A-TRAIN

ON BOARD TUTORING 
 
The following tutorial will get you up and running your trains and provide the 
groundwork for understanding some of the financial intricacies of the game. You'll 
find detailed explanations of menus, commands, investment suggestions and 
general game play advice in the Reference section of the manual. 
 
The tutorial assumes that you have a mouse. The left button is the default mouse 
button for selecting actions and commands, unless otherwise stated. If you're 
playing without a mouse, see the Addendum for keyboard procedures. 
 
Please refer to your Addendum for procedures to install and start A-Train. Once the 
program is running, you are ready to begin your training. 
 
After the title screen and credits for the game have been displayed, the SYSTEM 
menu will open. 
 
When the SYSTEM menu is opened, the game clock stops. The menu has a number 
of commands, but for tutorial purposes, just click on NEW GAME. A submenu will 
open. The six numbers represent the choices of map landscapes upon which you 
can build your train empire. Click on #1 and then click on LOAD. 
 
You will now see the lovely map of your new railroad operation, surrounded by the 
"picture frame" of menu choices. The running clock in the upper-right corner 
indicates the fiscal term (from April 1 to the present), and the month, day and 
hour. The clock is the measure for train scheduling, which will be discussed later in 
this Tutorial. The passing of time is illustrated by the changing patterns of light as 
day fades and night falls (VGA only). The light changes can be turned off if you 
wish; see your Addendum for details. There will also be seasonal changes, such as 
the appearance of winter snow, as the game progresses. 
 
All of the maps provide you with at least one operating railroad, and some amount 
of cash. See the Cities chapter in the Reference section for amplification on the 
challenges each map presents. 
 
Map One is one of the most open and undeveloped of the six scenarios, providing 
space for experimentation and risk. One of the goals will be to develop the 
"bedroom community" of its new town. Take a few moments to "mouse around" 
on the map to get a sense of your territory. You can make incremental movements 
by clicking in the arrow boxes on the right side of the frame, which will cause the 
map to scroll a small amount in the direction of the arrow. You can orient yourself 
to the overall map boundaries by clicking on SATELLITE (on the right edge of the 
frame), which will display a small image of your complete map. (All picture frame 
menus will highlight when the mouse pointer is positioned on the menu title, and 
they then can be opened with a mouse click). The rectangle on the Satellite map 
captures the current territory displayed on the large map. You can drag the box on 
the Satellite map to any area and click, and the corresponding terrain will be 
displayed on the big map.
 
Take careful note of the hills, rivers and lakes; terrain plays a significant part in 
your rail setup. The land is divided into small squares that we'll refer to as "blocks." 
The block is the measure for a number of A-Train procedures. 
 
Use the Satellite rectangle to return to the existing train station on the map, then 
leave the window by clicking on EXIT. There is both a freight and a passenger 
operation on your established lines, both running on the same track, both going off 
the map. Note that the freight train returns from its excursions outside laden with 
materials, which are deposited in the large pile at the station; if the storage place is 
full, it will pick up materials to be sold to the outside. Those are the construction 
materials from which commercial properties and other holdings are developed. 
Their placement and train transport play an integral part in your city development. 
 
And city development is one of your goals. Click on REPORT 4--the Urban Growth 
chart--and note the statistics on your city's status, particularly the population total. It 
is wise to periodically check these facts to see how rapidly your city is evolving. 
These figures give you quick feedback on how your moves affect the city scale. Click 
on EXIT to leave the report window. 
 
Track laying can be a trifle tricky at first, so we'll experiment a bit. Scroll to one of 
the undeveloped areas on the map, so that you can put down and remove some 
track without destroying existing development. Open the TRAINS menu. This menu 
provides you with the functions you'll need to build and schedule your railroad. 
Click the LAY TRACKS command. Make sure that LAY is highlighted. Click the 
mouse and you will see a terrain block highlight; these blocks are the units of 
measure in the survey of your terrain. 
 
Drag the mouse in any direction and you will see a highlighted line follow your 
movements. The highlight will reflect any curves when you deviate from a straight 
line. You can see that by slight manoeuvring with the mouse, the display of your 
proposed line will change its angle and course. 
 
Drag a straight line from left to right about six blocks and then click. A strip of 
track will be put down in place of the highlight. Click on REMOVE (in the LAY 
TRACKS submenu), and click on either end of the track and drag to its other end. 
The beginning block will highlight, just as when you place track. Click again and 
the track will be removed and replaced by cleared land. 
 
You can see that the figure in the COST box changes with each block over which 
you lay track. This number reflects the purchase price of the land, and the track 
laying/removing charges. You will still own any land from which you remove track. 
 
Hint: If you are trying to put down some lines and your track tactics don't result in 
the desired direction, you can cancel the LAY command by clicking the right mouse 
button. Then try to lay the railroad by clicking first the destination point and then 
the beginning point. The railroad should turn to the opposite direction. 
 
For curved track, if you can't achieve the desired angle with a single drag of the 
mouse, you can lay piece-wise segments of straight track, connect the curved joint, 
and then connect additional segments. Of course, it's more expensive if you 
mistakenly put some down, only to remove it later. 
                         
THROWING YOUR TRACK A CURVE 

Curving track can require some wily manoeuvring, but it's a skill that will serve you 
well in future track laying. Try running a line from east to west and then have it 
veer sharply up or down. Also try a few wide, looping curves. If you haven't 
established a practical line position,  you'll get a nasty message from the track layer 
or construction manager. You can see that controlling the curve isn't always easy, 
but small mouse motions can usually establish the desired angle in a highlighted 
planned line. If you have difficulty getting a curved length properly positioned, do 
it in short one- or two- block segments. Try removing curved track as well. 
 
Hint. When trying to place a line segment, its easier to get a block to highlight if 
you click directly in its centre. 
 
If a track removal path won't follow any curves that might be on your line, you will 
have to remove piecemeal sections. It is expensive to rip track, so in the real game, 
plan carefully before you lay your line. Experiment with curved and straight track 
laying and removal until you have a more natural feel for it. 
 
GETTING BACK ON TRACK 
 
When you've untangled this track-tying rope, scroll the map so that your original 
station is near the top and centre of your screen. We're going to run a new line 
from here to the east and then south, so that we can use the existing commercial 
market of the town, without having to schedule trains around the existing lines. 
 
We'll establish two new lines on a connected track near the established lines. These 
will provide us with a small passenger market, and let us acquire some construction 
materials to spur development around our new lines. The schedules and routes of 
the original line are fixed and can't be adjusted, but any additional trains can be 
laid down separately or integrated and controlled. 
 
Click at a spot a couple of blocks below and a couple blocks to the right of the 
station. Move the highlighted planned line from west to east about five or six 
blocks, and click to place the line. You can add to existing track by clicking the 
mouse at track end (the initial block will be highlighted), and dragging. Click at the 
eastern end of your line and move it east a block or two and then draw it down, 
straight south, to a few blocks from the bottom of the screen. 
 
The curve southward should be indicated in the highlighted planned line. You 
might have to do some wiggling to place it so that it "sets" but when you have 
positioned the line to your satisfaction, click at its end. This will establish the track 
(or you will get a message informing you if you have laid a line in an unsuitable 
position). 
 
When you are laying track you often have to make many adjustments for 
geography--avoid hills and try to use fairly straight segments, since curves are more 
costly. You can click the right mouse button to cancel a planned line if you haven't 
yet clicked the left button and placed it. 
 
Look at your new track in the Satellite view to see it in relation to the original map. 
(You must exit the LAY TRACKS submenu to use the Satellite view.) 
 
Let's lay a second line that connects on a spur from the first. It is actually easier at 
the beginning of games to lay two close but separate lines, freight and passenger, 
so that you don't have to be concerned with switches, but we'll get your switching' 
feet wet early, so you won't be fearful of those complex waters later on. 
 
Connecting track must be first established on a diagonal line from existing track. 
Position your mouse so that it is about two-thirds of the way down the first section 
of your track. Highlight the first block and drag the mouse down so that your 
second line runs parallel and one or two blocks to the west of your first track. Drag 
until you reach the terminus of your first line and click to set your dual line. The 
result should look like the Second New Line diagram; minor variations in placement 
aren't important. 
 
TRAINING YOUR FIRST TRAIN 
 
There are a number of approaches you can take to organizing your initial railroad, 
such as buying and placing the stations first and then arranging your trains, but 
we'll get a train up and chugging right away so you'll have something to brag 
about. 
 
