Transport Tycoon Forums

1) Engineer station catchment area to encompass multiple industries. Here two coal mines and two iron mines are covered by one station.
2) Double the above. Build a second station as above. Two stations picking up from an industry means you can get 100% of the output not just 83%. (as said above in this trhead). Encourages production increases.
3) Elevate the platform. To create a down ramp because your trains will need it...
4) Long trains. These particular powerful locos could take another 10 or more coal wagons. They have a flat route and are new with a high %reliability so not expecting many breakdowns.
5) Ensure your trains fit right into the platform. A little tiny bit sticking out will slow down load/unload and worse my stick into the junction behind blocking it for other lines.
6) Correctly signal the layout using the single and double signals as shown in the great tutorial somewhere in these pages. In particular single signal prior to the junction and double signals on the junction exit tracks to (illogically) force a train to make the best choice.
7) Read forum posts and look at how other players play the game.

(This topic realy should be sticky, so as to keep the tips/hints at the very top, to help people befor they re-ask on how to help with starting a new game)

A simple way of getting a profit at the start is tram lines in high populated towns, or towns that you dont plan to go near with mayjor train lines. Then once you start getting income.. fast fwd the game for a few years.

A good start is to do all the maps that first come with the game, from start to end, once you can finnish them nicly, then you know you are realy good for the maps that your Download.

1)If you plan to do a iron ore or a coal mine route, check if the mine does over 120 tons of coal or iron ore per month, if it does have atleast 15 wagons per train, you don't need to buy so many trains to service the mine to take all the coal, and you make greater lumps of profit. So you gain profit, and save money both the same time.
2)That tip can apply to any bulk cargo that doesn't have fast decay rate.

Opps, i just rememberd.

If you confused about why your trains arnt going the right way, or always pile up, put your save game in the save game topic with the comments on where you need help with, and what mods you used, and also don't forget to asked for the re-save of your map after its been fixed.

cheers

heres how I play it... (I posted this in another fourm, and relised I havent posted it here)

heres what i use and is all is needed... Fast-forward

its simple....

because i cant up-load my pics into here (New owner request for a URL link)

This is what I do. Build simple network say from a Iron-ore mine, or a coal mine, and ship it to a steel mill. (only one of them, not both beacuse then ill lose my rating with the town that ownes the steel factory)

Take out full loan amount; and build a 2 tram networks in different towns (2 trams each)

By this point, your train should have earnt plenty for a 2nd train route.
Find another mine (the same as the first one) and route that to the same steel mill as well.

Your company should be earning you plenty of cash, (around $5,000 per month, if you know where to setup stations)

Fast-forward the game for around 5minutes.
(hay look, you can fully pay off your loan... BUT DONT, instead take more out)
And set-up and 2nd route. (TIP: dont set-up routes to factories or any other industry that will produce goods or food with only requiring one type to be sent to it)

If you have some spare cash, add a 2nd line to your first route, and another train. (TIP: also, if you plan to add more then two trains per line, add a 2nd platform)

Fast-forward it again for another 10min.
(this time, you can pay back your loan, and you will still have plenty of cash to make tracks that lead to no-where, lol)

When I payback my loan, i normaly leave it on Fast-forward, and go have something to eat, or have a shower... Just to waist time, and to get faster trains avaible to me)

P.S. Most of the time I start in 1950... but at times I start at 1985. (Most trains should be faster then the carrages that attach onto them by now)

Allaboard wrote:In the Weatherworld scenario (beginner), build a rail line from Foggywood to Showerton immeditaly. Purchase a Pacifc to run on that line. Add two passenger carriages to the Pacific and start the train. Run the game at full speed. Before the end of the first year, you will win the game.

It's easier just to build a tram service inside Foggywood. You'll win by the end of June if you click fast.

My tip of the day, early in the game with low powered locos, use a double track station where your loading and make the consist 1 carriage too long. This way only one train is loading at a time, but as soon as it starts to slowly creep off, the next train can set off to start loading. Make your recieving station long enough for all the carriages.

my tip: avoid using trucks at all costs!

they lose A LOT of cash.

edit: they lose cash as games goes further through. also, you have to find a way to prevent their bunnyhopping and getting lost constantly

Plank of wud that is incorrect, i always had trucks that always made money, and they were well over their running costs.
Please, post real tips instead of things like that.

