############# R A I L R O A D ############# ## ### ## ### ### ### #### #### ##### ###### ###### ### ## ### ### ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### ## ### ### ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ### ### ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ### ### ### ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ### ### ### ### #### ###### ###### ## #### ### ### ### ##### ## ### ### ### ####### ############# [ Train FAQ ] by CGorman _____________________ ---------------------------[ General Information ]---------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ -=Author=- Author (Pen Name): CGorman Author (Real Name): Ciarán Gorman Country: Ireland CRP: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/15853.html Email: cgorman03@hotmail.com -=Game=- Game: Railroad Tycoon II Developer: PopTop Software/Take 2 Interactive Publisher: Hasbro Platform: PC (also Playstaion, but this guide is not specifically for either system) -=FAQ=- Type: Train FAQ Version: Final Completion: 100% Date Created: ??:??:?? GMT, 8th May 2002 Date Modified: 21:34:00 GMT, 30th September 2003 -=Copyright=- This FAQ is copyright CGorman (Ciarán Gorman) 2003, and may only be used for non-profitable causes, e.g. Gamefaqs.com. If you want this FAQ, just steal it and I will sue you, because it is to be exclusively hosted through the internet by Gamefaqs, and no other website or affliation, except of course any website I may own. Use of this FAQ through other mediums such as print, is available through nogotiation. Also "Railroad Tycoon II" is a copyright of PopTop Software/Take 2 Interactive. The above ASCII Art is also (C) Ciarán Gorman 2003. -=Disclaimer=- This FAQ may contain spoliers, mistakes etc., but any personal loss incured by such is understood to be of your own free will and I hold no resposibility. -=Email=- Please email me if you have a problem, I strive to answer all valid and decent questions, and add them to my FAQs with credit for the individual who asked the question. But I will not answer any foolish or ignorant questions, I do not have time for such, as I can get up to 20 emails in one day, so please think before you email me, and check out any other FAQs for the answer, and of course read this one fully. __________ ---------------------------------[ Contents ]--------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ NB: For those of you using Internet Explorer 5+, by pressing CTRL and F and entering the code, you can skip to a paticular park of the FAQ. The code is formed by taking the number (e.g. 1.1) and adding - and the first letter of the section (e.g. Advice, A). So to get to the Multiplayer section type: 2.4 - A 1.0...............................................................Introduction 1.1........................................................Version History/Log 2.0...............................................................Cars (Train) 2.1.....................................................................Trains 2.2................................................................Train Types 2.3......................................................................Track 2.4.....................................................................Advice 2.5.....................................................................TopTen 2.6........................................................................Q&A 3.0...................................................................Farewell 3.1....................................................................Credits ____________________ ----------------------------[ 1.0 - Introduction ]---------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Hi! I am so addicted to this game that at moment I can't even stop playing to even write a short FAQ, but I am able to do an In-Depth guide on the most important part of the game, the Trains! I hope it helps, I've even learn't a few things myself while writing