, so make sure you’ve chosen a train with the highest reliability possible for these routes.

• Push the throttle on brand new trains, but not older ones. The breakdown percentage is manageable on new trains at full throttle, but add the age factor and you might have as much as a 100 percent chance of a breakdown!

• Replace trains after 10 to 20 years of service. Old trains will break down more often—replace them early to keep things rolling along.

• Never let trains run out of oil. If you’re experiencing an extraordinary amount of breakdowns, place more roundhouses on your route to keep the oil levels near their maximum.

While statistics can tell you generally what an engine is capable of accomplishing, most engines are very particular and only the engineer and mechanics can tell you what it can really do. However, we’ll highlight a few of the best for certain time periods and/or special uses, particularly in Railroad Tycoon II. For more statistics on these trains, see Appendix B.

The John Bull 2-4-0 (1831)

Description: The John Bull was a modification of an English design that was also the first to use a "cow catcher" among its many customizations. It was shipped to the United States in pieces and was assembled by an engineer who had never seen a locomotive before—he added the cow catcher, headlight, and other enhancements. The original John Bull stayed in service till about 1849. It was the first locomotive saved as a national relic in the United States.

Usage: Its top speed on level track and its slightly better reliability make it a generally better passenger mover when passengers pay well. If you use only two cars in your consist you’ll get it’s best performance.

The American 4-4-0 (1848)

Description: The name "American" came from the description of this general configuration as being the American Standard engine type. By 1870, 85 percent of all U.S. locomotives where of this type. Varieties of this type of engine where used well into the 1900’s and are etched into railroading history.

Usage: The American is an inexpensive and versatile locomotive. Its high flat land speed combined with higher reliability will not be match for 20 years when another variant, the Eight Wheeler, becomes available. This is the first locomotive you can work hard without it constantly blowing up in your. The throttle can be used with some caution with this locomotive.

The Consolidation 2-8-0 (1877)

Description: Surprisingly, the Consolidation took some time to gain general acceptance after its early creation in 1866. However, once it did it became a mainstay on many freight lines for years and was used till the end of the steam era.

Usage: Its high reliability, reasonable speed, and good load hauling make it a good freighter. In a pinch, it’s a respectable express locomotive but there are others in this time frame that fit that role better.

The Three-Truck Shay (1882)

Description: The Three-Truck Shay was the first geared locomotive. Designed to haul wood from hilly and generally inaccessible regions, the Shay could scale 14 percent grades. At one time or another, versions were created that burned wood, coal, and oil.

Usage: This is a truly special use locomotive. Its poor flat grade speed makes it useless in anything but difficult terrain; high grades are where this locomotive shines. Also, its good reliability keeps the need for frequent repair stops to a minimum.

The Mogul 2-6-0 (1895)

Description: While the wheel configuration had been around for a number of years it wasn’t officially called the Mogul until 1872. Built until the1930’s, it became a prime example of dependable, all-purpose locomotive power in the late 1800’s.

Usage: Good speed and good pulling power make this an excellent replacement for the Consolidation. Although your operation costs will go up about 25 percent, the improvements will show up in the bottom line.

The Pacific 4-6-2 (1908)

Description: This wheel configuration turned out to be one of the fastest steam designs produced. Often modified later in life for other uses, the Pacific was the standard passenger locomotive for many railways around the world.

Usage: The Pacific was the first of the true high-speed locomotives. Don’t expect this engine to pull much, but if you need to move perishable items or fussy passengers this will do it quickly. Its speed will often compensate for a slightly lower dependability rate. Also, this is not a mountain train, so avoid it in the "Whistle Stops and Promises" campaign if you want the Gold.

The Mikado 2-8-2 (1919)

Description: The first Mikados were built in 1897 for the narrow-gauge railroad in Japan—hence the moniker. The train’s performance earned it a great reputation, and it was produced and distributed widely throughout the world.

Usage: This locomotive has power to spare. Though its top speed is not tremendous, its pulling power gives it great range. It also has the first decent acceleration for a freight engine, and its reliability makes the initial purchase cost seem barely a consideration. The "Which Way to the Coast?" campaign is a prime proving ground for this locomotive’s abilities.

The Class B12 4-6-0 (1923)

Description: A version of this class was named the Flying Scotsman and ran express passenger service from London, England, to Edinburgh, Scotland, till 1963.

Usage: Although its initial cost is a bit steep, this is a very fine locomotive. Its high speed can be maintained at lower grades, and it can still climb steep slopes for very short distances. This locomotive is the last of the golden age steam engines. The competition for top locomotives really heats up from here on.

The GG-1 (1935)

Description: The GG-1 became a pet project for famed U.S. industrial designer Raymond Lowey. Through his inspiration, the GG-1’s entire body was welded instead of riveted. This fact as well as its no-nonsense design gave it a distinct look. The GG-1 proved not only stylish, but extremely versatile. Able to run at high speeds and with very heavy loads, the GG-1 introduced the power of electric locomotives to the United States. The GG-1 was in service till 1983 and was the last survivor of Lowey-inspired locomotives.

Usage: If you can afford the electrical outlay, the GG-1 will make you glad you did. High speeds and great hauling power will pay for it’s initial cost in short order. The GG-1 has the highest reliability rating of any locomotive in Railroad Tycoon II.

The Class E 18 (1936)

Description: The design of the Class E 18 was the winner of the 1933 electric express locomotive development trials in Germany. Over 50 were built up to 1945 and were still in service until 1984. Capable of high speed, it could also be used for a variety of freight jobs.

Usage: This is another great electric locomotive. Half the cost of most engines available at this time, the E 18’s performance is equal to most locomotives throughout its life span. Its good reliability and fast acceleration make it a great buy.

The F9 (1949)

Description: The F9 is a natural progression from the F3 and F7 from the point of view of design. Although the body type is barely distinguishable from its earlier predecessor (the F7) by all but the most dedicated rail fans, the increased power and performance helped prove that diesels where here to stay. Success of diesels like these helped push back the growing interest in electrification in many countries.

Usage: It’s very fast, and it maintains that speed through a great range of grades. You’ll find that the initial cost is a bit overbearing; but like many of the later locomotives you’ll find that it can do the work of any two locomotives before 1900. Buy now, thank me later.

The V200 (1959

Description: Production of the V200 began in 1956. However, it didn’t reach its load-hauling potential until 1960, when track improvements in Germany enabled it to run at greater speeds and distances. The use of a diesel-hydraulic transmission, good body design, and lightweight bogies kept the weight down, allowing the V200 to have one of the best power-to-weight ratios of its time.

Usage: This is a tough call for the time period; however, all things considered this is a fine machine and should not be overlooked. Where electrification is not possible and money is tight, the V200 will give you the best bang for the buck. Consider using cabooses whenever possible with the V200, as the amount of miles logged on this locomotive could easily push it over the edge in the breakdown category. The V200 is particularly useful in scenarios that allow only European or limited diesel engines.

The Class E 111 (1977)

Description: This is a refurbishment of the Class E110 and was used extensively for passenger service. More attractive and with a number of improvements, the Class E 111 met the growing demand for passenger service in Germany. Some were modified to be used for S-Bahn service (tramways). A dependable workhorse and an excellent performer.

Usage: Good speed and better reliability edge out other similar choices like the E60 CP.

The TBX-1 Maglev (2008)

Description A prototype of unparalleled excellence, the TBX-1 utilizes a modified version of the Inductrack design pioneered at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This Bergantz Transport Maglev Prototype glides over retrofitted rail using standard overhead electric caternaries for its initial power, resting on standard trucks until magnetic transition occurs. Once a speed of 2 mph is attained, the Halbach Arrays—in conjunction with submerged passive coil systems—levitate the engine and its refitted cargo, and smoothly propel them to speeds in excess of 280 mph.

Usage: If you can afford it, buy one—it’s simply too cool and nothing else moves this fast. Is it economical? Probably not, but just one can serve an entire country, provided it is smaller than the size of the United States.

>Chapter Head<

Building Your Railroad Empire- Chapter 5 >Table of Contents<

Beyond basic strategies and tips, there are many things you need to become expert at building an iron empire that will stand the test of time. This section will give you detailed insight into those areas and should get you on the right track in no time.

Stations

Stations are second in importance only to your trains. Without them, you cannot pick up or drop off your cargo. However, their function does not stop there. Stations also allow you to maintain your trains, increase revenue, and increase the productivity of the industries you service. They connect you to the rest of the world, so the more strategically you place and improve them, the more efficient that link is.

Different Types and Flavors

Stations come in three different sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) and five different architectural styles (Victorian, Colonial, Mission Revival, Tudor, and Kyoto Revival). The different architectural styles are purely cosmetic, and do not affect the gameplay. The game will automatically select an architectural style for certain maps, territories, and cities when the architectural style selection is on Default (first selection to the upper right of the station size pictures). However, if you prefer one particular style, or wish to be able to know on sight that a station is yours, you can choose one of the other styles. Your selection will remain the same until you exit the program.

Size Does Matter

Understanding the difference in the three sizes is critical to your game. Small stations only cost $50,000 and cover an area of 5 squares by 5 squares on the map. Medium stations cost $100,000, but cover a circle with a 9-square diameter for a total of 2.9 times the area. Large stations come in at a $200,000 price tag, and cover a circle with a 17-square diameter. This amounts to 3.5 times the medium station’s usable collection area and an incredible 10.2 times that of the small station!

This doesn’t always mean that the large station is desirable. If that additional area isn’t being used, the extra cash you paid is simply gone. Whether you place a station in an area and which size you use should be determined by two factors: how much room is available, and how many resources you can cover.

Construction space usually only comes into play in the crowded cities. There should be more than enough room to place a large station and connecting track in any city, though rivers and coastline can make for a tight fit. However, if a competitor has already placed a station in the area, you may be forced to squeeze in a small station or none at all. On the flip side, this also means that if you monopolize the space in the middle of the city with your own station and track before another player (computer or human) can place a station, you can force your competition to look elsewhere for revenue!

Resource coverage can be a trickier issue. Generally, it makes more sense to place a large station in the large cities and a small station in the outlying countryside. But this is not always the case. If you only plan on using the steel mill from a large city, there is no need for a large or medium station. Industries such as steel mills, canneries, and oil refineries produce more cargo as you supply them with other materials. The situation changes when you are using many other industries. Mines produce at a set rate that never changes. Farm production can be enhanced to a certain extent by supplying fertilizer or grain, but still reach a limit and cannot produce any more per year. As a result, a single grain farm or coal mine rarely produces enough cargo to make the run profitable. Because of this, you will often find it better to build a medium or large station that is able to cover multiple industries. Two or three grain farms, or a combination of a wool farm and a produce orchard, can easily produce enough to keep your route profitable and your cars full.

Your goodwill and industry profit are both determined in part by how well you service your industries. If you place a large station to cover five cotton farms, you may find your station producing more cotton than you can ship away. None of the cotton farms will be serviced enough to make money, and the extra freight at the station will drop your goodwill. And if you are not careful in setting up the routes, you can end up with more trains than even double track can support. Your railway will become congested in the area, and profit will drop. If you find this happening, try to extend track in opposite directions from your station and haul an even amount in both directions to different textile mills, steel mills, and so on.

As a general rule of thumb, small stations will cover a village—the smallest of settlements. Medium stations can cover towns and small cities, and large stations can cover the most sprawling megalopolises. A cleverly placed large station can sometimes also cover two small villages or towns, increasing the number of houses high enough to create a demand for food and goods that would not be demanded by a single village otherwise. Outside of settlements, size will depend on how many industries you want to draw from.

Other Placement Considerations

There is more to placing a station than coverage. If you are placing a station before running track to the site, pick one of the eight orientation choices to make the station line up with the direction the track will be coming from. Trains that pull straight into a station and can leave straight out again will have a faster turnaround time than one that hits a turn right before and after.

The area the station draws from is determined by the track in front of the station, not the station itself. It doesn’t matter which side of the tracks the station is on does not affect area, nor does the orientation of the station.

When two stations co-inhabit a single city, or otherwise share the same industry, the resources produced appear in both stations on a first-come-first-serve manner. Whichever train arrives at and leaves a station first gets the cargo produced. This means that you will be sharing the cargo with your competitor. Even if you do a better job of servicing the station and win the lion’s share of the freight, it will not be as high as the amount you would otherwise be able to ship. This means that a station that services more than one industry can still be unprofitable, so choose to share space carefully. It can be a great way to steal revenue from your competition, but you will need to make sure you don’t cripple yourself in the attempt.

Stations from the Inside

You will need to buy improvements for the stations you build. Improvements can decide the success or failure of your route. The list of station upgrades available for purchase fall into one of five types. Not all buildings are desirable or useful at all stations. You should also know when to buy which upgrade. The upgrades also become available in different years and for a range of prices. (For more details on station improvements see Table 5-1.)

Table 5-1. Station Improvements

*1830 means upgrade is available at beginning of all games

The first type of upgrade is simply a larger station. If you have purchased a small or medium station, the larger station size(s) will appear on the purchase list, allowing you to upgrade to a station that draws from a larger area. The cost to do so is the same as the original structure would have been, so it is not an efficient way to build a large station. However, a lot of times when you are low on cash, it is a good idea to place a smaller station in a location and start a route, then upgrade when you can afford to do so.

The second type of upgrade available is the type that decreases turnaround time.

Decreasing turnaround time gets your train back on its route quicker, to pick up more cargo for more cash, which means more money for you. There are three upgrades that improve turnaround time:

• Telegraph Poles are available in 1837 for $40,000, and they decrease the base turnaround time by 25 percent.

• Telephone Poles become available in 1905, with a price tag of $80,000. They replace Telegraph Poles, reducing the base turnaround by 50 percent.

• Customs Houses reduce customs delays by 50 percent. This means that they only have an effect when a train ships cargo into another territory or to a port. Customs delays can be quite lengthy without a Customs House.

The third type of upgrade includes buildings that increase the revenue you receive from passengers:

• Small Restaurant—1830, $50,000, 20 percent increase in revenue. This is the

first restaurant you can build.

• Large Restaurant—late 1850, $100,000, 30 percent increase in revenue. You can add one of these instead of, or as an upgrade to an existing restaurant.

• Saloon—1830, $16,000, 10 percent increase in revenue. The Saloon doesn’t give a huge increase in passenger revenues, but coupled with a Small Restaurant, it’s worth adding.

• Small Hotel—1830, $65,000, 20 percent increase in revenue. Passengers like being able to stay near their departure point. Use this structure to get a solid boost to revenue.

• Large Hotel—late 1878, $175, 40 percent increase in revenue With double the revenue increase of a Small Hotel, the Large Hotel should be added as soon as it becomes available.

The Large Restaurants and hotels replace their diminutive counterparts. These upgrades only affect passenger revenue, but on many maps, that revenue is no laughing matter. Only add these upgrades to stations that you plan on using as passenger stops; they have no purpose at cargo stops. But at a potential increase of 80 percent to the most lucrative industry in the game, these five buildings can be used to create significant income.

The fourth upgrade category holds those structures that reduce the penalty for delays in freight pickup. This does not mean that the revenue you receive is affected at all. Instead, the amount available to deliver is increased. When cargo is ready for pickup, it slowly degrades. Overtime, that cargo will dwindle and be lost. These upgrades reduce the rate at which this happens for resources that would otherwise quickly decay and should be placed in the station that is collecting the materials:

• Post Offices (late 1840, $35,000) keep citizens happy and mail organized, reducing the penalty for delays in mail pickup by 50 percent.

• Refrigerated Storage units (late 1860, $50,000) prevent spoilage in produce and milk, reducing their delay penalties by 50 percent.

• Warehouses (1830, $25,000) protect goods, cotton, and wool from the environment, also for a 50 percent reduction in delay penalties.

• Liquid Storage units (late 1885, $50,000) protect oil and chemicals from the environment and offer a 50 percent reduction in delay penalties.

• Grain Silos (late 1873, $35,000) reduce the penalties for grain, coffee, and sugar by 50 percent. Other resources such as coal and iron do not degrade nearly as quickly, so they do not have special structures for storage.

The final type of upgrade, and perhaps the most important one, is used to maintain the performance of your engines. Without these upgrades, your engines will at best slow to a crawl and at worst simply crash on the tracks, resulting in the loss of an expensive engine and all the cargo it was hauling, as well as in the delay of all trains following closely behind it. While the other station improvements are optional, these three are vitally important. Do not let a train operate for too long without the benefit of these upgrades, all of which are available at the start of the game:

• Sanding Towers—All trains use sand from Sanding Towers ($30,000) for traction. Without sand, trains will run twice as slow. They will use sand much more slowly on flat ground, but can use up their supply very quickly when they hit steep grades, slowing them down even more. Since some of the resources such as grain, wool, milk, food and others are time-sensitive, the reduction in speed not only increases delivery time but also reduces the amount you receive when you do deliver the cargo.

• Water Towers—Only steam engines use water from Water Towers ($25,000), so they are not required if you are only running diesel or electric engines. However, the reduction in speed from a lack of water is even greater than the already considerable reduction from a lack of sand. Steam engines without water will creep along at only a small fraction of their potential.

• Roundhouses—All three engine types require maintenance from Roundhouses ($120,000). Roundhouses keep oil levels full, so if an engine travels too far without maintenance, its chance of breakdown or crashing significantly rises.

When you are using steam engines, it is a good idea to have a Water Tower at every station. Sanding Towers can be put at every other one if distances are not too great, but as soon as a route goes into the mountains, Sanding Towers at every station are not a bad idea. Roundhouses do not need to be as common, which is a good thing considering their cost. Place them at central hubs that a lot of trains pass through. Make sure every train goes through a station that has a Roundhouse, though. And while there is no negative impact from low sand or water—only running completely out of sand or water— this is not the case for maintenance. The lower a train is on oil, the more expensive its maintenance and the higher the chance that it will break down or crash. So while they are not needed at every station, more is always better.

The key to placing Roundhouses, Sanding Towers, and Water Towers effectively is to watch your trains and figure out what spots they travel past the most. This can be a particular station, or a crossroads on the map. A crossroads can provide a perfect opportunity for a refilling depot to service your trains. Place refilling depots along particularly long stretches of track to refill sand and water, and place one in mountainous areas with a Sanding Tower to refill sand as needed. Trains will use their sand quickly in the mountains, so be sure to watch them and place a depot as often as is required. One good idea is to provide a Sanding Tower on each side of a large ridge, or in valleys between multiple ridges.

Okay, now you know where to put your stations most effectively, and you know how to wisely decide on your upgrades. However, the next thing you know, you’ll have 30 or 40 stations and you won’t be able to keep them all straightened out. You need a lesson in station management.

Finding Station Information

There are five locations for station information and management, but they are just different ways of getting to and looking at the same data—which ones you use is your decision.

Main Window

The first is in the Main Window itself. When you hold your general cursor over a station—one of yours or a competitor’s—the area it collects from will "light up." Right-click and hold on the station, and a floating window will appear that displays supply, demand, and the To and From coins.

World Overview

The second way to learn about your stations (and all other players’ stations) is to use the World Overview: Stations. Click the World Overview button on the left of the screen and select View Station Statuses (second from the top on the right side of the Center List Box), or use this option’s hotkey 7 (not on the number pad) at any time. Suddenly every station will be connected by a green line to a small box displaying supply as text only and the To and From coins. These boxes will remain until you select another action, or exit the Worldview mode.

Center List Box

The next location is in the Center List Box itself, inside the main world. Clicking on the Station Tab below it will change the Center List Box to display station information for stations that you own. This will show the information for two stations at a time, with supply and the To and From coins, but not demand. To view more stations at once, click the small up-arrow button above the list. This will expand the list to show seven station boxes at once. The slider bar to the right scrolls up and down the list. Clicking on the list shows an action view of the station in the video window to the right, and clicking on that window will center the Main Window on that station. Right-clicking on one of the boxes in the List Box will also bring up the box you saw when you right-clicked the station itself in the Main Window.

Station Detail Screen

More information is shown in the Station Detail Screen. This screen can be reached in several ways: a) by double-clicking the station in the main window; b) by double-clicking the station’s box in the Center List Box; c) by double-clicking the station’s box in the Station List Screen (we’ll get to that in a moment); d) by clicking the Single Item Detail button at the bottom right of the Station List Screen; and e) by clicking the Station Tab at the bottom of the screen while in Train, Personal, or Company Detail Screens. This is the same place in which you purchase upgrades. This is also the only location in the game that shows which upgrades are in your station. The top portion shows the station and all of its upgrades. Moving the cursor over a structure in this view will display the structure’s name along the bottom of the screen. Below the station shot is an area that shows the station’s full supply and demand needs and the To and From coins. The arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen scroll through the stations in the order in which they were built.

Station List Screen

The final location for station info, and one of the most useful, is the Station List Screen. This screen can be reached by clicking the bulleted List Screen button at the bottom right side of the Center List Box of the Station Detail Screen. This list screen shows five stations at a time, but in much more detail than the Center List Boxes.

Interpreting Station Information

Now that you know how to navigate through all of the station screens, here’s what all the details mean:

Supply tells you what the station makes. A zero by the word or no freight icons above it means that there is currently none of that cargo at the station. This could either be because all of the produced resource has been hauled away or because the station needs to be provided with other resources in order to make the new material.

Demand shows what the station wants to receive. If there is a number beside the demand, or freight icons above it, this tells you how high of a demand the station has for it: "9" is the highest level of demand, and "0" is the lowest. A demand of "0" means that the station has all it needs for the moment but, if not supplied, will increase demand again later. Try to keep a station’s demand above "0." When playing the Expert financial model, keep the demand as high as possible—higher demand will result in higher revenue in return (see Table 5-2).

Table 5-2. Revenue Modifier for the Expert Financial Model

As Table 5-2 shows, you lose half your money by supplying a station with a cargo that is at "0" demand, while you receive extra revenue above the average freight price for supplying to a station with a demand at "9."

The To and From coins represent how much money that station has made. The coins refresh each year. To shows how much money has been made from freight brought into the station, and From shows how much money has been made from freight hauled away to another station. This means that every coin in the To list of one station is also shown on the From list of another station, and vice-versa.

A quick glance of the To and From coins will show you which stations are most profitable, and whether that is from resources supplied or demanded. Using the Center List Box lists (expanded or not) is perfect for showing you the supply waiting to be picked up. Periodically run down the list and look for large surplus. This will tell you what stations need to be serviced better. Remember, keeping a low surplus improves your goodwill, which in some campaigns is vital to success. The Station List is perfect for showing supply and demand. It’s easy to find stations that have surplus—potential revenue—and high demand, or deficit, so you know what stations are the most profitable places to take your surplus. High demand can also indicate great opportunities for expansion.

Before you can run trains, you’ll need to lay down track on which they can run. This will start off as only a short run or two, but by the end of the game will often become a vast, expansive web of interconnected (and separate) routes. And there is a lot more to the process than simply stretching out lengths of rails and ties.

The manner in which track is laid in Railroad Tycoon II is different than in the original Railroad Tycoon. Instead of using the keyboard, track is now laid by clicking the beginning point (or, if you wish, anywhere in the middle) and holding the mouse button while moving the mouse. A length of track will snake its way from the beginning point to your cursor, in the shortest path possible. This is not, however, usually the cheapest or best route. The shortest route for the track is not always the fastest path for a train. More on laying track effectively will be covered in the section, "Routes: Setting Them up and Making Them Work." Upgrading track is done by dragging new track over the old. Bulldozing is neither required nor recommended, since it will make the upgrade much more expensive.

Track comes in several different types. Of course, there is plain Single Track, but there is also Double Track, Single Electrified Track, and Double Electrified Track. On top of that, there are three types of bridges that can be selected, for use with any type of track.

• Single Track—Trains on Single Track can only occupy space one train at a time. If one train is already in an area on the track, any other train will stop until the first train has moved on. Which train has right of way at such a meeting depends mainly on its Priority setting. Lower priority trains always stop for higher priority trains. If two trains of the same priority meet, whichever train entered the grid square first wins right of way. However, all competitors’ trains on your track automatically have lower priority than any of yours, and any train you send onto track owned by another company receives lower priority than a train owned by that same company.

• Double Track—Double track lays two separate lines down. Trains always stay to the right side of the track, relative to which direction they are traveling. This creates a cycle, with all traffic going one direction staying on the same side. This means that no trains will meet head to head with another. Trains can and will still overtake other trains from behind, forcing one of them to stop and yield right of way. However, despite this, the efficiency gained by upgrading to double track can be much higher than a factor of two. If a particular length of track is only being used by one train, there is no improvement in run time. Two trains can sometimes run on a single track without too much congestion. Three or more trains are almost always too much for a single stretch of track. The general rule is that if a train spends more than ten percent of its time between stations yielded to other trains, it is losing too much revenue.

• Electric Track—Electric trains cannot run without electrified track. Without it, electrified trains will sit at the station with a notice reading, "No Electricity." A lightning bolt behind a red circle with a diagonal red line across it will also appear to the right of that. As soon as the track is upgraded to electrified track, the notice and symbol will disappear and the train will begin its run. Both steam and diesel engines run on electric track normally.

There are three types of bridges: wooden, stone, and steel. Table 5-3 lists the costs, year they become available, and special restrictions of these bridges.

Table 5-3. Bridge Types

*Note that trains slow down on the wooden and steel bridges, and that wooden bridges can only be built as single track. The bridge costs are the same for electric track, but the bridge itself must be upgraded (at no cost) when track is upgraded from normal to electric before an electric train can run on it.

When track is being built, numbers float above each segment of track. The white numbers indicate cost, while the green, yellow, and red numbers represent the grade for that square. Green grade is good, ranging from 0 to 1.9 percent grade. Yellow numbers indicate grades from 2 percent to 3.9 percent. Red numbers, 4 percent grade and higher, represent steep grades that should be avoided when possible.

