Sorry to be late to this party but .... Start in 1950, build your first line as a single track from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Winnipeg. Run the track as straight as possible, head west towards Fargo or Grandforks, then north to Winnipeg, no meandering, build straight as possible. Build a big station at Mpls, medium at Winnipeg. Run one train with 6 cars full off the bat, Mpls-Winnipeg. When it arrives, build another train from Mpls. After a couple runs you'll have enough to put an intermediate station at Fargo or thereabouts with oil/sand. Reduce to 4 car consists, etc. Electrify your track asap and run all GG1's thereafter. All further tracklaying should be double track and you should double the Mpls/Winnipeg line asap. Build plain track and then electrify one square at a time working from existing electric rail for free electrification (it's tedious and a bit of a cheat but saves big $) The money will pile up, build an extension to Des Moines. Often there is a diesel plant there and refinery at Winnipeg with nearby oil, you can run multiple trains of diesel for good $$. Establish food lines between major cities using cattle or grain. As money increases extend south to St. Louis. Build one bridge into the city and one that bypasses it southwest of it. Run an extension to Memphis. Once you get into the south you can haul cotton for goods. You may also run bauxite from north to south if the scenario sets up for it. Work in logs/paper if you wish but they don't pay as much long haul. Food, diesel, goods, passengers. Then work east towards Atlanta and possibly Charlotte. Alternate to all this if you feel the resources are not there is to work east of Mpls to Chicago but this route is better. Distance is the key, you need to be a LONG HAULER to make the profits that will get you to 80 mill in 30 years. I have achieved a "double secret gold win" which is something like 120 mil in 15 years and 100 carloads in a year. and I have done this at max difficulty - my revenue -20, ai revenue +25, 9 players competing. You have to be a madman but it can be done.