Exit the LAY TRACKS menu and click the BUY TRAIN command in the TRAINS 
menu. You will see a Rolling Stock Market display of all the available train models, 
a chart detailing the statistics of the chosen train, and a train registry showing what 
trains are already in operation. Other maps that you develop will show all your 
purchased trains by their highlighting on the calendar chart, but you cannot adjust 
Map One's existing trains, and thus the entire chart is open. 
  
To buy a train for your new line you must first choose an unused train number 
from the registry(#1 has a lovely ring) by clicking on it, and then assign the 
number to a particular train chosen from the train chart. As you click on the various 
small pictures of the trains, a larger picture of the selected train will appear at the 
bottom of the window along with its vital statistics (model, capacity, cost, etc.). 
 
Your first line should be a freight line. We recommend the dashing GP 40, the 
bottom unit in the second column, with the crisp Maxis Lines logo. (You may want 
to start with a cheaper, lower-capacity freight in a real game. ) Once you have 
chosen a train, make sure the BUY command is highlighted and then click 
CONFIRM. The train is now yours, registered by its number, which is highlighted 
and underlined on the registry chart. 
 
Click EXIT to close the Rolling Stock Market. Then click the PLACE TRAIN command 
from TRAINS menu. You'll find that the new train number has already been chosen 
in the calendar chart, with its train stats displayed. (From this menu you can click 
other numbers if you want to make changes to future existing trains.) 
 
Make sure that #1 is highlighted and then place the train near the bottom edge of 
your eastern line by positioning the pointer over a spot on the track, which will 
display the highlighted box. The train will appear on the place clicked. If the place 
isn't appropriate, a message box will appear to scold you. The new train will have 
two arrows, one in front of the train and one at the back. The white arrow 
represents the train's direction. You can click on these arrows to toggle the 
direction; for now, point its travel up the line towards the original railway. The train 
starts moving after you click on EXIT. You got yourself a railroad! 
 
Hint: When expanding future lines, it might be convenient for you to place Several 
trains at one time--multiple track placements--using the SATELLITE view scrolling, 
which lets you move around the map very quickly. 
 
GIVE YOUR TRAIN A HOME 
 
You'll see your train making its merry path from north to south without relent, on 
the outside line. Let's give it a place to pull over and stretch its wheels. and also 
pick up some business in the meantime. 
 
All maps will start you with a least one station on a line. One solid approach for a 
line with only one station is to establish another on the same line some distance (at 
least 15 or 20 blocks) away preferably near some development--if there is any--so as 
to provide both materials transport and some passenger income. (Passenger fare 
increases with distance travelled.) We're dealing with freight right now, but we're 
going to put a passenger line down as well. 
 
There isn't a preset ideal" distance between stations for running passengers. 
Dependent on development factors, set the stations close early in the game to 
reduce track laying expenses, and when there is more passenger traffic, remove 
close stations to get the increased fare received for longer trips. There are many 
strategic gambits concerning station development; refer to the Trains chapter in 
your Reference section for details. 
 
For simplicity's sake. Let's establish a station at the southeast end of our new line. 
You can add additional stations to your original line later. The large stations, the 
ones with tall buildings attached, are more expensive, but their larger passenger 
processing provoke the simulation into faster city and urban road development. 
Scroll to the southern end of your line and click on the BUILD STATION command 
on the TRAINS menu. Trains will stop running when this menu is opened. 
 
You are given a choice of four small and four large stations in various orientations. 
Click on a small station that will face the tracks from the west and then position the 
mouse at the southern-most edge of the track. (Station orientation is a factor in city 
development; see the Crossroads section in Reference.) Stations can only be placed 
on diagonal segments of track with no curves. You'll see the station outline in 
highlight, which will occupy at least three blocks. Click when the position is right, 
and the building will settle nicely into place. When lines are this close, they can 
share a single station. 
 
It's necessary to immediately make an area for materials storage near the station, so 
that your can pave your kingdom. You need to buy some land adjacent to your 
station for this storage. It's actually a very sound move to buy up a lot of land 
around your stations quite early in the game, because this land's value skyrockets in 
relation to later development. If you truly have an eye for the long-term, buy land 
in areas where you might concentrate development later; it's sure to bulge your 
future wallet. You probably shouldn't spend too much too soon, though. because 
start-up rail costs are high. 
 
Open the subsidiaries menu. This menu provides the commands to buy and place 
your land, income properties and commercial developments. Click on REAL ESTATE. 
A submenu will open with buy and sell I commands. a figure revealing your current 
holdings and a cost figure that will tally the price of prospective land buys. The 
prices for the individual blocks of land will be revealed when you move your 
pointer over them. 
 
Land without buildings on it is cheaper; buy accordingly. Click the BUY command; 
the mouse pointer will become a highlighted block. Click on several blocks of land 
in a line near your western station. You can buy more later if the traffic's hopping. 
You can also buy property in the general periphery of the station. Leave any 
residences and buildings be. You can see that when you purchase the land, its 
surface is cleared. Cleared land with a black highlight around it is owned by 
another company. Exit the subsidiaries menus. 
 
Scroll (if necessary) up north near the map's original station and open the BUILD 
STATION menu. Place a station at the northern end of your line, which should be 
just a few blocks below, parallel to, and a touch east of your original station. You 
will have to build over some existing buildings. This station's placement allows you 
to feed" off of some of the existing materials brought in from the outside and to 
transport them down to your southern stations for city development. Buy some land 
near this station for materials storage. 
 
Now your train's all dressed up with a place to go, but you need to tell it where 
and when. Exit the build STATION menu. 
 
DON'T FIGHT; SWITCH! 
 
Go back to the TRAINS menu and click on Schedule. You will see the calendar chart 
with your highlighted train number and a route map that displays the operating 
trains. their tracks and stations in miniature. Clicking on the number of each 
purchased train will highlight its image at its current position in a small white box 
on the route map. Info on the selected train is underneath this map. This map can 
he a particular asset when you have many trains running and their respective 
numbers are not so fresh in your mind. We'll set schedules when we place your 
passenger train, so ignore the DEPARTURE TIME command; click on SWITCH. A 
small diagram of a switch will be shown in the box below the command. 
 
Move the mouse so that the pointer is near the junction of your southwest line and 
click. A highlighted box appears on the map at the switch's location and the switch 
display shows its current position. Click on CHANGE SWITCH to direct your freight 
to your southwest track. The switch will be redirected on the route display and the 
game map. 
 
Click on the TEST RUN command and you will see the altered route on your route 
map, with your train represented by a swiftly moving dot. You must click on END 
TEST to halt the manic pace of the test demonstration. 
 
Exit the SCHEDULE window and watch the movement of your train. You'll see that 
it will soon start transporting materials to your southern storage place, or 
dependent on availability of materials near your original station - taking them 
away. You can redirect the course of your train through the PLACE TRAINS menu. 
Clicking on its number will scroll the screen to your train. which will display its 
directional arrows. Sometimes materials won't be available and your freight will 
begin to take materials away from your southern stations. You can use the arrows 
to send your freight back to deposit materials it was going to take away. 
 
Switches, scheduling and all their intrigues are discussed in more detail in the Trains 
chapter in the Reference section. You will need to become a competent switch-
master and scheduler when you place your passenger train. 
 
For now, let #l run freely, as long as it is depositing construction materials at your 
southern station. Those blocks are the flagstones on your road to fortune. 
 
This part of the tutorial will guide you through the basics of the building trade in 
A-Train. There are many stratagems regarding development around your stations 
and subsequent city expansion. All situations are variable according to the existing 
level of map development, your cash resources, and your approach to growth, be it 
devil-may-care or cautious. For tutorial purposes, we'll just give you some 
fundamentals on property development, its effect on the population, and how the 
simulation responds to your decisions. All of these matters, including a chart of 
development expenses for each subsidiary, are expounded upon in the Cities 
chapter of the Reference section. 
 
Of critical need now are those construction materials, the stuff your dreams--and 
buildings--are made of. Construction materials are the "flour and water" from which 
all buildings are constructed and from which the simulation builds. You will see 
them start piling up near your station not long after it's built (as long as your 
outside lines are bringing them in). The pile will shrink and grow dependent upon 
the movement of your new freight line and the materials use of your initial trains. 
When you've built up a store of materials you can do some property development. 
 
