RAILROAD TYCOON HOME PAGE

We built this page to be a reference point for players of Railroad Tycoon as well as for people interested in railroading. We aren't railroad fanciers as such, but we've enjoyed the game so much that we thought it deserved a web home.

For the uninitiated, Railroad Tycoon is a simulation authored by Sid Meier and published in 1990 by Microprose. The game challenges players to build a profitable rail empire in a fairly complex environment. Economic conditions, terrain factors, and competition from computerized opponents make the game more a test of management skill than a true railroading simulation. Railroad Tycoon has in fact been used as a classroom exercise by university schools of management.

An immediate success in its original version, the game was updated circa 1993 and published as Railroad Tycoon Deluxe. We've played both versions, and we prefer the original--bugs and all--to its snazzier but slower successor. Game play is nearly identical in both versions, but the deluxe version offers more worlds to conquer and more engines with which to do so. An acknowledged classic, the original has been immortalized in Computer Gaming World's Hall of Fame.

To compare notes on playing Railroad Tycoon, click on our Strategy Page.

Internet Railroad Tycoon Resources

Here are some answers to questions we've received about RRT.

Dave Mitton's Railroad Tycoon FAQ Good source of (sometimes cryptic) basic information about the game accompanied here by some lengthy discourses on strategy and tactics.

Scott's Addictions offers some useful hints at this site.

Patches and bug fixes We haven't tried these, but you may want to.

Books About Railroad Tycoon

These are certainly out of print, but the fact that they were published suggests something about the game's depth. We can't vouch for the Sipe volume, but Addams' book offers a well-organized and good-humored wealth of information.

Addams, Shay. Railroad Tycoon, Master Strategies for Empire Builders, Berkeley, CA: Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1991. ISBN 0-07-881728-5 $14.95

Sipe, Russell. The Official Guide to Railroad Tycoon, Greensboro, NC: Compute Books, 1991. ISBN 0-87455-244-3 $12.95

General Railroading Resources on the Internet

The web showcases an astonishing array of materials on all aspects of railroading. These will get you started, but be ready to spend an evening once you start delving into these sites.

Cyberspace World Railroad Home Page Another excellent general railroading site.

Collection of train images This image archive is terrific; the collection also features some historical information.

Here's another train image collection includes Ken Houghton's images and others, most available for reproduction.

National Model Railroaders' Association's weblinks site. This site links to lots of assorted railroadiana.

Acknowledgements

*"Railroad Tycoon" is a trademark of Microprose, Inc. We use it here respectfully.

The train image at the top, "Steam Engine and Station 1800's" and the caboose below are from Ken Houghton's RailImages.

This page is a joint project of

Michael Sedore mike@sedore.net
and
Eric Sedore essedore@qwerty.maxwell.syr.edu

We gladly accept suggestions and (somewhat less gladly) criticisms.

This page last updated April 26,2001.