If you want to be Railroad Tycoon, you have to think like one. I put down on this page every tip I could think of right off the bat, but there are still more many more to be listed!

NOTE: All of these tips apply to RT3, but some apply to RT2 as well. You can submit tips for any of the games in the series by checking the 'User-Submitted Tips' section.

USER-SUBMITTED TIPS

NEW! Have any tips you'd like to share with the Railroad Tycoon community? Email Tips to: rtfanstation@yahoo.com 

 

THE FAN STATION'S TIPS

WAYS YOU CAN RUN YOUR RAILROAD

You can run your railroad in a variety of ways: big spender, big builder, conservative penny pincher, etc. Here are some different ways I've tried and how they've turned out (which has not always been a good outcome!).      

  •         I tried running a merging company once (A 'merging company' is a company that does not build any track, just merges with other companies) you can try this, but it isn't much fun, well, unless you make it fun. I tried to merge with 1 company a year. I found it a bit profitable, but it could've been better. First, I let the companies build up (Which took a while) and waited until about 1905 (I started in 1900). Then, I took out one company after another (This can be REAL fun if you want have the feeling of "I'm actually winning! I'm actually winning! Those guys don't have a chance!!" Or... something like that) I failed to take over the last company because all of the other players had already invested in it, and were all voting against me. Had to try that next year. (Why do you have to wait another slow year after you fail to merge?) Won it next year. So, if you have a lot of time you can try running a company like this.

  • NEW     You can also run a company that is geared for completing a certain objective, such as stated in the scenario's briefing (if applicable). For example, if you have to complete a connection requirement where trains do not matter, you should most likely build single, unelectrified track for connecting long distances. It's the cheapest possible track and usually has steep grades and no bridges/tunnels/overpasses. This type of track is specifically named 'Burn Track'. It is not meant to be run on, but built only to satisfy a connection requirement. Another example is an average speed requirement. The best way to satisfy this requirement is to use double track and the fastest engine possible for the time period. Also, don't overload the trains. Overloading (usually more than 4 heavy freight, 5 freight, or 6 express) can cause your average speed to drop, even with the fastest engine. If you need to overload trains for more money, use a engine with more horsepower (check the engine's speed chart). Be careful, however, as your average speed may drop and you could fail the objective if you don't watch and act accordingly. 

MONEY-MAKING STRATEGIES

 If you don't like to cheat (we hope you don't), then here are some tips that will help you get the most out of the regular gruel of running a railroad empire. 

  •   Industries are the key. Buy up industries that make lots of money on their own, and supply them with their demanded cargo, and you'll make even more, or buy a unprofitable industry and service it with its demanded cargo, and you'll see the revenues rise. Servicing industries make you money, plus what you're already hauling into cities makes you even more money, and you're on your way to financial freedom! 

  • Buy up farms and industries that are in a "chain". For example, if you bought coal mines, iron mines, steel mills, and automobile factories, then you'd own all the industries to make very profitable automobiles! Connect all the industries, then connect the auto factory to big cities, and you'll be making a lot of money in no time flat. 

  • NEW Use the Cargo Profitability Map to your advantage! If Fresno is producing a surplus of Fruit (Produce), hauling fruit to Fresno will be unprofitable and in some cases, the train won't leave the station because of the lack of profit! If San Francisco demands fruit but a minimal amount of fruit is arriving there, hauling fruit to San Francisco will be very lucrative until a surplus of fruit is hauled to San Francisco and is waiting to be processed. In this example, a fruit train going from Fresno to San Francisco would be very profitable! Note: If the train brings in too much fruit for the Distillery to process in a year, the fruit will begin to stockpile up, reducing the price for more fruit arriving in San Francisco. To continue making money here, build more distilleries in SF to match the production of fruit in Fresno, or stop the train until most of the fruit has been processed. The Cargo Profitability Map is a advantageous feature of RT3 IF you know how to use it well. 