For quick reference, Table 5-4 shows the base track costs.

Table 5-4: Base Track Costs

However, your track cost will rarely fit this table. There are a number of factors that will affect the cost of track building:

• Grades—Low grades do not significantly change the cost of track, but steeper grades can result in significantly higher cost for those squares.

• Terrain—Track building on sand (beach and desert terrain) costs 25 percent more. Swampy and mountainous terrain add 50 percent to the cost, and building on snow doubles it. In addition, every tree that needs to be cut down in order to lay track adds an extra $1,000. This is an insignificant amount in the plains and slightly woodsy areas, but the cost can jump significantly in forested areas. In fact, in the most heavily forested areas the expense can almost become prohibitive.

• Terraforming—When track is built, the ground is made flat perpendicular to the direction the rails run. This will add little to the majority of your track laying. However, it can become very expensive when you build your track along the side of a mountain or along a steep coastline. You can often find low grades this way; however, you will pay a lot of money for the luxury.

• Upgrading—The cost of upgrades changes depending on the type of both the old and new track. The only time you do not save money in upgrading is when you improve single track to double electrified track. In this case, the cost of laying the double electrified track starts at a base of $15, the same as new double electrified track. Downgrading is not allowed, and upgrading double track to electrified single costs the same as double track to electrified double (and it creates the same result—electrified double).

Track can only intersect at 45- and 135-degree angles, not at 90 degrees. When one track is dragged to connect to another track at 90 degrees, the computer will automatically turn the track at an angle before it connects in order to make a viable intersection. If one track is dragged across another so that a right angle is made, trains will not be able to turn at that intersection and it will not count as "connecting track." As a final note, track cannot be laid across ocean or through an existing building.

Of course, infrastructure involves more than just knowing how to put track where you want it. You also need to know where you need to put it! In other words, you need to become proficient at route planning.

Most important is learning to work with the drag-laying technique. The computer calculates the shortest route, but this is often not the best. It is fine when you are laying track across flat ground, but can create steep grades when you get into the hills. A better method is to drag short sections at a time, creating long runs section by section. You can often avoid steep grades by zooming in and dragging track around hills and mountains, or along the faces of slopes, as opposed to straight over or across them. Some very intimidating landscapes can actually be managed without ever getting above a 3% grade this way. The resulting track may be longer and slightly more expensive, but your trains will be able to travel from station to station much more quickly.

In scenarios where you must keep your entire track connected, you can still reach those out-of-the-way cities, such as cities along a mountainous coast opposite from your starting point. Simply build a connecting track over the mountains—disregarding the grade for the moment—and then connect the two cities to this line. Now, bulldoze that nasty, steep grade connecting track, and you have expanded to two "unreachable" cities.

Steep grades are not always to be feared, though. If a coal mine is at the top of a mountain, you can bet that you won’t ever need to haul anything up to the coal mine. Most trains, especially the ones that perform well on grades, can run up a mountain at a decent speed as long as it is not hauling any freight cars behind it. Run the engine up by itself, and the engine and loaded coal cars will shoot down the grade at close to top speed.

Keep an eye out for cities and industries at the edge of a steep cliff. You can often place a station at the base or top of that cliff and still draw from the industries and houses on the other side of the steep grade, without ever needing a high grade performing engine!

Trains slow down at turns, so try to keep your track as straight as the land allows. Trains slowing down at a turn can cause others behind it to stop, cutting into your revenues and reducing the efficiency of your lines. The distance you wish to span will depend on the trains you use and cargoes you haul. In general, later years will make longer routes desirable.

One trick to overcoming steep grades is to deliberately terraform the ground. However, this can be an extremely expensive prospect. The benefit is reduction of a terrible slope (10 percent grades and more) to around 1 percent or 2 percent. Drag a length or two of track at the beginning of the steep grades, perpendicular to the direction you want for your final track, and with the first square of the track at the level you want the ground to be at. The land will be raised or lowered to this new level. A row of these short tracks will create a flat area. Bulldoze these micro-tracks, and lay the "real" track route. At a hefty price, you can move mountains!

Track costs money to maintain. If you are planning to expand, save up until you have enough money to lay your track, place your station, and start a train. This will keep you from paying track maintenance costs for track that isn’t "earning its keep."

There are several different overall systems to use when laying track. All of them are useful, but you should choose the one that best fits your current application.

A main line system is when your railway has one long line connecting two distant cities. Main lines connect the two cities by making a wavy line across the landscape, jumping from one smaller city to another. A combination of different routes can be set up, leapfrogging passengers from one city to another that is two cities away. Passengers from the city in between these two can then be sent to another farther away. This will allow you to haul all of your passengers, while increasing the distance to gain greater revenue. Send a few more trains from one end of the main line to the other, and you will make a lot of money when the trains finally pull in. These routes could take years to finish, but are usually very lucrative.

Most players will quickly realize that too many trains will congest a main line. Other players will not be able to pass up industry deposits close by. This is when using a Spur system becomes a good idea.

Spurs are small tracks that shoot off from the main line to hit a station or two. These spurs can be single lines, or small loops that reconnect farther down the line so that trains can rejoin the main line without doubling back. These loops, or pockets, not only shorten a train’s travelling distance to the next station, but also help fight congestion.

A different system that is very efficient is the Loop or Circuit. Not necessarily round, this system allows a train to start at one end of an industry flow and carry that all the way to the end product. For example, a train can pick up grain from a grain farm and haul it to a sheep farm, where it picks up a load of wool and carries it to a textile mill. There it converts the wool into goods and hauls them to a large city that is close to the initial grain farm. This system makes money at every step along the way, and creates its own product as it goes. The drawback to trying to use this system is that the opportunity to run a track that utilizes every step of the industry flow and ends up near the first step rarely presents itself.

Another good system is the Hub system. In this system, one large city serves as a central hub, and smaller routes and spurs eventually create lucrative supplies for this central city. This is a good system because large cities have high demands. The problem is that even the largest of cities can only take so much, and some industries such as auto production often only pop up in larger cities. Your hub city will grow and produce its own cars and passengers, but you will not have any good location to take them to. You also find your hub city quickly becoming congested as many of your trains fight to deliver cargo to one or two central stations.

The Hub system’s shortcoming naturally leads to the extensive Web system. This system connects several hubs into a large web network. You feed your large cities in routes just like in the Hub system, but you can then exchange goods between the large cities, as well. Since your trains are dispersed across the web, congestion is kept down and demand is kept up.

The final system is the Broken Line system. This is simply making small routes wherever you find a lucrative one. You may have a couple stations connected by track hauling passengers on the east side of the map, another on the west side creating goods and shipping them to a port, and another in the north making steel.

In practice, players will automatically use a combination of these systems, shaped by the industry distribution, goals, and politics of each map. Some maps do not allow the Broken Line system, only permitting players to build from existing track. For example, the Orient Express scenario lends itself to a combination of a hub or web in France (between Paris and Orleans) with a main line extending far across the continent to Constantinople. This line, then, may have spurs extending from it. Other times, a main line might have spurs that become other main lines.

What system you use will affect how you upgrade your stations. Depending on how far apart your cities are, you might wish to put a Water Tower in every station, a Sanding Tower in every other, and a Roundhouse in every third. In a Hub or Web system, the central cities are perfect locations for your Roundhouses. Sanding Towers and Water Towers will be placed in outlying stations, as distance requires. When using spurs, use the cities on the main line to which the spurs attach as your roundhouse stations. This will supply oil to both the engines on your spurs and the ones passing through that main line city. If the spurs are not too long, you may not have to place a Sanding or Water Tower in them, either.

AI players’ strategies will be different in general, but there are some basic guidelines to remember:

• AI players will expand in open, flat areas and shy away from mountainous areas.
• When they do lay track in the mountains, they will often lay track with very steep grades.
• AI players make most of their money from passengers and mail, leaving industry routes mostly open for you to capitalize from.
• This also provides one of their weaknesses, since you know what cargo they depend on (passengers and mail), you know what to steal. You can make up the money with industries, but the AI will only try to find more passengers.

The AI rarely builds all of the upgrades it could benefit from in its stations. If you merge with an AI-controlled company, be sure to check and upgrade your new stations.

With the fundamentals of infrastructure management under your belt, it’s time to discuss the other important aspects of the game—managing your company, and managing yourself. This section covers company management, focusing on using the Company Detail Screen to best advantage.

The Company Detail Screen contains everything you need to understand the financial state of your company. However, there are plenty of details here, and the book can be intimidating at first. This section helps you understand your company, as well as your competition, section by section, and page by page.

The Overview section gives an overall view of the company: Name, Logo, Year Established, Chairman, Manager, Total Debt and Revenue to Date—it’s all in this section. Most of these items are self-explanatory:

• Company Logo—The picture at the top of this and every page is your company’s logo. You’ll see it again in the Stock Market portfolio, in the Company List Boxes, and floating over your properties in the Main Window.

• Portrait—The portrait at the top of the first page is you. As the caption beside the picture states, you are the Chairman of your company. Below that is your game persona. In single-player games, you become a historical figure, while in multiplayer you are able to give yourself any name you choose. Immediately beneath your name are your current salary and a statement on how happy (or unhappy) your investors are. Both are affected by how you run your company. For more information on your character, right-click and hold on your picture or description. Your description and a brief statement of personal wealth will appear in a window.

• Manager—Below your personal information is a picture and description of your current manager: his name, salary, and what bonuses or penalties you receive from him. For a more detailed description on him as a person (often explaining his bonuses as well), right-click his picture or description.

At the bottom of the page are the options to hire another manager or resign from your position as chairman. You may do the former many times in a game, but you’ll rarely do the latter unless it makes sense for you to take over a company where you own a majority of the shares. If you are playing in expert financial mode and own more than 10 percent of a company’s stock, that company’s book will show an option that reads, "Call for Special Chairman election." If you opt to do this, all shareholders vote on the matter. If you succeed (either because of a majority if investors think you are a better chairman or because you own more than 50 percent of the stock), you become the new chairman. This is not a merger. Your previous company becomes controlled by a committee until another player, either human or computer, assumes chairmanship of it. This is a great way to "abandon ship" of a sinking company. Since only companies can merge, the special election is also a great way for a player to gain control of a new company if he has been fired.

The facing page begins with your company’s name and the year in which it was established, followed by the current year’s revenue to date (money made directly from industries and cargo) and profit to date (total revenue and interest minus expenses, or net income).

Following that are cash (currently available for spending) and debt (bonds outstanding). The pair of figures below that shows the current total length of track mileage your company controls and the average speed of your trains. After that is your goodwill standing, which can range from atrocious to perfect. Goodwill will be covered more extensively in the Territories section.

Finishing the second page of the Overview section are two options, Change Company Name/Logo, and Next. Change Company Name/Logo can be used to give your company a fresh look and sound any time you like, but in no way affects its finances. Next takes you to the next page in the Overview.

On the left side of the next page is an Efficiency Statement for the current year. Starting off this list are Loads Hauled (the total number of freight and passenger cars delivered to date in the current year) and Load Miles Hauled. Load Miles Hauled refers to how many miles freight has been transported. It is a measure of how many loads of cargo have passed over the average mile of track. If you haul four loads of cargo over your track in one year, your Load Miles Hauled will be four times the total length of your track. Listed next are Haulage Revenues (total revenue from cargo deliveries only) and Revenues Per Load Mile (the average profit made per each mile each load of cargo traveled—higher denotes better efficiency). Next are Fuel Costs (for the year to date) and Fuel Costs Per Load Mile (fuel costs divided by Load Mile Hauled—this time, the lower number is better). The next pair of figures lists Track Miles (same as on prior page) and Load Miles Per Track Miles. This number tells you how many loads you are managing to haul over the average mile of track. A higher number is better, meaning that you are making efficient use of the track you have.

The final figure on this page lists the Average Speed (of your trains).

One important note on efficiency is that what is "good" will change over time. Cargo load prices will change, new trains will use more fuel per mile, trains will travel faster, you will need fewer trains to haul your cargo, and the market will change from Boom Times to Depression and back again. The best measure of efficiency is to compare your figures to other companies during the same time period, taking differences in route, trains, and cargo into account.

The remaining pages in Overview are total Efficiency pages for prior years, so that you can see how your efficiency rating changes over time.

The Income section itemizes your revenues and expenses. The first page in the section gives your Lifetime figures. Revenues and expenses are separated, with Revenues listed first. At the top of its list are Passengers and Freight.

Passengers are by far the most common and important cargo. They are also different from all others. Only passengers have upgrades within the stations devoted solely to increasing revenue from them. People are more sensitive to how quickly they are delivered than any other cargo, and they react more dramatically to being given the opportunity to travel farther distances. They are willing to pay more to ride on a record-setting train.

Your ability to service a city has a direct impact on how many people live there. Other cargo is moved to be used by people, and can create new products. You receive your payment upon delivering the freight. Passengers, however, are moved because they want to be. No new product is created, and the money that you receive at the end of a run is actually representative of the money they paid at the beginning. Houses cannot be purchased as an industry investment, and bulldozing them negatively affects your goodwill standing. In short, passengers are different from all other cargoes, and are treated as such in the Income statement. The Freight line lists revenue from everything else you ship.

The next item, Station, lists revenue made at the stations. This includes extra revenue from the passenger upgrades. The money your passengers spend at the restaurants, hotels and saloons is found here. This also includes revenue you receive when another company uses your station to deliver goods. Every time another company does so, they pay you a $2,000 station fee per car.

If you have invested in industries, profit received from them is listed here. This number can be a negative one if some of your industries are losing money. If this is the case, look into either servicing those industries better or selling them. For more on how to service your industries better, please refer to the Economy chapter.

Following Industry revenue, and rounding out the Revenue list, is Miscellaneous. This includes all other revenue, such as payments received for connecting to cities, cash from deals (shady or not) and other random events.

Heading the Expenses list are your maintenance costs, split into Track, Engine, and Car maintenance. Just like it sounds, this is the money you spend to keep your track in place, trains running, and freight cars together. They can add up to a fairly hefty amount, but are a necessary evil.

The next figures, Fuel and Engine maintenance, both depend in part on what type of train you use. Some trains use more fuel per load mile hauled and cost more to maintain. However, these costs can be balanced if the train is fast or powerful, thus bringing in more revenue to cover the expense.

Interest is the balance between the amount of interest your company makes from cash in the bank and the interest you pay on bonds outstanding. This number will usually be positive, thus becoming income listed on the Expenses instead of Revenues, but can be negative.

Overhead is a figure that will generally run about 1 percent to 3 percent of your revenue. It represents the assorted costs of running a business—the taxes, fees, licenses, pens, notepads, yellow sticky-notes, coffee, phone bills, and so on.

Following the Overhead figure is Salaries. This is simply the combined total of your salary and that of your manager.

Ending the Expenses list is Miscellaneous. Like the Miscellaneous at the end of the Revenue section, this covers random large expenses encountered throughout the game. Development costs for a new engine, costs for buying rights into a new territory, bribes, er, fees paid to "freelance businessmen," and so on.

At the bottom of the page is the Total, or Revenues minus Expenses. You want this number to be positive! You will often have a negative year due to economy cycles, heavy expansion periods and the like. But in general, these need to be kept at a minimum, with other years bringing in heavy revenues.

The facing page contains all of the same figures for the current year to date. The numbers on this page will change as the year advances. By selecting Next at the bottom of this page, you can flip through all of the previous year totals up to the year your company was established.

This is on of the most important sections in the book, and should be referenced often. Like the previous sections, it is broken down into the current year-to-date and previous years. This page will show you your Company Net Worth (a.k.a. Equity, a.k.a. Book Value), which is also broken down into your current cash, investments, and physical assets.

The first item on the list is Cash. This is your current cash available to spend. It is the same figure displayed in the Cash window in the main world view, as well as the figure shown on the second page of the Overview section. Remember, this can be negative, decreasing your total Asset value.

The next few items on the list are your physical assets—buildings, trains, track, and industry investments—all the things you have purchased or paid to build. These count towards your net worth because they have monetary value. This is why your Equity stays positive when your cash or annual income is negative. If you have too many years of negative income, however, you can drive your Equity into the negative range!

Finally, below Liabilities is debt and Equity. Your Equity is calculated by subtracting your debt from your assets. It is the Big Number. It tells you what your company is worth. Keep a sharp eye on this number. In order to keep it high, be sure to expand aggressively, invest heavily in industries, and watch your cash flow.

The Territories tab is your link to the political world. It is subdivided into three smaller sections, Political View, Access Rights view, and Goodwill View.

The Political View has a view of the current map on the left page. This map shows every territory on the map, each with its own distinct color and pattern. This color pattern matches a swatch on the right side of the page. Beside the swatch are that territory’s name, whether you have train-running and track-building rights in that territory, and a Consult button. When the list doesn’t fit on one page, you can click Next and Previous to see more of the list. The map will remain on the left side of the page. Train-running rights and track-laying rights can sometimes be purchased separately but are often purchased together. The territories on this list can be countries, states, provinces, or even cities. The nature of the territories will change from map to map.

The Consult button brings up a window that displays your standing with the territory. This window, in essence, sums up a meeting with an ambassador from that territory. It lists your Goodwill Standing with that territory, what access rights you currently possess, and the price that territory will accept in order to grant you any access rights you do not currently possess. Use this view when you want to buy access rights, or when you want to see what your standing is with a particular country.

 

Access Rights View

Enter the Access Rights View to see a summary of your access rights. The map on the left page will now display your rights within each territory. If you have Full access rights, the territory will be green. Brown territories have given you the right to run track in their land, but not the right to run stations. What this actually means is that you can build infrastructure, including stations, and you may purchase industries. You cannot run trains on the track, though, and thus cannot service your industries. Yellow denotes the opposite. You can run tracks on existing track, but cannot build any new infrastructure. Finally, red territories have not granted you any rights. You cannot purchase industries, lay track, run trains, or otherwise interact with the territory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwill View

Your goodwill standing with each individual territory is shown on the Goodwill View page of the Territories section. The map remains, as in the other two views, but territories will now be filled with a color representing a range from Perfect to Atrocious. The colors fade from Green (Perfect) through yellow to Red (Atrocious). Goodwill is affected mainly by the following factors:

• Safety and reliability—Territories will look on you more favorably if you keep your safety and reliability high. Well-maintained trains, the use of cabooses, and good managers can all help you. Conversely, high frequencies of breakdowns, crashes, and robberies can severely damage your political standing.
• Dependability—Goodwill is also affected by the dependability of your service. If you haul all the freight provided at a station so that supply is kept low, your goodwill would rise while surpluses at stations will lower your standing.

There are two ways to gain access rights. You can buy them through the Consult option in the Political View, or you can be granted rights through events in the game. Sometimes you will have the ability to purchase either train-running or track-laying rights, but usually the only option is to purchase all rights or none at all.

When you begin the game, some territories will already allow different levels of access. Most territories that do not already allow access will state a price at which they will open their doors—a few simply do not allow access. On some maps, the occasional territory will undergo political upheavals, resulting in the removal of rights or the ability to purchase rights they did not offer before. Likewise, some territories will occasionally offer you a deal or present you with an opportunity to provide a service or gift. This will sometimes result in being granted access, and sometimes in a considerable increase in your goodwill standing with them, making purchase of access rights cheaper. You do not need to have positive goodwill with a territory in order to buy rights, but as your goodwill standing improves, the access price will decrease considerably.

Finances

The final section in the Company Detail Screen is Finances. This final section is also the most important, and the most vital to running the business side of your company. This section tells you about the handling of your finances. It shows interest rates, bond information, stocks and dividend levels, and so on. The first section of the Company Book (Overview) allowed you to resign, hire another manager, and change your company’s name and logo. Otherwise, the rest of the sections (and most of the Overview) have been multiple pages of information. Finances, however, contains all of the actions you need to handle your company cash.

The left page of this two-page section is devoted to information. The first item is the Prime Rate. This rate is the same for every player, and is determined by the health of the economy. Interest rates received from cash you hold and paid for bonds outstanding are determined in part by the Prime Rate .

Below the Prime Rate is your Credit Rating. Credit Rating is a complicated and holistic figure, being affected by a large number of factors. The rating scale runs from F, the worst rating, to AAA, the best. It is an overall gauge of your company’s lifetime performance. If this decreases over time, the market will lose faith in your company and your credit rating will drop. The number of bonds outstanding also affects the rating, a higher number of bonds having a negative impact. Repaying bonds quickly has a positive impact. People will also have more faith in a company led by a trusted chairman. The five-year-weighted return on stocks (see the description of the Stock Market screen for more information) is a large factor, and one that gives stability to your credit rating. In short, the Credit Rating shows how much faith the market has in the financial stability of your company, and thus, how much faith it has in lending you money. No one factor plays too heavy a part in determining this rating. A higher credit rating can be maintained even if any one of the factors is low, or if the company has a bad year.

Since your rating is determined by your company’s lifetime performance, it becomes more stable the longer you play. For example, a bond issued in a company’s first year can drop its credit rating several levels, from BBB to C, for example. Several years later, though, the company might be able to issue ten or fifteen bonds at once with the same impact to the credit rating.

Credit Rating Calculation Detail

This section is for those of you who want more detail on the credit rating calculation. The primary factors that influence your credit rating are Debt to Asset Ratio and Debt Coverage Ratio:

If you have $1,000,000 in bonds, no cash, and $4,000,000 in assets (track, trains, buildings, and so on), you have a debt-to-assets ratio of .25. This translates to roughly AA, as shown in Table 5-5.

Table 5-5. Target Ratios: Debt-to-Asset

The other factor that affects your credit rating is debt coverage:

If your company had revenues of $1,000,000, various operational expenses totaling $600,000, interest payments of $100,000, and earnings of $300,000, then your debt coverage is 4.0 ( (100K + 300K)/100K). Lenders like to see a healthy coverage ratio, so that even if revenues and profits dip, you can still pay the interest. For this ratio, the weighted average of the last few years’ outcomes is used, weighted towards the most recent year. Table 5-6 shows target ratios based upon debt coverage.

Your overall credit rating is an average of the rating from these two sources, plus your manager bonuses. Recent bankruptcies incur a heavy penalty. Bankruptcy effects wear off gradually over ten years. New companies (less than five years old), take a penalty on their credit rating, heaviest in the first couple of years—lenders like a track record.

You can’t issue new bonds if your credit rating is below B. The interest rate on new bonds is prime + 1 percent per credit-rating level below AAA, so be careful if you want to avoid high interest payments on your debt.

The next figure on the left page is the company’s Share Price. This is the price an investor must pay to buy shares in the company’s stock. This, too, is determined by several factors, but is much more volatile than the Credit Rating. Short-term profit losses can quickly reduce a company’s stock price dramatically. The Share Price is determined mainly by the profitability of a company. In order to maintain a high Share Price, a company must remain highly profitable. While debt and general financial health affect Credit Rating, share price is affected by company growth. A company that has low but constant income can earn a high credit rating, but investors want a company that will make them money, which means that they expect the company not just to do well, but to do better than before. No matter how profitable your company is, you need to constantly increase the ratio of profits per share to keep the Share Price high.

The calculation for Share Price is as follows:

The key element is Fundamental Stock Price, but four factors are considered:

• Earnings: Basic weight = 40%

• Book Value: Basic weight = 30%

• Dividends: Basic weight = 20%

• Revenue: Basic weight = 10%

Basic weight is adjusted so that those criteria that would tend to value the stock most highly have their weight increased, and vice versa. For instance, if revenue is awesome and earnings are in the toilet, revenue will have its weight increased, earnings weight will be decreased.

The value based on each of these factors is determined on recent years’ performance, with more recent years being most valuable—current year is projected based on the trend.

Share price based on each criteria is roughly the following (all on a per share basis):

• Earnings: Share price = 10.0 times yearly earnings

• Revenue: Share price = 1.0 times yearly revenue

• Book Value: Share price = 1.0 times book value

• Dividends: Share price = 30 times average dividend, with a big bonus for continuity (dividend staying the same, or going up year after year)

The fundamental price is modified by the trend in recent trades. If shares are being bought, the modifier is positive, and the price is above the fundamental price. If being sold, the opposite holds true. The minimum a share can go to is 30 percent of its fundamental price—further sales will not drive the price down any more. There is no cap on the upper end. The effect of stock transactions declines over time, with the biggest impact in the first six months after the transaction.

Total Cash, the next item, should look familiar. This is the same figure displayed in the Overview and in the current year of the Balance section, as well as being displayed in the main window. This is how much cash the company currently has to spend.

Below Cash is the Interest Rate Received. This is the rate at which your bank account makes you profit on the money you already have. This will fluctuate with the economy, but usually stays loosely around 50 percent of the Prime Rate. The Interest Rate Received is the same for all companies, and is not directly affected by your company’s performance.

Below this, Annual Cash Flow (for cash interest) tells you how much money per year you are currently making from the interest on your cash. The figure is, in theory, simply determined by multiplying your Cash by the Interest Rate Received. However, if the interest rate changes during the year due to the economy, the current Annual Cash Flow is actually figured by the average interest rate for the year to date.

The next group of three figures deals with Bonds. The first item is Bonds Outstanding. This is the current total cash amount of bonds outstanding. Since bonds are issued in $500,000 increments, the figure will be the number of bonds outstanding times this figure. That will not be the case after declaring bankruptcy, when all bonds are halved.

The next figure, Average Interest Rate, is the average of the different interest rates on all of the bonds currently outstanding. This is important in figuring the next figure, Annual Cash Flow (for debt). This figure indicates how much money you are losing to the payment on bonds for the year.

