Discovered interesting strategy

[RTPlayer]

If you connect your company's track to some other company's track, they'll run trains between their stations and your stations (common knowledge at this point). I've discovered that if you aren't playing a scenario that requires all track to be connected to your company's track, then you can lay track between two nearby company's rail lines and one or both of those two companies will run trains on your track to get between each other's stations. I'm using this on "Germantown, USA."

[JayEff]

The different components of a railway system have differing levels of profitability. Generally I try to have the most profitable parts in my own company, or the one in which I have the most shares, and have the least profitable, or most costly components in a slave company or two in which I own 50% of shares plus one.

Ideally the slave company builds all stations, bridges, tunnels, service towers, maintenance buildings, post offices, and it may also build unprofitable factories to generate demand, if needed. I would buy enough profitable industry for it to stay afloat, so it can help me expand this way too. And of course, it will purchase its own trains. If there is sufficient cash, the slave will pay for double tracking, providing extra track allowance if needed.

The main company generally lays single track, runs trains for missions and to feed strategic industries, owns the most profitable industries, and builds hotels.

This approach works great in Great Northern.