I thought I knew a lot, but I've learned some things here.
Early on, you need to use your cash to connect to as many stations as possible and you do that by spending as little money as possible on things you won't need until later.
I usually build wooden bridges early in the game and in most scenarios they last until the end of the game. Stone bridges eat cash. About the only time I avoid wooden bridges is when it has to be built close to a station, or when I expect a lot of traffic to develop early in the game. When a bridge is too close to the station, you have to bulldoze both the station and the bridge to upgrade. And upgrading on a very highly trafficed line can be a pain, as you have to shut down the line. In RT2, wooden bridges caused traffic jams, but in RT3 the traffic usually isn't dense enough in most locations to justify the expense early on.
It's better to get 4 cities with small stations, than only 3 cities with big stations early in the game when there just isn't much stuff available to be shipped. Small stations also work if there isn't any cargo to be picked up. Look on the cargo map to see if there's any cargo worth collecting outside of the smallest sensible station's range. If there isn't then build a station just large enough to cover the exixting buildings.
Bonds - sometimes they make a lot of sense. I usually check to see what return I'm getting on my money early on. For a specific year, divide your profit by your book value. If this number is over the current bond interest rate, it may be worth getting a bond, especially if it allows you to connect to another city that looks profitable. In RT3, the value of express cargoes goes up with the number of cities connected. With only two cities, there isn't much express, with 3 express increases to more than the ratio of 3/2, as it does with each additional station. (Note, this effect was much greater in 1.00, but even with the later patches, express traffic builds out of proportion to the number of cities connected.)
I usually bulk up on bonds during booms, when the rate goes to 5% if you're AAA. How can you not make money borrowing at 5% and investing or building almost anything. But, given that it costs more to build track during booms (something I just learned), I'll have to think some more about this strategy.
Looking for some advice....
During the boom, when the bond rates are down and you get a bucket full of cash, that's the time to check your stations to see if you could possibly invest in the future and build some industry.
Give a nice fairly steady flow of cash, plus you should have the cash avail for when the recession hits and you want to build track
Give a nice fairly steady flow of cash, plus you should have the cash avail for when the recession hits and you want to build track
I double-track around all stations, so trains coming from different directions dont get hung up. I'll also put a service station and water tower near each other and double-track both of them.
Once I get three stations connected, I'll route one train going from 1 to 2 to 3, and the other train from 3 to 2 to 1. Station 4 goes at the end of train 1's route and the beginning of train 2's route, and so on with station 5, etc.
After a few years your interest rate on new bonds goes down, so I buy new bonds at the lower rate and use that money to pay back the higher rate bonds. It costs $20k in fees but you'll make that back by not paying the higher interest.
On the campaigns where you cannot build track unless its connected to another track, I will try to place a station on the new city first. That way I can see where the green square will line up with the existing buildings, and try to plan my rail so the station will go in the best spot.
I havent had any luck with Hotels, Taverns, Restaurants, or Post Offices. They only get one or two customers a year for me. Am I doing something wrong with them?
Once I get three stations connected, I'll route one train going from 1 to 2 to 3, and the other train from 3 to 2 to 1. Station 4 goes at the end of train 1's route and the beginning of train 2's route, and so on with station 5, etc.
After a few years your interest rate on new bonds goes down, so I buy new bonds at the lower rate and use that money to pay back the higher rate bonds. It costs $20k in fees but you'll make that back by not paying the higher interest.
On the campaigns where you cannot build track unless its connected to another track, I will try to place a station on the new city first. That way I can see where the green square will line up with the existing buildings, and try to plan my rail so the station will go in the best spot.
I havent had any luck with Hotels, Taverns, Restaurants, or Post Offices. They only get one or two customers a year for me. Am I doing something wrong with them?
Hotels work best when people are changing trains. Whenever more than 2 lines end at a station and the passenger volume looks high, try a hotel. Usually, the city is rated 2 stars or higher, but its the passengers who have to change trains that use the hotel. If the hotel doesn't make enough, then look for a better opportunity later (or wait until the just built hotel picks up). Taverns need large cities, as they are frequented by departing passengers. Try building one in a two star city and again, see if it works. If not, wait for bigger cities. Restaurants are in between taverns and hotels in that both of their customers seem to use them. If either of the two are very profitable or both are making money, try building a restaurant and ...
Also, I read years ago someone's advice that said to build post offices when a city reaches the 2 star size. I have no idea if this is the right size. (Note - stars are only an approximation of the housing strength, since the star rating seems to be based on the number of buildings, so that an industry heavy city of 2 stars would have less express traffic than an industry light 2 star city since the latter would have more houses.)
Also, I read years ago someone's advice that said to build post offices when a city reaches the 2 star size. I have no idea if this is the right size. (Note - stars are only an approximation of the housing strength, since the star rating seems to be based on the number of buildings, so that an industry heavy city of 2 stars would have less express traffic than an industry light 2 star city since the latter would have more houses.)
Last edited by Orange46 on Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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AZ Rail Rat
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Greasy spoons, bars and flop houses are usually money bits until passenger traffic is enough to support them. At their initial price, it does take SEVERAL years at only a grand or two a year profit to pay for them, but they ARE cute are they not?
I think I read somewhere, but never proved, that they increase the desire of passengers to come to a station. So? Not?
I think I read somewhere, but never proved, that they increase the desire of passengers to come to a station. So? Not?
I think hotels and restaurants are most profitable when placed at station C when there are two trains routed as A-B-C & C-D-E.
That way passengers can wait at station C from one train to catch the other train.
