Anyone beat Coast to Coast?

[JackB]

I've tried the Coast to Coast scenario three times now and failed -- on Medium setting -- three times. Best I've managed to do is get track laid to Lubbock at the border to the Mountain States. This last time I really had the money rolling in but it takes quite awhile to get it started. I've been beginning at Miami and working the eastern side of the map and then moving into the Heartland and then into the Prairies, aiming of course for San Diego. My problem is I just can't acquire the money fast enough.

Any thoughts?

[CJN]

Have you tried all three routes? They all have different requirements for access rights.

[JackB]

Ah, my old friend Canadian National, I think -- only here with the J in the middle.

No I haven't tried the other routes. In the older version of the game there's a similar cross-country challenge and I did the northern route so I was trying the southern route on this version for something a little different. I'll try it one more time. It has to be the balance between industry-buying and running trains.

[BigMac]

The section of this thread dealing with customising buildings has been moved to the SKINNING forum and can be reached at http://www.railroadtycoon.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76

[kriss]

This Webmeister really is on the ball!

Come on AZ, you got your thread back, AZ? where's you at?

[PJay]

The section of this thread dealing with customising buildings has been moved to the SKINNING forum and can be reached at http://www.railroadtycoon.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76

I think it was in the Arizona Open Range thread, not this one :D

[JackB]

"Customising buildings" is not mentioned in this thread. Where did that come from?

[BigMac]

"Customising buildings" is not mentioned in this thread. Where did that come from?It was mentioned, it grew into a thread in it's own right, so it was split off and moved :P

[isii]

I won on Medium using the Central Route. The southern route just gave me fits all five times I tried it. But I easily won and was getting ready to try hard on the northern route.

However, the one I cannot master is the Alternate US sim. How's anyone done with this one?

[Silibili]

I just got gold on expert in 1911 using the southern route and choosing cheap industry.
Started by building a textile mill in Augustine as soon as it was cheap upgrading it then buying up Florida's cotton fields.
Then a distillery next to the barracks there, a dairy processor in Tampa
I bought the logs, lumber mill and toy factory around Miami. A paper factory popped up in St Augustine and I bought that too and upgraded. Then I started building rails in about 1900 buying up all profitable industry or creating new industries en route.
Basically I just built up a route from Miami to San Diego (as rights permitted).
I used Shay 2 trucks all along one between each 2 neighbouring stations until I hit San Diego then I added a second to each route.
The trains help a lot in financing acquisition of industry, as long as they all move at a healthy profit and having a few slow trains does the trick.
It also helps keeping local industries profitable to restrict routes to distant cheap suppliers

When new territories open up you can often buy source industries (farms mines wells etc.) exceptionally cheaply and then build factories to exploit them and rails to share the wealth.

Aggressive buying and upgrading of profitable and soon-to-be-profitable industry is essential here.
Also issue stock each turn and only buy stock when it is cheap and you have the cash.
I ended up at 20 bonds averaging 6.3% interest - I could never borrow at 5%.
Early on I issued bonds up to 14%.

This scenario may be tougher choosing the other routes.

[Cliff Barney]

I got gold on expert on this one, but it's been so darned long ago that I forget how I did it! :? :shock: All I remember is that (I *think*) I chose the Southern route. I'm always big on industry, so I suppose that I industrialized the scenario to death.

-- Cliff in Virginia

[Silibili]

Grrr! You summarised my whole strategy here in one phrase!!! :evil:

If you choose the southern route then industrialise it to death.

I apologize for the spelling - I am English! hehehe.

:o

I find this to be one of the most enjoyable maps that came from Pop Top.
I have worked my way across the nation several times although normally on easy level and going southern or central routes.I haven`t tried the northern way yet.About the worst problem I have had is hacking through the mountains trying to get to San Francisco.The rail lines around there look more like a roller coaster :oops:
I notice most of the passengers get off the train looking quite ill :(
A great map none the less.

[Silibili]

I agree this was a most enjoyable map and I will replay it until I get expert gold on the Central and Northern routes too.
The Shay is good at hauling 8 cars over the Rockies. The faster trains get stuck when you ask them to sustain a +10 gradient uphill slog.
Tunnels rarely seem to make enough money to pay for themselves.
The Euro tunnel venture is a good example of this in RL. :)

Take over an AI company and you will get rights to the territory in the middle.