The next group of items relates to stocks. The first, Shares Outstanding, is the number of shares your company currently has issued. As you issue or buy back stocks, this number will increase and decrease. When stock splits, this number will change. For example, if your stock splits 3 for 1, the number of Shares Outstanding will triple. The Annual Dividend is the amount paid to investors per share. This number multiplied by Shares Outstanding results in the next figure, Annual Cash Flow (for stocks). This figure shows how much total you are paying to investors per year.

The final figure on the left-hand page of Finances is Total Financial Cash Flow. This figure is the total of the three Annual Cash Flows listed above (for interest received, interest paid on bonds, and dividend payments).

The right-hand page of the Finances tab provides a list of options for you to perform. This is where you handle financial business.

The first option is to Issue Bonds. Bonds are issued in $500,000 increments only, but the interest rate on each bond is determined by the economy (Prime Rate) and your company’s Credit Rating. The interest rate will be the same as the Prime Rate if your credit rating is AAA, but will increase as your credit rating drops, causing you to pay more in interest. Bonds are also issued with a low once-only Underwriting Fee. You can only issue bonds if you have a credit rating of B or higher. Once your credit rating drops to or below CCC, your request to issue bonds will be denied. Despite your credit rating, you cannot have more than 20 bonds outstanding at any one time.

Since issuing a bond increases debt as it increases your cash, it does not affect your company’s Book Value (Equity). It only provides you with more Current Cash (by the amount of the bond minus the underwriting fee) with which you can expand and attempt to increase your profit. Keep in mind when issuing bonds that they must be repaid within 30 years. Watch the Maturation Date carefully (covered below). The sooner you repay your bonds, the less you pay in interest.

The next option is Issue Stock. This option issues shares of stock in your company. The amount of stock issued is equal to 5 percent of the current number of shares, rounded to the nearest 1,000 shares. The pop-up window that appears when you select this option lists the number of shares offered, the price per share, and an underwriting fee in a percentage. It also lists the profit you will make from issuing the stock (number of shares times price per share, minus the underwriting fee percentage).

Since issuing stock increases the number of shares, the Price Per Share in the Issue bonds window will be lower than the current share price listed on the left-hand side of the Finances page. Shares can only be issued once per year to prevent saturating the market. Issuing Stock will add cash to your current cash amount and decrease the stock price per share. When the stock is issued, it is available for purchase by you or any other players. If the stock is issued while in pause, computer players cannot purchase stock until the game is unpaused. This is not true of human players. Any available shares are considered Publicly Held.

Buy Back Stock is the next option. Selecting this allows your company to attempt to buy back shares of your company’s stock. Only Publicly Held shares are available to be bought back, and only if your company has enough money to buy back at least 1,000 shares. Your company will try to buy back 5 percent of the Outstanding Shares, but will buy less if it does not have enough cash to buy 5 percent. The cost to buy back shares is calculated as shown in the pop-up window that appears when attempting the purchase—by multiplying the shares being purchased by the price per shares, minus the brokerage fees. Similar to issuing stock, the price per share is determined by the proposed new share price, resulting in a price per share that is higher than the current share price. The company may buy back as many shares as it wishes per year, provided it has the cash available to do so.

Next you have the option to Change the Dividend. The dividend is the amount paid to investors per share owned each year. The Change Dividend window displays the number of outstanding shares and the current dividend rate, which is adjustable using the arrows to the right. As the dividend rate is adjusted, the Total Annual Dividends your company will pay each year at that rate is calculated and shown below. This rate cannot drop below zero. The maximum you may raise the rate to is controlled by the Board of Directors, who will never let the rate be raised above the total cash currently available, but will often not allow it raised even that high.

If you are playing in Expert Financial Mode, the next item on the list will be Attempt Merger. In a successful merger, the merged child company becomes integrated into the parent company. All property, from trains and track to cash and, yes, debt, become the possession of the parent company and the child company ceases to exist. The chairman of the child company loses his position and is forced to start another company, call for a Special Election, gain personal wealth alone, or quit.

In a merger attempt, all investors in the child company cast votes as to whether the attempt succeeds or fails. Publicly held shares appear as Other Investors on the tally. These other investors vote based on the price offered per share and the chairman with the better record, and in a fairly close race they will split, with some investors voting for one chairman and the rest for the other. The chairman who receives more than 50 percent wins the election. The majority rule means that if you own over 50 percent of the stock in the company with whom you attempt the merger, you will automatically win. If you own 50 percent in your own company, no one can force an unwanted merger. If you would prefer the cash received in the merger and are tired of controlling your company, you are free to vote for the other player and allow the merger. You can then start a new company or try to buy your way in and assume chairmanship of another company (including the one that just took you over).

When you select Attempt Merger, a window appears. This window shows a list of companies at the top, in which are listed the names of all other companies in the game. A merger can be attempted with any of them. You do not need to possess shares to attempt a merger. It only makes the success more likely since you automatically vote for your own company.

Below the company list is a slider for choosing an offer price. The offer price is determined by multiplying the child company’s number of outstanding shares by the offered price per share. At the far left, the slider represents the current share price for the company. At the far right, the slider represents double the current price. Offering more will convince more investors to vote for you, and can sometimes convince the other chairman as well. This is unnecessary if you have a controlling percentage, however. The lowest price will suffice. If the merger is successful, you may immediately attempt another. If you fail, however, your board of directors will not allow another attempt for another year.

The next action available is to Declare Bankruptcy. This is a last resort, to say the least. It will decrease all debt by half. This means all outstanding bond amounts will be cut in half, as will your cash if it is currently negative. If your cash is positive, all of that cash is forfeit, no matter how much or little you have. Declaring bankruptcy also automatically drops your credit rating to F. This will prevent the company from declaring bankruptcy for many years, and decrease the likelihood of issuing new stock. Overall, declaring bankruptcy leaves little chance to become profitable again. If a company is already deeply in debt, though, it could help.

The final action listed in the Finances section is the Repayment of Bonds. At the bottom of the page is a chart listing any outstanding bond amounts, their maturation date, the interest rate being paid on each bond, and a Repay option. Your company must have enough cash in order to repay a bond plus a small prepayment fee (which is much less than the annual interest rate you are already paying on each bond). Any bonds not repaid by the year in which they mature are automatically repaid no matter how much cash you have (or do not have).

In addition to managing your company, an important part of being a successful tycoon is managing your own interests. There are two places where you can do this—the Player Detail Screen, and the Stock Market.

The Player Detail Screen

On your desk (as seen from the Company Detail Screen, or accessed from the Players List Box) is a red leather-bound book that contains Personal Detail. This almost exclusively contains information dealing with personal wealth. It’s much easier to get into than the Company book, and is much shorter. No doubt your character has filled the rest of this vermilion tome with notes on other tycoons, telegraph numbers of girlfriends, poetry and other sundry effects, but you only have to worry about the three pages available in the game.

The biggest difference between the Company Detail Screens and this one is that no actions are available from within the Player Detail Screens.

The first thing you’ll notice when you enter the Player Detail Screen is a big picture of some old guy. Don’t worry, it’s just you. Beneath this photograph of you is your name. These two items together make up the whole of the first page. By right-clicking anywhere on your picture and name ribbon, you can bring up a window showing this same information and the information on the right-hand page.

The right-hand page begins with your position as CEO of a company. If you are not currently acting as chairman, your title will read, "Investor at Large." Your personal wealth is listed after this. The first item here is your current cash, and the second is the net worth of the stocks you hold. These two items are added together on the next line to show your Total or Personal Net Worth.

If you are playing in Expert Financial Mode, this will be followed by another line, Purchasing Power. Purchasing Power is calculated by adding your cash and half the value of your stock worth. This means that, even when your cash is negative, you can have purchasing power because of the value of the stocks you hold.

Last on the second page is your Style, a description of your character. In single player, this is determined by the historical figure you play. In multiplayer, you have a chance to type whatever description you wish into this space before entering the game.

The third and final page is crucial to those hungry for a merger (or paranoid about takeovers). This page lists your stock holdings. Each item on the list (assuming you own stock) details the name of the company the stock belongs to, the total value of that stock, and the percentage of total stock you own in that company. The number of shares you own is not shown in the company book but can be found in the Stock Market Screen. The stock value is figured by multiplying the number of shares by the current Price per Share.

The percentage owned is important for mergers and attempts to assume chairmanship. Owning 50 percent of a company’s stock ensures success of a merger attempt (though none is required for the attempt), and you must own 10 percent in order to attempt to assume the chairmanship by special election.

Although it is inter-woven throughout the game, we’ve chosen to place the Stock Market section here, since it is one of the areas in which you can perform actions as an individual. In addition, the things you do in the market directly affect your net worth, and your chances of pulling off a successful merger. To reach the Stock Market from the Player Detail Screen, click on the share of stock in the lower right portion of the screen.

The first section of the Stock Market screen shows your personal holdings in more detail than the last page of your Player Detail Screen. Here you can see which stocks you own, how many shares of each you own,

each stock’s share value,

and finally, which actions you can perform—Buy, Sell, or View.

When you buy stock in a company, whether it’s your company or another player’s, you must have sufficient purchasing power for the transaction. As stated above, Purchasing power is calculated by adding your cash and half the value of your stocks. Although your purchasing power must be positive, you can purchase stock when you don’t have sufficient cash for the purchase. This is known as buying on margin—outside the financial world, it’s known as gambling.

If the stock price continues to rise after your margin buy, all is right with the world, and you continue to accrue stock value, even though your available cash is negative. Brokers will allow you to buy stock up to the limit of your purchasing power. However, if the stock price falls, you’ll be victim to a margin call—your broker doesn’t like being hung out to dry. After all, you have basically borrowed money to buy the stock, hoping it would rise in value to cover the loan, but now it’s worth less than you paid for it. The only way for the broker to get the money back is to force you to sell shares to cover the deficit—this is not a pretty picture.

If this happens, take the initiative and sell your interests in other companies’ stock first. Because you gain cash from this, it will bring your purchasing power up quickly. Selling your own company’s stock to cover a margin call is an exercise in futility. Every share you sell lowers the share price, which in turn decreases your purchasing power. The net result is that you have to sell many more of your own company’s shares to dig yourself out of the hole—and you still may not have positive cash, which means it can all happen again. The worst part is that after one of these debacles, you own less shares of your company, and there are very few AI players who won’t come in and buy them on the open market while you’re helpless to prevent it. This is a sure way to turn a good position into a losing one.

For this reason, buy on margin early in the game when share prices are low, or when you’re sure the share price will go up. After all, you’re the chairman—inflate the share price by having the company buy back stock from the market to prevent a margin call when you are heavily leveraged.

Selling stock is very simple—unless you’re the chairman and it’s your stock you are selling. When you sell stock, it lowers your stock price, which decreases your purchasing power. If you have more cash than stock, then this won’t hurt you as badly, but if your holdings are primarily in stock, be careful about doing anything that lowers your stock price.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could perform this little trick on competitors’ companies, driving their share prices and purchasing power down? Well, you can—it’s called Short Selling their stock. Your friendly broker will be happy to let you sell stock you don’t own, up to the extent of your purchasing power. This is the opposite of buying on margin, but it can have the same devastating effect on your personal wealth.

If you’ve short sold a competitor’s stock and the share price continues to drop, your broker will pat you on the back and cover the difference. If, however, the share price rises despite your efforts, your broker will ask that you buy shares to cover the margin call. They are now worth more than you speculated they’d be worth, so you have to pay the higher price for them. The effect on your purchasing power is the same—you have to shell out cash for stock at an inflated price. You get less for your money, and your profit on the shares will drop to nothing if you sell them.

Don’t short sell unless you are sure the stock will continue to drop in value, or you can make it do so. Of course, short selling your own stock is lunacy, but if you’re trying to drive the price down so you can buy more stock, it is certainly one way to do it.

The final function you can perform is viewing corporate statistics. If you want to view your company’s statistics, click the Corporate tab at the bottom of the stock ledger. This will bring up a screen with your company’s per share data, largest shareholders, and the number of shares they own. This information is actually more valuable for companies you don’t control, since you have no other way to get this information.

You can go to the next company in the list by clicking Next at the bottom of the ledger. Use the information here to tell you when a merger makes sense (if you have the majority of the shares), and to see what other players are up to in your company.

There are a number of things you can do to drive your net worth through the roof, and all of them are centered around the stock market. One of the more obvious things you can do is manipulate the dividend for personal gain.

Dividends are paid quarterly, and fortunately, you have some say over what rate is paid to shareholders. Of course, the board won’t let you set the dividend higher than the company can afford to pay, but you can definitely use it to put cash in your pocket and drive up your net worth.

Try this in December (you can do it every quarter if you like). Just before the dividend comes due—it’s paid in the next month after the quarter is over—pause the game. Have the company buy back stock from the market, which will drive up the share price (your shares included). Now, push the dividend as high as the board (and your cash) will let you. Resume play, and after the quarter, you’ll see that investors are highly pleased with you—after all, you just tossed cash into their pockets too—and the higher dividend will give you more cash.

We’re not done yet; now pause the game and dump stock on the market by issuing more shares to drive the price down. You know the stock will rebound due to your management skills, so use your new cash to buy it up. Keep the game paused during this transaction, or a computer player will snap it up before you can. It’s a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul, but the net effect will be a positive effect on your net worth.

When you are in a game with an aggressive computer player, use your initial capital to take them out of play early. In most cases, if you pause the game immediately after it starts, the other players will have just started their companies. You should be able, with the $1+ million you have as seed money, to make an unbeatable offer to their shareholders and take control of their company away from them.

Do this to the most aggressive player; it will take you more time to build your operation after spending most of your cash, but you’ll have more time with them in a weakened position. If you are going to have to spend all of your cash to succeed, then take out a Bond first to give you a cushion.

>Chapter Head<

The Lay of the Land- Chapter 6 >Table of Contents<

Railroad Tycoon II includes 18 campaigns, as well as 12 stand-alone scenarios. All of them have different objectives, geography, and require you to do different things to be successful. The campaigns are designed to be played sequentially, similar to a tutorial. Earlier campaigns teach basics, while later ones include all aspects of game play. If you already feel confident in your ability to tycoon with the best of them, then try one of the stand-alone scenarios. Either way, this section includes details, tips, and tactics for each.

The campaign mode in Railroad Tycoon II provides an excellent way for you to learn the game, challenging you to get better at the fundamentals as you progress. This chapter lists the campaigns, along with key information about each one. Each campaign scenario

is designed to follow the one before. However with the following information, you’ll have a good head start before you even begin. By the time you finish all of them, you’ll be a full-fledged railroad tycoon!

The first railroads built in the United States were a mix of old-world technology and new-world pioneering spirit. The very first locomotives were barely more powerful than horses, if even that good. However, the beginnings of a modern rail service in the United States of America planted the seeds of expansion and industrialization that would grow strong for over a century. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was founded by a seven-member committee of Baltimore merchants. It received its charter in 1827 and provided the United States with its first all-steam railroad in 1835. The B&O provided passenger and freight services between Washington, Baltimore, and Harper’s Ferry (powered by an 0-4-0 steam locomotive) and set in motion the dominant form of transportation for the nation. As chairman of the B&O, it’s your turn to follow in the footsteps of those seven Baltimore businessmen and try to duplicate their success. Your start date is 1827.

Award Objectives

 Bronze Connect Baltimore to Washington, and haul 4 cargo loads by the end of 1840

Silver In addition to the above, connect to Harper’s Ferry and haul at least 8 loads

Gold In addition to all of the above, connect to Philadelphia and haul at least 12 loads

Available Bonuses

• + $50,000

• 10% lower track building cost

• John Bull 2-4-0 available early

Going for the Gold

Appearances to the contrary, getting the John Bull early is not a great help, since you get it in due course 18 months later. The +50,000 is...well...virtually nothing. You’ll find that cash isn’t much of an issue in this scenario. So, the best bonus is actually the 10 percent reduction in track cost. Over the course of the game, this will add up, but even this isn’t all that significant—you’ll be pulling in enough dollars to pretty much do as you please shortly, regardless of which bonus you choose.

The key to quick income on this map is passenger revenue. A combination of passenger cars and upgrades to your stations that increase passenger revenues will get the job done quickly.

• Issue one Bond. Go to the Finances screen for your company and issue a bond to give you enough working capital to get started. Don’t worry about repayment, since you won’t reach their maturity date in this campaign.
• Connect Baltimore to Washington with single track and put a station at each end. Buy two trains—Stephenson Rockets are all you have to choose from until the John Bull becomes available—each with only two passenger cars. Any more will bog them down.
• Maximize revenues for each train. Set the trains’ priority to red light (wait until all cars are full) so they fill both cars before leaving. Add the sanding tower, water tower, and roundhouse to Washington, plus as many passenger-oriented station upgrades as you can still afford. Let the trains go! You should get a nice, fat sum when the trains pull into their stations. This will also award you a Bronze victory!

• Upgrade your trains. By the time the two trains have reached their destinations, the John Bull will be available. Replace your trains with new John Bulls. Again, upgrade your two stations to increase passenger revenues. Let the trains return to their original stations.
• Connect to Harper’s Ferry and give all three stations all passenger revenue upgrades with the resulting cash from the last runs. Buy another John Bull and send it from Baltimore to Harper’s Ferry with two passenger cars.

This awards you the Silver medal, but there’s no reason to stop there—on to the Gold!

• Stockpile cash and connect to Phildelphia. If you let the trains run a few more years, by the end of 1834 you should easily have enough cash to connect Baltimore to Philadelphia.

Once you’ve connected Philadelphia, that’s all you need to do to win the Gold medal—you should have already hauled more than 12 cargo loads, which is the other condition for a

Gold victory.

A Handle on the Bread Basket

The spread of railroad building was nothing short of a phenomenon in the second half of the 1800’s. Once the initial connections were made along the U.S. Eastern seaboard, attention shifted to connecting anything west of the Appalachian Mountains to the blossoming populations of the east coast.

As the railroad spread west from the coast, a flurry of railroad speculation began. Over-inflated and deeply indebted railroads sprang up overnight, only to quickly declare bankruptcy and go into receivership. In this environment, the legendary robber barons where able to make their fortunes forcing mergers and manipulating stocks to their advantage. People like C. Huntington built their empires on hard-nose managing while others, such as Jay Gould, tickled the shaded underbelly of the stock market to gain wealth and power. Still others, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, danced a fine line between the light of good business and the darkness of unscrupulous business manipulation. As chairman of the New York Central Railroad, your goal in this scenario is to connect Chicago and New York with one continuous track and haul eight loads of cargo between them. Your start date is 1867.

Award Objectives

Bronze Connect New York and Chicago and haul 8 loads between them by 1870

Silver Same as above, with a company book value (equity) of $4M or more

Gold All of the above, accomplished by 1858

Available Bonuses

• +$80,000

• 15% lower track building cost

• +20% steel revenue

Going for the Gold

There are a number of ways to win the gold in this scenario, but as a starting point you need to select a bonus that will help you the most in the beginning of the scenario. Since you’ll be building a large amount of track, the 15 percent lower track building cost will have a greater impact than the others.

$80,000 is a drop in the bucket—it won’t help you do much, and you will make that much and more with your first loads. The steel revenue bonus is tempting, but there aren’t many steel plants in this scenario, and you’d need to haul a fair amount of steel for this to help you.

While passenger revenues can pretty much turn the tide here, don’t completely ignore other industries. If you find a lucrative, short run, by all means exploit it.

• Start with what you have. You have two stations already on the map, connected by track—Albany and New York City. As soon as the game starts, issue a bond to give you operating cash, then buy two trains. Place one at Albany, and the other at New York City. Set the trains up as passenger trains, and upgrade your stations with all the passenger revenue enhancements you can afford. Once you get these trains running, you’ll be making $200,000 and up per trip—an excellent start.
• Pick up the pace. Lay down double track on your Albany-NCY route as soon as you can, and get two more trains running. This will give you more than enough cash to finance your NYC-Chicago line.
• Expand carefully—Remember that your goal is to connect the two cities, so don’t spend a lot of time with expansion projects that are un-related. If you want to supplement your Albany-NYC operation, make sure any track you lay can be used in your future NYC-Chicago line if at all possible.
• Link the two cities as soon as possible. It will take time—years—for your trains to make the trip between the two cities. Plan for it by building track between the two as soon as possible.
• Haul eight loads of cargo. Once you have the track laid between the two cities, hook up a combination of passenger/mail cars with four cars at each end, making sure to set them to "Wait until all cars are full." They will move slowly, but they will eventually make it to their destination, and you’ll receive a huge fee for your trouble. Once both trains reach their destinations, you’ll have met the requirements for the Bronze medal.

• Watch your finances closely. Winning the Silver medal should happen quite easily. If you set up the Albany-NYC run properly, your company should be well above the minimum $4 million threshold required to win the Silver medal by the time you haul the requisite eight loads.
• Don’t take on additional debt. Try to avoid taking on more debt in the form of bonds. These negatively affect your company’s equity position. You shouldn’t need to borrow money if you were able to get started as discussed above.
• Manage your trains carefully. Keep a close eye on your trains, and make sure they always go out full. This will increase your profits and result in a high book value.

• Build early to win the Gold. You don’t have time for many diversions when you go for the Gold in this scenario. Get the Albany-NYC run operational with double track and four trains, while simultaneously building as much track as you can between NYC and Chicago. Supplement your income with short runs between lucrative industries to speed up the pace.
• 1850 is your deadline. If you don’t connect the two cities by 1850, it’s almost impossible for you to haul the eight loads between them by 1858—there’s just not enough time left. Watch the calendar, get them connected as early as possible, then follow the instructions above to haul the eight loads and win the Gold!

 TIP: Pay close attention to the grades as you build your NYC-Chicago line; keep the grade as flat as possible so that the two trains will reach their destinations as fast as possible. Build short sections at a time to make sure the grade stays optimal.

 By 1860, the U.S. rail system east of the Mississippi River was developing nicely. In the interests of opening the West and building unity amongst the states, the U.S. government passed the Railroad Act of 1864. Large land grants (over 19,000 square miles of land—more than the combined total of the states of Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island) and subsidies began to flow, making it possible to link the established eastern routes with the fledgling west coast cities. In 1864, thanks to the Railroad Act, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railways began construction in earnest, although both had been incorporated for several years already. The Union Pacific—headed by Thomas Durant, George Train, and the dubious Oaks Ames—began construction in Omaha, Nebraska, while the Central Pacific—lead by Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and Collis Huntington—began in Sacramento, California. As chairman, it’s your turn to face the unique challenges involved in bridging a nation. Your start date is 1862.

Award Objectives

Bronze Connect the cities you choose, and haul 6 loads between them by 1882

Silver Connect the cities by 1882 and have company equity of $10 million

Gold Connect the cities by 1878 and have a personal net worth of $8 million

Available Bonuses

• St. Louis to Sacramento

• St. Paul to Seattle

• New Orleans to Los Angeles

Going for the Gold

The bonuses for this scenario are not really bonuses at all—they are different cities you can choose to connect. Due to the different geography, it’s recommended that you play this scenario three times to try them all.

The northern route (St. Paul to Seattle) is the most difficult; the central route (St. Louis to Sacramento) is somewhat easier; and the southern route (New Orleans to Los Angeles) is the easiest. Selecting a route has a lot to do with how this scenario works, but it primarily means you’ll have to find different routes to accomplish the objectives.

For the northern route, look closely at the forests in the northeast edge of the mountains for the best run—turn off the trees from the Options menu if you have trouble finding it. In the central route, connect to Denver, then up to Casper, across to Reno, and down the pass to Sacramento. For the southern route, follow the Rio Grande and head west through the mountains to Tucson and Yuma. From there, you can find a nice pass that will take you through to Los Angeles.

• The cattle industry is king. Unlike earlier scenarios, you’ll find that passenger travel is not nearly as lucrative in this scenario. Focus on the cattle industry by finding the numerous areas where you can haul grain to cattle farms, thereby increasing their production, then haul the cattle to meatpacking plants. Meatpacking plants will take all the cattle you can bring them, so don’t worry about saturating them. From there, find cities to take the food produced at the plants.
• Coal, iron, and steel are valuable here too. Don’t ignore opportunities to make money hauling these cargoes. However, you won’t find them to be as abundant or in as close proximity as in the grain-cattle vector.
• Balance your deliveries. You can’t deliver all your food to one town—demand will drop and so will your profit per load. Spread the shipments around to maximize revenues.
• Expand to the west, but look east as well. Just because your focus is the west coast, don’t forget to scour the eastern portion of the map for opportunities to turn a profit. Not all your track need be connected in this scenario, so take advantage of that and turn a profit wherever you can.

• Save the cash, then build your route. It will take you a decent amount—somewhere around $1.5 million in total—to build your route to the west coast. Be sure you have enough surplus cash to invest in trains when the route is complete.
• Load ’em up and finish the job. Once you’ve connected the cities, load up a train at each end with three cars each—all set to wait until full before departing. When they arrive at the other end of the line, this will take care of the requisite six loads you need to haul to win the Bronze medal.

• Focus on profitable routes early. The biggest challenge in winning the Silver medal, is getting your Book Value, or Equity above $10 million. You need to turn a profit from the start. Look east to large cities such as Chicago, as well as the areas around them, to find lucrative routes. Also, be sure the routes aren’t too long—you need round trips that occur once, or even better, twice in one year with high profits.
• Build your entire route west at one time if you can afford it. Once you’ve amassed sufficient cash (at which time your Equity position should be good as well), build your route west. Be careful to build in short segments to avoid steep grades.
• Haul your loads to win the Silver! Use the usual strategy of setting up trains with three cargo cars each at either end of your line and send them to the opposite end to complete the run.