YOUR COMPETITION

RT3's Competition isn't that great, but RT2's or SMR's can run you out of town. If you're really struggling with the AI companies, you may want to Consider the Following.

  • Just if you were wondering, the AI players don't merge with other companies in single player games.

  • You won't want to merge with a company with a lot of debt. It'll just make your own company cash go down even further than the merger price.

  • Most AI companies are (overly) conservative in RT3. Unless you wait for a while, the AI players may not build for every few years. However, RT3's AI is quick to purchase profitable industries from all over the map. A good idea is to purchase industries that you service (or are going to service) to keep the opportunity for profit away from the AI companies.

  • If you connect to an AI companies' track with your own track, you'll be able to make some profit off their stations. For example, let's say you own a company stretching from Boston to Worchester. The AI player has a company stretching from Lowell to Manchester. Let's say Lowell is fruitful in many different cargos, and their trains aren't picking it up fast enough. If you build track connecting to Lowell & Manchester's line and send 2 trains over there, they'll pick up the cargo, but first they'll have to pay the station fee and track fee. Those fees deduct more money the more cargo your train is hauling on their track, and the more of their track your train had to run on to get to Lowell. The fees go to the AI Company. Any profit left over after your trains arrive at Boston will be yours. This can be good if you need to haul lots of cargo to accomplish an objective.

  • Companies that issue 2 bonds a year or more will probably not be a threat to your railroad, as they're busy trying to stay afloat and not go bankrupt.

  • Companies that issue stock every year may not be a threat to your railroad, though you may want to buy stock from the company that issues it, especially if you want to take over the company via a merger.

  • If a AI company declares Bankruptcy, it will be in your best interest to buy at least 5,000 shares of that company.

  • You'll want to target large AI companies with a modest amount of cash for a merger. If the companies' cash is higher than the merging price: go for it. If the companies' cash is lower than the merging price: you may want to wait a few more years. You earn the companies' cash after you pay the merging price and you succeed in the voting. 

  • The voting of Merging/Not Merging is determined by the investors in that certain company. For example, if you owned a large railroad with a large sum of cash, and you wanted to merge with another, smaller company, you may want to set the offer price to the highest amount. The AI players are driven with greed, but most of them don't get it. Let's say that Jay Gould (You), J.P. Morgan (AI), Thomas Durant (AI), and Cornelius Vanderbilt (AI) were investors in 'The Fan Station Railways' an AI company. You put in the highest price for the merge. If you succeeded it would probably look something like this:

Merger Succeeds!

Votes In Favor:

Jay Gould:                          5,000

Thomas Durant:                   3,000

Other Investors:                  7,000

    TOTAL                            15,000

Votes Against

J.P. Morgan                        2,000

Cornelius Vanderbilt            6,000

Other Investors                    1,000

TOTAL                               9,000

         Let's now say you had a smaller company with a worse reputation. It may turn out like this:

Merger Fails!

Votes In Favor:

Jay Gould:                          5,000

Thomas Durant:                   2,000

Other Investors:                  1,000

    TOTAL                           8,000

Votes Against

J.P. Morgan                        2,000

Cornelius Vanderbilt            6,000

Other Investors                    9,000

TOTAL                               17,000

        Do you see the difference between the two? In the both examples, you voted with your 5,000 stocks that you owned of  'The Fan Station Railways'. Your friend Thomas Durant voted with all of his 3,000 stocks in the first, but only used 2,000 in the second. (Not your friend anymore, eh?) The other investors (public shareholders) voted 7,000 for you in the first but only did 1,000 in the second, which means, the better of a reputation you have, the more votes you will get! Obviously, J.P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt did not like you in either, but they voted the same in both. The more you invest in a company, the more chances are you to succeed, because you have more votes in the company's dealings and mergers.

MORE STRATEGIES & TIPS SOON!

Kurt's Railroad Tycoon Fan Station, 2009-2010