Of course, you can rather cleverly relieve some of these materials anxieties by 
making some of your own. Why not build a factory nearby to produce the little 
devils for you? ( It is better early on to rely on materials brought in from the 
outside and not to build an expensive, high-maintenance factory, but we'll do it 
here to demonstrate how they work.) 
 
Open the SUBSIDIARIES menu and click on FACTORY. A submenu will open that 
displays an image of the factory and BUILD and REMOVE commands. Click on 
BUILD and position your pointer in the territory south of your northern station, but 
within about eight blocks of the track. You will see the land costs change as you 
move your mouse. Click when you've found a spot to your liking. 
 
You can't utilize these materials unless they are first transported by your freights to 
your storage place, so keep that in mind--the direction of utilization is towards your 
southern stations. You can, however, use materials directly from the factory if you 
build within 10 blocks of the factory storage place. You can remove the factory 
when you have sufficient materials; the maintenance costs are high, and are 
charged to you even when the factory isn't producing. Factories do, however, also 
provide employment for your citizens. 
 
If there are placement problems for any property development, you might have to 
face the Construction Manager, who will inform you of difficulties in a message 
window. Change the site selection if you can't immediately place the factory. It 
takes 20 materials to build a factory, but that sacrifice is softened by your realizing 
that all A-Train factories are non-polluting. 
 
Right now, the only things your train is picking up are construction materials and 
flies, so let's do some developing - environmentally conscious, of course--with your 
passenger train in mind. 
 
Open the APARTMENTS submenu. There are no differences in operating expense or 
income among the three styles, but their initial purchase increases in expense from 
left to right. Choose one, and find a good site on the map near a station to house 
some hard-working families. All of your initial property developments should be 
close to the station, since it increases their value, surrounding property values, and 
centralizes initial development. 
 
You might want to place your first apartments near your eastern track, if you don't 
want them to have to see the factory out their front window. Click on a block to 
place their new homes. You will get advisory messages from the simulation if your 
placement is unsuitable or if you don't have enough construction materials. 
(Apartments require eight materials.) 
 
Building apartments indirectly 'primes" the simulation to develop other buildings 
around yours. Early rapid buying and selling of apartment houses does not in itself 
provoke more rapid development by the simulation, though you can use the 
income from sales to buy more companies and land, which brings up population 
totals, which does provoke the simulation to build. Build a few apartment 
complexes near the station. 
 
You can see from the SUBSIDIARIES menu that you can truly fill the landscape with 
properties galore, but all these decisions must be made in the shrewd light of 
company benefit and profit, so don't go hog-wild. You should put down some 
commercial or rental property nearby so your residents will have some place to 
work. Avoid building or buying land directly behind your station without later 
selling it, because that is where the simulation will build roads when your city 
expansion is really cooking (if you have built with large stations). 
 
Now that you have acquainted yourself with all of the TRAINS and SUBSIDIARIES 
menu functions, you can open the SYSTEM menu and click on QUICK MENU. This 
will display the icons for all of those menu functions without the large title 
windows, so that the display area is larger. Clicking on any of the icons will open 
the submenus you have already seen. You can toggle the QUICK MENU on and off 
through the SYSTEM menu. 
 
ESTATES AND THEIR REELINGS 

The simulation will produce additional residences as soon as you reach a certain 
developmental scale; you might see the program clear some land first, and then fill 
it with houses after a materials deposit. You can make this happen more rapidly by 
buying real estate near your stations and then selling it not long after. 
 
Clearing land by purchasing it removes one step in the simulation building process 
by making it easier for the program to build after you sell the land. 
 
The program can also be kick-started by selling all old subsidiaries and buying new, 
but don't buy anything like golf courses or stadiums until you have an urban base. 
However, constant speculation in subsidiaries will eventually result in a "There are 
no buyers" message. Check the "Look At Your Report Card" section below for 
details on buying and selling assets.
 
You might have to take an initial loss on these sales, but once you have developed 
the area around your station a bit, and there are available materials, the program 
will start popping out houses and small commercial buildings, often where you've 
just made a transaction, and you'll have that warm glow only a mother knows. You 
can't expect your new residents to walk to work, and what about when Grandma 
wants to visit from the Great Beyond outside the map's borders? It's time to be a 
prime mover in the ecologically conscious (and hopefully, logically profitable) world 
of mass transit. We'll place a train on the outer ribbon of your existing line so that 
your passenger train enjoys the same rights (and rites) of passage as your freight. 
 
Open the BUY TRAIN command and buy one of those sleek little numbers you've 
always coveted. The AR III, fourth from the top in the third column, is 
recommended for its efficiency, but it might be a touch expensive now, so you may 
want to buy a cheaper, lower capacity train (perhaps the handsome CF Lines FP 45 
right above it) while your town's still in its infancy. You can always replace existing 
trains with faster, higher-capacity ones when the going's good. 
 
Anyway, risk some dough: name your risk #2, buy it, and place it on its line. Make 
sure the switch directs it down the eastern route. Now that you have two trains with 
a shared line, scheduling becomes a bit more dicey. Periodically check the number 
of passengers in the Satellite view by train number once your train is running. (The 
display will centre on the selected train.) 
 
TIME AND CHANCE 
 
One of the central profit maxims of A-Train is that your departure time must be set 
at 8:00AM in the residential areas and at 6:00PM (18:00) in the urban areas in 
order to suck up those happy commuters and their happy dollars. As you can see 
from this map, it isn't exactly a bustling urban community yet, but let's plan for 
your future. Exit the PLACE TRAIN menu and click on SCHEDULE. 
 
Click on #2 in the chart and select DEPARTURE TIME under MODE. A chart of times 
will be displayed. Move the mouse toward the image of the southern station. Cross-
hairs will converge near the station. Click to establish this as the initial departure 
site. Click on 8:00AM. 
 
Click on #1 and set your freight's southern departure time for 18:00. For now, 
leave the northern station at one-hour stops for both. These settings will make your 
trains travel to these stations, wait until the designated time (picking up or 
dropping off passengers and freight and not using expensive fuel for those down 
times) and then push their cargoes. 
 
Were you to run separate lines, it wouldn't be necessary to set a schedule for your 
freight, since it can perform constant pick-up and drop off without losses in 
profitability. You might have to remove and replace your trains several times or set 
their directions differently so that the schedules are synchronized. You may 
experience a few collisions at first, but they only result in frozen trains and a delay 
in service, with nary an injury to worry about. 
 
Later, you can adjust schedules for more map-specific events, such as increased 
development in one area, which hikes passenger totals (or make the switch to a 
larger-capacity train). Check on running passenger totals in the train stats boxes in 
the Satellite window; you'll probably see many more passengers from your northern 
station if you also set it at 8:00 am, but you'll have to fuss with your freight's 
schedule in order to coordinate both. 
 
For now, this schedule just keeps the trains out of each other's way. Also, if your 
construction materials just begin piling up and you haven't the funds for much 
building, replace your freight train with another passenger train to try and pick up 
some extra passenger profit. Test different schedules and periodically check each 
train's capacity in the Satellite view at different station times to collar the biggest 
payload. 
 
Later, you can boost profits by increasing track length and adding another station 
on the line (larger stations stimulate greater urban expansion), and by pushing 
sound commercial development. Build a factory near your southern stations if 
materials movement is too slow and those houses aren't hatching. You must, of 
course, wait until your territory and budget can support pushing your frontiers. It's 
time to start attending to profits, losses, and that eternal bugaboo, the bottom line. 
A-Train has a host of financial charting and investment possibilities: let's look at 
your rail operation and maybe even manipulate some markets. The "fine print" of 
all these money managing and manglings can he found in the Money And Its 
Management chapter in the Reference section; we'll just look at the elementary 
aspects here. 
 
As mentioned before, it's nice and useful--to know what the population of your city 
is and how rapidly it is growing before you even touch those nastier numbers. Click 
on REPORT 4 and you'll see a window that displays some city statistics, a graph of 
population change over time, and a radar chart that reveals the industrial 
orientation of your city. The Primary Business is your rail operation, the Secondary 
is your city's main income subsidiaries (factories, buildings for rent). Other Business 
refers to things like amusement parks and hotels, and Residence is the ratio of your 
city area taken up by your residents. 
 
It is wise policy to check the population tally frequently to determine the pulse of 
development. You can see how the erection of certain buildings affects residential 
numbers, and how much internal building by the simulation boosts these figures. 
Your city's successful expansion is how you win" in A-Train, so keep fiddling with 
your properties and trains--go West (and East, North and South), young engineer. 
 