it! CGorman, ___________________________ ------------------------[ 1.1 - Version History/Log ]------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Version: 1.0 Completion: 50% Date/Time: ??:??:?? GMT, 8th May 2002 - Wrote the bear basics of the FAQ, hope its well recieved by both CJayC and the public. Version: 1.1 Completion: 60% Date/Time: ??:??:?? GMT, 15th June 2002 - More basic updates, second last update. Version: Final Completion: 100% Date/Time: Between 16:15:13 GMT, 25th August 2002 & 30th September 2003 25th Aug 02 Finished up FAQ - its nice to have finished a FAQ as early as its third update. I am very happy with this FAQ, and feel I have good very indepth into the topic. 5th Oct 02 Well; just a few minor changes, mainly small formating ones. 30th Sept 03 Email address change and internet explorer quick jump system. Also added Q&A ____________________ ----------------------------[ 2.0 - Cars (Train) ]---------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ -=Basics=- [1] The first piece of advice I wish to share is that you should only add carriages that are supplied by the station, otherwish you might have a Uranium carriage on a train that goes from a cattle yard to a Meat Packing Plant, not exactly the most finacialy clever decision you ever made! [2] When you are setting a train to go to certain destinations, you can (and probably should) set at what point it should leave, i.e. to leave at any point, half full, or full. Half full would make the most sense, because if you have half full train, and are waiting for it to become fully full train, then the other cargos value will depreciate quickly, and if you were running a train with no cargo, well you will obiviously make nothing! To set any of these settings, you must find a "traffic light" (don't ask) beside the destinate and find the correct choice. The following is a list of the different choices: Green light : Leave at any point Yellow light: Leave at half full point Red light : Leave when fully full [3] The weight of certain extra carriages can be to much for some of the older trains, so take this fully into consideration when adding carriages to make sure you move more than 5mph (seriously). [4] Make use of every carriage, if you think your train will not have a full load often, then get ride of a carriage, not only is it cheaper, but it really doe's make your trains faster. [5] On major routes I use 4 trains, 2 in each direction, one with 3 passenger cars and 3 mail cars, and the other with things like cattle cars or milk etc., depending solely on the partciular route. For lesser routes 2 trains will do, 1 in each direction, mixed with passenger cars, mail cars and other cars. -=Noteable Carriages=- o Caboose Decreases breakdowns by 25% and robberies by 75%. o Dining Car Increases the passenger revenues of any train it is attached to by 20%. If there are no passenger revenues, the dining car generates no revenue. Additional dining cars beyond the first offer no extra revenue. -=Weight=- The following is an indepth guide to the carriage weight and that sort of information, all the following weights are in tons: _________________ ________________ _______________ | Carriage | Weight (Empty) | Weight (Full) | |=================|================|===============| | Aluminum | 15 tons | 45 tons | | Automobiles | 30 tons | 45 tons | | Beuxite | 25 tons | 65 tons | | Caboose | 20 tons | 20 tons | | Cattle | 15 tons | 30 tons | | Cement | 15 tons | 30 tons | | Chemicals | 25 tons | 40 tons | | Coal | 25 tons | 65 tons | | Coffee | 20 tons | 50 tons | | Cotton | 20 tons | 55 tons | | Diesel | 20 tons | 45 tons | | Dining Car | 40 tons | 40 tons | | Fertilizer | 20 tons | 35 tons | | Food | 20 tons | 45 tons | | Goods | 15 tons | 50 tons | | Grain | 20 tons | 40 tons | | Gravel | 25 tons | 65 tons | | Iron | 15 tons | 45 tons | | Logs | 10 tons | 45 tons | | Lumber | 15 tons | 40 tons | | Mail | 25 tons | 40 tons | | Milk | 20 tons | 45 tons | | Oil | 20 