Earliest Possible Start Date

[HootOwl]

I fired up RRT2 for the first time in ages last night. I have the Steam Platinum version. I was reading through the manual and it mentions the earliest start being 1804, but I can't seem to find any scenarios or campaign mission that starts earlier than 1830 (I know the real early trains are terrible but I have a weird fondness for them). Am I missing something or is there no way to play that early?

[SD45]

About that...

The earliest locomotive available is the Trevithick-1, avalible in 1800. However, by the default engine lists, it is not available in North America. Because the next available locomotive is the Rocket, which is everywhere, the minimum start date becomes 1830 on the maps where the Trevithick-1 is not available. 

You can turn it on yourself in the map editor of course, by modifying the engine pool.

As for maps, I don't recall any maps that have you start that early, because the trains are sloowwww until the American-C pops up.

Edit: While it has a minium start date of 1823, the map "Local Industy" allows you to play with the Trevithick-1.

Edited September 23, 2019 by SD45

[jeffryfisher]

21 hours ago, HootOwl said:

I can't seem to find any scenarios or campaign mission that starts earlier than 1830

You would need to download a user-made map or else edit one yourself using the game's built-in editor. As SD45 implies, besides changing the earliest allowed start date, you'd want to  to make at least one loco available -- otherwise you'd be playing without trains.

My US History map allows pushing the start date back into the 1820s (the Monroe administration), but I can't remember exactly how far. It might be 1824.

[SD45]

Jeffery.

I did notice something rather peculiar when I decided to set up a map so I can start in 1800.

When you start in Jan 1800, all you can do is lay tracks and build stations. You can't upgrade them, and you can't buy any locomotives.

You're going to have to wait until the Trevithick-1 comes out at the standard engine introduction month (Edit: June), and you can start to buy station upgrades at the standard introduction month for those (Edit: August).

Kinda freaked me out when I was told I had all the available station upgrades when I had no facilitates, and a medium station. 

Edited January 11, 2020 by SD45