THE RHYTHM OF THE RAILS 

You can get a station-to-station broadcast" of your railroad's fiscal health by clicking 
on REPORT I. The report's first level shows your cash on hand, your total debt and 
the estimated taxes (after March 31) for your company. Clicking again brings up the 
report's second level. which displays the first figures and the constantly updated rail 
sales and subsidiaries income numbers for the day. the month and the fiscal term. 
The costs for these periods are calculated on-screen also, as well as the profit loss 
figures for those times. These costs include initial train purchases and initial track 
laying costs. which call he quite dear. 
 
Click yet again and you can see all this plus your station, switch. cars and track 
length totals, as well as a graph showing your money (vertical axis) over time 
(horizontal axis). You will undoubtedly see a negative ' spike"--the dreaded red--for 
your initial months. because of your operation's developmental costs. Naturally!, 
you want to try to keep those money lines a healthy black colour. but it's typical 
not to see a profit in your daily operation for some time. Exit REPORT 1 and click 
on REPORT 2. This chart reflects your overall holdings: rail, subsidiaries, stocks, and 
real estate, and also provides you with the values of these properties and their 
associated taxes. There is a revenue column for all these holdings that includes 
market dividends and taxes on all the incomes. Your expenditures for all your 
holdings, including commission paid on real estate deals and interest on your loans, 
are found in the second column. 
 
There are two income tax figures, one the taxes on your assets, and the second a 
tax on your profits. Refer to the income tax information in the Money And Its 
Management chapter in the Reference section for the manoeuvring to escape the 
pinch of those prongs. You should refer to this chart periodically to get a fix on the 
areas of weakness in your empire, to decide whether you should dump subsidiaries 
if they are unprofitable or buy them up to avoid heavy profit taxes, and in a 
general way to oversee your real estate investments. There is a more detailed 
breakdown of this Balance Sheet in the Money section. 
                               
From this window you can buy and sell these assets. If you click on APARTMENTS 
and then on SELL, a window will emerge that provides the stats on the term sales, 
profit/loss and market value of all of your apartments, plus the commission charged 
you for their sale. Click on one of the lines of information and the Apartment 
Manager will appear, giving you the opportunity to proceed by clicking on the YES 
or NO button. 
 
Select one of your apartments and sell it. You will see your cash figure rise and the 
ownership figures update. Selling and buying new subsidiaries increases population 
and employment opportunities, creating competition to propel development. The 
selling off of subsidiaries is also one of the game's best fund raisers for quick cash 
infusions. After you exit this menu, note that the properties that were once yours no 
longer have the little box on their roofs. This indicates that your company no 
longer owns them. (This is also one of the ways you can verify that new commercial 
properties have been built by the simulation.) 
 
Click on STOCK MARKET--open only from 9-5 and you will see a graph charting the 
fortunes of a selected stock over the past 30 weeks, along with the stock board, 
which can be scrolled to display the 24 stock brands. The two numbers after the 
company name represent its trading value and the amount by which it has dropped 
or risen since the day before. In addition, you'll often see a window with a 
securities advisor who will inform you about the current market conditions. 
 
You probably have a little spare time, since you're merely a CEO, engineer, 
property developer, and city planner--why not dabble in the market a bit? It's not 
necessary to do any stock trading to develop your city, but it is a means to diversify 
your holdings, give your income an occasional kick, and remind yourself of what a 
genius you are. 
 
When you click on any of the stocks, the graph will update to display that stock's 
trends. For now, search the board for a stock that seems to have a fairly consistent 
rising trend, but that currently is in a flat or lull state. Click on BUY and you'll see a 
chart that identifies the stock, its price per units chosen and the brokerage fee for 
the sale. You can increase or decrease your totals in units of 1, 10 or 100 by 
clicking on those buttons and using the plus or minus signs. Buy 100 units of your 
selection. You can return to your train operation, but be sure to periodically check 
the board for your stock's performance. If it shoots the moon, sell, or if you have a 
canny touch, wait out your hunches (but don't say I didn't warn you). When you 
click on the SELL command, your portfolio will appear, showing your stock type, 
number, original purchase price and current market value. Click again on SELL and 
your investment advisor will ask you to verify the transaction. 
 
Be advised that slumps can occur where the value of some stocks will bottom out 
rapidly, no matter how well the rest of the economy is doing. Stay on top of your 
stocks; you can make some pretty coin this way, but you can also look like an 
absolute lunkhead at nosedive time. Stock investment is also a good means to 
channel your profits when the taxman comes around. Check the Money section in 
the Reference chapter for specifics about stock types and investment. 
 
BANK ON IT 

You might find that your visions of sugarplums will remain blurry unless you can do 
some developing right away, but every time you want to place a property or buy 
something nice, that sour old Accounting Officer pops up to tell you you can't 
afford it. There is a way to escape his tight fists: credit! 
 
Go to the BANK menu and click. You will see a window that reveals your credit 
limit and the current term rates from 1-3 years. Your limit is 30% of the company 
assets. You can adjust your loan amount by units of 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000 by 
clicking on the plus or minus signs. Decide what amount would satisfy you and click 
on BORROW. You will see the CASH figure tally your fresh funds. 
 
Debts have an interest charge if they are not paid by the end of the loan term; the 
longer the term, the higher the interest. The management chief will warn you that 
your debt is due two weeks in advance. Debts are automatically deducted from 
your company funds on the appointed dates; you can go bankrupt if you don't 
have the cash on hand. Click on DEBT TOTAL to see your loan list and the 
repayment dates. 
 
Be sure to shop for the best interest rates. If you plan to take out a sizable loan, 
these charges can kill you over time. But then again, living dangerously can be 
rather stimulating. 
 
Now you are armed with the whys and wherefores to make your mark on a map. 
However, these procedures are but a single scampering of your mouse across a 
room, barely looking at the furniture. The A-Train landscapes are fertile soil for 
many plantings--go dig in the Reference chapter for a while to get a sense of the 
program's depth, particularly the fiscal model, and then try to take over a territory. 
Or just jump right in and wing it. Each map has a thousand success stories waiting 
to happen. (Or a thousand bankrupt railroad owners, but hey, why be negative?) 

The following material will provide in-depth details about all aspects of the 
program, including specific situation strategies. Refer also to the Q&A section at the 
end of this section for answers to some broad overview questions and some detailed 
game play techniques. 
 
A mouse is recommended when playing A-Train. All instructions in this manual 
assume that you have a mouse. If you do not, see the section of the Addendum 
entitled, "Playing A-Train Without A Mouse." The slight variations for monochrome 
monitors will also be discussed in the Addendum. 
 
A-Train is a game that lets you wear several hats: you can simultaneously be a CEO, 
engineer, industrial magnate, city planner, stock market speculator and big-shot 
financier. And you have the opportunity to fail miserably or shoot the moon in all 
of these enterprises. Your goal, of course, is shrewd management of all of these 
linked components, which are constantly affected by the dynamic forces of the 
simulation, mimicking the roller coastering of forces in any developing landscape. 
 
Developing landscapes are the shapeable clay of A-Train. You are given six different 
maps, all of which present varied, demanding challenges to contend with--but the 
basic issues are identical. How do you operate and expand a successful railroad? 
Where do you build factories, apartments, offices? When is the best time to sell 
them? How do you balance out killing taxes and piling profits? What's a strategic 
approach to bank loans and the stock market? And of critical import, how do you 
manage the day-to-day (often hour-to-hour) details of all of these concerns, while 
asking your guardian angel to pull you up above it all to get a look at the big 
picture, and your company's future years down the line? 
 
And you thought this was just a game. 
 
"WINNING" THE GAME 

If you reach $50 million dollars in cash, you get the keys to the city and your 
favourite locomotive, and a chance to start all over again - your game is won. But 
the money measure is just one of many targets of game success to aim for. One 
significant notch on the ladder is the upgrading" of the size of your city to the next 
notch on the city scale; see the Cities section for details. What you need to do is 
craftily develop your railroads and properties, jack up the population and stack up 
some dough. 
 
LOSING 

Aside from winning, there is only one condition that stops the game play--if you go 
broke. If you don't have enough money to pay taxes or debts on the appointed 
dates (the game will inform you), or if your cash resources dwindle to a nub at any 
time. the game is over. To avoid a game-over, secure enough money for your 
immediate taxes and debts by getting bank loans or by selling off the company 
assets. 
 