tons | 45 tons | | Paper | 20 tons | 50 tons | | Passengers | 25 tons | 40 tons | | Produce | 15 tons | 40 tons | | Pulpwood | 20 tons | 55 tons | | Rubber | 15 tons | 35 tons | | Steel | 10 tons | 45 tons | | Suger | 25 tons | 55 tons | | Tires | 50 tons | 25 tons | | Uranium | 15 tons | 30 tons | | Waste | 20 tons | 45 tons | | Wool | 35 tons | 55 tons | |_________________|________________|_______________| -=Deliver Time=- The following chart is a list of how many days you have to deliver certain items: _________________ _________________ | Item | Max Time (Days) | |=================|=================| | Aluminum | 1,300 days | | Automobiles | 800 days | | Beuxite | 1,600 days | | Cattle | 800 days | | Cement | 800 days | | Chemicals | 800 days | | Coal | 1,600 days | | Coffee | 800 days | | Cotton | 1,100 days | | Diesel | 1,100 days | | Fertilizer | 1,300 days | | Food | 600 days | | Goods | 800 days | | Grain | 1,600 days | | Gravel | 1,600 days | | Iron | 1,600 days | | Logs | 1,600 days | | Lumber | 1,300 days | | Mail | 300 days | | Milk | 300 days | | Oil | 1,100 days | | Paper | 800 days | | Passengers | 500 days | | Produce | 600 days | | Pulpwood | 1,600 days | | Rubber | 1,600 days | | Steel | 1,300 days | | Suger | 800 days | | Tires | 1,300 days | | Uranium | 800 days | | Waste | 800 days | | Wool | 1,100 days | |_________________|_________________| -=Revenue=- The following table has been worked out in percentage, it shows the value of a certain cargo after a certain pariod. I used a stopwatch first to get the different game speeds, which are as follows... 1 = 43sec per month 5 = 5sec per month 9 = 1.0sec per month 2 = 22sec per month 6 = 4sec per month 10 = 0.6sec per month 3 = 12sec per month 7 = 2sec per month 4 = 7sec per month 8 = 1.2sec per month ...and then timed the train to carry the item from A to B, then found the percentage decline in value and found out how much its value declined after 100 days. Due to the difficulty in doing the above I have only done the two prime cargos. __________________ ________________________ | Cargo | Decline after 100 days | |------------------|------------------------| | Mail | 18.7% | | Passengers | 16.0% | |__________________|________________________| -=Sources=- The following is a list identifing where you can get certain cargos and were they will be excepted. N.B. By Demand I mean were it is excepted, it is used in the game. N.B. Several items are excepted at the Ship Yard, but only lumber is solely reliant on it so it is only listed under lumber. _______________ ____________________ ___________________ ___________________ | Item | Source | Demand | Prodect/Resource | |===============|====================|===================|===================| | Aluminum = | Aluminum Mill = | Cannery = | Food | | | = | Tool And Die = | Goods | | | = | Factory |-------------------| | Automobiles = | Automotive Plant = | Towns = |-------------------| | Bauxite = | Bauxite Mine = | Aluminum Mill = | Aluminum | | Cattle = | Cattle Yard = | Meat Packing P..= | Food | | Cement = | Cement Plant = | Towns [not sure] |-------------------| | Chemicals = | Chemical Plant = | Fertilizer Pla..= | Fertilizer | | Coal = | Coal Mine = | Electric Plant = |-------------------| | | = | Steel Mill = | Steel | | | = | Towns = |-------------------| | Coffee = | Coffee Farm = | Cannery = | Food | | | = | Towns = |-------------------| | Cotton = | Cotton Farm = | Textile Mill = | Goods | | Diesel = | Oil Refinery = | Electric Plant = |-------------------| | | = | Towns = |-------------------| | Fertilizer = | Fertilizer Plant = | Coffee Farm = | Coffee | | | | Cotton Farm = | Cotton | | | | Grain Silo = | Grain | | | | Produce Orchard = | Produce | | | | Rubber Farm = | Rubber | | | | Sugar Farm = | Sugar | | Food = | Bakery = | Towns = |-------------------| | = | Cannery = | Towns = |-------------------| | = | Dairy Processor = | Towns = |-------------------| | = | Meat Packing P...