• Buy company stock to gain personal wealth. Buying your own company’s stock is the quickest way for you to gain wealth. After all, you control the dividend—as long as the board lets you—so buy up stock then increase the dividend to line your pockets. Keep your company profitable and growing. This will put you well on your way to $8 million in personal wealth.
• Establish your route early. If you’re making a run for the Gold, get started on your west coast route immediately. Build short segments of track and link them to connect both cities. You can’t afford to wait and build it all at once. Remember, it will take a long time for your trains to reach their destinations, so move quickly.

In the years 1875 to 1910, the silver booms in the southwest drew the hopeful to the "untamed West." The remote towns were growing and demanding service and supplies. Even after the first transcontinental line built in the United States, the fever for expansion and riches did not die off. Before the end of the 1880’s, five more transcontinental lines were constructed. In this scenario, you’ll soon realize that the booming railroad industry of the 1800’s wasn’t built by timid men who were afraid to take risks. It was built by visionaries

who knew that the key to personal wealth lay in building and running a profitable operation. You’re in charge of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad, poised to dominate trans-portation in the west. Along with other natural resources of the area, you realize the potential for an aggressive railway magnate like yourself. You’ll have to overcome nature, competitors, and a fickle market to become the robber baron that lurks within you. Stay on the alert for opportunities, as they come and go quickly, and always remember, it’s you against the world as you try to measure up to the achievements of your predecessors. Your start date is 1875.

Award Objectives

Bronze Raise your personal net worth to at least $5 million by 1905

Silver Raise your personal net worth to $10 million by 1900

Gold Raise your personal net worth to $20 million by 1895

Available Bonuses

• +20% Stock Prices, 15% lower track building

• +20% Security, +10% train speed

• 2-8-0 Consolidation available early, +15% cattle revenue

Going for the Gold

This scenario is a bit different from the first three. The focus here is on gaining personal wealth, which means that your priorities might remain the same—you’ll still do the things you need to do to run a profitable railroad—but you’ll be keeping a close eye on your personal financial status throughout.

Select bonus #2 for this scenario. The first bonus might seem attractive, but you can’t ignore a chance to increase your train speed by 10 percent. That’s equivalent to +10 percent revenue, so don’t pass it up. The +20 percent security is also a big plus here, since robbery probability is high in this scenario. Don’t even think about taking bonus #3—the 2-8-0 just isn’t a good enough train to carry you to victory, so having it early is not a bonus.

• Stocks are the key to success. As soon as you can, start buying stocks. Concentrate on your own company’s stocks, since you directly control its profitability. Investing in other companies’ stock means that you are trusting the AI to make money for you—not a wise move in most cases, at least not before you have extra cash.
• Buy up stock, then increase dividends. As you gain stock ownership in your company, any increase in the dividend will directly impact you financially. The more profitable your company is, the higher you can set the dividend, netting you higher net worth.
• Be aggressive, but stress profitability. Don’t waste money; focus on short, profitable routes where the trains can make fully loaded round trips quickly.
• Buy industries that are profitable. Check the map periodically for lucrative industries. Make sure that you own the ones along your own routes, but expand to own those along your competitors’ routes as well. This can begin to put serious extra cash into your company in short order.
• Respond to events carefully. Most of the events in this scenario involve an element of risk, which is not always a bad thing. However, several of the events are set up to hurt you from the start. A good rule of thumb here is if it looks shady, don’t do it—it will come back to haunt you. Don’t expect to play dirty and come out on top.

• Winning the Silver requires all of the above, plus the ability to move quickly. Pause the game often, and plan your real-time moves carefully in order to hit the goal of $10 million net worth by 1900. Once you take an action, pause and regroup before taking the next action. This will give you the key ingredient you need to do better than Bronze—better time management.

• Taking home the Gold is a stretch. You have five less years, but you have to reach a $20 million net worth in that time period. Be very aggressive in the stock market and look to gain controlling equity in your competitors’ railroads early, then merge with them. This is a must to boost your net worth up to the $20 million mark.

Whistle Stops and Promises

 In the first three decades of this century, steam was still king. Newer, faster, and stronger engine designs were all the rage. Presidential hopefuls in the United States saw the train as a fast, exciting, and comfortable way of covering the vast landscape in their quest to spread news of their plans and promises. From the back of a decorated caboose, the candidates would speak the words they hoped would weave the fabric of their presidential candidacy as they whistle-stopped the cities, towns, and villages across America.

This scenario is unique; it takes place between 12 a.m. January 1, 1904, and 12 p.m. January 14, 1904. Teddy Roosevelt is seeking to raise votes for the presidential elections, and his campaign staff has asked for your help in getting him to as many cities as possible in this short period. You have no other business to worry about in this scenario, but reaching all the stops will seriously challenge your routing abilities. Your job is to get to the most stops in the time allotted for this campaign. Theodore would get quite cranky if he missed any of his stops. Luckily, you get to set the dates and times.

Award Objectives

Bronze Take Teddy to 13 cities by midnight, January 14

Silver Take Teddy to 14 cities by midnight, January 14

Gold Take Teddy to 16 cities by midnight, January 14

Available Bonuses

• 4-4-2 Atlantic—High top speed, terrible grade performance

• 2-6-0 Mogul—Medium top speed and medium grade performance

• 2-6-0 Camelback—Low top speed and outstanding grade performance

Going for the Gold

In this scenario, you control the train’s route and speed, but it’s locked into its five passenger cars and one caboose. You can’t purchase anything, although you can examine station details to insure proper supplies of sand and water exist along your routes. Selecting a train (your bonus) is the most important decision you can make in this scenario.

The only train that can reliably get you the Gold medal is the 2-6-0 Camelback. The 4-4-2 Atlantic can get you the Bronze medal, but by the time six cars are added, its top speed is severely hit, and you can forget about decent performance on any grade. The 2-6-0 Mogul can almost make the Gold, but it usually falls short. Once you’ve selected the Camelback, follow the suggestions below to win the Gold.

• The Bronze medal train is the 4-4-2 Atlantic. With its poor grade performance, there is no way to win Silver or Gold with this train. Still, you might choose to do this the first time through to get a feel for how things work in this scenario.

• The 2-6-0 Mogul is the train to choose for solid Silver performance. The Mogul is the second best train you can choose. You can often win the Gold using the gold medal track route; however breakdowns and crashes can stop the Mogul well before the Gold. It’s mid-range in both top speed and grade performance will hurt you on some of the steep grades in the west.

• The winning route requires some backtracking. To win the Gold, send your train to the following stops: Cheyenne—Rock Springs—Pocatello—Twin Falls—Boise—Pasco—Tacoma—Seattle—Bellingham—Portland—Salem—Eugene—Spokane—Missoula—Helena—Great Falls. There are other routes that will work, but this one will generally get the job done. Once you succeed, try several to see which you like best.
• Check the grade overview map before making your routing decisions. Although the Camelback handles grades well, make sure not to send it over long, steep stretches since it will run out of sand and water before it reaches the next station. This greatly reduces speed and causes its performance to suffer.

Ignore the Missoula event. The town of Missoula makes a tempting offer early in the scenario. Ignore it—the Camelback can make the Gold without the 10 percent increase in speed offered by the kind citizens of Missoula. Teddy will win without their votes.

• Avoid the long run from Cheyenne to Billings. It takes too much sand and water to make it to Billings. Head west from Cheyenne for a better chance at making Gold.
• Go north at Portland. Instead of jogging south, head north at the Portland branch. This allows you to gain speed going south later, making it easy to take the hill south of Portland with a full head of steam as you continue.

Crossing the Great Divide

It’s 1867 and trouble is brewing in Canada. The country is tearing itself apart without a tangible representation of unity. The Canadian Parliament wants you to build a Trans-Canadian railway by 1896 in order to strengthen relationships between provinces.

Started in 1875 and technically finished in 1887, the Trans-Canadian Railroad carried passengers and goods from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic Ocean to Vancouver, British Columbia, on the Pacific Ocean. The railroad was enormously expensive to create and presented an engineering nightmare of the highest degree. The Canadian government had to grant over 39,000 square miles of land to developers, but reaped its rewards when it was able to send troops to put down a rebellion in the west using the mostly completed rail system. As George Stephen, you must reorganize the existing eastern line to generate enough cash to finance the rest of the line to Vancouver by 1887. Your start date is 1875.

Award Objectives

Bronze Connect Halifax to Vancouver and haul six loads between the two

cities by 1896

Silver Complete the above task, and drive your company’s net worth above

$20 million by 1896

Gold Complete all of the above, but your company’s net worth must reach

$50 million by 1896

Available Bonuses

• Manager Van Horne, 10% lower track costs

• 2-8-0 Consolidation early, +10% engine speed

• One level higher credit rating, 10% faster station turn around

Going for the Gold

This scenario is very similar to Bridging a Nation, but the mix of industries is very different. Select bonus #2 for this scenario; although the Consolidation does not give you an instant victory, the +10 percent engine speed translates directly into increased revenues. Bonus #1 isn’t as effective, since you don’t need Van Horne to help you—good solid management will negate the advantage of 15 percent lower track cost, and since it’s a small portion of your overhead, you’ll make more money with bonus #2. Likewise, station turnaround is only a small portion of a train’s schedule, and your credit rating will take care of itself with sound management.

• Passengers and Steel should be your focus. Although the resources in Canada are fairly spread out, you will find several lucrative passenger routes (such as the Jonquiere—Quebec—Montreal—Ottowa area), and also be able to turn a quick profit hauling steel and its ingredients. However, don’t ignore the lumber vector.
• Routes tend to be longer in this scenario so make sure you have plenty of cash coming in before longhauling cargo. You’ll need to be sure you have an outlet for produced resources. For instance, there are seven logging camps near Hornepayne, but the nearest lumber mill is in Ottawa. To make this long haul lucrative, haul the logs to Ottawa, and the lumber produced in Ottawa to Toronto. To get things really moving, buy the logging camps and the lumber mill to profit from this cycle in every way possible.
• Territory rights in the United States are denied to you in the early going, but if you can gain them through goodwill (or a deal with another tycoon), you can make some cash along the border. Just be sure to put customs houses in any station that receives cargo from across the border—this will speed up processing of shipments received.
• Expand westward by increments. Connect the shorter routes you find across the country to form your trans-Canadian railway. To reach Vancouver, you’ll need to go through the pass near Prince George, which is located just west of Edmonton.
• Once you have the cities connected, start hauling. You need to haul six loads between the two cities, so place a train at each station and load up three cars completely full before sending them on their way. It will take years for the trains to reach their destinations, but when they do, you’ll get a hefty fee, and the Bronze medal!

• Concentrate on short, profitable runs early to give you the momentum to reach the $20 million company net worth. Key cities are Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. You should also accept and/or exploit any U.S. opportunities to maximize profits.
• Manage your routes closely. You can’t afford for any train to be inefficient, especially on longer routes. Make sure every train goes out fully loaded to insure maximum profitability when it reaches its destination.
• Buy industries and make them profitable. Buy any industry with a "lucrative" or better profitability rating—especially steel plants—then haul loads from them to increase their contribution to your net worth.
• Watch your debt-to-equity ratio. Don’t get heavily leveraged with bond debt. This adversely affects your net worth. If you need to raise cash, issue stock instead.

• Expand upon the things you do to win Silver to win the Gold. More of the same will gain you the required $50 million to take home the gold. The biggest thing to remember is to give your trains enough time to make the run, once you’ve connected both cities. Also, remember that your track can be laid anywhere not just connected to existing lines. So, if you find a nice cash-making route out in the middle of Saskatchewan, it may be worth a second glance.

Birth of the Iron Horse

 In Britain, coal and iron had been exported from the high hills of the Welsh countryside for centuries before the introduction of steam power. However, industrialization placed ever greater demands on the resources of the British Empire. The invention of the steam engine in 1830 brought with it the method for moving these raw materials. It also brought with it men of vision and greed. Now is your chance to grab a share of that new wealth, and establish a place in British history. Your goal is to build your railway and dislodge your opponents, making you the ultimate British railroad tycoon. Your start date is 1830.

Award Objectives

Bronze Have the highest personal net worth at the end of 1855

Silver Your personal net worth must be the highest and exceed $10 million

by 1855

Gold Your personal net worth must be at least $20 million by 1885, and

you must be the only surviving railroad in Great Britain

Available Bonuses

• John Bull Early, +10% engine speed

• 25% increase in coal revenue, +$50,000

• One level improvement in credit rating, +30% stock price

Going for the Gold

This scenario requires an entirely different sort of thinking. Your goal—putting your opponents out of business—may sound straightforward, but there are several factors that you haven’t had to manage until now that make it quite challenging.

First, select the bonus that applies to your playing style. Skip bonus #2—it’s not worth enough to consider. The other two are both decent, but your choice depends upon what you plan to do. If you want to drive your company’s profit up so you can make more money, then choose bonus #1. If you’d rather make the shares that you grab worth more money, go for bonus #3.

Whichever bonus you choose, the key here is fast acquisition of stocks—your company’s stock as well as the stocks of other companies.

• Grab as much of your own stock as possible.. Up till now you’ve probably been happy with the salary your company has given you and the regular increase in your initial stock value was due to your skill. In order to gain the most personal net worth with the least financial exposure you’ll need to control your company financially, that means you must own 85 percent or more of your stock. Once you’ve done this you can raise your quarterly dividend and start putting your company profits directly into your own pocket. This is how the robber barons did it, and it is how you must do it when presented with a task such as this.
• Keep your eye on George Hudson. Although Platner is a savvy railroad engineer, he is no match for Hudson when it comes to being a true tycoon. Hudson will attempt to buy up your company’s stock at every opportunity, so make sure you get it first.
• Place your stations at prime points. London is a must—get a station to cover it as soon as the game starts. Place another one so that it covers most of Nottingham and Leicester, then run passenger trains between the two stations. This route should produce $200k to $300k for every train that makes the run.
• Rob your competitors of revenue. Later in the game when you have a bit of cash, watch where your competition is placing stations. Place your own stations so that they cover the same area, then run parallel track. This way, you can take their revenue and they can’t stop you! Be careful that you don’t loose more money on this than you earn.
• Passenger traffic is once more lucrative. Look for medium-length runs between cities. They’ll net you the most revenue, but still enable you to make more than one or two runs per year, if the stations are at cities.
• Continue to buy stock. Don’t get so focused on building your railroad that you forget to watch the stock market. Buy plenty of stock—remember, your goal is to have the highest net worth by 1855, and you can’t do it without heavy investment in stocks. Raise your dividend as you gain more shares to line your pockets.
• Attempt mergers periodically. This is a much faster way of getting your opponents out of the game than buying up stock. Of course, the more stock you control in a company, the more likely it is that your merger offer will be approved.
• Upgrade your stations. Keep revenues flowing by making sure to add all the appropriate upgrades to your stations. In short, anything that results in more revenue is a good thing.

• No more Mr. Nice Guy. Winning the Silver requires that you be much more aggressive. Use the tactics above, but also spend much more time looking for ways to mess with your opponents’ operations. Monopolize large cities, lay down parallel routes to steal their revenue, and sell their stock short. Any kind of nastiness you can come up with is fair game.
• Focus on putting Hudson out on his ear. Don’t let George Hudson get a foothold in your company. As you blocked his attempts to buy more of your stock, buy up his company’s stock and force him out. Once he’s on the ropes, Platner will fall, if he hasn’t already.

• Defeating the other two tycoons is the more difficult of the Gold medal requirements. Assuming you do all of the above correctly, you should already have a net worth of $20 million. Forcing Hudson and Platner out of the game is much more difficult. Before you invest heavily in their companies’ stock, drive the stock price down by short selling. Only do this when you see that their purchasing power is very low, otherwise they will buy up that low stock and catch you in a squeeze. This will simultaneously hurt their net worth, and enable you to buy the stock at a lower price.
• Consider an early merger with Platner. This is a much cleaner way to remove him from the game, but make the offer early or it will cost you too much to be worthwhile.

Excess on the Orient Express

Few trains spark the imagination as does the Orient Express. The Wagons-Lits passenger cars were legendary, and the clientele were often the fabulously wealthy or notorious spies. Its reputation of opulence and intrigue was exceeded only by certain monarchies and the United Nations. What is often overlooked was that this train succeeded in providing uninterrupted passenger service across international borders. This feat was attempted for years in the mid-1800’s, but the bickering of many nations on the continent made the task a political nightmare until 1883 when the Orient Express was launched. In Europe, such a feat was unprecedented in the late 1800’s and was testimony to the trains’ importance to commerce and the railway’s importance to industrialization. As Napoleon III, your goal in this scenario is to complete the most famous European route—the Orient Express—connecting Paris and Constantinople. Your start date is 1850.

Award Objectives

Bronze Make the connection by the end of 1889 and haul 24 loads between

the cities

Silver Complete the above by 1887

Gold Complete the above by 1883

Available Bonuses

• Manager Robert Gerwig, steam fuel costs are 25% lower

• +25% mail and passenger revenues

• Manager George Naglemachers, credit rating 1 level higher, +20% goodwill

Going for the Gold

Your biggest challenge in this scenario, as it was historically, is gaining the access rights to lay track across the countries between you and Constantinople. As you start, you only have access rights in Spain, France, and Switzerland—hardly an encouraging beginning.

Selecting a Bonus depends upon your level of confidence in gaining the rights you need. If you plan on buying access rights quickly, select bonus #3. The better credit rating and higher goodwill will allow you to buy rights at better rates. If you would prefer to run your routes efficiently, thereby driving goodwill up, then select bonus #2. The additional revenue will allow you to add cabooses to your trains, which reduce breakdowns and slightly increase goodwill by providing security and reducing breakdowns. With higher goodwill, access rights are less expensive.

There are two main routes to take to connect the two cities—one through northern Italy from the south of France, and another through Germany and Austria-Hungary in the north. The German route is easier geographically, but remember that Germany and Austria-Hungary shut down all access during the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. You can still use the route, just be prepared for the halt of train traffic. Finally, you can squeeze through the pass in Switzerland to Italy. There is a pass near Zurich, Switzerland through to the north of Italy where the grades are very reasonable. Laying the track here is difficult but it has its rewards in uninterrupted access and no added expense. The AI often builds in the south of France near Marseille and makes that narrow pass unusable do to its own traffic.

• Create a network of industry routes in France. As a starting point, build some lucrative non-passenger routes around Paris and Orleans, focusing on the grain-cattle-food industries. Haul your food to Paris or Orleans, but be sure to balance your loads so demand remains high. Do the same sort of thing with other industries as well.
• Build profitable runs in pockets as you head towards Constantinople. As you gain rights, move into new territories by leap-frogging across countries. Don’t try to build your route in one long stretch. Instead, build industry routes much as you did in France.
• Use cabooses to improve goodwill. If you’re having trouble gaining access rights, be sure to put cabooses on your trains. They will improve security, as well as reduce breakdowns—two things that will bring up goodwill for your company.
• Take passengers and mail across medium distances as you continue. Haul passengers two cities away at minimum. This not only gives you better revenue, it also enables you to run the routes more often. Begin focusing on passengers as you continue east.
• Connect the stretches of track together, looking closely for mountain passes to link them together. Once they are linked, buy 6 trains. Start three at Paris and three at Constantinople, each with four passenger cars (or mail) and send them to the other city. Make sure they are set to "wait until full" before they leave, and you’ll have your 24 loads and the Bronze medal!

• Select bonus #3 for a jump-start. If you select bonus #3, you’ll be able to buy access earlier. Use this to begin your operation on the way east, instead of starting in France. This way you don’t waste as much track mileage or time.
• Use long stretches to pump up your cash. As you head east, send passengers and mail from Paris to the current end of the line (or close to it) as you are building up industry routes locally. These long-haul loads will bring you big bucks, and allow you to hammer ahead to Constantinople much earlier to begin hauling the 24 loads between the cities.

• Shave off a few years by borrowing heavily. While your credit rating is good, take out bonds to fund your expansion. They won’t come due until after the scenario is over, and you can offset any goodwill problems by operating efficiently.
• Take the southern route to avoid the shutdown in Germany. Since Germany and Austria-Hungary shut down access during the War, avoid this route to shave off a few years by avoiding this delay. However, this may take you several tries, as the route through Italy and along the southern coast is tough.

Knitting with Iron

In the mid-1850’s, Europe was struggling with social reforms, empire building, and industrialization. The independent states of Germany were no exception. There were rumors of a unified German Empire. The dominant state of Prussia was leading the way towards unification under Otto von Bismarck.

Involved in Prussian politics, Bismarck was able to purposefully wind his way up the political steps to a position of great power as the Chancellor of the German Empire. The consolidation of the German Empire peaked in the 1880’s when nearly all of the railways in Germany came under the control of the German Empire. Again, this had much to do with Bismarck’s plans, as he was very well invested in railways at the time and naturally knew what "his" government was going to pay for nationalizing the rails. Unlike current times, profiting from government connections or inside information was openly accepted and widely practiced. Bismarck collected the iron prize that became the backbone of German industry and solidified the new empire’s place in history.

In order to form a strong alliance, you need to develop better interstate commerce with the introduction of a unified railway system. Your goal here is to gain acceptance from as many German states as possible by connecting your railway to their territory. Your start date is 1850.

Award Objectives

Bronze 8 states connected by the end of 1876

Silver 9 to 10 states connected by the end of 1875

Gold 11+ states connected, including Bavaria, and 70 loads hauled in one

year by the end of 1874

Available Bonuses

• Manager Robert Gerwig; 20% lower bridge costs

• +$80,000; early access to Iron Duke

• +$100,000; +10% goodwill

Going for the Gold

This scenario is a test of your ability to manage territories while keeping tabs on a profitable operation. The starting conditions are not conducive to uniting the states, but if you can manage to keep your goodwill high enough, you’ll eventually make it happen. Note that you need to not only gain access to each territory, but you need to connect it to your main line. This means that you’ll spend a large portion of your time studying and working with the Territories tab of the Company screen to view current rights, and buy new ones.

Selecting a bonus depends upon your strategy. If you like the idea of driving up goodwill by running an efficient railroad, select bonus #2 and go for it—the Iron Duke isn’t the greatest train, but it was fast enough in its day. If you’d prefer to buy into territories early, then select bonus #3. The +10% goodwill is a good choice, and the extra cash will enable you to buy some more trains, although not Iron Dukes.

• Keep a close eye on your goodwill ratings. It’s tough to buy your access rights if you’re unpopular. Check the Territories tab in your company screen often, and make sure you avoid breakdowns and robberies on your lines.
• Build up stations inside territories you gain access to. Although all you need to do is connect them to your main line, you might as well set these stations up to turn a profit and contribute to your bottom line as well.
• Focus on "bonus" territories. Wurttemberg, Hanover, and Hesse-Darmstadt will give bonuses to engine maintenance, stock price, and station turnaround respectively. Also, be sure to gain access to Mecklinburg Schwerin by 1865—Pasteur invents pasteurization in 1865, which boosts milk prices.

• Buy territory access early to get a head start. Pay for access in the least expensive territories first, then build track toward a central point. Run your main line to that point, and you’re done. You should be able to take out a bond and buy access in 5 to 6 territories quickly, then set up some lucrative routes to build your lines.

• Bavaria gives +20 goodwill upon access, which will lower the other territories’ access costs; however, there is an event after 1859 that provides cheaper access to Bavaria. Wait for it, then take advantage of it to expand into Bavaria. This will make it much easier to gain territories faster—once Bavaria is yours, the others will follow quickly.
• Send all trains out fully loaded to meet the 70 loads in one year requirement. If you’ve set up lucrative routes in your new territories, you shouldn’t have much problem; however, you may find yourself getting the 11th state accessed and having less than two years to make the 70 loads.

Next Stop: The 20th Century

In the mid-1800’s, France was torn apart by revolt and social unrest, and the French people had little to cheer as the nation suffered from entropy. Still, the country had a well-developed rail system, but there is always room for improvement. As the well-meaning Napoleon III, you see this as a prime opportunity to show France and the world that you are not only a model leader, but a keen and aggressive industrialist. You intend to reorganize and rebuild the French railway into a more fitting testimony to a visionary leader like yourself, then you’ll expand France’s reach to other nations. Basically, you must turn an unprofitable railroad into an industrial giant that all of Europe will envy. Your start year is 1860.

Award Objectives

Bronze Total industry investments of at least $10 million by 1885

Silver The above, plus at least one year of industry profits over

$1 million

Gold Complete both of the above by 1875

Available Bonuses

• Early access to the 3-Truck Shay

• Manager Thomas Crampton, +15% on engine speed

• +$80,000, +25% goodwill

Going for the Gold

This scenario requires you to keep a close eye on industry, while running a profitable enough railroad to gain rights—through strong goodwill—to other territories. If you want to get a head start on buying access rights, select bonus #3. However, bonus #2 is probably the better choice, since the increase in speed directly increases revenues. Ignore bonus #1—the 3-Truck Shay is no prize, so having it early doesn’t help.

Take a look around as you start the game, and you’ll see that you only have access rights in France. Get moving quickly, and start buying up industries, while starting your expansion to other territories.

• Make good use of the existing track. Start earning cash soon by sending trains between Paris and Le Mans. You should also set up short feeder lines to the south that bring the various industry products—particularly the coal and iron—into Le Mans.
• Buy up industries in France first. Before you expand too far, make sure you control the lucrative industries in France. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to generate revenue more quickly. Watch out for the industries that are losing money—some will, just be sure to control it.
• England is your best first move. Buy full access rights to England first—you can get them for practically nothing, and the payoff can be huge. Run passenger routes from London to the surrounding cities, and buy the lucrative industries here as well—especially those being well-served by your opponents.
• Check your progress. In the Company ledger, you can see how you are doing by looking on the Balance tab, and checking Industry Investments as the game progresses.
• Take the Bronze medal. To win the Bronze, you don’t have to worry as much about profits, so keep your investments afloat. The key to winning the Bronze is expansion—buy up lucrative industries, but do so quickly to beat the time deadline.