THE MAIN WINDOW 

Most of A-Train takes place in the Main Window. This window is surrounded by a 
"picture frame" of menu choices. Click on any of these choices to open various 
menus, windows and reports. 
 
The central part of the Main Window is a display of the current map. This is where 
you view your city, as well as lay tracks, place train stations, and buy and sell land, 
buildings, businesses and resorts. The map is divided into squares, or blocks." In 
this manual, distances are often given in blocks, i.e., "You should build an 
apartment no more than 10 blocks from a station." 

System Menu 

In the lower right of the picture frame are scrolling arrows. Click on these to scroll 
the map in the display area. 
 
THE SATELLITE VIEW 

One of the most useful views of your city is the SATELLITE view, which is accessed 
by clicking on the SATELLITE section of the picture frame. 
 
The SATELLITE view opens up a small window with a small map of your total 
landscape. In the small map is a highlighted rectangle that denotes the area that is 
visible in the Main Window. Move the rectangle in the Satellite map with your 
mouse and click to quickly move to any place on the map. 
 
At the bottom of the Satellite window is a "calendar chart" for tracking the active 
trains in the current map. Each train is assigned a number from this chart. If no 
train is assigned to a number, it will be "ghosted" or greyed out. 
 
When you click on the number of a train, both the highlighted rectangle in the 
small map and the display area in the Main Window centre on that train. Below the 
calendar chart is a display of the vital stats of the active train, including: train 
model, formation, current passenger total and operating status. 
 
THE MAPS 

There are six different maps you can develop, each of which consists of a mix of 
urban and rural landscapes and at least one operating rail line. It is a good idea to 
explore each landscape thoroughly; you'll need this working knowledge of your 
kingdom in order to rule over it with a deft touch. 
 
MENUS 

The A-Train interface provides you with a "picture frame" matrix to access the menu 
commands. The periphery (frame) of the display screen contains the main menu 
headings, which will highlight when the mouse pointer is positioned on them, and 
they then can be opened with a mouse click. The exposed commands can then be 
executed with your mouse. 
 
Most menus stay open until you click on the EXIT button. Many menu choices open 
submenus. When a submenu is open, you can cancel a command by clicking the 
EXIT button. 
 
After the credits for the game have been displayed, the SYSTEM menu will open. 
When this menu is opened, the game clock stops. The menu consists of the 
following commands: 
 
NEW GAME 

Lists available maps so you can begin a new game fresh or quit the present game 
for a "green" one. You can select the same map with which you began a game to 
play the same game from its beginning. 
 
Choose a number from 1-6. 
Click the LOAD command. 
Quits the present game and loads a saved file. See your Addendum for details. 
 
SAVE 

Saves the current map and game conditions. See your Addendum for details. 
 
QUICK MENU
 
Provides a small, icon-based menu strip along the left side of the picture frame that 
replaces the standard TRAINS and SUBSIDIARIES menu windows to provide more 
map display area. 
 
Click on QUICK MENU to toggle on and off the standard and Quick Menu windows. 
 
OPTIONS 

Lets you set some options for graphics, sound, and printing. See your Addendum 
for details. 

SPEED 

Adjusts the clock speed in the game. You may wish to set the speed according to 
your computer type. The speed rate can be increased when you want to jump start 
your city, and slowed when you are reflecting on city developments or doing some 
complex work like laying railroads 
 
There are 10 speeds that are set up or down one level at a time by clicking the 
corresponding box or the LAY switch. The clock goes fastest when all boxes are 
clicked. Click EXIT when you are done setting the speed. 

Quits the game. Be sure you save the game before quitting so that you can 
continue the game later. Executing the EXIT command does not save the game. 
 
This menu is composed of commands associated with the railroad construction 
operation, such as laying railroads and building stations. The clock doesn't stop 
when this menu is opened, but does as soon as a submenu is opened. 
 
LAY TRACKS
 
This command lets you lay or remove track using the LAY command and the 
REMOVE command. 
 
PLACE TRAIN 

Lets you put a purchased train on a track or removes a train that was in operation 
(using the PLACE, REMOVE, and TRAIN REGISTRY commands). There is a "calendar" 
chart for selecting a train number below the TRAIN REGISTRY heading. After you 
choose a train number, the model, the number of coaches and the seating capacity 
are displayed. If it's in operation, the map will centre on the active train. 
 
To place a purchased train, first click the PLACE command. Next, use the calendar 
chart to select the number of the train that is to be put into service. Trains that are 
"in storage," i.e., not in service. can be returned to operation by selecting their 
number. Then click on the track where you want to place the train--it will appear 
there on the map. 
 
Your train will have a set of arrows on its roof, one dark and one light, pointing in 
opposite directions. The train travels the direction of the light arrow. You can toggle 
the direction of train movement by clicking on the arrows. Statistical information on 
the train and its current operating conditions will be displayed under the registry. 
 
To remove a train that is in operation, first click the REMOVE command. Next, 
select the train number. When the number is clicked, the map will scroll to display 
the train on the centre of the map. Click on the train and it will be removed from 
the map, i.e. placed in storage. The train can be placed again, or if you choose, 
you can sell it. 
 
BUY TRAIN
 
Lets you purchase or sell a train using the BUY, SELL and CONFIRM commands. To 
purchase a train, click the BUY command, then choose a train number from the 
calendar chart. Click on CONFIRM to seal the purchase. 

To sell a train, click the SELL command. Next, choose the train number. Only the 
trains that have been put in storage can be sold. The model, statistics and value of 
a train in storage will be displayed after you click the train number. The train will 
be sold and its value added to your cash as soon as the CONFIRM command is 
clicked. 
 
BUILD STATION 

This command lets you build or remove stations using the BUILD and REMOVE 
commands. 
 
To build a station. click the BUILD STATION command, choose the station type. 
then click the place where you want to erect your station. 
 
A station can only be built adjacent to track lying on a straight, diagonal line. You 
can't place your station near vertical, horizontal or curved track. Also, keep in mind 
that if you build a station on land that you don't already own, you will be charged 
for the land when you build. 
 
To remove a station, click the REMOVE STATION command and then click the 
station on the map. 
 
SCHEDULE
 
Use the schedule to determine the stopping time, the departure time, and the 
routes for your trains. After you click on SCHEDULE, a window opens that displays 
the Train Registry, along with a map showing the route for the currently selected 
train, with that train's information and some command choices. The selected train is 
displayed on the route map by a small highlighted box. 
 
First, choose a train number. Then, under MODE, choose SWITCH or DEPARTURE 
TIME. (It's possible to set both for each train from this window.) 
 
Set the SWITCH as follows: 

Click on SWITCH. You'll see a small diagram displaying one of the switches for the 
train you've selected. The diagram is above the CHANGE SWITCH, TEST RUN and 
END TEST commands. Move the cursor on the route map so that the crosshairs shift 
to the nearest switch. Click to choose the switch. The small diagram will update to 
the chosen switch. 
 
When the CHANGE SWITCH command is clicked, the switch diagram will reflect the 
new direction that your train will assume at that switch. 
 
Use the TEST RUN command to see a model representation run of the new route. 
The train (dot) will keep running until STOP TEST is clicked. You can repeat the 
switch-changing commands to make the train run the desired route. 
 
Choosing DEPARTURE TIME displays the window to set the departure time. Move 
the cross on the route map to the desired station and click. Then click on one of the 
eight choices: choose either ONE-HOUR STOP, NON-STOP, or one of the six 
departure times. You must set the departure time for each train, so that each train 
has its own schedule. 
 
This menu includes the commands associated with the building construction and 
real estate businesses. Using these commands, you can construct buildings on your 
purchased land or destroy (sell) the buildings that are owned by your company. 
 
FACTORY 
 
With this command you can build or remove factories that produce construction 
materials to speed your building or to augment the importation of incoming 
materials from the outside. 
 
Click on FACTORY and the BUILD and REMOVE submenu will open. A highlight of 
the factory's outline will follow your mouse movement around the map. You can 
place the factory by clicking, as long as there are enough nearby construction 
materials and the site is feasible. You will be informed by a message window if 
there are any problems. Factories are good sources of employment for your 
population. 
 
COMMERCIAL 

These are enterprises like department stores and furniture stores. Use the BUILD and 
REMOVE command to site your companies. Be sure to locate them close to your 
stations in the early going. 
 
HOTEL 

Don't place hotels until you have a population base. They can be solid sources of 
income in flourishing cities, particularly during those seasonal periods when 
recreational facilities are operating. 
  