= | Towns = |-------------------| | Goods = | Textile Mill = | Towns = |-------------------| | = | Tool And Die F...= | Towns = |-------------------| | Grain = | Grain Silo = | Cattle Yard = | Cattle | | | = | Dairy Farm = | Milk | | | = | Sheep Farm = | Wool | | | = | Bakery = | Food | | Gravel = | Gravel Pit = | Cement Plant = | Cement | | Iron = | Iron Ore Mine = | Steel Mill = | Steel | | | = | Tool And Die F..= | Goods | | Logs = | Logging Camp = | Lumber Mill = | Lumber | | Lumber = | Lumber Mill = | Ship Yard = | Passengers* | | Mail = | Towns = | Towns = |-------------------| | Milk = | Dairy Farm = | Dairy Processor = | Food | | | | Towns = |-------------------| | Oil = | Oil Well = | Oil Refinery = | Diesel | | | = | Towns [not sure]= |-------------------| | Paper = | Paper Mill = | Towns = |-------------------| | Passengers = | Towns = | Towns/Ship Yards= | Passengers, Mail..| | = | Ship Yard = | Ship Yards/Towns= | Passengers, Mail..| | Produce = | Produce Orchard = | Cannery = | Food | | | = | Towns = |-------------------| | Pulpwood = | Logging Camp = | Paper Mill = | Paper | | Rubber = | Rubber Farm = | Tire Factory = | Tires | | Steel = | Steel Mill = | Automotive Plant= | Automobiles | | | = | Cannery = | Food | | | = | Tool And Die F..= | Goods | | Suger = | Sugar Farm = | Bakery = | Food | | Uranium = | Uranium Mine = | Nuclear Power P.= | Waste | | Waste = | Electric Plant = | Landfill = |-------------------| | = | Nuclear Power P..= | Landfill = |-------------------| | Wool = | Sheep Farm = | Textile Mill = | Goods | |_______________|____________________|___________________|___________________| * = Depends on map. ______________ -------------------------------[ 2.1 - Trains ]------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ -=Basics=- OK, since this is a train guide the following few sections are the in's and out's of trains. Firstly I have a table with, their names, speeds, costs etc., later on I have a written passege on each individual train. -=Table=- The following table contains all relivent technical information on all the trains in the game. N.B. Most of the information (if not all) is correct to the game. N.B. All speeds are in Miles per hour, as money is in US$, measured in 1,000'. N.B. Costs have been rounded off in some cases. -Key- Top-1 = Top Speed with no cargo, on flat track. Top-2 = Top Speed with no cargo, on extremly steep Track Top-3 = Top Speed with 6 cars (2 Passenger, 2 Cattle, Dining Car and Caboose) on flat track. Top-4 = Top Speed with 6 cars ( " , " , " and " ) on extremly steep track. F = Fuel S = Steam D = Deisel E = Electric Mt/Yr = Yearly Maintance Cost Fuel/Yr = Yearly Fuel Cost AC = Acceleration RL = Reliabilty EP = Extremely Poor VP = Very Poor P = Poor BA = Below Average A = Average AA = Above Average G = Good F = Fast VF = Very Fast VG = Very Good O = Outstanding VI = Virtually Instant I = Instant ____________________ ______ _ __ __ _____ _______ _____ _____ _____ _____ |Train |Cost |F|AC|RL|Mt/Yr|Fuel/Yr|Top-1|Top-2|Top-3|Top-4| |--------------------|------|-|--|--|-----|-------|-----|-----|-----|-----| |Trevithick-1 | $10K|S|EP|EP| $6K| $3844| 10| 1| 3| 1| |Stephenson Rocket | $16K|S|EP|BA| $6K| $5126| 15| 1| 4| 1| |2-4-0 John Bull | $23K|S|P |BA| $7K| $8370| 25| 3| 6| 1| |0-4-0 DeWitt Clinton| $18K|S|EP|P | $5K| $7676| 20| 5| 9| 1| |4-2-0 Prussian | $35K|S|EP|BA| $8K| $13296| 30| 5| 11| 1| |4-4-0 American-C | $46K|S|P |AA| $5K| $20265| 41| 10| 18| 1| |4-2-2 Iron Duke | $78K|S|P |BA| $9K| $59914| 53| 17| 27| 1| |4-4-0 8-Wheeler | $59K|S|BA|AA| $5K| $34202| 48| 16| 25| 1| |2-4-0 Vulcan | $32K|S|VP|BA| $4K| $9385| 30| 18| 15| 1| |2-8-0 Consolidation | $51K|S|G |G | $8K| $36525| 40| 18| 26| 1| |3-Truck Shay | $43K|S|P |G | $17K| $21159| 15| 13| 13| 6| |4-8-0 Mastodon | $60K|S|VP|P | $13K| $44770| 45| 22| 30| 1| |4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler | $66K|S|BA|BA| $11K| $44482| 50| 22| 31| 1| |1-3 BoBo | $85K|E|P |P | $6K| $71716| 