• Be selective. To win the Bronze, you don’t have to worry about profitability directly from industry much; but to take home the Silver medal, you need to check the Income tab and the Industry Profits line to see how you’re doing.
• Get rid of money-losing industries. You can’t afford to keep an industry that isn’t profitable. Sell all unprofitable industries, or get track to them and start hauling loads to make them profitable.
• Maximize profits by controlling industry chains. If you can control all portions of an industry chain, such as Grain-Cattle-Food, your profits will greatly increase. This is an essential strategy for winning the Silver medal.

• Expand Quickly. Take out bonds in the early going to buy access rights. If you chose bonus #3, the +25% goodwill and the extra cash will both come in handy. You have to get moving—relying on France in the early going will kill any chance you have of getting it done by 1875.
• Scout the map carefully. Look for lucrative routes in countries you don’t have rights in, then buy the rights and snap up the industries shortly thereafter. Don’t waste money on buying rights in countries with light industry concentrations. Also, don’t build track unless you must—let your competitors drive your profits up.

Brenner Pass

Being the bright tycoon that you are, you’ve been assigned the task of providing reliable service through the Tyrolean Alps. The free flow of goods between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean is your goal, but first you must figure out how to cross the Alps. The Brenner Pass, used since the Roman times, is the lowest route available and will likely be your avenue...or will it? Your start year is 1853.

Award Objectives

Bronze Connect Munich to Verona and haul 12 car loads between them

by 1878.

Silver Complete the above by 1875, and haul 24 car loads between the

cities.

Gold Complete the connection by 1872 and haul 32 car loads

between them.

Available Bonuses

• Manager Robert Gerwig, +30% steam fuel

• +25% engine speed

• +$80,000, mountain track building cost -10%

Going for the Gold

This scenario tests your ability to select and construct a difficult route through some of the most mountainous terrain on the planet. The famous Brenner Pass has historically been the best route through the Alps, but here’s your chance to find a better route.

Bonus #3 is a red herring—10 percent won’t buy you much when you’re building in the mountains, and $80,000 is not much help. Select bonus #2, since the +25% engine speed will help you all around, including in the mountains. Remember, you have to haul a certain number of loads after you lay the track, and the greater engine speed can mean the difference between the Gold and Bronze.

The actual Brenner Pass runs from Rosenheim down the Inn River to Innsbruck, then south to the Adige River. Follow the Adige past Bolzano to Verona. There are alternate routes in the central Alps—south from Kempten to Edolo and on to Brescia—and in west—Lake Constance, down the Rhine to its source, and then through the mountains to Varese. The western pass is the least desirable, due to an extremely steep grade in the south. If you use it, don’t plan on sending trains north along this route.

• Cattle and coal will get you started. North of the mountains, set up routes to bring the cattle scattered across the area into Munich—the only meat-packing plant around. Buy this plant to turn some extra profits. Also set up logging routes that terminate at Rosenheim—this will get you some cash now, but greatly benefit you later.
• Look to the south for additional revenue. Italy offers additional opportunity for getting your operation running in short order. Get some routes running hauling grain to the bakeries in Milan, as well as passenger routes of medium distance. You have the rights—use them!
• Lay your track carefully. Don’t try to lay track in long stretches. You’ll need to pause the game, zoom in, rotate, and carefully place your track in order to keep the grade optimal. Avoid laying track across the rivers at multiple points—bridges are expensive.
• Use the track as you lay it. Once you’ve connected Rosenheim to Innsbruck (if you’re using the Brenner Pass), put stations at each end, then haul the logs from Innsbruck out to Rosenheim, as well as passengers traffic to raise fast cash.
• Haul your loads to win the Bronze. Once you’ve connected the cities, put a train at each end with six full cars—make sure the trains are new to avoid breakdowns. When they reach the other end, you’ll win the Bronze medal!

• Do it better and faster. Winning the Silver requires that you haul twice as many loads in less time. This should be just a matter of loading up four trains instead of two, since you should have your track laid in plenty of time if you follow the advice above.

• Manage stations effectively. In order to shave a few years off your time, be sure you manage the multiple tracks coming into your hub stations (Rosenheim, Munich, and so on). If you let trains get congested, it will slow you down just enough to keep you from getting the Gold.
• Don’t load trains with more than six cars. Six cars is pushing it as it is, so resign yourself to running more trains to get the job done. You can set them to leave the stations right after one another—just buy trains without stations, then assign them after the first group leaves.

When Walls Come Down

In 1991, the barriers to the people of Russia and the former Warsaw Pact nations disappeared. The demands for products and services from both sides need to be met. You are given the opportunity to earn a rail contract worth $2.5 million dollars to your company if you can connect Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and Moscow, Russia. Some territorial restrictions also still exist, so a strong showing of philanthropy and efficiency will be of benefit. It’s up to you whether the pioneering spirit is born again in Eastern Europe. Once access to east and west is available, you must grow strong among the corporate giants of modern Europe. You must connect your track to existing railways, owned by you or someone else. Your start date is 1991.

Award Objectives

Bronze Build your personal net worth to $5 million and connect Alborg,

Denmark, to Warsaw by the end of 2020

Silver Complete the above, but also connect Venice and have a net worth of

$10 million

Gold Accomplish all of the above, but add Istanbul and have net worth of

$20 million

Available Bonuses

• -20% track construction

• -25% station turnaround

• +20% engine speed

Going for the Gold

You should know by now which bonus makes the most sense—select bonus #3 to give yourself a +20% revenue increase. Winning the Gold here requires you to think outside the box—you won’t get there by just running an efficient railway.

There are many ways to win here, but you will always need to focus on the financial aspects of your business. A few interesting notes—this is the first scenario in which you can purchase a Maglev train. It is also important to note that once you start, you can only lay track that is connected to your current track. Be careful where you start—a long haul early will kill your chances.

• Get off to a good start. You only have access rights in Poland at the beginning of the scenario, but you can expand quickly within the country. Connect the industries in Poland to one another, then focus on buying access rights in the neighboring countries—Germany is a good choice, since you can make some good headway there quickly, not to mention that you’ll have to go through there to reach Denmark anyway.
• Gdansk is key to fast earnings. Set up routes that bring together the Auto vector (Coal-Iron-Steel-Autos) and get Tires from the port at Gdansk to finish off the Auto cycle. This cycle can generate fast revenues within Poland that will allow you to buy rights elsewhere quickly.
• Watch for bonuses. Both Frankfurt and Russia will offer large bonuses, but weigh them carefully against the cost of completion. Remember, all your track must connect to existing track (yours or the competitors’), so a bonus that may make sense the first time you play this scenario, might not make sense next time.
• Buy stock and manage the dividend closely. The key to this scenario is buying up company stock, and increasing the dividend to bump up your personal wealth. Be sure to take advantage of your competitors’ stock. Diversify your holdings as much as possible, but be aggressive.
• Connect to Alborg once you’ve secured Denmark rights.

Win the Bronze by connecting to Alborg once you have amassed a net worth over $5 million. You should be able to do this well before the 2020 deadline.

• Focus on gaining rights early. You’ll need the extra territory to expand into just to get your net worth up to the $10 million level. However, don’t buy rights in territories that don’t help you get to Alborg or Venice. If you have extra cash, use it to buy back stock and drive up your stock price (and your net worth)—that’s priority number one.
• Short sell and buy on margin to gain competitive holdings. You must own a large portion of your competitors’ operations in order to hit the objective of $10 million. Gain control by short selling, buying on margin, or any other way you can. This will help you win the Silver.

• More of the same. Getting to the Gold requires that you double the net worth required for the Silver, while also reaching Istanbul. If you’ve been expanding by gaining rights in countries, you should have some decent hauls that generate solid revenue. Use them to finance the final leg to Istanbul.
• Continue aggressive stock market techniques. Consider merging with other companies, especially where you are the majority shareholder—you win both sides of that equation. Hitting the $20 million is almost impossible if you fail to accomplish this.

Croissants or Crumpets

In the 1850’s, Britain’s hold on India was tightening. For nearly 100 years English dominance in the area was unchallenged. However, recent rises in Indian nationalism and desire for self-rule have provided the French with an opportunity to upset British control. As the leader of France, you are to extend French interests in India by building a superb railway system throughout the country, and thus gain popular support from the people of India and undermine English power. Access to most regions is governed by local leaders, so make sure you pay them the appropriate attention. Your start date is 1850.

Award Objectives

Bronze $10 million in industry investments and connect Panaji with Delhi

and Pondichery by 1890

Silver Complete the above and also connect Calcutta by 1880

Gold Complete all of the above, connect to Kabul as well, and be the only

remaining company by 1880

Available Bonuses

• -20% track laying, 3-Truck Shay early

• +$100,000, +15% goodwill

• -25% company overhead, +25% goodwill

Going for the Gold

This scenario is fairly tough—the AI opponents, in particular Nehru, can be extremely difficult to defeat. Gaining access rights and running your railroad are the least of your worries—Nehru doesn’t make many mistakes, and he loves to buy stock (yours and his).

Select bonus #3 here, since the -25% in overhead will really add up over time, and the +25% goodwill will assist you in securing access rights earlier—you’ll need them to buy industries in other territories. There are two special conditions here as well: You can’t issue bonds, and your track must all be connected.

• Start along the coast. From your starting city of Panaji, build a line north along the coast to Bombay/Kalyan. This can be a very lucrative passenger/mail route that can be expanded to encompass Surat to the north as well.
• Buy rights now! In order to succeed in making the required investments, you’ll need access rights in many areas. Begin with those that get you access to Delhi—don’t worry about Pondichery. You can reach it without access rights by placing a large station just outside its borders.
• Delhi to Ahmadabad is an example of a very lucrative route. You can haul five passenger cars back and forth and make a killing. It’s a bit long, but the payoff will usually be over $500,000 for one run. With that kind of revenue, it’s easy to invest the $10 million quickly.
• Profitable industries aren’t part of the equation to win Bronze. You just need to invest $10 million. But surely you aren’t going to just settle for a Bronze win?

• Add Calcutta to the mix to win the Silver. Use this run and the one to Delhi to generate enough cash to invest your $10 million. You’ll need the cash you have before this to get to Calcutta. Remember to buy up stock—you should at least be able to get rid of one competitor by the time you’re through here.

• Take out Nehru and Brunel early on. You don’t need Nehru getting a foothold in your company. Buy up your stock, then dismantle his company around him. Do the same with Brunel if he becomes a problem—he’s not nearly the investor that Nehru is, though.
• Use the Calcutta and Delhi routes to catapult you to Kabul. The dollars you make running trains on your long hauls will finance your expansion to Kabul, allowing you to invest your capital rather than spend it on laying track to win the Gold.

The Samurai Rides an Iron Horse

Centuries of isolation had put Japan at a disadvantage when competing financially with the western world. In the late 1860’s Emperor Meiji decided to accept from the West what Japan felt it needed. Importing talent from around the globe, Meiji set about industrializing Japan, including building railways.

As Japanese emperor Meiji, you have invited the western world to help you develop a railway system to support Japan’s growing industrialization movement. You will only allow one country to remain after 1912. While you’ve enticed the westerners to bring in their technology, you’ve also decided that it would be best if Japan’s industry were also available to support itself; therefore you’ve sponsored a combination of foreign and domestic talent to help you enter into your own contest. Your start date is 1870.

Award Objectives

Bronze Connect Tokyo to Niigata, Nagoya, and Sendai by 1899

Silver Complete the above, and also connect to Sapporo and Kyoto.

Gold Complete the above and also connect Kagoshima and haul 50 cargo

loads in a single year.

Available Bonuses

• 3-Truck Shay early

• +$50,000

• +10% engine speed

Going for the Gold

Your biggest challenge here will be the mountainous terrain of Japan—you just thought building in the Alps was difficult.

Select bonus #3—as we’ve seen before, the increase in engine speed is the best option, since it directly effects revenues. You don’t have to worry about competition here, but the clock is ticking and you’ve got a long way to go. The only special condition here is that you can’t resign or start a new company—if you blow it, it’s sayonara for you, gaijin.

• Build short, flat grade routes. Your best bet here is to look for short routes and haul passengers in the early going. For instance, a line between Kyoto and Fukui (large stations at each end to capture maximum passengers in the collection zone) will be a steady money maker. Build these sorts of routes all over the map.
• Connect your shorter routes. Link your shorter routes together to connect Tokyo to the required cities and take the Bronze. You might have enough surplus cash to attempt this all at once, but it’s best to spread it out over time.

• Add Sapporo and Kyoto to win the Silver. Adding two more cities is just a matter of having the dollars (er…Yen) to do it. Keep a close eye on your track’s grade—steep track costs more to build and maintain.

• Read between the lines and steal the Gold. The instructions for winning the Gold are, in addition to the requirements for Silver, "connect Kagoshima and haul 50 cargo loads in a single year." Note that it does not say that you must haul the loads between any particular cities. This is the primary secret of winning this scenario—use your cash to connect the cities required, but haul the loads over your shorter, cash-cow routes. That way, you don’t have to be nearly as meticulous about your track grade—as long as the cities are connected, you’re in good shape—and you can get the job done in record time!

Which Way to the Coast?

The Trans-Australian rail has been lain and is now open for business. As Sir John Forrest, one of the most vocal advocates for getting the Trans-Australian railway built, you must prove its financial viability. Valuable cargo from the East and West need shipping. Build your destiny from this land of opportunity but beware—your competitors will be making good money, too, and traffic will be dense, particularly along the only stretch of rail across the Nullarbor Plains. Of course, you get no special routing privileges on that track, valuable cargo waiting on either coast, and no track laying rights in the Nullarbor Plains. Could you make a go of it? Your start date is 1917.

Award Objectives

Bronze Personal net worth of $10 million by 1958

Silver Complete the above by 1948

Gold Complete the above by 1938

Available Bonuses

• -20% Station turnaround times

• +15% passenger and mail revenue

• +15% engine speed

Going for the Gold

As in previous scenarios where you’ve had the choice, select bonus #3—the 15 percent increase in engine speed will give you the +15% passenger and mail revenues promised by bonus #2. The increase in speed will also make a world of difference when crossing the Nullarbor Plains as well.

This map is full of half-complete industry vectors. For instance, there are Aluminum Mills, but no Bauxite Mines. In the same vector, there are Canneries, but no Orchards to fill cans with. There are plenty of Cattle Yards and Sheep Farms, but only one place to process them. In short, the only reliable cargo you can haul is passengers.

• Build short routes east and west of Nullarbor. Use your initial capital—$1,640,000 if you max it out—to run short routes on either side of the Nullarbor Plains. Passenger traffic is the key to success, so run medium-length routes to maximize revenues. If you want to be a bit more aggressive, check out the next tip.
• Connect to both ends of the Nullarbor track—or not. Using the Nullarbor track is a shortcut. However, if you use it, you’ll lose a portion of the revenue for every load you haul, due to the fact that you are using non-company track for a substantial portion of the haul. If that’s fine with you, then lock up both ends of the track as soon as possible and start connecting routes to it. If not, lay your own route just north of Nullarbor, but parallel to it. You should have enough initial capital to have around $1 million left after doing so if you want to do this first—now you will get 100 percent revenue instead of losing a portion of it for every load hauled.
• Buy up stock and increase dividends to win the Bronze. To get your net worth up where it needs to be, buy up stock—primarily your company’s—then raise the dividend. Carefully manage this at the end of the year to maximize your wealth.

• Buy industries to win the Silver. To shave off ten years and still hit $15 million net worth, buy lucrative industries—especially those connected across Nullarbor—to dump extra cash in your pockets. Be sure to do this early enough to see the return on the investments.

• Take it all to win the Gold. Focus on your short routes to beef up your net worth, then merge with another company—assuming you control a large portion of its stock—that’s already connected to Nullarbor. This will catapult your net worth even higher, enabling you to get the job done before 1938.

The People’s Train

The chaos that engulfed China in the 1930’s came to a violent halt when all Chinese factions united to fight off Japanese expansion during World War II. At the war’s end, China’s long civil war is over—the Communists have won. As Chairman Mao, you must rebuild the tattered rail system and further solidify the Communist Party’s position in this sprawling nation. Your start date is 1949.

Award Objectives

Bronze Book value (Equity) of $10 million by 1972

Silver Book value of $20 million by 1967

Gold Book value of $40 million by 1962

Available Bonuses

• -20% track maintenance

• +10% passenger and mail revenue

• +20% station profit

Going for the Gold

You start with a Book Value of $5,072,000—halfway to the Bronze goal. The problem is, a large portion of what you have will need to be scrapped or re-routed to become profitable. Select bonus #2 since passenger revenues here are high in this scenario.

Remember, you’re in a Communist country—no issuing stock or bonds, changing dividends, declaring bankruptcy, or starting a new company. You have to sink or swim based solely upon your performance in managing the rails.

• Start by cleaning up the mess. Pause the game and take stock of what you start with. Most of what you see can be used, but you need to use some of your initial funds to bulldoze useless track that is costing you money. There are several routes in the west that go nowhere—bite the bullet and get rid of them or maintenance will come back to haunt you on them. In fact, you’ll wish you could bulldoze more than you can, but concentrate on getting rid of the most useless track first. Re-route your existing train appropriately and bulk up your stations with appropriate upgrades.
• Beijing is the best "hub" for your railway. Keep the stations and track around Beijing and expand upon it. Run passenger trains to Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and other nearby medium-sized towns. Keep the trains to less than three cars to move things along.
• Upgrade to electric track as soon as possible. With the great distances involved between major cities, you’ll need the benefit of electric trains. Upgrade the short routes first, then take care of your longer hauls. Passengers like speed, so get this done as soon as you can to increase passenger revenues further.
• Buy industries to bolster your Book Value. Book Value (Equity) is calculated by subtracting your Debt from your Assets. Since you won’t have any debt—remember, you can’t issue bonds—you can drive up your equity by purchasing industries and adding stations and track (assets). Getting the $5 million you need in addition to your starting Equity should be a breeze, and will win you the Bronze.

• Double your equity through aggressive expansion. It’s very likely you won the Bronze with very few stations and trains. You won’t win the Silver if you don’t build more routes. This translates to more revenues, and more assets (stations and track). Just make sure your cash stays ahead of maintenance costs and you’ll take the Silver easily.

• Time to play with the big boys. Winning the Gold here will require that you keep profits high and invest heavily in industry from the start. Industry Investment, Track, and Buildings should be your largest assets. You can grow by leaps and bounds by buying up lucrative industries (or by buying marginal ones and making them lucrative yourself).

Dilemma Down Under

Australia was lagging in the post-WWII economic boom. In the late 1950’s, New South Wales railways were poorly run and under-utilized. You’ve been given the opportunity to standardize the system and reap great rewards. How does one convert an antiquated rail system using four different rail gauges and very little money? That’s your problem! If you can modernize the rails, you’ll be doing the nation a favor. If you can monopolize the rails, you’ll be doing yourself an even greater favor. Become the key player in the Australian railroad industry, but be forewarned—you won’t be able to resign as chairman, nor lay track that does not connect to someone’s existing track. Everything else is up to you. Your start date is 1957.

Award Objectives

Bronze Earn annual profit of $1 million for 3 years in a row before the end

of 1982

Silver Accomplish the above before the end of 1977

Gold Accomplish the above before the end of 1972

Available Bonuses

• +1 credit rating

• -25% train purchase

• -20% fuel costs

Going for the Gold

Getting off to a fast start is the key to this scenario. For this reason, select bonus #2 to allow you to buy more trains faster, and make money quickly. There are several pieces of unclaimed track you can use, as well as your own.

There are no real traps to fall into here; you just need to use what you’ve learned so far, and build short, profitable routes. Passenger revenues are drastically lower in this scenario, so you’ll need to kick-start the industry vectors to make serious cash. Remember that the highest dollar amounts are made by hauling loads to all the steps in a production cycle (for example, Bauxite-Aluminum Mill-Cannery + Produce-Food-Town). These are the kind of routes you’re looking for.

• Start by using what you’ve got. Begin by hauling wool between your existing stations at Menindee and Broken Hill. This won’t be a major cash cow, but it will produce moderate revenues. Connect to the other pieces of track near Ivanhoe, and start hauling Bauxite to the Aluminum Mills.
• Use what your competitors have as well. Don’t try to build it all yourself—although you lose some revenue, make good use of existing competitors’ track. Build routes off of their track. Remember, the amount of money you pay the competition is based on what percent of the route is run on their track, so keep at least 50 percent of the run on your own track.
• Haul your finished goods to cities. This is where you make the big bucks. Once you’ve produced food, goods, or anything else that can be consumed by cities, haul it to the nearest one.
• Make $1 million, 3 years running to win the Bronze. This is the hardest part, since your revenue tends to run in cycles (one year it’s great, with a slump the next). To be consistent, makes sure you’re running plenty of short, profitable routes. Long hauls bring in the bucks, but they make your returns fluctuate too much. You want enough small routes that they will produce $1 million with or without long hauls.

• Buy industries to shave five years off your time. Industry investment is the key to beating the Silver medal deadline. Buy into the good, lucrative, or gushing cash industries along your routes, as well as those of your competitors.

• Look to the market for a boost to the Gold. A merger with another profitable company is just the ticket to push you into Gold territory. You’ve got to shave ten years off the Bronze medal time, so continue the above practices, but save cash to make an unavoidable offer to another company. Snap up their routes to speed up your timetable and win the Gold.

Cape to Cairo

The vast resources available in Africa have not gone unnoticed by the world. After the Berlin conference in 1884, Europe divided up Africa to suit the needs of its empires. The development of the "dark continent" became vital to Europe’s future and economic prosperity and possible unity of the continent. Naturally this didn’t go over well with the native inhabitants. Cecil Rhodes, an immigrant who called Africa home, thought that a railroad could bring "civilization" to Africa. Africa could become an empire unto itself, with him as its leader. The Cape to Cairo Railway, still unfinished, is a vital cog in the region’s economy. Envisioned and started by Cecil Rhodes in the early 1890’s, the line covered 2,600 miles at the time of Rhode’s death in 1902. History tells us that Cecil never accomplished his dream. Here’s your chance to see if you can accomplish this monumental task and prove him right. Your start date is 1890.

Award Objectives

Bronze Connect Capetown to Cairo and haul at least 8 loads between them

by 1930

Silver Accomplish the above by 1916

Gold Accomplish the above by 1902

Available Bonuses

• +$70,000, +1 credit rating

• +10% passenger revenue, -20% station turnaround

• +15% train speed

Going for the Gold

This is it—the granddaddy of all the scenarios in the game. You’ve learned a lot, and the last few scenarios have been tough ones. However, they were nothing compared to this one. More than any other scenario, Cape to Cairo is an endurance run that tests your abilities to do everything in the game.

You can choose either bonus #2, or bonus #3—either one will be worthwhile. Your selection depends upon your preference. Whichever you choose, you’ll need to connect the two cities soon—it’s a long way between them!

• Scout the north for resources and likely routes. Pause the game and take a look around. Although industry positions change each time you play, you can depend upon a few hot spots. Lay track between Alexandria and Jerusalem in the north and haul passengers between them. There’s a "sweet spot" just east of the Nile that allows a large station to capture almost all of the Alexandria/Cairo/Port Said area. This station will spew passengers faster than you can haul them.
• Don’t sweat access rights. You only need one territory to give you access rights—the Belgian Congo. If you bide your time, the Belgian King will offer you the rights for next to nothing (relative to what he asks for in the beginning), and you can waltz through, using the British territories to the north and south to complete the run.
• Work your way south gradually. Don’t get ahead of yourself—you need to lay a lot of track to reach Capetown. If you rush it, the maintenance on all that track will quickly bankrupt you. Make sure you have sufficient revenues from shorter hauls to support the track.
• Support the long route with infrastructure. Don’t forget to place small stations with water, sand, and roundhouses along the Cape-to-Cairo run. A breakdown during your "money" runs will kill your chances. Put a train at each end with four full cars and run them to the opposite ends to win the Bronze.

• Start your expansion earlier to win the Silver. Begin building track toward Cape Town well before you get rights to enter the Congo—you can run trains along this track before gaining the rights, and you’ll have enough of a head start to beat the date required to win the Silver. Do the same from the south to really shave off some time—if you make it so that the Congo is the only gap you have to bridge, you’ll have plenty of time.

• Get the cities connected before 1895. Plan on it taking several years for the trains to make the required trips. If you cut it any closer, any problems you have will push you out of contention for the Gold. Remember to use new trains, and support them with sand and water along the way.

>Chapter Head<

 Stand-Alone Scenarios- Chapter 7 >Table of Contents<

In addition to the campaigns, Railroad Tycoon II comes with a set of stand-alone scenarios that can be played at any time, regardless of where you are in the campaigns.

This chapter provides brief overviews—not nearly as complete as the detailed instructions for completing the campaigns—that you can use to acquaint yourself with each scenario. These maps are meant to be played once you’ve mastered the skills taught in the campaign scenarios, so don’t be surprised if there is anything mentioned here that you don’t know how to do yet.

The information that follows assumes that you play the scenario with the starting year given when you select a map. If you choose a different starting year, your results may vary.

Britain

The Emerald Isle is calling you. With all the modern gadgets at your disposal, you should make short work of this country. Be careful not to lose control of the company you start—in this scenario, you can only start one company.

Award Objectives

Bronze Personal net worth of $5 million by 1899

Silver Personal net worth of $15 million by 1899

Gold Personal net worth of $40 million by 1899

Going for the Gold

As you might expect, London is key to doing well here. Control the area around London, and run passenger and other industry routes out from it. Remember that personal net worth is all about playing the stock market correctly. Buy up your stock, gain control in your competitors’ rail operations, then pad your pockets to increase net worth. A healthy dose of competitive nastiness is never a bad idea, either.