AMUSEMENT 
SKI RESORT 
STADIUM
 
None will be profitable until your city has enough traffic to support them. They are 
all subject to seasonal income variation as well as influenced by their proximity to 
stations. They are expensive--build them with caution, with the long-term in mind. 
 
APARTMENTS 
 
The placement of apartments at the early stages of the game is critical to city 
growth. The people who move into the apartments provide a labour force for local 
enterprise and passengers for your trains. You can place a number of apartments 
near your station and sell them fairly quickly, often at a profit, in order to produce 
funds to build more. Do recognize that your apartment dwellers need places to 
work as well. 
 
LEASE BUILDING 
 
You can adjust the number of stories in units of five for each type of lease building 
by clicking on the various building icons. It takes time to finish constructing a 
building for rent--you'll see a crane on top of the unfinished building that will 
disappear upon completion. The building can be opened for business only after the 
completion of construction. 
 
REAL ESTATE 
 
This command allows you to buy or sell land. When you click on REAL ESTATE, a 
submenu opens, showing the BUY and SELL commands. You will see a figure that 
tallies the number of blocks that you own, and an expense figure for land purchase 
or income figure for land sale that will update as you move the mouse from block 
to block. 
 
You can buy and sell (if company-owned) land where there are no buildings. Land 
owned by other companies is surrounded by a dotted line. 

This part of your display isn't really a menu, but a menu bar along the bottom of 
the screen that accesses all the business reports and financial information. 
 
REPORT 1 -- RAILROADS 

This window lets you read the financial status of your railroad and subsidiary 
operations--there are no commands in the menu. The clock keeps going even when 
the menu is opened. The window has a three-part display, which covers more of 
your screen display with each click on the Report 1 menu. 
 
REPORT 2 -- BALANCE SHEET 

This is an itemized report on the total assets and balances of the railroad branch, 
including real estate and stock investment. When the menu is opened, the clock 
stops. This window doesn't contain any commands. 
 
Assets 

Properties and real estate owned by the company. The taxes for each category are 
also displayed. 
 
Revenue 

Company sales and incomes as well as the one-year totals. 
 
Expenditures 

Company expenses are itemized, along with the yearly totals. 
 
Taxes 

All of your rail, real estate and subsidiary properties are taxed, as well as your 
profits. 
 
REPORT 3 -- SUBSIDIARIES 
 
Use this menu to buy or sell buildings and facilities. The clock stops when the menu 
is opened. 
 
The number of buildings and facilities owned by your company and the number of 
buildings and facilities on the map owned by the other companies are displayed. 
Choose the BUY command or the SELL command. Next, choose the building type. A 
list of buildings available for purchase or sale will be shown. Move the cursor to 
choose the building and then click. The building that is available for sale will blink 
on the display map. Fees will be taken from cash assets for purchases: income from 
sales will be, added to those assets. 
 
REPORT 4 -- URBAN GROWTH 
 
This menu displays information on the town's character and environment. (You can 
regard the display map as a part of a larger administrative district.) The clock stops 
when the menu is opened. 
 
Size reveals which of the following scales the city belongs to: a small town, a small 
city, a moderate city, a big city or a metropolitan area. One of the primary 
measures of A-Train success is the developmental upgrade of your city to the next 
scale, as defined by a combination of population and facilities development 
numbers. See the cities section for details. 
 
There are six Types of cities: agriculture-based, balanced, industrial-based, 
residential, tourist-based and under populated. The Budget is a measure of public 
investment: more funding results in faster city development. A growing Population 
figure results in more passengers and income for your railroad and faster 
development. The 'Radar Chart graph displays the relative scope of the industry 
within the city. 
 
STOCK MARKET 
 
The menu lets you trade on the stock market. The business hours of the brokerage 
firm are 9AM-5PM, except Sundays and holidays. The menu can be opened only 
during business hours; the clock stops when the menu is opened. 
 
Click the up or down arrow to scroll the board that displays all the stock types. 
After you choose the company name, click the BUY command or the SELL 
command. 
 
When using the BUY command, decide the unit totals of stocks to be purchased by 
using +/- and the unit buttons, which allow you to buy in increments of 1, 10, or 
100. You are restricted to buying 2,000 units at any one time. There is a fee for 
purchasing stocks. To sell stocks, choose SELL and click on the stocks from the 
brand list. Stocks are sold in the same units as they are purchased. 
 
The display will reveal your credit limit, adjustable loan amount, interest rates for 
the chosen term, and the due date for repayment. Current interest rates for the 1-3 
year periods are displayed, as well as your available cash and updated liabilities. 
 
Use this menu for borrowing money from banks. The business hours of the bank 
are 9AM-5PM, excepting Sundays and holidays. The menu can be opened only 
during the business hours. The clock stops when the menu is opened. 
 
Choose a repayment period for the debt from 1-3 years. Adjust the loan amount 
using +/- and the unit buttons, which let you borrow in increments of 100,000, 
10,000 and 1,000. After you click the BORROW command, the loan is added to 
your company funds. You cannot exceed the credit limit. The debt is paid 
automatically from the company funds on the appointed date; you can't pay the 
debt before that date. 
 
To see your debts and their respective payment dates, click the DEBT TOTAL 
command. 
 
Clicking on SATELLITE brings up a window with an aerial overview of your map 
showing the layout of railroads and a train chart that provides the status of train 
operations for all your trains. The clock does not stop when the window is opened. 
 
A rectangle enclosing the cursor on the reduced map shows the current territory of 
the larger display map. By moving the cursor on the reduced map and clicking, you 
can quickly move the display area to the cursor position. If you select a train 
number from the TRAIN REGISTRY, the display area will move so that the train is 
centred on the screen, and pertinent train info will be revealed. 

RAILROADS ON THE INITIAL MAP 

The railroads on the initial map are part of your company assets. It is OK to relay 
these railroads, to remove a station, or to build a new station. You will be given at 
least one passenger train and one freight train that are connected to places outside 
the map. They belong to the company, but their timetables can't be changed. They 
go straight at switches, and stop one hour at stations. 
 
GETTING ON THE RIGHT TRACK 

The most basic type of railroad is a single line between two stations. At the 
beginning, the line should be as straight and as short as possible, but long enough 
to be a reliable source of profit. Lay the track straight toward its destination. 
Stations should be built far away from each other (relative to the length of the 
line), because the fare you receive increases with the distance between stations. 
Make the distance at least 15 blocks. 
 
A "belt line" is suitable for running several trains in the same direction. A belt line 
is a closed loop of track. Using a belt line, with its frequent, regulated scheduling, 
you can put many trains into operation at the same time. At the beginning of the 
game, you probably won't be able to bear the construction and engine expenses. 
After several stations have been built, a belt line will seem more feasible. 
 
When shy of cash, play only on a single line. The shortcoming is that only one train 
can be put on the line, although it's conceivable to put a loop on each end of a 
developed single line so that several trains can be run at the same time. It's also 
possible to design a double line segment in the middle of the single line so that 
two trains can run in opposite directions, but it can be somewhat costly. The merit 
of a double-line railroad is that you can run passenger trains and freight trains on 
separated lines without conflict. 
 
RAILROAD ENGINEERING 

Laying a railroad is simple, but you should pay attention to your expenses. Just 
click on LAY and move the cursor in the desired direction. A line of track will 
highlight and will be placed on the map when you click your left mouse button. 
 
Normally you can lay a railroad on any cleared place (except on a hill or on the 
ocean). You can't lay a railroad on land that you don't own or that isn't available 
for purchase; thus when track is placed, you've bought the land. When there are 
large facilities--lease buildings, parks, or roads--in the way, the track will have to be 
curved around them. Bridges will have to be constructed over rivers. If you start to 
lay some tracks and then change your mind, click the right mouse button to cancel 
the operation. 

Don't lay track any longer than necessary - the removal expense is two-thirds of the 
laying expense. 
 
You cannot destroy your company buildings to lay a railroad. But you may lay the 
railroad after the buildings have been removed through the REMOVE command in 
their respective SUBSIDIARIES submenus. 
 
When you want to lay a railroad on areas where other companies have facilities, it's 
necessary to buy the facilities and then remove them before proceeding. (They are 
not always available for purchase.) Keep in mind that costs for projects such as 
these are tremendous. 
 