55| 39| 37| 2| |2-6-0 Mogul | $83K|S|A |A | $12K| $51958| 50| 22| 31| 1| |4-4-2 Atlantic | $93K|S|F |AA| $18K| $95639| 80| 21| 35| 1| |2-6-0 Camelback | $75K|S|P |VG| $9K| $25632| 30| 22| 25| 7| |4-6-2 Pacific | $119K|S|AA|A | $21K|$157983| 95| 34| 51| 1| |0-10-0 Class G10 | $98K|S|AA|A | $38K|$117747| 50| 29| 41| 1| |2-6-2 Prairie | $85K|S|BA|G | $11K| $78965| 60| 30| 41| 1| |4-4-0 D16sb | $65K|S|P |VG| $9K| $41011| 45| 22| 30| 1| |2-10-0 Class 13-H | $102K|S|AA|G | $36K| $94630| 40| 30| 34| 9| |USRA 0-6-0 | $90K|S|P |G | $13K| $64784| 40| 27| 34| 2| |2-8-2 Mikado | $133K|S|AA|G | $32K|$122168| 55| 43| 48| 14| |Be 4/6 II | $61K|E|F |VG| $11K| $28002| 35| 30| 28| 4| |Ee 3/3 | $47K|E|VP|G | $7K| $21520| 31| 28| 28| 11| |4-6-0 Class B12 | $146K|S|F |AA| $14K| $73499| 71| 26| 39| 1| |Class 1045 | $95K|E|F |AA| $6K| $23789| 40| 35| 35| 11| |USRA 0-8-0 | $98K|S|BA|AA| $18K| $67828| 45| 32| 37| 7| |Class A4 Mallard | $200K|S|AA|BA| $19K|$152382| 126| 40| 68| 1| |GG1 | $285K|E|AA|O | $19K|$120246| 100| 84| 79| 14| |Class E18 | $97K|E|F |G | $16K| $68731| 93| 59| 51| 1| |4-6-4 Hudson | $210K|S|BA|A | $25K|$142594| 90| 53| 68| 6| |4-8-4 Daylight | $230K|S|A |BA| $30K|$166359| 80| 56| 65| 9| |4-6-4 J3A Streamliner $255K|S|AA|P | $28K|$316136| 103| 59| 77| 3| |Ae 8/14 | $210K|E|F |AA| $24K|$123818| 68| 57| 63| 28| |Class 1020 | $119K|E|F |VG| $18K| $49808| 56| 50| 48| 14| |4-8-8-4 Big Boy | $375K|S|AA|P | $75K|$231275| 68| 61| 66| 30| |F3A+B | $265K|D|F |AA| $16K|$142866| 85| 60| 73| 7| |4-4-4-4 T-1 | $284K|S|F |G | $28K|$205253| 85| 51| 65| 6| |Ako PA-1 | $210K|D|A |A | $16K|$142177| 90| 74| 69| 11| |F9 | $337K|D|AA|AA| $18K|$180940| 110| 91| 85| 12| |GP9 | $165K|D|A |G | $11K|$123081| 71| 60| 59| 14| |E69 | $86K|E|F |BA| $8K| $23789| 31| 28| 29| 17| |GP18 | $245K|D|AA|VG| $15K|$149146| 83| 75| 73| 26| |V200 | $160K|D|AA|BA| $19K|$144286| 86| 73| 71| 15| |Penn. E44 | $370K|E|F |A | $22K| $95492| 70| 62| 60| 17| |Class 55 Deltic | $480K|D|BA|VG| $15K|$143432| 100| 81| 79| 13| |Shinkansen Bullet | $650K|E|VI|A | $66K|$182628| 130| 82| 72| 1| |FP45 | $366K|D|AA|AA| $14K|$177629| 106| 76| 65| 1| |SD45 | $360K|D|A |A | $21K| $89679| 65| 57| 55| 17| |SDP40 | $292K|D|AA|P | $18K|$172150| 103| 85| 82| 14| |E60CP | $260K|E|VF|A | $19K|$100947| 85| 72| 69| 13| |Class E111 | $390K|E|A |G | $17K|$103809| 85| 77| 76| 30| |E656 FS | $226K|E|A |AA| $17K| $98747| 93| 51| 66| 4| |Dash-9 | $478K|D|AA|G | $18K|$175803| 70| 62| 63| 26| |AMD-103 | $425K|D|VF|AA| $25K|$237832| 105| 82| 75| 7| |Thalys Bullet |$1000K|E|VI|BA| $78K|$331694| 186| 118| 103| 1| |Class 232 | $492K|D|VF|VG| $35K|$191924| 75| 66| 66| 24| |Mag-Lev TBX-1 |$2500K|E|I |AA|$200K|$845856| 280| 170| 144| 1| |0-4-0 A3 | $67K|S|VP|G | $8K| $26913| 30| 17| 21| 1| |0-4-0 UP | $32K|S|VP|AA| $5K| $9478| 20| 11| 10| 1| |____________________|______|_|__|__|_____|_______|_____|_____|_____|_____| ___________________ -----------------------------[ 2.2 - Train Types ]---------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ -=Intro=- This section of the FAQ is about train types, I hope it answers a few common questions in relation to the game. -=Steam Trains=- In the my chart in the last section you will have noticed that the majority of the trains were steam, so this type of train plays a large role in the game, anyways heres a few facts. -Best Steam Train Overall- The "Class A4 Mallard" is probably the best steam train overall, it is fast, cheap, and is easy enough to mantain, its only pitfall being its poor reliability. -Fastest Steam Train- The "Class A4 Mallard" is also the fastest train, it has a top speed of 126Mph - on flat surfaces - sadly its not any good in montainous regions. -Worst Steam Train- The worst steam train in the game is probably the "Trevithick-1" it struggles to go 10Mph without any cargo on a flat railroad. -=Diesel Trains=- Diesel trains are the most reliant type of train in the game and are generally cheap to run and mantain, so they are ideal in most