Multiple Stations

[MArk S]

Has anyone ever tried building multiple stations in one city to relieve congestion?
(If there is already a similar discussion, please say so.)

I was playing the Russian map and had a bunch of trains constantly going in and out of Moscow. I thought maybe if I built another station that still covered most of the city, I could send trains from the East to that one and the loads would auto-transfer to the other station and go onto trains headed N or S.

[Hawk]

I've added more than one station to cities quite often. It does help relieve congestion if you build your track right.

As for bringing goods into one station and expect them to move to the other station for delivery further down the line, that will only work if you have the 1.06 patch installed.
Until the good folks here came up with the 1.06 patch, drop shipping wasn't an option in RRT3.

[KevinL]

Hawk, post your picture of your multiple stations and railroad tracks that look like a freeway overpass system. I tried to find it and couldnt.

Yes you can have multiple stations, but the trains will only go to the station to which you send them. And the station's cargo is ONLY the area covered by its green square. I tried to have two stations near each other such that their green squares overlapped. I thought maybe that would double the cargo and have the cargo at one station also available at the other station. But it didnt work. Only the cargo inside the green square is available at that station.

Make sense?

[Hawk]

Hawk, post your picture of your multiple stations and railroad tracks that look like a freeway overpass system. I tried to find it and couldnt.

Do you mean this one?

viewtopic.php?p=12499#p12499

[JoshM]

I have done this often, like to send traffic from north and east to one station and south and west to another so they don't get backed up. The trick is to put both stations in the same economic cell or square so that they both have the same prices and cargo.

[KevinL]

Yes that's the one I meant.

[EPH]

In 'British Miracle' and 'Japanese Miracle' I've found the cities and the traffic grows so much I sometimes add a second station in a city (manchester, London, Tokyo in particular). The trick is routing; I usually put all the trains headed north of manchester to the northern station and southern traffic at the southern station. Sounds obvious, but it works.

[Cliff]

JoshM Wrote:

The trick is to put both stations in the same economic cell or square so that they both have the same prices and cargo.

I have also put two stations in the same city -- but far enough apart that prices are slightly different. Then I have a short train running full-time between the two stations, making a couple of $$ on each load -- more than enough to pay for train fuel & maintenance. I found this technique especially beneficial in scenarios such as "Alternate USA," where you had to deliver minimum loads of (e. g.) grain, cattle, or some such within specific regions. I could deliver x loads of the stuff to the north end of town, and then transfer the same x loads to the south end of town at a slight profit -- and get full credit for 2x loads.

In some scenarios (I forget which, exactly, but the old Pennsylvania oil fields map comes to mind), I put as many as four stations in places like Pittsburgh -- to handle all the incoming iron ore and coal and the outgoing steel, as well as all the incoming oil & outgoing diesel -- without clogging one poor little station to a standstill. I remember doing the same thing in one of the European scenarios (Germany, I think, where you had to deliver minimum loads of grain, automobiles, ... to certain regions).

-- Cliff in Virginia

PS: Hawk! Does this one count as a "quality" post???

[Hawk]

-- Cliff in Virginia

PS: Hawk! Does this one count as a "quality" post???

Yes Cliff. It does.

[BikerTim]

Multiple stations have another use. If a medal requires a link to a specific city, which is already connected by an AI, the player can get credit for connecting that city by linking up with the AI there and building a second station. One time while playing Mississippi Valley, an AI had connected to Indianapolis. This AI was much too large and prosperous for me to buy out. So instead I connected with his track near the station, approaching from the southeast. Then I placed a station just to the southeast of the AI station, but still within the Indianapolis zone. I got credit for connecting Indianapolis, then went on to win the gold medal.

[OilCan]

In three-star cities, it is always wise to stop and consider where to place the first station to later accommodate a second station in the game. This is especially true if the city is going to become a major hub. Always buy the largest sized station in two-star or greater cities - most certainly so if the city has or will hold one of your industries. The largest sized station holds the most cargo and thus keeps larger loads of your industry product ready for your trains.

Very late in the game, when the goal is to connect a fixed number of cities (i.e. 30), place the smallest sized depot in all new cities to save money. Don't even worry about running trains to these cities, until all the cities are connected to meet the gold.

Place a hotel in three-star cities with rail service early in the game, then come back about midway through the game and place them in two-star cities with rail service. This includes AI cities. If you are avoiding an AI company by building dual rail networks, then always place a hotel in cities which have dual stations (yours and theirs).

[Cliff]

OilCan writes: If you are avoiding an AI company by building dual rail networks, then always place a hotel in cities which have dual stations (yours and theirs).

Don't avoid the AI companies! Take 'em over if you want & when you can, but always make it a point to connect to the AIs from the get-go. They might clog up some of your track & stations, but will always generate more than enough "miscellaneous income" to justify the inconvenience. There have been a couple of scenarios where about the only steady income I could get was from the AIs being connected to my track.

On the other hand, don't run your trains on AI track: The AI will always have priority, and you will find your valuable trains sitting on sidings unable to move -- and even when they do move you have to pay a large %% of the profit to the AI for using his tracks/stations

-- Cliff in Virginia (still only a Hobo -- but with more than a decade of [Expert-Gold ] RRT experience

[WPandP]

I think OilCan means that in a case where you are trying to compete with an AI and out-serve them, you are building your own parallel route with your own stations in the served cities. He is pointing out that the hotels and restaurants and such are going to be that much more profitable, seeing more frequent passenger stops in the city.