LINE-LAYING NO-NOS 

In summary, a line can't he built if: 

1. A railroad is connected to an established railroad by a right angle. 

2. A railroad crosses over an established railroad. 

3. A railroad intersects a river in an improper way other than at a right angle. 

4. A railroad passes through a public place, like a park. 

5. A railroad passes through a company building. 

6. A railroad passes through buildings owned by the other companies. 

7. You lack construction funds. 

8. You place your cursor outside the map boundaries. 

9. Facilities such as skyscrapers, factories and amusement parks are in     your path. 
 
CONNECTING RAILROADS TO EACH OTHER
 
Pay attention to the following issues when you connect one railroad to another: 
 
1. When the railroads are connected end-to-end, you can't set a switch. 
 
2. When a railroad is connected to the middle of an existing railroad, you can 
establish a switch. 
 
3. You can't build a railroad that crosses over an existing railroad. Note the angle 
between a planned railroad and an established  railroad. You must lay track on a 
diagonal from existing track - you can't make two railroads connect to each other 
on a right angle. A track-laying advisor will pop up with a discouraging message 
when your planned railroad can't he connected to an existing railroad. 
 
REMOVING A RAILROAD 

To remove a railroad, choose REMOVE, in the LAY TRACK submenu. Click the 
track's beginning point and follow the track to the desired removal point with the 
mouse. The line should be highlighted along its original path. Click the mouse 
button at your end point and the rail will be replaced with cleared land. Only the 
part over lapped by the highlighted line will be removed; any connected railroads 
travelling in different directions will remain. If there is a switch, only one line in a 
single direction is removed.

To remove a curved railroad, make the highlighted removal line match the curve of 
the tracks, or, if the highlight won't follow the track direction, separately remove 
the straight segments that constitute the curve. The cleared land is still owned by 
your company. If you're not interested in keeping the land, you can sell it by using 
the REAL ESTATE command on the SUBSIDIARIES menu. The cost of removing 
railroads is not affected by the land price.

When you click the beginning point of a railroad and then move the cursor over 
different blocks, you might find that the number showing the construction expense 
in the LAY menu varies. That figure represents the construction cost plus the 
purchase price of the land. Your construction expenses will be greatly increased if 
you choose to put in a switch or build a bridge across a river.

When you are thinking of establishing a switch, consider the expense. An often-used 
line should be as straight as possible so that it's not necessary to make any 
directional change at switches, which can be expensive and impair efficiency. 
 
The railroad construction cost includes the track laying expenses and the purchase 
price of the land. The amount of money is dependent upon your route--long, 
curving tracks are obviously more costly. Some land may not be suitable for 
railroad construction, or may not be available for purchase. 

TRAIN "CALENDAR CHART" Facts 

The calendar chart (the TRAIN REGISTRY) is found in the Satellite view, the Place 
Trains window, the Buy Trains window and the Schedule window. If a number is 
highlighted black, there is a train assigned to that number. If the number is 
ghosted, there ain't no train assigned. 
 
The underline of the purchased train number is the same colour as the train after its 
placement on the map. When a train is put on a line, the train number is enclosed 
within a frame (the same colour as the number's underline), indicating that the 
train is in operation. The model and the coach number of the train can be 
confirmed by checking the data column at the chart bottom. 
 
Clicking on an existing train's number brings up that train on the map. If you have 
just placed a train, it will start moving as soon as the menu is closed and the clock 
starts. 
 
All work such as placing/removing, buying selling and adjusting timetables of trains 
is done based on the train number. The same number can't be assigned to more 
than one train. You can assign trains their numbers in any order, whatever your 
preference. 
 
FIRST-TIME TRAIN BUYERS 

To purchase a train, click the BUY command under the BUY TRAINS submenu, then 
choose a train number from the TRAIN REGISTRY. It's easy to recognize a registered 
train--the train number is underlined. To buy a train, click a number that is not 
underlined. Click on any train image in the train list on the top of the window. 
Detailed information on the selected train will be displayed below the list. There are 
two types of trains: passenger trains and freight trains. There are 15 models of 
passenger trains and 4 models of freights. The high-speed trains move three blocks 
per hour and the low-speed trains two blocks per hour. After clicking the CONFIRM 
command, your train will be registered on the display by its underlined number. 
The train won't be put in operation until it is placed.

To sell a train, click the SELL command. Next, choose the train number. Only the 
trains that have been put in storage can be sold. The model and statistics of a train 
in storage will be displayed after you click the train number. The train will be sold 
as soon as you click the CONFIRM command. 
 
You are limited to ownership of 25 trains. whether they are in storage or in 
operation; you can sell any of those in storage. The sale price is half that of the 
purchase price. 
 
Note: AR III trains are a sound choice for a passenger train. They are a little 
expensive, but the investment can pay off. 
 
SMALL AND LARGE STATIONS 

There are two types of stations, a solitary station and a station with large buildings 
attached. The former is called a small station, and the latter a large station. 

Choose your place to build the station according to your budget. The game begins 
with an initial station on the map; a typical approach would be to lay a railroad 
from the initial station to a terminal station at the site of your choice (remembering 
that track laying isn't cheap, of course). However, this might mean integrating your 
new trains with the existing train's schedules, which can be a challenge. You can 
also lay independent lines near your initial station that will still collect passengers 
and freight without being connected to the original line. Your track must be within 
two blocks of the original station platform to pick up passengers, though you can 
build a new station near local development to share traffic. 
 
You can also site the station first and then lay a railroad to the new station. Of 
course, all construction decisions should be made to promote the future 
development of the city. Building a spate of stations early in the game before there 
are a lot of passengers might imperil your cash flow, your income and (shudder) 
your future. 
 
Both small and large stations are used for the boarding and departure of 
passengers, but they differ in construction expense, income and their effect on the 
city development. 
 
The construction charge is 120,000 dollars to build a large station, three times that 
of a small station. Both require the initial purchase price of three blocks of land. To 
remove a large station, it takes 12,000 dollars, again three times that of a small 
station removal. 
 
The most important difference between the two types of stations is how they affect 
the city development. It is much easier to develop a large city by building large 
stations. The large stations can handle bigger passenger totals, whose movement is 
an agent in game development. The simulation will not build a large, centralized 
road from your station - around which development flourishes - unless there is a 
large station with plentiful passenger totals. 
 
Smaller, residential areas will be built around the smaller stations, with consequently 
fewer and smaller buildings built by the program. If you want to develop a big 
city, it's better to build a large station at the beginning of the game, provided 
there's no financial problem. 
 
You need at least three blocks of land to build a station, plus a number of blocks 
for materials storage. It is wise to reserve some land for laying another line in the 
future that will utilize that station, and advisable to build your station in a place 
where no nearby hills or seas would hinder city development. 
 
You can use construction materials from any place on the map to build the station 
(as long as your company owns them), but you must provide a place for storing 
materials around the station for future construction by purchasing nearby land. If 
there are no available materials on the map, you can't build your station. 
 
STATION STOPS 

A train stops at a station when the head coach of the train arrives at the middle of 
the platform. If the line is not parallel to the platform, e.g., the line turns at a 
switch, trains will not stop at the station. 
 
Two separate lines of trains up to two blocks (track distance) away can make station 
stops. Trains on lines passing at the back of the station cannot stop at the station. 
The train on the left line has priority to stop at the station over the train on the 
right line if the two trains have the same distance remaining to the station stop. 
When both trains are far away from the station, the train closer to the station has 
the priority. A mix of freight and passenger trains can use the single station.

It's possible to build a station in a place where no railroad lines are in operation. 
You will be charged for station construction expenses, but the building will not 
function as a station until a line is laid. They make rather expensive ornaments.

THE END OF THE LINE 

Train length is important in relation to where tracks end at the station. Track ending 
at the middle of the station is suitable for two-coach trains, but not for three-coach 
trains. This is because the three-coach trains cannot stop at any station where tracks 
do not extend to the end of platforms.   
If the tracks at the station aren't the correct length, the construction materials will 
not be unloaded, or the materials which have just been unloaded will be loaded 
again and carried away. 
 
When one of your trains reaches the end of the track, it will cleverly reverse its 
direction and set off back up the line. The direction of an operating train can be 
changed by choosing the train number via the PLACE TRAIN command and then 
clicking on its directional arrows. For trains that run on the wrong route, it's better 
to remove them and then rearrange them. 

When two trains have a possibility of colliding head-on, you'll probably have a 
traffic jam on your hands. The two trains will stop moving before they collide, 
gently stopping end-to-end. To prevent such occurrences, change the direction of a 
train or remove one train using the PLACE TRAIN command.   
When a train is removed from the line, the building materials on the train will 
disappear, but the passengers will go home - the population will not decrease. 
 