senerios. -Best Diesel Train Overall- The "F9" is easily the best diesel train, its fast, reliant and not too expensive, also it boasts a low mantainance bill. -Fastest Diesel Train- The "F9" is also the fastest train with top speeds of 110Mph on flat surfaces dropping slightly to 85Mph if cargo is attached. -Worst Diesel Train- Althought not all that bad, the "SD45" is the worst diesel train, but I stress that it ain't to bad, and every single diesel train is good. -=Electric Trains=- Electric trains are easily the most expensive type of train, they are dear in maintainance, intial purchase, track laying and replacing. But they are also the fastest with some travelling at up to 280Mph. -Best Electric Train Overall- For the third time the fastest train is also the best, with instant acceleration, above average reliability, the "Mag-Lev TBX-1" is a great train. -Fastest Electric Train- The "Mag-Lev TBX-1" can travel at 280Mph on flat track with no cargo, it also is the only train to have instant acceleration. -Worst Electric Train- The "E69" is by far the worst electric train, at $86,000 you are buying a load of rubbish, it scores fair and below average in acceleration and reliabilty. It also struggles to move at 31Mph with no cargo on ideal surfaces. _____________ --------------------------------[ 2.3 - Track ]------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ First of all there are two types of; Normal and Electric, normal will suit diesel and steam trains wereas electric is soley for electric trains. For both types of track you can lay one way or two way pieces of track, I highly recommend two way, so most of the following is two way. To help with tracks I have devised a few "systems" they are as follows" -=Individualism Rules=- Its generally not that great dispite the title but it has its advantages, like it is easy to keep an eye on certain routes and make sure all trains are making money, the following is an example. _ |S|,S, - Station ¯ \,|,/,_, - Track |S| \ _ \ |S| |S| |S| S__ __ __ \ __ __ __ __ __/ | \ ¯ \ _ \ / |S| | \ \__ __ __ S \ |S| _ | | \ ¯ | S __ __ __/ | \ | |S| ¯ __ __ __ / \ | \__ __ __ __ / \__ __ __ __ |S| \ |S| As you can see by individualism, I mean not koing tracks to create new routes, the advantages are somewhat unobvious, they are that instead of having more routes out of a station, you can protect a large profit on one route instead of deviding it among several, so the argument goes: N.B: The trains in question are 4-6-2 Pacific, which is typical steam train which has combined fuel and mantainence bills of $179K per/yr. -1 Route- Turnover: $500K per/yr Overheads: $179K per/yr Profit: $321K per/yr -5 Routes- Turnover: $500K per/yr Overheads: $895K per/yr Loss: -$395K per/yr -Mass Profiteering- The argument is extremely strong in the favor of individulism, but I have not taken into account that a rise in passenger numbers may result due to a larger choice of destination, thus a more likely senario may be as follows: _ |S|,S, - Station ¯ \,|,/,_, - Track __ __ __ __ __ __ __ / \ |S| \ __ __ __ __ ___ \ \ / / \ / \ _ \ |S| / |S| |S| \S__ __ __ \ __ __ __ __ __/\ / | /\ ¯ / \ _ \ / \ |S| | / \ / \__ __ __ S \ |S| __ __ _ \ | | / \ / / ¯ | _/ \__ _/ \S __ _\ __/ |/ \ / / | / |S| ¯ __ __ __ /__ __ __\/ / |/ \__ __ __ __ / \__ __ __ __ / |S| / \/ \__ __ __ __ __ __ __ /_ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ |S| \__ __ _/ N.B: Again I use the 4-6-2 Pacific as the train of choice. -1 Route- Turnover: $500K per/yr Overheads: $179K per/yr Profit: $321K per/yr -5 Routes- Turnover: $1600K per/yr Overheads: $895K per/yr Profit: $705K per/yr Obvoiusly a much better profit, and i'm even excluding the money that can be made from station upgrades, but is it worth investing so heavily in new track and trains? I believe the answer is yes, but... -Planned Track- Now that we have acertained the fact that more track will mean more profits, we can focus on how to make more from a