Australia - How To Get Gold?

[Gwizz]

Well I first started to just understand how I wanted to play the game. There are good players on this thread and I didn't want to make a fool of myself since I seldom play to earn a win.

I started with single track and three locos on short runs to 9 stations and not enough dollars to buy enough service. I Let them run except for occasionally changing routes to ones that

passed a train through service while I waited for the AIs to start. All three AIs were in business before the end of the third year.

I figured it would be hard to control the AIs even though two were lined up with my railroad on the east coast.

I tried going inland but the grade was too steep for single track. I switched and headed for the Southern coast which I also believe is the best route.

I continued up the Southern coast for two years before a margin call knocked on my door. It took all of my savings to just save my game. Having loss my net worth it took just three more months to become unemployed.

Starting with a plan it should be fairly easy to win on this map. QUESTION?

I have 5 Australia maps. #1 is named Australia; #2 is AustraliaFG and the other three are modifications of the first two maps where I used the smoothing tool on the hills.

I removed all of the keyhole inlets. I also moved or removed some reserve cells and I changed the port cargoes.

Question: all my maps start in 1880. Where is the map that starts in 1900s.

[loco_motive]

It is worth noting that the op is asking, albeit again, how to win this scenario.

How do you win? This is a game. Pay attention to win requirements and keep it profitable.

No cheats, no exploits except pausing, no use of AI's for anything, anyone could do it.

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Sydney-Brisbane on single track.

One GP18, micromanaged to haul 6 pass/mail.

One bond, shares issued every year (lol this is hardest part).

Large stations with max relevant improvements asap, then repay bond.

Had $10,141 company cash by Oct/72.

Elec and non-elec track & 5 more stations cost $9,693. Gold.

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Same deal with 2 GP18s and double track asap. Had $12,563 cash in Nov/72, not that much more, esp considering +10%

passenger income manager for several years. Addit build cost $10,518, due to econ a level higher and slight track layout differences.

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Financials . . . . . . . . . . 1 train . . 2 trains

Initial capital ............... 1100 ...... 1100

Addit share issues ........ 2652 ...... 3217

Passenger income ....... 5509 ...... 7236

Mail income ................ 2593 ...... 3427

Station income ........... 2976 ...... 4167

Less: expenses .......... -2278 ..... -3535

Less: other assets ...... -2409 ..... -3049

Cash for final build ...... 10141 ..... 12563

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[Silverback]

I have 5 Australia maps. #1 is named Australia; #2 is AustraliaFG and the other three are modifications of the first two maps where I used the smoothing tool on the hills.

I removed all of the keyhole inlets. I also moved or removed some reserve cells and I changed the port cargoes.

Question: all my maps start in 1880. Where is the map that starts in 1900s.

The Australia map for this scenario came with The Second Century Expansion and is a PopTop original map.

[Gwizz]

Got it. Thanks.

The map dose look hard to win on without a lot of micro management on pause

[jeffryfisher]

With only one train, the micromanagement is bearable. Just "ride" it back and forth, loading whatever's available at each end of your starting route. Once you have your first million and a stellar credit rating, then you can go "all in" and build a real RR... Game over, pass the champagne.

[Gwizz]

I agree with the poster who said there was too many mountains along the coast. Australia is mostly a flat nation. But then mountains do gave an added challenge.

I started a single line with one loco running along a coast line route, to build my nest egg. The mountain track cells are too expensive to build at the start of the game.

Then when the dollars started pilling up, I built inland from my biggest twin city (with 25 houses) to a city near the center of the map. Started collecting dollars from the long distance runs.

I had started a train at each end of this line. When they got close together I doubled the track between them.

I had a lot of industry West of the second rail line with some hills to climb. I picked a loco with hill climbing ability to haul demand cargo on a third line to the coastal twin cities.

That is where I had to delay the game for a few days. as normal business was taking more of my time.

[jeffryfisher]

I agree with the poster who said there was too many mountains along the coast.

Agreed, the climbs out of Sydney and Brisbane are deadly for a small-seed RR. However, I think the cut out of Melbourne is playable to Mildura. By starting there, I was able to continue cross-country instead of fighting my way over mountains (or sharing Melbourne's pax/mail with a computer company).

[Gwizz]

This Map is not fun if one wants a quick gold win.

Built: Sydney to Brisbane. It is basically flat track but with a number of turns. It still stayed profitable with double track and 3 locos.

It had 4 cities with over 4 houses. Sydney had 25 houses. All three locos served Sydney and one or two other towns.

Next built Kilgoorlie to Perth, only the two towns and 1 loco. Very profitable.

Next built Darwin to Alice Springs. Had five towns with 4 or more houses. Ran 2 locos on single track but too many grades and curves. loosing money.

I went back to a saved game map. Used the track stitching bulldozer to remove the worse grades and curves. Again bought 2 locos.

Line making a profit.

Next built Melbourne to Adelaide Used the bull dozer on grades. Costly. Took over two years to recover bulldozer costs. Line became profitable.

Next I paid off bonds, and I started building connecting tracks. Alice Springs had two long tracks without turns and under 2 % grades to Melbourne.

Melbourne had a few grades that the bulldozing fixed, and a short distance away it had a lot of industry. I bulldozed some industry, to reduce curves.

Next I started using Electric track to build short spurs where I could haul paying cargo in both directions. I used the GP18 diesel on long runs.

Spur tracks didn't add much profit when they returned with out cargo. I backed up to a saved game and then I just ran what I had for awhile to

build up my cash. Buying a few GP18 along the way. I stopped micro management. I just got tired of watching the game clock run.

With enough money I connected all lines with unused single track for gold with over two years to go.

I modified the 1889 map a couple of ways and it is a lot more fun to play, at least for me.