Central Europe is open for some aggressive railroading. You have full access to all territories, except some major cities which will need some convincing to let you in. With the ability to lay track wherever you see fit, there’s no doubt that you’ll take home the Gold medal.

Award Objectives

Bronze Gain access to all 6 of the hub cities within 25 years

Silver Complete the above, but also have personal net worth of $15 million

Gold Complete the above, plus have Company Book Value (Equity) of

$40 million within 25 years

Going for the Gold

The six hub cities are Paris, Berlin, Munich, Venice, Vienna, and London. You can view your access status for these cities from the Territories tab in the company ledger, just as you would view any country’s status, and you buy their access rights the same way. Each one charges $500,000 for access rights, so you’ll need a total of $3 million to gain the access you need to win the Bronze. Taking home the Gold requires you to both manage your stock portfolio well, and keep grabbing assets for the company. Don’t get so hung up on accessing the six cities that you forget to run your railroad properly—you’ll need plenty of short, profitable routes.

In this scenario, you’re free to build your railway empire in the home of some of the world’s oldest civilizations—China. There are no limitations placed upon you, so construct your railroad dynasty in any way you choose.

Award Objectives

Bronze Personal net worth of $7 million within 35 years

Silver Personal net worth of $20 million within 35 years

Gold Personal net worth of $35 million within 35 years, and connect

Beijing to Zhanjiang.

Going for the Gold

Beijing should be a major hub in your railway expansion—haul passengers to all the nearby cities, and be sure to put a station at Tianjin to take advantage of the ports that are most likely there. There are plenty of industries located in and around city clusters throughout China. You shouldn’t need to resort to long hauls, except for the one between Beijing and Zhanjiang. The mountains make that connection tough, but for the purpose of winning the Gold, you don’t have to run trains across it—just connect the cities as best as you can to win the Gold.

The American Eastern seaboard is ripe for the picking. You have the potential to become a living legend. In the 19th century, the United States wasn’t called the "Land of Opportunity" for nothing!

Award Objectives

Bronze Highest personal net worth in 25 years

Silver Complete the above plus have the most loads hauled

Gold Add company book value (equity) of $40 million to the above

requirements

Going for the Gold

You can make more cash faster by focusing your efforts in large cities along the coast—New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington, D.C. In addition, you can connect to Chicago and Detroit to drive up revenues—a route between Chicago and New York was the first major expansion that served as a springboard for the railroad across the rest of the nation. Buy back stock, raise your dividend, and invest heavily in competitors to grow your net worth, but be careful—if a competitor with a higher net worth has a stake in your company, driving up the stock price or dividend can backfire since it will benefit them as well. To win the Gold, you’ll need to merge with your competitors, since it’s unlikely that you can get enough assets on your own to reach a $40 million book value.

If Korea had not suffered the pains of civil war in 1950, along with the subsequent split between north and south, what would it have done? How would you shape its industrial destiny with your railway? This scenario gives you the entire Korean peninsula to work with and see what you can do.

Award Objectives

Bronze Company book value of $20 million by 1970

Silver Accomplish the above, plus connect Pusan to Ch’ongjin

Gold Complete both of the above objectives, plus haul 80 loads of cargo in

one year

Going for the Gold

Winning the Gold here requires that you build short, profitable routes all over the country. Seoul is a great hub, but you can do just as well on the other side of the country. Work the coastlines to avoid track laying hardships, and haul any cargo you can get. Passengers provide decent revenue, but there are plenty of industries to choose from as well. Buy good industries and continue to expand to keep book value high. Complete the 80 loads objective by using several short routes—the ones that can be traversed 4 times per year by one train—and keeping trains under 4 cars for speed.

Bursting with opportunity, North America awaits your railway vision. With no borders to hinder your expansion, you can mold the entire continent into your own personal money machine.

Award Objectives

Bronze None

Silver None

Gold None

Going for the Gold

There are no objectives here, so dive in and have fun. Try your hand at linking Canadian and U.S. cities, and Mexico—do something different. It’s all for fun in this scenario, so get to it!

The rugged landscape of Scandinavia presents many challenges. Fight against the terrain and your competitors to dominate this scenario. There are plenty of industries available, so take a good look around before you start.

Award Objectives

Bronze Company book value of $15 million within 25 years

Silver In addition to the Bronze requirements, connect Norway to Germany

Gold Accomplish all of the above, and haul 100 car loads in one year

Going for the Gold

A great place to start in this scenario is the Stockholm area. With Uppsala, Vasteras, Orebro and Linkoping nearby, you’ll be able to get things rolling in no time. Remember that book value is calculated by subtracting your debt from assets, so stay ahead of the curve by aggressive expansion (more track and stations) and industry investment. Norway is the northernmost country in Scandinavia, with the most mountainous terrain. Connect it to a German town, but don’t worry about the grade in the mountains—you don’t have to haul anything over this route.

The vast continent of South America is your playground in this scenario—make the most of it by carefully watching your track costs, especially when building in the jungle. You’ve got company here—Clement Attlee and Henckel von Donnersmarck—so keep an eye on them, or they’ll steal you blind.

Award Objectives

Bronze Highest personal net worth after 30 years

Silver Same as above, but net worth must be over $20 million

Gold Same as above, but net worth must be over $50 million

Going for the Gold

Look along the coastline for easy profits early. You don’t have to connect all your track, so once you have a good start—say in the Rio-Sao Paulo area—work your way inland. You don’t have to worry about access rights, so keep expanding. Keep a close eye on your stock, and buy as much of it as you can. Drive the dividend up, and invest in your competitors’ companies. To reach $50 million, you’ll need to merge with the other two companies and keep them out of yours. If one of them gets a foothold in your company, drive them out by temporarily dropping the dividend or issuing stock.

The early days of industrial growth in the south were both exciting and troubled. You must make your living here, and build a railroad empire that becomes the envy of the north.

Award Objectives

Bronze Highest personal net worth at the end of 30 years

Silver Accomplish the above, plus book value of at least $20 million

Gold All of the above, plus control at least 70 percent of the existing track

on the map

Going for the Gold

As it was historically, agriculture is the key to winning here. Haul grain to cattle yards and bakeries, then haul the food to cities to make serious cash. You can make good revenue from passengers, so be sure to upgrade your stations to maximize passenger revenues. Look along the eastern seaboard—Washington, D.C., is a key area for you to connect to. You’ll need to merge with competitors to make sure you meet the Gold medal requirements.

Southern Europe was slow to embrace the Iron Horse. Carve your name on this historic region, and show the world who is king of the Iron Highway.

Award Objectives

Bronze Personal net worth of $5 million in 25 years

Silver Accomplish the above, plus have highest lifetime loads hauled

Gold Book value of at least $55 million, in addition to the above

Going for the Gold

This scenario requires you to do it all, and do it flawlessly. If you plan to reach Gold medal status here, you’ve got to gain control of your stock and drive your net worth up, run a high-load, short distance operation (more loads rather than higher revenues), and you must be sure you invest in enough industries as well. It’s imperative that you take over your opponents’ companies—this will usually insure a Silver win, and possibly catapult you to Gold. Watch your book value closely, and avoid issuing bonds if at all possible.

The United States lies waiting for a successful railway. You have plenty of room to expand, and hopefully the tools to do so. In this scenario, you have to stick with the first company you start, since you won’t be able to start a second.

Award Objectives

Bronze Personal net worth of $10 million within 35 years

Silver Accomplish the above, plus have a book value of $30 million

Gold Personal net worth, and book value of at least $50 million

Going for the Gold

You have plenty of area to cover, so this one should be a bit easier. Concentrate on passengers, but also on the auto vector and on owning complete vectors to pump up production. Set up several medium-length routes at the start, and expand around them. Distribute loads effectively to keep demand high, which directly relates to profits. Perform the usual magic to drive up the dividend on stock you own and increase your net worth. Remember that dividends are paid in January, so buy up stock in December, drive the price up by having the company buy stock back in the same month, then pump up the dividend to astronomical levels before year end. Then use the cash you gain to buy more stock—once you’ve driven stock prices down by issuing more shares. Hey, it’s not nice, but now you know where the term "Robber Baron" came from. Best of all, it won’t affect your book value.

This scenario will play a bit differently than the previous U.S. map, since you start 40 years earlier (unless you change the start date). Your playground is everything west of the Mississippi.

Award Objectives

Bronze $5 million net worth within 20 years

Silver Accomplish the above and gain a company net worth of $40 million

Gold All of the above plus haul 120 loads of cargo in one year

Going for the Gold

Again, this is a scenario that requires you to be aggressive. Start with short, profitable routes that you can haul multiple trains on per year, and expand with long hauls to maximize the big hits. Use all the tricks you’ve learned, since your timeframe has compressed to 20 years! That means that by 1880, you have to build what actually took some 80 years to build. Good luck—this one’s a real challenge.

>Chapter Head<

Running with the Big Dogs- Chapter 8 >Table of Contents<

You’ve played the computer and you completed the campaign scenarios. You took home some Bronze medals, maybe even a few Silver and Gold. Maybe you even played your little brother, humiliated him, and you thought you were king of the hill. Then you jumped into the middle of a real multiplayer game, and got shuffled ten ways from Sunday. And here you sit, poor, bankrupt, cold, and Player #3 controls your company. Think this will never happen to you? Well, bad news. Eventually, it will happen. This section is here to beef you up and have you going for the jugular. Soon, you’ll be Top Dog. Leader of the Pack. King of the Junkyard. The Big Kahuna. All you need to do is read on.

Chances are you have a decent handle on playing the game, but if you haven’t played it against other people, you’re in for a surprise. Railroad Tycoon II multiplayer games are unique, giving you the chance to lie, cheat, steal, and otherwise do all sorts of nasty things to your friends. This is economic warfare at its finest.

This chapter is structured a bit differently than previous ones. We’ve put together several suggestions for multiplayer games and outlined them below. Rather than spend time telling you how to set up a multiplayer game (which is covered very well in the User Manual), we wanted to spend our time here discussing multiplayer tactics.

There are two big changes between Multiplayer games and that tame creature you know as the Campaign mode. In Multiplayer games:

• Real dogs bite. You’re playing against real people. People that know as much as you do, and probably more. They won’t be making the mistakes that the computer does, and they won’t be shy about expanding when you don’t.
• Time moves differently. In the single-player experience, you could pause the game and take half an hour to find your routes, lay them out, set them up, and get them going. Once you had done that, you could crank the speed up to 10 and let the money roll in until you had enough to hit Pause again. When you went into the stock market screen, the game paused and you could survey your choices, knowing they were as safe as the trains paused in the main window. In Multiplayer, things change quite a bit. Now, time marches on, no matter which screen you are in. Every player can adjust the speed of the game, which means that any time you panic and pause the game, another player can un-pause it again. And even when the game is paused, other players can buy stocks and plant stations right under your nose. The multiplayer experience calls for quick actions, and non-stop activity.

The only feature in multiplayer games that is not in regular single-player mode is the Chat function. Hit the TAB key and type in messages (taunts, whatever) to the other players. Get a psychological hand up on them, but keep it fun. You can’t win if they quit the game from frustration.

Following are some general tips for multiplayer games. Everyone has their own style, so pick the tips that fit yours, and try to use these to help you come up with your own.

As in most multiplayer games, the key to winning is getting everything going at the beginning of the game. With so many variables, it’s important that you focus and get the job done early.

• Get off to a quick start. A large part of the outcome in a multiplayer game will be decided near the beginning. The few players that find the best starting locations at the beginning are the ones that will set up the firmest foundations. They will make the most money for expansion, and more quickly, so they can jump on that next good route you have your eye on. The two or three players that find the best starting locations will almost always be the ones fighting for control at the end, while the others will have sickly, weak companies, or will have lost their companies in a merger to one of the Big Guys.
• Delay is a killer. Find a route quickly, and set it up. Once you know where you want your station to be, put one there. Don’t bother laying track first—it takes too long. Your starting locations (or at least one of them) will almost always be in large cities. If this is the case, try your best to make those stations large ones. Take up all of the space you can in there, and crowd your opponents out. Take out a bond (or two if you can) to set up a good first route—it will pay off later.
• Work the market. As soon as you can spare the time (if not sooner) start looking for stocks. Almost everyone will make a decent start. So while stock prices start low (read: when you can afford them), you can bet that they will go up quickly, making you lots of cash.

Establishing your position is one thing, but keeping it is another. You’ll have to fight every step of the way to keep other players from taking over the hold you’ve established.

• Expansion is the key. Once you’ve claimed your place, keep it. Constantly expand. This means playing close to the wire. If you have a route in mind, save up for it. Otherwise, use as much money as you can to become as efficient and profitable as possible.
• Don’t waste money; make every expenditure count. You should never look over at your company cash and wonder what to do with that two million you suddenly have. You should never have that much (unless you just finished a really good run), and you should never wonder when it does happen. You should automatically start further expansion. That might mean extending your route. It might mean buying back stock to drive your stock share price up. It might mean buying industries. Or it might simply mean getting around to paying back those bonds you owe.
• Invest in your competitors. An excellent way to both expand your empire and scare your competitors is to buy up shares of their stock. Nothing is worse than checking your company’s stock and finding out that you are no longer the majority shareholder!
• Borrow to finance expansion. Bonds aren’t your enemies. They will only hurt you when you neglect them, or when you issue so many that you are spending all of your revenue on interest. Use them wisely, but don’t be afraid to use them. Taking out three bonds to try to come out of the hole or set up a mediocre route will usually hurt you. But using that money to set up a great route can set you so far ahead of your competitors early in the game and send you on a smooth course to a win.

In Multiplayer more than anywhere else, nice guys finish last. You’ve got to be aggressive and get the things you need—especially if someone else has them.

• Stealing from other players is a must for good multiplayer tycoons. Human players have better control than computer players, so setting up stations and parallel routes along theirs won’t work as well. But big cities can be a deciding factor, so you can rarely afford to let other players monopolize their use. The big cities usually make enough for two players, and have the most demand for goods and food. So even if another player is set inside the metropolis you dream for, feel free to set your own station down in a spot that covers as much as you can manage.
• Hit ’em where it hurts. If your competition is making food at a bakery that happens to be covered by your station as well, use it! Let the other player do the hard work (and less profitable) while you steal as much food as you can from them and make the big bucks. Remember, it’s first come first serve.

Even the best players will tell you that going into a game without knowing your surroundings is, at best, a losing cause. Fortunately, you’ve already had the chance to play each of the game’s multiplayer maps—they’re the same as the stand-alone scenarios. Although the maps are identical, a few tips for each map won’t hurt your chances of coming away with a victory.

To dominate Britain, make your move early. Dominate the southern coastline, setting up short routes from London down the coast to Maidstone and Brighton, then head west along the coast. There’s enough here to keep you busy for awhile, with Birmingham and areas surrounding it as your next step.

As in the single-player game, you don’t have access rights in the six key cities, but that shouldn’t stop you from moving things along quickly. Of course, you can and should fudge a bit by placing track and stations on the borders of the taboo cities to collect their cargoes anyway. This is a quick way to beat your competition to these cities and rake in the cash.

Don’t ignore Taiwan—a route on the island between T’aipei and Kaohsiung can easily net you a fortune from passenger traffic early in the game. Beyond that, stick to the coast as much as possible—the interior consists of too many long, dry stretches for you to go there first.

If you live in the United States, then your starting point is obvious—control of the Eastern seaboard will win the game for you. However, don’t depend on passenger revenues to get the job done. Support the steel industry and expand your empire to reach Chicago. All your track must connect in this scenario, so expansion is a bit tougher here.

The terrain in Korea is your biggest challenge. If you get going fast enough, you can lock up valuable routes, forcing competitors to use your track rather than build track with unmanageable grades. Industry is sparse in Korea, so this is likely to degenerate into an all out stock market slugfest in a hurry—make sure you have a solid position in your company, and a good foothold in the others before the shares hit the fan.

As in the United States, the Canadian eastern coastline is a lucrative place to start, and most players won’t think to go there first. Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto—own these Canadian markets in particular, in addition to the usual U.S. ones. The late default start date on this map guarantees some serious competition in this huge area.

The Scandinavian peninsula is a small playground, so don’t bring a ton of people to the party or things will get nasty too quick. Make sure you start some routes in Germany soon, and expand south from there. There are some decent medium hauls for passenger revenue (Hamburg to Berlin) as well as several coal mines near Hamburg’s twin steel mills. Exploit this area as you expand.

As in the other mountainous scenarios, stick to the coast in the early going. There’s a massive port complex near Natal—build routes south along the coast from Natal to dig in quick. Control the cattle market as much as possible, as well as any other good or better businesses.

Own plenty of industries, and haul passengers at least medium distances to show high profits here. Do your best to set up complete industry circuits that you own. Don’t forget, Washington D.C. is on the map, as is New Orleans. Control both of them, and invest heavily in the market to drive your competitors out of the country one-by-one.

Terrain will be a bit of a problem in this scenario—lock up valuable routes by getting your track there first. Or, as an alternative, let others lay the track while you snap up their stock, then use their track until you can afford a merger. Northern Italy is usually very rich in industry, and you can do well building in Germany and on to the east as well.

Use the same strategies you used in North America to build a sprawling empire as soon as you can. This should be familiar territory—industry and passengers are a necessary mix on this sprawling map. Autos will be another solid producer, and don’t neglect ports as depots. There are enough open spaces to allow you to steal from your neighbors by placing stations in the same collection zone as their own.

The default starting date is a bit early, so passenger revenues will soar until around 1900 or so—make the most of this. Watch the industry mix closely, and set yourself up to benefit from the auto vector when it appears. Tight control of ports will also help you win the day here.

>Chapter Head<

Making Your Own Maps- Chapter 9 >Table of Contents<

While playing Railroad Tycoon II, have you found yourself wondering how things really work? Have you wished you could build your own scenarios and test your ability to recreate a historical period, or create something completely new? If so, then this section is for you. With detailed info on the map editor included with the game, as well as a primer on using the event editor—the heart of making realistic scenarios. So dive in, and discover what it’s like to recreate history—literally.

This chapter is devoted to a brief intro to the map editor that’s included with the game. It is not intended to be an exhaustive reference, but merely to get you familiar with commands and get you started.

To master the art of map-making, you need to first be familiar with the terrain you are trying to replicate. Whether real or fantasy, knowing as much as you can before you begin will make the job go smoothly and worry-free. Don’t expect it to be perfect the first time though, particularly if you attempt a large map. In fact, you should stick to a smaller map until you are familiar with the editor, and are ready for a larger project.

To create a new map, follow these steps:

1. From the main introduction screen press the Editor button.
2. Select New Map.
3. The width and height sliders will determine the size of your map in a grid overlay, not the maximum total in polygons. Your total should not exceed 125,000 unless you have more than 16MB of RAM. Again, stick with something small to start with.
4. There are two ways to continue from here. You can either create your map From Scratch or import your map From Image. If you choose to create your map From Scratch, you’ll go straight into the editor mode with a flat grassy area the size you specified. Now just run through the different buttons on the left side to "paint in" terrain or pull the terrain into the shape you want—we’ll go over each button a little later. If your file will be imported From Image, you’ll be given a dialog that asks for a path name to a file. Map requirements are very basic—Railroad Tycoon II requires that all imported maps be indexed grayscale images in PCX format. If you are using maps from Cartesia’s map collection use the xxx_ce.pcx files and convert them to an indexed gray scale .pcx image.

TIP: If you want to import some other type of starting image, the file must be a .pcx file with an indexed grayscale palette. Absolute white will show up as the highest points and absolute black as the lowest. Making the water your lowest point (black) in the image gives the best uniform results.

5. Next, you’ll be shown a slider bar that controls the smoothness of the imported image. If you set the number low, very little smoothing will occur; 100 to 150 usually gives you the best results.
6. After you click OK, the image you selected will be turned into a 3D map of the same dimensions as you selected previously. You should try and make the starting image the same general dimensions as the settings, for example, 300 x 300 = a Square = starting image that is a Square. Otherwise your scale and dimensions will be off.

TIP: Very large maps may have to be modified heavily due to curvature of the earth.

7. Once you have an image that is ready to be worked on, save it immediately!

If everything went according to plan, you should now have a base map that, while impressive, still has to be transformed into its playing state. The following is the sequence we suggest for use while creating your map, as it seems to be the most dependable.

Adding lakes, seas, or oceans is a straightforward process. You should do this first to make sure you have set things up correctly—it’s tougher to go back and add large bodies of water after everything else is in place. To add water:

1 Select the Fill Terrain button (the spilling paint bucket). You will see a display of all of the general terrain tiles used in the game. Along the far right side you’ll find the control options for using the fill command:

• All—This option modifies all terrain of a particular type.
• Adjacent—This option modifies only territory that is adjacent to where you click on the map. With this option selected, you will modify only the nearby terrain of a particular type.
• Match—This option acts on all tiles that match the one you click the spilling bucket icon on.
• Above—This command affects all the tiles above the elevation you click the spilling bucket icon on.
• Below—This command affects all the tiles below the elevation you click the spilling bucket icon on.

2 Select the water tile...the vibrant blue one on the far right side. Then select All and Below. Move your spilling bucket icon to the area you’ve determined is your water (the selection point is the end of the spill), and left-click. As you move the icon around, you should have noticed the areas being highlighted? The highlighted area is where the change will occur.

The water tile is the only tile that will modify the terrain by leveling. Adding the large bodies of water first will give you the quickest feedback as to the general accuracy of your map. It also allows more accurate placement of cities and other features.

Once the bodies of water are complete, it’s time to add the rivers. There is only one river type in Railroad Tycoon II, so choosing which one to use is simple. Crossing large bodies of water is impossible, so rivers are your only solution for adding water that can be bridged by players. Here’s how you do it:

1. Select the Build a New Building button on the bottom right side (the hammer icon). When you click on it, you’ll be given a hammer cursor with an arrow tip on the end. The default item selected is the Lay River option.

TIP: If the game speed is set at 8 or higher, it becomes difficult to see which direction the river is going.

2. Place the icon on the map, then left-click and drag slowly. A river should be forming. You’ll likely notice that gaps will start forming. Turn on the Grid (CTRL+G) so that you can see where it needs to be connected.
3. If you lay a piece of river that you want to delete, select the Bulldozer button (third from the bottom left) and then click on the offending watery sprite.
4. To determine the flow of a river, click at it’s mouth. The mouth of the river is where you want most rivers to exit. Just watch the animation of the river.

It’s most realistic to add slightly greener grass or more plants near rivers, particularly in more arid areas. Also, pay attention to the slope of the river—try not to have it flow up hills! Occasionally, industries on your map will warp your terrain enough to drag a river or body of water out of alignment.

Making Mountains

Your mountains should have been imported with your image. However, if you wish to add, exaggerate, or create them from scratch, here’s a quick lesson:

0. Click the Raise/Lower Ground button. You will see three large option buttons and five brush sizes. The first option is the raise/lower ground option—make sure this option is selected and use the very first brush.T
1. Turn on the Grid (CTRL+G) and place the cursor over your map. You’ll see that the cursor highlights the area to be effected.
2. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the mouse up and down. The terrain will raise and lower as you move the mouse. Once you have positioned it where you want it, release the mouse button.

Since this is your first try, you more than likely made a mess. However, you probably realize how it’s done now, so practice to get the look you want.

To turn the high peaks into the mountain tile set, you could start laboriously painting each grid with the mountain tile. Or you can use the Fill Terrain option. To do this:
a. Select the Fill Terrain option and select the mountain tile.

b. Choose the options All and Above, then drag the cursor over the peaks of your mountains. You’ll see the affected area highlighted. Click when the highlight suites your design.

Voila! Mountain peaks. Snow works exactly the same, but select the snow terrain tile. This takes a bit of tweaking so don’t get discouraged if it looks a little odd, just paint over the areas or reload the map.

You have now learned the basics to create the more obvious geologic features. You should spend some time experimenting. Try new things to see what happens and give yourself a feel for the controls. Changing the brush sizes will give you a variety of results—the best way to find out what they do is to try them. Words will only make the easy seem difficult.

With a roughed-in map, you can begin the process of making the details that will make the map playable. This is fun but slow going.

The Tools

You’ve already played with the Tool controls, but we’ll explain each option in a bit more detail. The main tools you’ll need for working with maps are located along the edges of the Main Window:

• Raise/Lower Ground—This option enables you to raise or lower the ground by left-clicking and dragging grid vertices. The small brush allows more fine detail like creating valleys, while the large brush should be used to raise plateaus or lower large areas of ground.
• Smooth Out an Area—This tool is perhaps your most powerful tool and has two functions. By selecting a brush size then left-clicking and dragging the mouse over an area, the map will "average" the areas highlighted, taking out rough spots. Alternately, if you hold the SHIFT key down and move the cursor over the area you want to change, it will level the area to the center point of the area you first select. This is a forced level and can be very slow on some computers. However, it is a great way to create leveled paths through mountains and water edges. The smallest brush has no effect with this option. Whenever you use this control it is best done with the Grid (CTRL+G). Be aware that smoothing also works on water.
• Lower an Area to Sea Level—Depending on the brush size, this can be useful in getting the edges of a body of water to be flat. Use this sparingly—it is best to do this by individual clicks, rather than the click-and-drag method.
• Paint Brush—This control enables you to paint the tiles with an appropriate tile type or terrain.
• Solid—This option will show you all of the basic tile types. When you paint with these tiles they will replace any tile type they cover, including water.
• Mix—This option will show you a grouping of tile ranges. These will show the mix and the approximate proportions of each type. When you paint the map with these, they will not replace water, snow, or mountain tiles. This is a great way to get that natural feel to the terrain.
• Add Trees—This control enables you to add vegetation to your map. This will add trees to the area directly in the highlighted area of the cursor on the map. The more you left-click or move the mouse back and forth while holding down the left mouse button down, the more trees get placed.
• Cut Down Trees—This will cull or thin out trees in the area directly in the highlighted area of the cursor on the map. It thins in an opposite manner to the Add Tree brush—the more you move the brush back and forth, the thinner the tree placement becomes.
• Territories—Territories enable you to design hot spots as well as generic locations on your maps. This option will allow you to "paint" a territory on your map. Territories are used for geographical reference and for supporting scenario events. Automatically, you will always begin with one territory. Any new territories need to be added and set up in order to function and be available in the event editor. (For more details on Territories, see the NOTE, "Setting—Up Territories.")