Plank of Wud wrote:my tip: avoid using trucks at all costs!

they lose A LOT of cash.

That depends on the route.
If the route is to long you will loose money.
They get easily lost.

Do you need help on building railways? Than come to The Loco Railbuilding Guide!

That's really basic.
Page one of the manual?

chevyrider wrote:That's really basic.
Page one of the manual?

Is that in reference to me?

All three of these methods are a little underhand, but I say if the game lets you do it, then it's not cheating.

The most evil thing to do is when a road is made by the other company, plonk down a level crossing over it (just one track section) and lob a cheap wagon on it. Job done. No more money being earned there.

The second most evil thing to do is when your train on a hugely long route has just reached the end and delivered its cargo, stop it, pick it up and place it at the start again, to halve the time the whole journey takes.

The least evil thing to do is to build an airport in a city near a road, and build bus stop after bus stop every square down that road in all directions until you get "station too spread out". No need to build buses or trams, the airport will pick up all the passengers from the catchment of all the bus stops.

So why do I do these if they're underhand and evil?

Simply because the opponents have tricks of their own. You're just about to finish you're multi-million pound railway network across the map when the last piece won't build because "another company is about to build here".

That is one of the most annoying things I have ever experienced, and usually prompts a reload, and me building the railway quicker, a hell of a lot of wasted time.

samuelmorris wrote:Simply because the opponents have tricks of their own. You're just about to finish you're multi-million pound railway network across the map when the last piece won't build because "another company is about to build here".

That is one of the most annoying things I have ever experienced, and usually prompts a reload, and me building the railway quicker, a hell of a lot of wasted time.

That's why you have to lay the stationtracks without the platforms first and a short piece of mainline.

you must give your trains orders otherwise they will go to a city or a wrong place any way

a good tip on britian 1900
is to build a coal service from the coal mine clostest to the town on the west side with a powerplant
than make it have 20+ staions and lines it was very complex but it made me 40%

Mr. X wrote:If you want to start your company, build tram lines within cities, they can give you a good back bone for getting money for future rail network projects.

Thats one of the best tips possible.

Building a simple Tram system within a larger town / city will bring you a constant income, instead of waiting a while whilst that huge train arrives at it's destination.

Try and watch how the city grows, and before it gets too much out of control, stick a railway station in there, With a tram system running in an independent route across the city, to increase passengers, and link the railway station with another town / city.

I really wouldn't consider using Buses for City Centre transport. The local authorities can be strict with road removal when a bus system is in place - At least with a tram system, the vehicles use a different type of track.

Edit: Updated my post to make it correct

pmhtuk wrote:Try and watch how the city grows, and before it gets too much out of control, stick a railway station in there, linked to a tram stop, to increase passengers, and link with another town / city.

Hi pmhtuk,

Do you mean that the railway station should be an extension (same station name) as a tram stop? I try to avoid that because, often, the tram picks up all the passengers just as the train arrives which gets no passengers. That is, until the station is generating hundreds of passengers -- maybe that's what you intended.

Jarmus - not much of a passenger guy anyway

Jarmus wrote:

pmhtuk wrote:Try and watch how the city grows, and before it gets too much out of control, stick a railway station in there, linked to a tram stop, to increase passengers, and link with another town / city.

Hi pmhtuk,

Do you mean that the railway station should be an extension (same station name) as a tram stop? I try to avoid that because, often, the tram picks up all the passengers just as the train arrives which gets no passengers. That is, until the station is generating hundreds of passengers -- maybe that's what you intended.

Jarmus - not much of a passenger guy anyway

Apologies, I should have defined that a bit better. I was meaning to suggest having a Tram System inside the city centre area, which develops it's own unique funds, whilst the train station is independent and operates for a more national scale.

This way, the city can be developed quickly, and with a higher income for the company.

Apologies once again for confusion!

Steve

If you open the waypoints of one vehicle, and build a new one, you can copy the original waypoints of the first train, by clicking "End route list" instead of on a rail or station, and it automatically copies the route. (Sorry if thats not very clear)

If you double click on a waypoint int he waypoiunt menu, you will go to it

Sorry if people already knew these, I only just discovered them!