Start strategy:
Almost all maps start very early in the 19th century - meaning the trains you'll have available are only good for hauling passengers and mail. Depending on your starting town location and the towns surrounding it try and lay the first track to the biggest town in your vicinity and make a 3 passenger/2mail route from big city. If no big cities around look for the closest regular city and make a 2 passenger/1 mail train route. If you have a resource very close to your starting town make that route first.
Remember The best way to start is to lay tracks and build depots first as many as you can with your money (if lucrative routes in vicinity sell your stock early on but only one) only than should you purchase trains and make routes since the game will let you purchase a train even if you have 0 or less money.
Depending on the year you start haul resources with no more than 4 carts at the very start. At least not until Medoc or DX come along than you can upgrade your resource routes to 8 carts. If the resource is very close to the town you're delivering to than you will never or rarely need more than 4 carts for optimum delivery of goods.
Try not to sell too much stock at start. 1-2 at most. Sell the third only if absolutely necessary. Having more stock will pay off in the long run.
After the first delivery of your passengers try and find an industry in one of your connected cities that has 2 resources close by. Buy it from your first earned money because most of the players will be too busy making their first bucks to be challenging you in the auction.
Now you have laid basis for your railroad empire to come.
The next big thing I have seen many players do is lay tracks in an inefficient way. Here are some pics to clarify the rights and wrongs.
1. A city can have only 3 tracks going through it - all the additional double tracks are ignored (in a sense that they will not be considered connecting points for your city)!
2. To make sure the double track you built will be considered part of that town's station start it at the depot
3. Each train should have it's own track. Please, I beg you, don't make routes with multiple trains on one track unless it's at the very station.
4. If you have a necessity to make 4 trains go through your town make sure to upgrade the depot to Station or Terminal so the trains unload/load faster and do not make a lot of congestion.
(no image needed really)
When you get to mid game the keyword here is expand, expand, expand. Look at where the other player haven't started building and if within your reach expand in that direction. By the time they consider leaving their starting areas you will already overtake half a map (this all is dependent on your starting position and possibility to avoid other players).
Mid game is where you want to start planning your "big money" routes. These are the routes that deliver the most expensive goods from production facilities to Metropolis and make the most cash. This is what every player will try to do. Make automobiles/gold bars/weapons at one city and deliver them to the closest Metropolis. Once you have control of such lane you will be the winner. If other players beat you to it not all is lost. Try finding at least the first part of the equation (steel/gold ore/steel) and buying an industry in a nearby town (preferably mid road to a Metropolis) that will produce high end goods. Numerous times this made me win the game although I was last at the point before giving 500k for an industry.
I will try and continue this post as time allows it and if I get some positive feedback. I hope the information provided is concise and understandable and that all of you railroad players will join the wonderful world of Railroads! multiplayer.