• Build a New Building.—This control contains options for placing all the objects on to the map world that are not directly controlled by stations. These include industries, regions, labels, cities, reserve cells, and rivers.
• Industries—This option enables you to place industries in locations that will never change. They can still go out of business during gameplay; however they always appear in the same place at the start of a game. If you place these in a scenario in which you have already created a company, they will be owned by the player. To correct this, don’t build a company first, or sell them once they’ve been built.
• Regions.—This allows you to place a marker for a resource area. Once you put a marker down, you can set the resource levels by left-clicking on the region icon. You will be given a list of all the industries in the game that have not been restricted in the editor. Each industry will be given a slider to adjust the likelihood of that industry appearing in that region. (For more details on Regions, see the NOTE, "Regions at a Glance.")

For example, Region A has Milk = 20 percent and Coal = 12 percent. Every time an industry is grown in this region it will be of one of these industries. In this case it is slightly more likely to be Milk.

Raising both numbers higher tends to increase the number of the industries in the region but not the ratio. Finally, building density can be set. The higher the density the more industries (high tends to be too much and low to little, so you’ll need to experiment). You can also experiment with building null regions to spread out industries as necessary. All other options displayed are self-explanatory.

Quick Tip: It’s better to put the raw material industries in the countryside and the manufacturers in the cities. If in doubt, leave settings on 25 percent or less.

• Labels—These are simple tags that you can insert into the map that do not effect the gameplay. They will appear as white lettered labels during play.
• Cities—Here you have several settings that must be addressed in order to create a city:
• City: Left-click in this dialog box and type in the name of the city you wish to create.
• Size: This will determine the number of buildings in this population center. Table 9-1 lists the various possible sizes.
• Architecture: Choose the default style of station that will be built in the area of this population center.

Table 9-1. City Sizes

To set up a player or AI company, you must first select the player you wish to assign to this company in the Player List Box:

1. To select the player, click Switch Control To The Next Player (at the very bottom of the Player List Box) to cycle through the players you set up in the Game Options.

2. Once your player is selected, you have to switch the Center List Box to the Company List Box. In the Center List Box, double-click the Start Company option. This will bring up the normal Start Company dialog. Select the settings as you desire and click OK.

If you wish to build buildings for this company—AI or human—just start building the way you normally would during the game.

To adjust company cash, double-click the company you wish to modify in the Company List Box. This should display the first page of the company books under Overview. On the right-hand page, you’ll see three options:

• Liquidate Company—This option will clear the company from the game; however, if the company had any assets placed on the map, they will remain as non-owned structures.
• Set Cash—This selection will give you the option of typing in the amount of money you wish the company to have.
• Change Company Name/Logo—Click here to bring up the dialog that enables you to change your company name and logo.

To adjust a player’s cash, double-click on the player in the Player List Box. This will show you the player name and description. Also you’ll have the option to set the amount of starting money the player has. You can then enter the stock market to buy up or sell additional stocks.

When placing the infrastructure for AI companies on the map, be sure that the AI has all train and track rights to the territory (or territories) in which they exist.

Never give the AI too much personal starting cash. The AI is very efficient in buying up player stocks and such. This can potentially make the game too lopsided and no fun.

To wrap things up, here are a few general tips to help you as you begin making maps. These are by no means exhaustive, but they will give you information that you should be able to put to use immediately:

• To create level corridors or valleys, use the Smooth tool with the SHIFT key option. Click and advance your cursor in small increments. This is great for grading riverbeds and valleys. The smallest of the brushes does not work for this tool.
• Use the Grid (CTRL+G). It will save you countless little mistakes and show you the true lay of the land.
• Turn off the tree graphics when working on the map except when you are placing the trees. Things will get too cluttered otherwise.
• Use the largest appropriate brush when placing your trees. Go in and thin out the trees—with the chain saw if necessary. This tends to produce more natural looking results.
• Exaggerate the size of mountains a little. They tend to get lost in the grand scheme of things and are often less inspiring than other features.
• Place your cities along the coastline and waterways first. These cities tend to be easier to accurately locate and can later be used to triangulate the location of cities with few or no identifiable geographic markers.
• Use the Smooth tool with the SHIFT key option to level any uneven water. The sea level tool may not be the right one for many of your inland bodies of water.
• Try to avoid grades of above 8 percent on known routes unless it is the desired effect.
• Try to keep city centers 17 or more squares from each other for the best play performance.
• Rotate the map occasionally as you build. This will help you catch surface deformations and anomalies.

Experiment. Nothing can replace the insight and feel for map-making. You can best hone your skill through trial and a little error.

The Railroad Tycoon II Event Editor is a major component of the integrated editor in the game. Events are basically the wildcard that you can use to do just about anything that isn’t a regular part of the gameplay. Events enable you to introduce unique circumstances into scenarios, such as the heavy government bonuses for the American transcontinental railroads, the European push for electrification, the exclusive track-building licenses issued by unpredictable South American governments, and more. An event is one set of effects that results from one trigger condition. By creating one or more events, you change the rules of the game and create a scenario that is unique not only in geography, but also in historical flavor and conditions.

The event editor is accessed through the map options window in the map editor. Click on the events item in the list at the left, and you’ll see a list box with all current events in it. Most likely there won’t be any if you’re working on a map you’ve just created. To add a new event, click the Add button. The event editor window will now be in place. There are four basic elements to an event:

• Trigger determines what causes the event and what does it affect

• Message Text determines what message, if any, is displayed to the player when this event occurs

• Frequency determines how often the game checks for this event’s occurrence

• Effect determines what, if any, gameplay changes occur when this event happens

To edit an existing event you can either double-click the event you wish to edit or highlight it and then click the edit button at the bottom of the list box.

Triggers determine if the event occurs, and to whom the event occurs (if applicable). Triggers are the equivalent of "if" statements in programming, and actually work pretty much the same.

A simple trigger would be something like the following:

GameYear = 1875

This trigger will evaluate to false for any year in the game except 1875. If the trigger evaluates to false, the event will not occur, and none of the effects or text will happen. The event will normally be re-evaluated later, depending on the Frequency setting, and may evaluate to true at a later time.

A trigger is made up of one or more individual elements, which the computer will evaluate to resolve the overall statement as true or false. However, sometimes you want to evaluate the trigger multiple times, against multiple companies, players, or territories. That’s what the checkboxes on this panel are for. If the Test Against Multiple Companies check box is on, then the trigger will be evaluated against each company, and if it is true one or more times, then the events and text will occur one or more times, to the individual companies in question. For example, if you wanted to levy a special government tax against any company that was overly profitable, you might create the following trigger:

Assume the effect is that $50,000 is taken away from the company. If there are four companies in the game when this event is evaluated, with earnings of $100,000, $1,200,000, -$20,000, and $2,000,000 respectively, then the trigger would evaluate to false for the first and the third company, and true for the second and fourth, with the effect ($50,000 penalty each) being taken from both the second and the fourth company.

You can also choose to limit a trigger by making it a one-time-only event. If this is checked, the event will be evaluated as per a normal event, at normal frequencies, but after the first time it has evaluated to true (regardless of how many previous times it has evaluated to false), it is disabled and not checked again. If an event is being evaluated against multiple players, companies, or territories, it will not continue on down the list, it will stop after the first true evaluation against a player, company, or territory.

The evaluation order for players, companies, and territories is the same as the order they appear in their various list boxes, top to bottom. Events themselves are evaluated in the order they appear in the event list box on the map options window.

Expressions are constructed out of the multiple types of elements, as illustrated in the following complex trigger:

The following elements are used in this trigger:

• Numeric constants—The numbers 1872, 10, and 3 are numeric constants. Constants must be integers (no decimals). Don’t use comma separators for thousands (23,400). Also, don’t use dollar signs or anything else other than the raw digits between "0" and "9", and the "+" or "-" sign (-3).
• Comparators—To compare two subexpressions, the following comparators

may be used:

• Expression joiners—These are used to combine two values using ordinary arithmetic. Expression joiners include

• Parentheses ( )—Parentheses serve a dual function. When immediately following a function name, they serve to enclose the parameter for the function (for example, CompanyCash(IsHighestInClass) where IsHighestInClass is a parameter). In all other instances, parentheses are used to control the order in which expressions are evaluated, with the innermost expressions evaluated first. This can be very important, as in the following expression:

3 * 2 + 2 = 8 evaluates to true (The left side evaluates to 8)

3 * (2 + 2) = 8 evaluates to false (The left side evaluates to 12)

• Functions—Functions are certain keywords that the game knows how to evaluate, such as CompanyCash, GameYear, and PlayerNetWorth. Many functions also have an optional or mandatory parameter, which is enclosed in parenthesis immediately after the function name. For example, CompanyCash(IsHighestInClass) will only evaluate to true if the company in question has the most cash of everything in its class (other companies), that is, it finds the wealthiest company. Some parameters are words (IsHighestInClass, IsLowestInClass), and some are numbers (3). A full list of functions and their correct usage is included in Appendix C, Functions and Effects.

Expressions are evaluated by type of element first, then from left to right within type. You can always use parentheses to override the default evaluation order if you so desire. The order of type evaluation is:

1. Functions—Functions and their parameters are evaluated to produce numeric results; for example, CompanyCash(IsHighestInClass) is reduced to true or false
2. Parentheses—Expressions within parentheses are evaluated following this order, innermost enclosed expressions first: multiply (*) and divide (/) operations are performed plus (+) and minus (-) operations are performed Expression joiners (< > <= >= =) reduce expressions on he left and right side to either true or false The remaining values are combined using AND and OR.

There are over 70 functions available to you in the event editor, allowing you a lot of freedom to create just about any kind of trigger you can imagine.

Some functions require an ID as a parameter. An ID is a numeric value that is associated with a particular company, player, territory, or city. Proper syntax is as follows:

TerritoryConnectedToTerritory(4)

Some functions take an optional class parameter. There are two class parameters: IsHighestInClass and IsLowestInClass. They return true if the value returned by that function is higher (or lower) than that returned by anything else in the same class (such as other companies, in the case of CompanyCash). For CompanyTerritory functions, the comparison will be against other companies given the current territory, not vice versa. The proper syntax is as follows:

CompanyCash(IsHighestInClass)

Here’s a list of other available Trigger settings:

• One Time Only Event—This check box determines if this event can only occur once in the game. If the box is checked it means it should be a one-time event. Combinations of these can occur.
• Test Against Multiple Companies—Test the trigger against every active company in the game independently. This can be further limited to only checking against computer-controlled or human-controlled companies by checking one of the other check boxes listed.
• Test Against Multiple Players—Test the trigger against every active player in the game independently. This can be further limited to only checking against computer or human companies by checking one of the other check boxes listed.
• Test Against Territories—This trigger tests against the territories in the game. This is another way of limiting the calculation of the event. For example, the result may be "If Territory X is not friendly to player by 1880, then player loses".

This is where you deliver your information to the players. Left-clicking anywhere in that box will enable you to begin typing. The home key will take you to the beginning of the text and the end key will take you to the end of the text. This is the only way for you to pass along necessary information or develop a story line.

You can choose one of three formats for the text to appear in: Dialog, Newspaper, and Choice. To begin your message input first select one of the top three radio buttons in the Message Dialog:

• Dialog—Selecting this option will give you the simplest method of messaging. Any text you enter into the text box will be displayed to the player in a simple dialog box with an OK button to clear.

• Newspaper—Here you will have two text boxes to fill out. The first is titled HEADLINE. Information text in this box will appear in large type at the top of the newspaper dialog. Remember, keep this text as short and dynamic as possible as it is the HEADLINE of a newspaper and not a simple description or a chalkboard. The second text box is titled SUB HEADLINE. This is a sub-heading where newspapers customarily enter a smaller more detailed description of the headline story. We follow the same concept here. Care should be taken when writing these sub-descriptions, as there is a finite amount of space that the message can display before being cut off. This amount is variable, depending on the letters used, as their spacing can affect how the message is shown on-screen. It’s always a good idea to test events using the newspaper option to see if the text you want to display is shut off.

• Choice—The Choice dialog allows you to collect player input and create a more dynamic and personalized experience. First you’ll have a text box that functions as a normal dialog; however it must be used to set up the two smaller sub-boxes, Button 1 Label and Button 2 Label. These buttons will be displayed to the player as the two obvious choices. Selecting one of the buttons will trigger the event you’ve set up for that particular button. You can create these button effects by selecting that button’s event listed on the left side. It’s important to remember that this is the only way for you to receive data from your players and provide them with a measure of control over events.

The Frequency settings enable you to determine when your events will be checked. Each mode is self-explanatory. Checking every time a track or station is placed is usually used in conjunction with a territory.

Evaluating complex events takes CPU time, and can slow down the game, particularly if there are a lot of them. So you can choose to evaluate events only yearly, or go for the more frequent monthly checks if you choose. Note that for each you can choose the end of the period, or the beginning of the following period. This can be an important distinction, because the date will have changed, possibly effecting some date-based triggers, and at the beginning of the year, the year-to-date numbers for many variables are reset to zero (0).

There is one other alternative here—to evaluate the event every time track or stations are placed down or removed (by either human or computer players). This is particularly useful for events relating to places being connected by track to other places, which would only occur upon new track and station placement.

Effects are the gameplay changes that occur in response to triggers. Triggers are the target and conditions that must be met before an effect takes place.

There are some 250+ effects in the game (see Appendix C, Functions and Effects). Each effect has a range or value that can be adjusted by the slider bar immediately to the right of its listing in the event editor under effects. Adjusting the slider bar will display the value directly under the bar itself. Additionally, a tally of the number of effects modified for that event is maintained at the bottom of the effects list box. If you leave and then return to the effects of an event, you’ll find the modified effects listed at the top of the list box.

Any event can be composed of any or all of the 250+ effects; however some combinations may be contradictory and invalidate each other. We recommend writing out your events before you enter them as means of tracking any problems that may occur before or after implementing the event.

Effects can be divided into three general categories:

• Performance—These effects govern the greatest variety of play modifiers and have the ability to alter play at the most exacting level. This group also includes the Game Over triggers, which naturally can stop a game cold. These effects tend to have the most dynamic affects on the scenario.
• Cargo and Items—These effects govern all of the cargo values and production rates. When adjusting these, keep in mind the scale of the game, since an increase of production by just 1 can double the output of many resources.
• Variables—These effects function more as tools for you to create more complex events. There are four categories of variables:

Territories variables, which affect activities within a specific territory or territories.

There are four definable variables for each category numbered 1 through 4 in two distinct classifications, Add To and Set. Add To works as a counter allowing the use of positive and negative numbers. Set works as a defined level or setting. For example, Global variables all have a range of -99 to 100 and are considered instant (see Instant below).

Above the events list box you will see the duration modifier and immediately to its right you will see two radio buttons: Permanent and Temporary. Permanent means that this (these) effect(s) will stay in effect until another effect changes them. Temporary means this (these) effect(s) have a limited duration. If this is selected you will be prompted for the number of years and months that you wish these effects to be in effect. You may respond in months and the program will automatically divide them into years and months.

*Temporary will not modify those effects listed as instant. (For more details see Instant below.)

Here are some things to keep in mind when working with Events and Triggers:

• Remember that the triggers are evaluated from the top down.
• The AI does NOT know how to buy into territories. If you wish the AI to have access to some, none, or all, you will have to tell it which ones. To have it check all territories for an on or off event, do not include a Territory ID number in the trigger and just check the Test Against Territories box.
• Try and simplify what gets checked for an event to keep from having buried mistakes. Use the Test Against check box when possible instead of ID numbers.
• Listing your victory conditions from Gold through to Lose tends to avoid sequencing errors (trust us).
• Most errors come from an incorrectly selected Frequency choice. Check them when in doubt.
• Misuse of the < > signs is another problem. Be sure you’re evaluating them the way you need to.
• Since most general triggers are either at the beginning or end of the month, most events happen then. To break that congestion up, add or change dated events to a GameYearMonth trigger if possible.
• To create a "silent" event, just do not add any text. This will not trigger a dialog box or newspaper.
• Games set in the years after 1950 can become a bit tough financially. You may need to globally change the production rate for industries and or revenues for them. This is not generally the case but complex scenarios often cause the tight profit margins simulated in later years to be more exaggerated.
• Territories that are not visible do not show up in the territory page of the company books. Therefore, effects that happen to the territory they are mapped to happen to the invisible territory equally; for example, buying into the visible territory will also buy into the invisible one.

An effect that is listed as an instant effect indicates that it can not be turned off by the program by making the entire event temporary. Therefore all instant effects are persistent, should you wish to turn off this effect you must create another event that performs this task, for example:

trigger = GameYear>=1880, effect = Territory Confiscate All. To change: trigger = (can be any legal trigger) GameYear>=1885, effect = Territory Confiscate None.

The desired effect was to confiscate any items that were in or being built in the specified territory from 1880 until 1885. Remember that an event can be silent if you don’t enter any message text.

Each setting listed below appears on the event dialog and needs to be addressed before you can create a final map. They tend to be less difficult to grasp than Events and Triggers; however they do have substantial impact and can kill a scenario design if not used properly. Our original intent was to make this game playable by 32 players simultaneously. While it can in theory be played this way, our largest maps (500 x 500) turned out to be functionally too small for each player to have the same type of enjoyment. The magic number on a 500 x 500 map tends to be about 16 to18 This gives each player the possibility of finding some undeveloped space on the map to build, assuming that the map is at least 80 percent or more land. Please keep this in mind, as well as the following:

• Player—The following settings determine initial player start options for the map:
  -The Allow player to override check box enables the player to use a different chairman in a multiplayer game.
  -Unassigned players portraits will be randomly assigned at the start of a game.
  -In order to start a company, player cash should be about $100,000. It can be done with less and is an interesting way to start players as investors only.
• Player Pool—Here’s where you decide which chairmen will be used in your scenario. The three global selections will give you quick filtering of your chairman as a general selection. It tends to be best if you hand pick the available opponents.
• Managers—This enables you to include or exclude particular managers from your scenario. We tend to leave everyone in as the larger selection allows for better variables within your game.
• Economy—This determines how fast and how profitable the environment is in your scenario. The starting economic level will determine how big your cities will be at the beginning of your game. The annual growth rate is simply how much they grow each year.
• Engines—Here you choose which locomotives will be allowed in your scenario. The global filters are more for game play than historical accuracy. Use them only to "thin" out the available engines. An engine not selected here can be activated in the game with an event.
• Industry—As each industry is highlighted in the list box, the check box next to the picture will have an X if it is to be used in the game. Any industry not checked will not show up in the map even if it is selected in a city or region industry setting.
• General Restrictions—This is for the most part self-explanatory. However, it’s important to note just how powerful these choices are. They are akin to creating rule sets that can drastically alter the way the game is played. Changes here can make normal strategies vary considerably. Also, the last option—Player can start multiple companies—is a bit confusing: What it really means is that they can start one (1) company but no others. This is useful in allowing a game where you do not wish a player to start a company after they have lost their first without having to set up their starting company. Setting up a company for the player is required if you use the Starting a company restriction.

• Special restrictions—these restrictions allow for unique rules variations that don’t fall within normal game parameters. These allowed the creation of the "Whistle Stops and Promises" campaign scenario. They are explained in the hover text on the bottom of each option. Slow date makes the game go by in days and hours, where days are years and hours are months. It makes for an entirely different scale and feel for the game. All other features remain the same but now industries produce daily instead of annually. Cool, huh? Remember that you can use any one of these options separately or in combination with any other game parameter.
• Ports—This is how you determine what will be "produced" and "demanded" by the ports in your scenarios. There are four (4) general industrial areas of modification possible in your port settings, not all have to be used. All port settings are global for your map. One port will be the same as any other on your map. Also, ports are the main way of introducing materials into a country that would not normally be able to produce them themselves. Ports function just like industries in terms of buying and profit. The Ports have two special attributes that must be set in order for them to function:
  -Annual Supply, which shows what will be produced and the quantity that will be made each year.
  -Manufactured Supply, which will be used to either create a simple demand that you select or it will create an exchange. If you also select an Annual Supply, the two cargoes displayed will be interchanged for each other. For example, the combination Annual Supply = Steel + Manufactured Supply = iron would provide one steel for each iron delivered to it.

Ports have the potential to upset your map’s industry balance, and it is best to set them once your whole map structure is finalized.

• Robbers—You can put the names or titles of the robbers you wish to have in your scenario. Also you can set the frequency and starting year for the robbers. If your named robbers are all captured, then a generic "robber" will be listed.
• Regional—These settings effect the global type of map you intend on creating. These global settings are used to represent the location’s general railway and populace behaviors. These factors will raise or lower costs for operating engine types described and increase or decrease passenger production.
• General/Map Setup— This information shows up in the main map setup screen. It will automatically display the map’s dimension in the main setup screen:

Minimum Start Year is the earliest you intended the game to be begun. If a player attempts to adjust the start year in the main setup page, it will not go lower than this.

Default Start Year is the year you’ve decided best suits the scenario for starting.

Maximum Start Year is the latest you intended the game to be played to be started. If a player attempts to adjust the start year in the main setup page, it will not go higher than this.

Campaign Map is checked if it is a part of a campaign. There is currently no campaign creation option for users.

>Chapter Head<

The Team Behind Railroad Tycoon II- Chapter 10 >Table of Contents<

Looking at the final game, it’s hard to believe that Railroad Tycoon II owes its existence to only six dedicated individuals, who lost sleep for months on end to bring you what is one of the finest strategy games in recent years. Here they are—the true railroad tycoons, including their role on the project, their favorite multiplayer strategies, and their favorite games.

Role on the project: Initial World Artist, model construction, 3D and landscape artist, technical and hardware assistance, builder of office furniture and cleaner of toilets, requisite doomsayer and pessimistic influence, Quake champion, target for ridicule

Favorite thing about the game: The Station detail. Hey, I can be proud of my work.

Favorite strategy: Start a company, watch to see where your competitors lay their track, select bulldozer, and then bulldoze the likely major industries before they can put their station down, effectively making their track a waste. Not a very good strategy, mind you, but a fun one.

Memorable moment during development: Sleeping at the office during the last month. It sucked. Also listening to Paul scream and create new obscenities as I stomp on him in Quake I and II stress-breaker sessions. Now, that’s amusing...

Crunch Time food: Chinese food

Things to avoid during crunch time: Mentioning in-game typos to Phil

Favorite games besides RT2: X-Wing, NHL 98/99, Total Annihilation, Carmageddon, Quake II, Gunship 2000

Role on the project: World Artist: train clean up (the Train Man), logos, b/w cursors, some ground effects and beach animation

Favorite thing about the game: The ability to merge in multiplayer—the closest thing to conquering your enemy in battle!

Favorite strategy: Don’t play against Phil. Otherwise, expand and act fast to get the best start. Don’t be afraid to crowd into someone else’s city and steal their passengers.

Memorable moment during development: We finally started to test multiplayer. I thought I was doing decently and suddenly—BAM—Franz merged and took me over!

Crunch Time food: No snack, just lots and lots of diet Coke. Well, OK, Cheese Nips aren’t bad either.

Things to avoid during crunch time: Not taking the time to occasionally do other stuff like go swimming, read a book, or otherwise get out the RT2 world to "reboot."

Favorite games besides RT2: Civilization

Role on the project: Research, scenario design, and maps

Favorite thing about the game: Setting up pretty train rides through the mountains that waste your precious time. I enjoy the "train set" type put n’ play ability that lets you build a model railroad. I don’t have room at home for a train set, so this is my best alternative.

Favorite strategy: I like to buy everyone’s industries just as they place their stations. AFTER they place their station is the key, as it indicates an investment on your competitors part. Also, whenever possible I try and buy up all my own stock, often taking bonds out to buy up company stock with company money. This makes you a very hard target for a hostile merge.

Memorable moment during development: I was working late and there was a storm moving in from the northeast. I was going through an event bug list trying to find a coat for the Queen of Austria. Well, one thing lead to another and then...hey wait! This isn’t amusing or interesting. Is this thing on?

Crunch Time food: Little Debbie™ Swiss Rolls. A lot of snout for a little cash.

Things to avoid during crunch time: Sleep

Favorite games besides RT2: Fallout, Transportation Tycoon, Defender of the Crown, Masters of Magic…

Role on the project: World art, animations, video, video research, map design, travel arrangements, and pizza boy

Favorite thing about the game: The Pause button.

Favorite strategy: The Pause button. Actually, I like taking out a series of bonds right out the gate to buy up as much of my own stock as possible. This gives me a little breathing room so I don’t have to worry about Todd badgering me with futile attempts to take over my company. All this upfront cash also allows me the ability to purchase industries that I notice my opponents are laying track to. Parasitic, I know, but most business is.

Memorable moment during development: Meeting Sid Meier and Chris Taylor at E3 in Atlanta—the two men who have assured me no life outside their games.

Crunch Time food: Raspberry Poptarts, Brisk Nestea, watermelon Bubble Yum after eating the most perverse flavored gas station beef jerky.