train, obviously the first answer is to get all those station upgrades that promise 10%, 20%, 30% and more, but can we go further in our quest for large profits? The answer is yes, by reorganising the track we can make trips shorter and thus cut overheads and save money, in the following I have used the same station locations as before, but with more direct track. _ |S|,S, - Station ¯ \,|,/,_, - Track |S|__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ \ \ / \/ \/ \_ / \ \ \|S|__ __ __ __|S|__|S|__ __S/ / \ / \ / \ / \ /¯\ _ / \__ __ __ __ __ __/__ \_ __|S|__/__ \/ __\__/__ \_ __ __ __ __ __ S/ \ |S| \ / \ _ / \/ ¯ \ \/ ___\S/ / \ __ __|S|/ ¯\ / | / \ \ / |S|_/__ __/__ \_ __ __\__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __/ |S| As you can see most of the routes are shorter and I also used less track, so your system is now more efficent, thus increasing destinations, speed and efficents which will attract more passengers, cargo etc., which will generate more profits, I can now give a figure for the whole grid unlike in the last two statements. -60 Routes- Turnover: $19,200,000 per/yr Overheads: $10,074,000 per/yr Profit: $8,460,000 per/yr This is compared with the individulism system were there was just two routes per track (back and forth): -12 Routes- Turnover: $6,000,000 per/yr Overheads: $2,148,000 per/yr Profit: $3,852,000 per/yr Thats a total differeance of over four million dollers. Now can you see my line of thinking? And to consider the given system above of 60 routes is only a small system when you consider theres over 100 towns/cities in the biggest map in the game, and were only working off 12! So you can start multipling my figures! And also I have not encluded the fact that you can purchase industrys which will make money if you transport there goods, and also the fact that you can multiply a trains profit by over 100% if you upgrade the station fully, and I have only been working off towns/cities as routes, you can use single track with a single train to bring small industrys products that are located in the remotest areas, to towns, thats another niché market, so you are no longer going to be dealing with hundreds, thousneds, hundreds of thousend, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions - but BILLIONS of US$Doller! And the best thing about the above is - its ture! ______________ -------------------------------[ 2.4 - Advice ]------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I now want to share just a few important bits of advice in relation to the trains and related matters. o Replace trains 1 year before there stated life expectancy is finished, it may mean you get less out of the train, but it also means less brakedowns and usually one single trip is enough to pay for a train. o Try to standardise all your trains, e.g. only buy one or two models, this makes things simpler and means that they will all be up to scratch with none braking down more than others, or making less than others. o Don't put more than 2 trains on a short route, its ok to have a good few on long routes, but its different with short routes. o Remember long routes gererally make more money, so if you can the investment in track is worth it. o Don't just buy any old industry, buy the ones you make profitable, so if your thinking of bring grain from its silo to some destination were its accepted, buy the industry straight before opening the route, you will then sucure both a profitable business at a low price and the garenteed future of of the route. ______________ -------------------------------[ 2.5 - TopTen ]------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The following charts may seem a bit useless to some, but I can promise others will see the great use in them, you can cut and past them into another document, print it and use it to decide which train to buy (or not to buy) when playing the game. -=Top 10 Slowest trains=- The following are the slowest trains, I have not kept to any boundry, e.g. excluding certain trains. By slowest I mean slowest on a flat surface with no cargo. 