Pause game play, create two connecting stations, and
put a new train into service. For this new train, put consists
that is provided by station "A" that is wanted by station
"B". In addition, put enough consists so the train will
be waiting at the station and display "waiting for cargo."
One good way is to put a consists that is not provided by station
"A". Make sure the train schedule contains a destination
for the train to go to. Resume game play. The train should load
up the consists and go into "waiting for cargo" status.
Double-click on the train to bring up the "Train Detail"
screen. Click and enable the "arrow" on "Next Destination"
so the train will begin its trek to the next scheduled destination.
Now double click that next destination to bring up the car-consist
list box and change the car consist -- add or delete, it does
not matter. When you click "OK" to finish car-consist
editing, you should hear an unexpected money-inducing "ka-ching!"
The consist should gray-out to show the cargo has been delivered.
If this is trans-country, the mandatory customs period will pass
before you see the profit. If you click "Exit" from
the train detail screen and go back to overland screen, you will
note the train is still at station "A" -- yet the cargo
has been delivered and the profit has been calculated. By using
this technique, you can get the profit without the train actually
running through the route. This trick is especially helpful if
the stations are distanced far apart, or have natural obstacle
(ocean or mountain) between them.
If you have fast fingered, the train does not need to be in "waiting
for cargo" for this trick to work. Rather, you need to interrupt
the train while the train is "loading" up its consist.
If you are in the overland screen, the word "Loading"
will appear in the train box. While the train is "loading,"
it is in "never-never land as far as the game is concerned.
Its after the loading is completed when the game looks at train
schedule to see what the train's logical location is. When you
interrupt the game during this short period, it gets confused.
Double-click on the train while it is loading, and do the same
thing -- enable the next route to get the train to go to the next
destination, and change the car consist for the next destination.
Go out the car list screen by clicking "OK" and you
should profit the value of cargo the train was carrying.
Strategy: by Peter Birk
Published strategy guides