Things to avoid during crunch time: Phil’s coffee

Favorite games besides RT2: Total Annihilation, Battlezone, and Quake II

Role on the project: I suppose you can call me the interface artist (player detail, intro screens, engine detail screens, pop-up screens, and so on) and sound effect creator. However, the role I wanted to fill was Bigfoot specialist, and bad joke teller (What did Spock find in the toilet? ...The Captain’s log.).

Favorite thing about the game: The breaking glass in the campaign screen; "Hey! Get away from those winders!" I love the depth.

Favorite strategy: Survival. Get those two stations built and two trains pulling passengers quickly. Buy back stock in your company detail, if you know the people you’re playing against will try to buy up all your stocks. It will keep upping the price of stocks and you’ll make money. I still lose, but I survive longer.

Memorable moment during development: I got engaged.

Crunch Time food: Anything I could get my hands on.

Things to avoid during crunch time: Phil. He needed to concentrate 100 percent on programming.

Favorite games besides RT2: Quake II, Total Annihilation, Links Golf 98, NHL 98, and I still besides RT2: love Doom

Role on the project: Programmer, designer, producer, company owner

Favorite thing about the game: Train crashes and going all out on margin, then save your butt as your stock falls.

Favorite strategy: Start with as little outside investment as possible. Then, build a small, very short line. Get a little money coming in, and start issuing bonds to expand. Refinance the bonds a few years later.

Memorable moment during development: The most awesome thing was when we were able to acquire the Railroad Tycoon name, which I didn’t expect. The second most awesome thing was when we announced the game and released screen shots and got such an enthusiastic response. I knew then we were on the right track.

Crunch Time food: Kit-Kat Bar™

Things to avoid during crunch time: Eating, sleeping, anything but programming

Favorite games besides RT2: Civilization, Total Annihilation, Quake II, Railroad Tycoon

>Chapter Head< >Table of Contents<

The Second Century- Chapter 11 >Table of Contents<

The basic function of Railroad Tycoon II has not been changed in the Second Century expansion pack. The basic mechanics are still the same; however the time frame that these scenarios take place is later than almost all of the original ones. If you played campaign scenario #12 When the Walls Come Down, you will have had a taste of much of the dynamics which the Second Century of railroading has brought. These changes require a shifting of player tactics and perspective, not learning new undocumented rules.

While the game has not changed fundamentally it has received a few tweaks. These tweaks have been implemented to provide additional play flexibility and functionality.

Cargo Depoting / Drop Shipping. This system allows you to control what is done with cargo at a particular station. The mechanics are explained in the Second Century chapter 21 of the HTML manual. To understand it's use is a more of a challenge. In the SC you'll find that efficiency is not only rewarded, it's demanded and Drop Shipping is one way in which to achieve efficiency. Never (or rarely) allowing your trains to run empty can lower the impact that operating cost have on your profitability. Drop Shipping allows you to move un-demanded cargo through your railway by letting you drop cargo at stations for later pick up by and delivery to locations that demand the cargo instead of selling it for little or no profit, i.e. where demand is lower than 4. Using this system will allow you to create a distribution center(s) for your cargo where you can redistribute cargo to destinations that demand your items instead of over saturating a particular item at any one stop. Additionally, you can optimize the type of engines used to haul these items based on the terrain to be covered and weight of the cars being pulled. The simplest example would be using a Mikado to haul coal through a mountainous region and dropping the load at a distribution point to be picked up by a faster flatland locomotive like the Pacific, for deliver to its final destination. A more complex situation would be to collect passengers and mail from several cities using inexpensive and fuel efficient Class 1020's for pick up by an expensive high speed locomotive like the Eurostar to be delivered at great distances. This would decrease the impact of slower trains on congested main routes and ensure that the expensive trains never move without a profitable load of cargo and for time sensitive cargo like mail and passengers, it would decrease the loss of revenue due to delay.

Route Waypoints. This feature allows you to select intermediate destinations for your trains without having to actually stop your engines at a particular station. This will enable you to set up circular traffic routes and reduce traffic congestion and delays. This makes particularly good use of dual single track lines and allows longer single track runs. Because of the inaccuracy of the input mechanics, we suggest that you use it for broad definitions and not as a micro-management solution.

Spanning Bridges. Covering an open body of water is now possible with these single track bridges. The spanning bridge is akin to a railroad causeway and costs $150k per section used. This naturally adds up very quickly and $2-3 million dollar bridges are quite common. They can be major revenue savers in the long run though if they line services distant locations that would otherwise be slowed by bad grades and/or increased distance.

We will hit on some important points in each scenario; however the changing nature of the game dynamics will prevent a guaranteed GOLDEN bullet in every situation.

Since it is possible to get coal and iron from the port/s in Vancouver and Seattle, setting up a route to the steel mill in Portland should be your first goal. You'll likely be able to set up a route that lets you send that steel right back to a tool and die shop in either Seattle or Vancouver or both! This combo will take you even farther towards victory if you can buy that steel mill as soon as possible. Additionally, you will be able to link Lower Post and Ware. These two small communities really need each other, the steel mill chain is recommended here too. It also provides a splendid section for use on your way to Fairbanks.

Start collecting Troops as soon as possible. You can depot them at any convenient station for future delivery to Fairbanks. Additionally, these are also a good source of income if you can find a suitable collection of Barracks to service, look in cities like Fort George, White Horse and Prince George.

Once you get a couple of good base money making runs start to connect to cities on the way to Fairbanks. If you decide to make the run up from Vancouver to Prince George, consider using electric locomotives as you have few choices in locomotives that can make a profitable haul and none can beat the GG-1.

If you haven't noticed the switchback route just north of Vancouver, turn off the trees in the game and turn on the map grid. It should be quiet apparent now? That route has no leg that needs be more than a 4.5 grade.

First, avoid going through London whenever you possibly can. Most of the destruction happens there and it is not a necessary run.

Repair the track near Redditch and Liverpool as they will be heavily traveled sections. Begin collection troops from those stations you can reach like Stafford.

Remember Liverpool will provide both aluminum for ammunition and ammunition itself so ship both down towards Birmingham and Coventry.

Cattle runs for food between Northampton and Banbury are the most efficient.

This takes a little thought but it is possible to do in a variety of ways. Try and finish off Portland as soon as possible as it has the farthest distance to go.

You will need roughly a strength of 80 in all of your boarder territories to outlast the offensive.

Consider building up Chisinau from Odessa and Sevastapol. Minsk and Vitsyebsk from Moscow and the interior. Kuopio from Lenningrad and Archangel and Murmansk Depot from Murmansk and Kandalahsha. These are not the only combinations but will give you quick improvements.

Don't worry about emptying out reserves in territories directly behind frontline ones. If you want gold you can't let all of the front fall anyway.

Don't overload your smaller engines like the USARA 0-6-0. They will just fail you if you do more than 2 or three cars due to their slow speeds.

Brataslava and Vienna can be connected without buying into Czechoslovakia, set up lines here when you can.

Linz to Salzburg is the best route here as iron and coal are usually recoverable and Linz should always have a steel mill for big profits. Buy this mill as soon as you start servicing it.

It's always best to buy up industries that are profitable here.

Use electric lines where possible as electric locomotives have the best fuel prices going and it is cheaper here than normal.

Look for a manager that can lower your electric track construction.

Buy into the German territory when you can. A high speed run from Vienna to Munich is one of the single most profitable runs you can make.

Electric lines tend to keep your costs down here but choose your course right at the start. Either way it can be won.

The key here is not to spend too much time on secondary routes. Connect Omsk to Vladivostock as soon as possible as runs between the two are very profitable.

Try not to expand your route any farther south than Semiplatinsk in the west.

Food is your most effective money maker here.

Use waypointing to avoid running out of water going near Gera. This will just about kill any Gold hope for you.

Collect extra cars on your way back whenever possible as the heavier load just weighs you down.

Don't use more than 3-4 cars on the Mallard. It's possible to never use more than 3 cars.

Start an electric line between Paris and Reims and operate 2-3 E-18. Only run 2 cars at a time to keep your average speed up.

Getting the 5% passenger bonus every year is key to your long term success, so you need to keep your average speed above 60.

The GG-1 isn't necessary although it will not stop you from winning.

Buy into the city territories ONLY when you can follow up with immediate service to that city.

Switch to the Shinkansen locomotive as soon as possible and never carry more than 3 cars on it.

Look for managers at each step of your construction that can help lower your costs or increase station or passenger revenue.

Micromanage your loads. Allow as few as possible cargoes sit at a station.

Bulldoze as much as you can afford to in your first year. The reduction is difficult to beat.

Pay particular attention to the residential demands. In other words, make sure you have locations where you have lots of houses as they spur on most of your industry chain in the metra scenarios.

Work your way to the Airport as soon as possible. Runs to the airport and on the lines in between will be very lucrative.

Consider starting near the Airport as airport passengers make the most money.

You'll need to balance the engines performance issues here and use waypointing.

Also, adjusting the throttle is a key requirement particularly when using the Class 1020.

The Quaker Hills event is not a practical route with the Class 1020 and only marginally so with the other 2 locomotives.

You have two options here:

1. Work the L.A. coast to Pismo Beach till you can afford a run to San Francisco. Make money hauling bauxite to goods chain while buying up all those industries. Once you have the link to S.F. you should have no problem making cash.
2. Cheaty way! Start a single track with wooden bridges to Sacramento and Los Angeles. Put 2 small stations at either end. In June of 1981 you will be offered a $1.5 million contract for connecting these two cities. Voila! You now have enough cash to create 2 large stations and buy a nice locomotive. The cash will begin rolling in from these two destinations as long as your route is not too steep.

The best tactic is to make the longest straightest route you can and use Shinkansen locomotives when possible. The income should allow you to meet all the goals.

Here again the best route is the longest one you can make between England and France. This will usually pay for itself in a short period of time and allow you to pay down your debt… which you MUST do.

Try and find a good manager to help you with your track laying.

The Luxembourg events have no significant impact on the outcome and can be ignored.

Theodore Judah is a good starting manager as track building is your biggest initial expense.

This is a combination lock styled scenario. The Eurostar is the easiest to win with.

This is a straight builder scenario with only one little caveat, the 100 loads of chemicals. It's important to not put off delivery of the chemicals for too long. Also the chemicals are a good source of income.

Buy the industries you service as soon as possible.

Look to buy a few stocks in your competitors lines when first offered.

Make a small line with as little outside investment as possible initially and buy up all of your stock as quickly as you can.

You can start out by not building first but investing your money in your competitors initially, then fund more of your company with profits from those investments. Be careful to be able to connect to the Geocore facility in some fashion.

Your company should do well enough to out pace your competitors in the long run as the A.I. does not make good use of industrial chains.

All locomotives can perform the gold standard.

If using the E-111, do not return to the basin after the initial start.

Runs from Grenoble and Dijon to Toulouse and Barcelona will produce well for all engines.

Don't dally in the North of France when using the Thalys, it will only get you wet. Also do NOT use more than 3-4 cars on the Thalys or it will pop before the end of the scenario.

Only use ONE train in North Africa after the start when using the GG-1. Put the others on the French runs.

Johannesburg to Kimberly is the most straight forward route. Remember to start moving food as quickly as possible.

Lay no more than 50 cells of track that do NOT directly aid in your connection of the 3 major cities.

Buy industries you service.

Only take the additional track offer if you've decided to build more than 50 cells of track that did not get you closer to connecting the major cities.

Connect 2 of the 3 main cities as soon as possible as these runs are very profitable.

This can be tough to get started but not impossible by any means.

First, the A.I. rarely starts a railroad in the Troubled Lands. Therefore it is often worth delaying the start of your railroad and instead invest into an A.I. Company first. When the price raises, you can sell off the stock and invest more personal money into starting your own company. The goal here is to buy back your own stock as quickly as possible and start paying yourself a decent dividend.

The Ozark Union famine relief quest will improve your goodwill with all territories by 15% except for the Plains Federation which will drop by 15%.

Making a few good long runs will pay off well. Be sure to buy industries as possible as they will hedge your losses during the seemingly frequent recessions.

Also, troops in Lincomaha and Wichita are common and should be transported.

Don't buy into The Ozark Union as it will be given to you automatically when you agree to ship them food.

One of the best ways to make some money is to start over by Lambert. With it's port and it's usual 1 or 2 electric plants you will be able to make a good profit on the rich deposits of coal in the area.

Occasionally Menzies Shadow will provide enough houses to make a few passenger runs too.

You will receive a nice bonus if you lay track in the Nox area.

Another area to get a secret freebie for building track is near Lake La Mancha. This is a big bonus and can catapult you to victory.

These are a few tips that work with Railroad Tycoon II in general as well as being particularly important in the Second Century.

1. Buy serviced industries whenever possible. This will help you fight off A.I. profiteering and give you a steady income that is particularly useful during recessions or depressions.
2. Look for good managers. They are tough and always have a back up plan should you fire them, don't worry just fire and hire them as necessary. Daniel Willard is a good man for fuel savings.
3. Fuel costs are EXTREMELY painful in the second century. Do whatever you can to keep those prices down. This is where electric motive power becomes a shining star.
4. Check your lines often to see what the annual profits for a run are. If they are losing money or not supplying a vital link, kill it.
5. Your locomotives age and if they are 20+ years old, they are potentially costing you money.
6. The Eurostar is perhaps the most effective locomotive available. If you can afford it, it usually pays for itself quickly.
7. The high speed locomotives cover more ground quickly so you tend to need fewer locomotives. However, be sure to place maintenance depots frequently as the great distances traveled at high speeds raise the likelihood of breakdown or crashes dramatically.
8. Only use spanning bridges when it can GREATLY decrease travel times or gain access to an extremely valuable resource. Look for good bridge building managers beforehand like A. Carnegie or R. Gerwig.
9. Take advantage of depoting to create a constant flow of high paying cargo for high speed runs.
10. Depoted cargo does NOT rot. HINT.
11. If you can arrange to service an industry that the A.I. will move the finished product of at a better speed. Buy that industry and supply it regularly. The A.I. will distribute the finished good at a better profit and without cost to you. Example A.I. has connect that includes a meat packing plant. You bring cattle to the plant and the A.I. moves the food. Buying the meat packing plant will pay off very well. This is difficult to gauge but a little practice will help you determine when it pays the best.
12. Check the status page for helpful scenario info. It can be found on the Annual Report or in the Company Book under NEXT.

Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century scenarios put greater emphasis on railroad efficiency. It is efficiency that will generate the wealth you need to win scenarios. Remember, lots of trains without specific purposes will usually cost you money and provide no returns.

Good luck and happy rails!

>Chapter Head< >Table of Contents<

Railroad Tycoon II: Gold- Chapter 12 >Table of Contents<

The following tips and strategies cover the single player scenarios of Railroad Tycoon II: Gold Edition. As with any strategies or tips these are not meant to be the final word on playing. As with all strategies, variations, style and luck will determine the way to victory.

Your objective in this game is to get your profits up and your costs down. As with all profit driven scenario's there are two primary points to remember. 1. Fuel is the single largest profit eater in a railway. 2. For the money, managers have the greatest impact on profits of any option available to the player.

With this in mind, try and find a manager that helps you during every major phase of your railways operations particularly fuel managers if you go with diesel operations.

Keep it small and simple. A line from Brazilia to Goiania should get you off to a good start. However, be sure you can get access to resources to fuel these two cities industries. If you have a good map seed, Uberlandia will also be a useful city to include early in your development.

Buy up your assets. This means buy the industries you service early in the game, as they will push your profits higher annually and shore up your company during economic drops.

Link to Campo Grande after your industries are being service. Try to convert over to electric power when you make this move if you didn't start with electric to begin with. The fuel costs, performance and engine availability will offset the initial costs very quickly.

Do not expand constantly as this will deplete your profit margin drastically. Instead, choose a year in which you KNOW you will not have a decent profit and make it hurt even more. Then refrain for a year or two and get some capital and a notch on your 'profit belt'.

Sao Paulo should be your last link. This will be a good dump for your products and should provide a good route for a TGV passenger service.

Remember to fight the urge to spend constantly.

All things being equal, if you get the company net worth up to $65 million for the gold you are very likely to meet all the lower requirements. However there are a couple of things you need to do to help ensure you meet all the requirements.

Due to the finances, start a medium length company in the center of the map possibly in Torsola. Be sure to create an industry web that includes some supportable industries. You'll want to be able to purchase your industries to speed your income generation. This is an important theme in many scenarios that allows you to create a base from which to work. Consider a good food route using sugar; sugar can be used in several industries on this map including being converted into aluminum at the ports.

You are forced to play with at least one opponent, because of this you should avail yourself of the opportunity to mooch. The computer will likely make money as the map is pretty friendly, it just looks hard. Therefore, you should invest in the computers company right away and keep investing until you can get a 51% or better share. You want the majority stock hold position so as to be able to merge in the future. This will give you a large boost to your company book value.

Service your industries hard and expand often. You can hold off on making the US embassy purchase till you can afford the extra cash, it will be offered till you actually buy it. Yes, the US wants you to buy the embassy so at the end of every month that you have $3 or more million it will pop up again. By hauling to and from your industries you'll be able to keep your cash flowing and the loads of cargo moving. The 1500 needed for the silver win should be reasonably attainable if you are on track for total company loads hauled.

This map take a bit of aggressive expansion and risk taking. Don't be shy about spreading out. If you are a real risk taker, you might hold off starting your company and invest into a computer company to start with. Then either take it over or sell off enough for a large cash starting position for your new company. This can get you up and running in the company value category but you'll have to really work on your load hauling to get up to snuff.

You must restore the glory of this traditional run from Edinburgh to London. Now if that was all there was too it you'd make very short work of this job; however there are a number of restrictions.

1. This is only one run of your railway (which is not shown) and you can only use 400 blocks of track to create or modify the line.
2. You can not buy stock on margin nor can you short sell stock.
3. You can not resign as chairman and start a new company.
4. All of your track must connect.
5. You will have ONE more competitor.
6. You have 20 years to succeed.

The first obstacle is not really an obstacle at all. Using 400 blocks of track to create the run is possible but very tight. No sidings. No alternate profits. What's a chairman to do? Once you've placed 250 blocks of track you'll be offered an additional 120 for the tidy sum of $400K. This is worth it in the long run but not absolutely necessary.

Your primary goal should be to make your line as direct and as curve free as the grade will allow. The steam engines available will perform well if you don't throw too many curves in and you run with 2 or 3 cars only. Passengers and mail alone can in fact, win the scenario. Also optimize the trains on your track so as to allow the best speed performance possible as the extra congestion on this line will tend to slow things down. NO POKY ENGINES!

Buy into your competitors line right away if you want to buy them out instead of competing for the passenger and mail hauling quota. If you do not, be prepared to place a good deal of emphasis on moving these cargo.

An early long run from London to Leicester is your best starting point. If possible pick up a food run in the process.

The rebuilding of the Italian national railway after world war II is your task here. You've been give a starting station in Rome (which you must start from) and 30 years.

Your competitors are opportunistic scum, interested in profits only. You must show them the error of their ways. Consider investing enough into at least one of them for a late game merger.

A run from Rome to Perugia is you likely best bet. You would be best served by starting a single electric track between the two. After 4 years into the scenario the Italian government will offer to lower your electric fuel costs by 50% if you only buy electric locomotives. This is easily your best choice as the Class 1020 is a real workhorse in this hilly environment.

Ports demand Alcohol and you need to move alcohol, so you might as well try and make it as profitable as possible. Perugia usually has a distillery, if not you should look for one as soon as possible to make your 250 load quota. There should be plenty of produce orchards to make the cargo.

Buy your distilleries and produce orchards as soon as possible, this will keep you in the black and up your company net worth quickly.

As you start to generate significant cash you can expand to the 5 key cities. This doesn't need to be a priority as it should easily be affordable within the last 10 years of the scenario. Also, if you merge with a competitor, they are likely to be in one or two of those key cities.

You've been allowed to start a private railway in Japan. Japan has seen great economic growth and expects more in the future.

This is scenario demands a typically Asian styled, long term approach as it lasts 50 years. A lot can go wrong in 50 years. This is were your primary LOSS condition comes into play. If you miss moving 20+ passengers in a single year you get a strike against your company. Do this 6 times in 50 years and you loose the scenario regardless of your other performance. So pay attention to this!

If you don't fail that primary task you should just about have the bronze requirements.

The 2000 passenger requirement is another matter. Look to a small efficient electric line around Tokyo and neighboring cities. The E18 is a good engine for this. While the passengers of this type may not make huge cash for you, it can add up quickly.

Next focus on servicing a couple of industries and buying them. This will allow you to purchase expensive TGV routes to bring in more cash. Ports and Bakeries are very good for this job.

You'll notice that the A.I. is likely doing very well after about 25 years? Particularly if you have more than one opponent. Don't worry, focus on generating an efficient line with little wasted movement and little if any sitting cargo. The A.I. can't function efficiently after about 40 years and its profits will lag greatly. If you are operating an efficient line you will begin to overtake the competition in company net worth. Remember, old engines start to COST money after about 20 years, replace them when possible.

This little island paradise is your ticket to fame and riches. Of course you have at least 2 other entrepreneur's that have the same opinion.

This one is pretty simple but not easy. Follow these steps for best results.

1. Start with as little an investment in your startup company as you can. About $600-700K to your $100K. This will keep more stock in your control.
2. Make a single track line between Ai'Aee and Tipiluana and buy the V-200 diesel. Try and higher Rudolph Diesel as your manager before you do.
3. Move coffee to a port, usually Ai'Aee. This will generate steel. If you're lucky you'll have a Tool & Die in Tipiluana. If not you'll have to find one as quickly as possible. You might want to consider stock piling steel till you find a tool & die by dropping it off at a station for latter pickup, use the red flag in the router at the station you want to leave the steel at.
4. Continue to buy up your own stock as quickly as possible.
5. Switch to electric when you have enough cash.
6. Make a high speed passenger run when you generate enough cash. This can be a diesel engine run.

In the end you should likely out perform your competition and if you have enough of you own stock, you can pay yourself a high dividend to get the gold.

Look for good clusters of industries here. Uranium and Oil are good money makers.

Buy your industries quick and service them heavily. Oil to a refinery, diesel fuel to an electric plant and waste to a landfill is a very lucrative market. Also, uranium is demanded by ports; however you'll have to gain access to the United States for a good port here.

Toronto to Ottawa is a great starting line and will allow you to branch very profitably. Consider getting into Detroit as soon as possible.

Company net worth is just a matter of will power.

You should start this scenario with a single track electric line from New York to Pittsburgh. An E-111 is ideal for this situation. IF you are able to link an industry (logging) easily along the path, do so.

Now depending on your competitors track you want to connect to a city like Cincinnati or another major city. This hopping form city to city is important.

Also look for at least one industry to work on, like a cluster of cattle farms to be used to create food. You'll need something that can generate a bit more steady cash… and can't be robbed!

When you've made it to the Mississippi River, you should consider a fast run between New York and another major city on your main line. Double track this section when you've got the money.

Don’t take the Tampa offer, $4 million won't cover the costs.

Before you make your final connection to L.A., consider stockpiling a few loads of passengers and mail in NYC to make some fast runs to the west coast. You may even want to divert some other trains just to this run to make sure you get the required loads.

You have a sizeable investment in a couple of companies to start with. Since this is a Company Net
Worth scenario you can follow one of two paths.

1. Buy up control of one of the existing companies and start operations.
2. Sell of one (or both) and start your own.

In either case there is a lot of opportunity on this map. No one strategy is key here and the randomness of the map makes this a pretty open book. The simplest strategy is to simply let the A.I. do the work for you as you buy controlling interest in both companies then merge at least 2 of them near the end to create you HUGE railroad empire. You'll need to take control early if you want to get the gold however; as the A.I. is not likely to hit a $70 million company net worth without your help.

There is an important triangle that works well here. It's between Fort Kilroy, Magdelan and Joseph. If this area doesn't spawn a Tool & Die shop this will be next to impossible unless one shows up near by.

Hook these cities up as soon as possible and supply the port with either iron and/or bauxite. These will be converted into steel and aluminum respectively and can then be moved to the Tool & Die shop for conversion into goods.

A bridge to Kokloma Island is very expensive and costing about $5 million on average. An important tip here is that if you wait till you have $3 or so million in the bank you will likely see managers like Andrew Carnegie show up. He can reduce bridge building by 30%! Big bucks when you're building a $5 million dollar bridge! Robert Gerwig is another good manager when building bridges, when you can find him.

If you start producing goods right away remember you can stockpile many of them and then move them across your bridge to Kokloma as soon as it's finished.

The key word here is expansion. Short runs here make pretty big bucks, but slow trains mean lots of traffic to haul the necessary cargo.

The best way to start is with Mexico City. It is a great dumping ground for all of your cargo and is a fine production point as well. Start growing towards Chihuahua as quickly as you can. Passenger runs between the two cities can generate a fortune. Guadalajara is a good side route to develop too.

Pick up any profitable industry runs you can find. Owning and servicing steel mills will get your company net worth high very quickly.

Since locomotives are relatively inexpensive here never use more than 2-3 cars on a train unless you are hauling down hill. The Eight Wheeler is a good all round engine and the Consolidation is a good freight hauler so use it where the terrain is a bit rougher.

You have 25 years to haul a bunch of lumber. This is a pretty straight forward scenario. Collect logs and bring them to a lumber mill or two, then haul the lumber to a needy place.

Toronto is your best bet as it often has a port which demands both paper and lumber besides the cities own demand!

Try to disperse the lumber over a few cities though to try and get a decent price.

Paper values continue to grow throughout the scenario, take advantage of this and start hauling pulp to paper mills.

Remember to buy up your industries again, it really pays off here, particularly your paper mills and lumber mills.

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