1. - Trevithhick-1 @ 10Mph (Steam) 2. - Stephenson Rocket @ 15Mph (Steam) 3. - 3-Truck Shay @ 15Mph (Steam) 4. - 0-4-0 DeWitt Clinton @ 20Mph (Steam) 5. - 0-4-0 UP @ 20Mph (Steam) 6. - 2-4-0 John Bull @ 25Mph (Steam) 7. - 4-2-0 Prussian @ 30Mph (Steam) 8. - 2-6-0 Camelback @ 30Mph (Steam) 9. - 0-4-0 A3 @ 30Mph (Steam) 10. - E69 @ 31Mph (Eletric) -=Top 10 Fastest Trains=- The following are the fastest trains, again I have not excluded any, the list is based on a train traveling at maximum speed with no cargo across a flat track. 1. - Mag-Lev TBX-1 @ 280Mph (Eletric) 2. - Thalys Bullet @ 186Mph (Eletric) 3. - Shinkansen Bullet @ 130Mph (Eletric) 4. - Class A4 Mallard @ 126Mph (Steam) 5. - F9 @ 110Mph (Diesel) 6. - FP45 @ 106Mph (Diesel) 7. - AMD-103 @ 105Mph (Diesel) 8. - SDP40 @ 103Mph (Diesel) 9. - A-6-4 J3A Streamliner @ 103Mph (Steam) 10. - GG1 @ 100Mph (Eletric) -=Top 10 Best buys under $125K=- Ok, this chart may be tilted towards my own opinion a little, I have taken into consideration several factors, including speed, reliability and acceleration. AC - Acceleration RL - Reliabilty Mt/yr - Maintanance per year Fu/yr - Fuel per yer = - Fuel E - Eletric S - Steam D - Diesel P - Poor BA - Below Average A - Average AA - Above Average G - Good F - Fast VG - Very Good ___ ___________________ ___ __________ ___________ ____ ____ _______ _______ |No.| Name | = | Cost | Top Speed | AC | RL | Mt/yr | Fu/yr | |---|-------------------|---|----------|-----------|----|----|-------|-------| |1. | Class E18 | E | $97,000 | 93Mph | F | G | $16K | $69K | |2. | Class 1020 | E | $119,000 | 56Mph | F | VG | $18K | $50K | |3. | 4-4-2 Atlantic | S | $93,000 | 80Mph | F | AA | $18K | $96K | |4. | 4-6-2 Pacific | S | $119,000 | 95Mph | AA | A | $21K | $158K | |5. | 0-10-0 Class G10 | S | $98,000 | 50Mph | AA | A | $38K | $118K | |6. | 2-10-0 Class 13-H | S | $102,000 | 40Mph | AA | G | $36K | $95K | |7. | 2-6-2 Prairie | S | $85,000 | 60Mph | BA | G | $11K | $79K | |8. | 2-6-0 Mogul | S | $83,000 | 50Mph | A | A | $12K | $52K | |9. | 4-4-0 D16sb | S | $65,000 | 45Mph | P | VG | $9K | $41K | |10.| USRA 0-6-0 | S | $90,000 | 40Mph | P | G | $13K | $65K | |___|________________________________________________________________________| ___________ ---------------------------------[ 2.6 - Q&A ]-------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Q: My train is going really slowly and it says "no water/sand/oil," whats going on? A: You need to build either a sanding tower (sand), water tower (water), or roundhouse (oil). Q: My trains keep getting robbed - what can I do? A: Well the best solution is to add a caboose carriage, this reduces your chance of being robbed. You should also try hiring a manager who reduces robberies. Q: My train keeps breaking down - why? A: You may need to offer sanding, water or oil. Alternatively your train may be getting too old. If you don't wan't to replace an old train you can reduce its speed in the trains window. By reducing speed you will lower the chance of a breakdown. To lower the speed pull on the handle in the trains window. ________________ ------------------------------[ 3.0 - Farewell ]------------------------------ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I finally want to thank you for reading this FAQ, its appriciated since I wroth it for your benfit, if you have any valid comments, suggestions or problems, please email me letting me know. CGorman. _______________ ------------------------------[ 3.1 - Credits ]------------------------------- ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I lastly wish to thank the following for there contribution. o Well firstly both Take2 Interactive and PopTop Software for publishing/writing this game. o You of course for making it worth while. o Gamefaqs and CJayC for hosting this FAQ. o Me for Writing it. Copyright CGorman 2003