But I guess your point might still hold true, in that you can have the parallel route and still make a little connection now and then to permit the AI to pay you for the use of your stations over his. If there is a price differential, they very well might opt to do so. If the point of your competition, though, is to ruin their profitability, then offering them the connection might be a bad thing. Seems like, as much as they might pay you to use your lines, the AI still comes out ahead for the effort, whereas you can drive yourself into an impossibly deep hole if you ride enemy rails too much.

[Cliff]

WPandP writes: I think OilCan means that in a case where you are trying to compete with an AI and out-serve them, you are building your own parallel route with your own stations in the served cities. He is pointing out that the hotels and restaurants and such are going to be that much more profitable, seeing more frequent passenger stops in the city.

Yeah; any given strategy is rather scenario-specific. If you want to shut the AI down (i.e., keep him from expanding), then you can do it early by building small stations perpendicular to his end-of-line stations -- even a post office will do, if properly placed. The AI will eventually send out a spur & go around, but will usually leave his stations blocked and will then build out to a 3rd city. [I hate to admit it, but the RRT3 AIs aren't very bright -- not nearly as smart as the AIs in Sids Railroads! (a game which sucks, unless they've improved it dramatically since it came out)]. -- Hawk; is this one of those forbidden "political subjects"?

But connecting to the AIs & letting them run trains on your rails: Most players don't do this -- seems to me, based on lots of scenario strategy posts I've read and written over the years -- and I really think it is a good strategy which works. By the AIs running trains on your rails, they generate $$ for you for no cost besides laying the track.

In scenarios where you start with several competitors, I have found it profitable to just connect all the AIs to each other. They're happier 'n hell, because they have new places to run their trains (make sure you put in maintenance/water facilities at proper intervals, else they won't use your rails) -- and they aren't as eager to expand as they would be otherwise. You don't even need to run trains over these rails -- just suck up about 90% of the AI's profit without any fuel & engine maintenance costs.

-- Cliff in Virginia

[nedfumpkin]

And dobn't forget the other trick to get cash from the AI.... I like to help them connect their lines by making shortcuts or connecting to other AIs where they run on your track because it is quicker.

[WPandP]

Don't worry about badmouthing "Railroads" - that's not off limits by any means. At least not in the RRT3 section of Hawk's forum! It's kind of understood that, if SMR didn't suck so much, there wouldn't be a vibrant community of RRT3 players still looking for ways to improve and enjoy this rickety old game.

As for getting the AI to ride your rails, I found that I could make a lot of headway in games by never operating a train of my own... just find an AI that you want to build off of, lay connections for them, and let them handle all the routing and operations. If you can connect two AI's to each other, so much the better. But right at the start, just let an AI spawn his two city connection, and you should have enough money to extend that line to two more connections easily. Don't float an expensive bond just to buy an engine or two; let the AI do that!

[OilCan]

I have found that there are five ways to deal with an AI railway company:
1. Ignore it. Just watch the company from a distance. Leave it completely alone for the whole game.
2. Avoid it. Build your railroad network beside it, around it and over it. Be warned that the AI might connect to you anyways.
3. Invest for personal profit in the AI company stock. Turn the AI company into a milk cow for your PNW.
4. Merge with the AI company. Skyrocket your PNW upwards, but your company takes a financial beating (short-term).
5. Exploit the AI company for your company profit (see below).

The third and fourth options above will boost your own personal net worth and the fifth option will increase your company profits.

If increasing PNW is not a major scenario goal, the optimal plan is to invest heavily into a promising AI company while exploiting it with your company. It is a win-win for you and your company.

There are three ways to exploit an AI company:
1. Entice them to use your railway services for a surcharge (but you stay off their railway). Also...
a) add a city (2-star or larger) to the AI network, complete with station and tower/shed.
b) connect two AI companies and let them run on your connection
2. Let them strengthen one of your industries. Build/buy an industry in one of their cities and let their trains service it. OR, let the AI carry off product from an industry on your own line.
3. Short sell their stock. Usually a mid to late game tactic.

Connecting your track with an AI railway is usually a good idea and can be very profitable. The only times not to connect, or do so with caution, is when:
1. You have a hauling requirement for a goal. The AI could start hauling off your target cargo and/or clogging your key stations. In this case, merge with the ones in your way and exploit others without mercy.
2. AI track does not count towards your city connections. In this case, you have to either merge or create dual railways. And, certainly exploit when possible.
3. You do not want the AI company to prosper. This might be due to your short selling their stock, or trying to run their share price down with intent to merge.

< I usually check this forum on weekday mornings when I'm in town, so my posts might be well after a lengthy discussion has taken place. But, I'm satisfied... because it's quality and not quantity which is important...right Hawk? >

[Hawk]

But, I'm satisfied... because it's quality and not quantity which is important...right Hawk? >

Oh boy! What have I done?

[Stoker]

Some other things that can be done to AI railways is hobbling or blocking them so they can not expand and hauling away all loads to starve them out.

[Cliff]

3. Invest for personal profit in the AI company stock. Turn the AI company into a milk cow for your PNW.

Yeah, and I've even had to "pump up" flailing AIs that I've invested in -- so that they can keep earning money for me.

Now, this is far from a "Quality" Post, so let me add:

1. Does RRT3 work with Vista?? [I've seen the "Train Master" posts, but am unsure if the RRT3 (Vanilla version) will work with Vista].

2. How do I get my Quotes to work right? I can't seem to get my Quotes to look like Hawks.

-- Cliff in Virginia