I'm not so sure that taverns have ever been very profitable and a post office is only to help mail and I don't believe they ever make a profit on their own but do help the mail to move better. At least they did in RT2. I never use them in RT3.
Just my
That way passengers can wait at station C from one train to catch the other train.
I'm not so sure that taverns have ever been very profitable and a post office is only to help mail and I don't believe they ever make a profit on their own but do help the mail to move better. At least they did in RT2. I never use them in RT3.
Just my
Hawk
I do a similar thing, but I use an overlap. So, the first train goes 1-2-3, the second train goes 4-3-2, third train goes 3-4-5, fourth 6-5-4, etc. This way, I only need service and maintenance sheds between every other pair of ciites. Every time I add one station, I add one train. After the freight routes become more established, I'll set all these trains to freight only, and start up some priority passenger trains which don't follow this scheme; they'll mainly visit the major population centers.KevinL wrote: Once I get three stations connected, I'll route one train going from 1 to 2 to 3, and the other train from 3 to 2 to 1. Station 4 goes at the end of train 1's route and the beginning of train 2's route, and so on with station 5, etc.
Of course, when just starting out you won't have four stations to begin the pattern, so I just run mixed trains 1-2-3 and 3-2-1 as you say. If one of these inital trains earns a star, then I'll use it as my passenger train and re-route it, using the other to begin my overlap pattern once the fourth station is added.
=Winchester, Paston & Portsmouth=
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I never run my trains as 1-2-3 and 3-4-5, perhaps that's why Hotels/Taverns never worked out for me. I run my trains in a circular route thru every station, once I get enough stations to make a circle. Two trains go clockwise and two trains go counter-clockwise. That way made a lot more money than my old way of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1. Then if station 4 has wood and station 1 has a lumber mill then I'll run a separate train there to cover that.
I've never run separate trains for freight and passengers so I'll have to try that suggestion with "yellow-star" trains.
I've never run separate trains for freight and passengers so I'll have to try that suggestion with "yellow-star" trains.
When deciding whether to place hotels/taverns/restaurants, I check the Stations list in the ledger, which shows how many freight loads and express loads are waiting at each station. If a station has a noticeably higher number of express loads than freight loads, or has more express loads than most other stations, I'll start building things there.
Restaurants are good to start with, as they do about the same at any stage of the passenger's journey. Post offices never make money but never lose more than 1K a year (in easy mode, anyway), and they're supposed to increase the number of mail loads at the station, so I'll usually toss in one of those as well. If the station has an exceptionally high express load count, or if it's got a fairly profitable restaurant, I'll do a hotel or tavern, too. Tavern if the station's at the end of a line, otherwise a hotel. (Toward the end of the scenario, when populations are high and express loads are overwhelming, I'll make sure the stations have all four options built.)
Since your express loads don't get high until usually several years into the game, I don't bother with them at first. Once you start noticing passengers piling up at the stations, you can start thinking about doing stuff for them. 8)
Restaurants are good to start with, as they do about the same at any stage of the passenger's journey. Post offices never make money but never lose more than 1K a year (in easy mode, anyway), and they're supposed to increase the number of mail loads at the station, so I'll usually toss in one of those as well. If the station has an exceptionally high express load count, or if it's got a fairly profitable restaurant, I'll do a hotel or tavern, too. Tavern if the station's at the end of a line, otherwise a hotel. (Toward the end of the scenario, when populations are high and express loads are overwhelming, I'll make sure the stations have all four options built.)
Since your express loads don't get high until usually several years into the game, I don't bother with them at first. Once you start noticing passengers piling up at the stations, you can start thinking about doing stuff for them. 8)
I always seperate freight from passengers after a few years. I know it isn't really necessary but I also use the appropriate engines for the type of service required. For example, I never use Atlantics or Pacifics for freight trains, rarely use Mikados for passenger trains, ect. I alway use cabooses (AZ's Cabeeses) on all trains.
Way to go, Wsherrick!
Yes, all my express trains have a dining car and no caboose, get hauled by Pacifics or Northerns or F-3's or FP-45's. And all the freight trains get a caboose and a Mike or a Mountain or GP-9's or GP-35's. And, the passengers get green-light priority, slow coal and iron drags get yield priority. And all my engineers blow their whistles when approaching grade crossings, like they should!
Yes, all my express trains have a dining car and no caboose, get hauled by Pacifics or Northerns or F-3's or FP-45's. And all the freight trains get a caboose and a Mike or a Mountain or GP-9's or GP-35's. And, the passengers get green-light priority, slow coal and iron drags get yield priority. And all my engineers blow their whistles when approaching grade crossings, like they should!
=Winchester, Paston & Portsmouth=
====== We Provide Pride! ======
====== We Provide Pride! ======
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Wolverine@MSU
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In RT2 they decreased unloading time for cargoes coming from other territories. I'm not sure what the coders did with it for RT3. Perhaps a little test is in order (unless someone has a definitative answer).KevinL wrote:Oh, I forgot to ask about the new Customs Houses in 1.06. Do they actually speed up loading/unloading in every station, or only ones near a border, or something else??
It'd be nice if they decreased times for all stations. Otherwise they're practically worthless.
Also, ChrisW, your hotel/restaurant suggestions worked great. I was playing the Canada map, and saw Ottawa had 20 loads of passengers available. So I tried a hotel there. I had about 50 customers in a year. :)
Also, ChrisW, your hotel/restaurant suggestions worked great. I was playing the Canada map, and saw Ottawa had 20 loads of passengers available. So I tried a hotel there. I had about 50 customers in a year. :)