If a freight train is placed directly at the station, it will depart without loading 
materials. Place it just out of and toward the station if you want it to pick up 
freight. 
 
It is all right to put a train on any area of the track. But you can't put a train on a 
line that is shorter than the length of the train. (Not that it would provide a 
dazzling scenic excursion anyway.) 
 
If your designated placement isn't displayed on the map, click the scroll arrows on 
the right side of the frame or use the Satellite view to scroll the map. 
 
TRAINS AND THEIR CARGOES 

Trains are divided into two main types: passenger trains and freight 
 
Passengers board and disembark when a passenger train stops at a station. The 
more buildings there are around the station, the more passengers. However, the 
total of station passengers near facilities like amusement parks or ski resorts varies 
with the seasons. The fare is based on the distance between the stations: longer 
distance, more dough. Train operating expenses are consistent regardless of these 
matters. 
 
Passenger totals will often exceed the train capacity because they reflect the 
common practice of cramming cars full of people at rush hour. Don't worry, there's 
never been a fatality in A-Train. The stated capacity figure in the Rolling Stock 
Market is intended to represent the suggested multi-car capacity.

Freight trains are used to transport the construction materials from which all 
buildings are made. At the beginning of the game there will be at least one 
original place to store the materials on each map; you must buy the land for this 
storage for additional stations. Freight trains transport the construction materials 
from the storage place to the first station stop. If there are construction materials 
deposited at a station, any empty freight trains will pick up and transport the 
materials to the next station stop.

Construction materials can also be produced by the factories on the map. If the 
company has a storage place near the factory, the materials are piled up there by 
way of your freight. If there is no station nearby, the materials can't be carried 
away to build elsewhere. Obviously this makes it a good idea to build factories near 
the station, or to build a station near the factories. See the Cities section for details 
on materials movement. 
 
SCHEDULING SHENANIGANS 

The trial-and-error method will instruct you in the most profitable means of running 
your railroads for the specific conditions of each map. Each train's operation is 
controlled by setting its switches and departure times. You'll be charged 10 dollars 
per setting. The income of a train depends greatly upon its departure scheduling. A 
departure time of 8:00 is very efficient: you can make the train depart at 8:00 in 
the residential areas and at 6:00PM (18:00) in the office districts so passenger load 
is maximized. Belt lines require more closely scheduled stops so that multiple trains 
can "play tag" at a succession of station stops. 

However, if you're running trains on single lines into areas that seem to be of equal 
growth or building type, e.g., both residential with a similar population, you can 
set the schedule at 8:00AM at both stations. so that the train is on a 24-hour 
"loop" service. 
 
The train would leave one station on Sunday at 8:00 and go to the other station, 
where it would wait until Monday at 8:00 Am to depart. The success of this venture 
is dependent on variables like distance between stations, speeds of trains, and game 
speed setting: you might not be able to make the distance between stations in the 
24 hour frame if conditions aren't right. 
 
Frequently checking the passenger totals in the Satellite view will give you a sense 
of what times are most favourable for filling your cars. Once your lines are 
established, be sure to check periodically in the expanded Report 1 to see if you 
are getting closer to turning a profit. Remove the freight trains from the tracks 
when you have a big materials buildup. They drain operating expenses when 
they're running. 
 
All switches are set initially so that the train moves on a straight course; the 
departure times are set for one-hour lay-overs. To run trains efficiently, exercise care 
regarding the distance in blocks between two stations. A long-distance excursion is 
more profitable than a short one. 
 
Note that it is this block distance that affects the fare, not the length of the track 
between the two stations. However, in the beginning, it's good economics not to 
build stations a great distance - 30 or 40 blocks or more - from each other because 
of track laying and operating expenses. They also can be so far away that you can't 
effectively use a 24-hour schedule. You can remove short-distance stations further 
along in the game when you're flush with cash.

When the income from a station is small, let the trains have a long lay-over at the 
station so that the fuel costs can be economized and more passengers can be 
carried at one time. Conscientious scheduling of freight trains might become 
necessary to insightful control the amount of construction materials at a station, 
though they can often run simply on the one-hour stop schedule. Don't forget that 
personnel fees are charged when loading and unloading materials.

When a train runs on a single line, a schedule is not absolutely necessary, though 
setting one can greatly increase income. When two trains run on a single line, 
schedule station departure and lay-over times so that trains can lead or follow each 
other without trouble.

SCHEDULE MENU SPECIFICS 

When several trains need scheduling for a specified switch or a station, you can 
easily schedule them in succession by choosing the switch or station and then the 
trains' respective numbers, setting the departure time and then going on to the 
next train, without needing to leave the Schedule window or return to the game 
map. You can schedule trains in any order of their Train Registry numbers; you 
don't have to follow the 1-25 chart sequence. 
 
Since the train number is used to control the switch setting, trains coming from the 
same direction on the same line can be made to diverge in different directions. It's 
also possible to let trains that move on   different lines stop at the same station by 
using the switch setting. 
 
The execution of the TEST RUN command doesn't change the current position of 
the train. The new direction for a switch setting is easily confirmed by looking at 
the actual map. A train approaching the switch goes in the direction the switch is 
set. The branch direction of a switch is set for the chosen train--to have all trains 
turn in the same direction, it's necessary to individually set all train numbers.

When ONE-HOUR STOP is chosen, the train departs by itself an hour after it arrives 
at the station. During the lay-over, passengers get on and off the train and goods 
are loaded and unloaded. 
 
When NON-STOP is chosen, the train will pass by the station. NON-STOP can't be 
chosen for a train that is not permitted to pass by a station, as is the case for a 
number of train types. You can verify the type in the Train Catalogue section at the 
end of the Reference section.

When a departure time is chosen, the train stops at the station until that time. 
Multiple trains cannot be set to depart at the same time if there is only one line. 
(However, with careful staggering of train placement, multiple trains on a belt line 
can be set to the same schedule.) 

SCENARIOS AND STRATEGIES 
 
Here are the map numbers and the type of challenge each represents. There are six 
maps that have varying geographic features and degrees of development. It is easier 
to get familiar with the relationships between railroad operation and town development 
using a map with a smaller number. Naturally, all of the counsel offered here 
constitutes merely one particular slant to interpreting the maps. This is one of 
A-Train's beauties: there are many fuels for the engine of commerce - experiment 
with the mixtures!
 
MAP NAMES AND FACES 

#1. New Town 
#2. Bay Area 
#3. Resort Development 
#4. Multi-City Connection 
#5. Reconstruction 
#6. Downtown Reorganization 
 
There are also six basic types of cities: an agriculturally oriented city, an industrial 
city, a "balanced" city, a residential city, a tourist-oriented city and a "under 
populated" city. Plan your development or try some free-form experimentation to move 
from one type to another.

There are five city scales; your map's current scale can be read in Report 4 under 
"Size." They are Small Town, Small city, Medium city, Big city, and Metropolis. 
These scales are determined by the simulation, which assigns a point total to a 
combination of building types and building totals plus the population figures. A 
block of public buildings counts one point, and a block of lease buildings two points.

Broad development of your subsidiaries holdings and related expansion by the simulation 
should eventually boost you to the next scale, which is one of the signal benchmarks of 
A-Train success. 
 
The Small Town population is usually under 24,000; the Small city, from 24,000 to 
64,000: the Medium city, from 64,000 to 88,000; the Big city, from 88,000 to 150,000; 
and the Metropolis, 150,000+. If you reach the population figures without a scale 
upgrade, you need to build more and larger property holdings. such as the large lease 
buildings. The Bullet Train (Shinkansen) will run through middle-sized or bigger cities 
when the population and building point totals have been attained. 
 
New Town 

Map One has the most basic geography. Besides an old railroad line and a station, 
there are only small residences and ranches. This "new town" is in the suburbs of a 
big city off the map, and its population needs increase. It can be built up as a 
"bedroom" community when it has a good transportation network. One problem is that 
there are no facilities (such as department stores and lease buildings) in the town. 
You can build practically anything. but to do well isn't so easy. 
 
You should absolutely master the technique of how to lay a profitable line. The simplest 
way to do so is pick a nice site, lay straight double lines, and buy two AR III trains. 
Build the large stations at each end of the lines, and set all the departure times 
for 8:00AM.
 
After finishing the train scheduling, wait to see changes ensue. You'll find that the 
number of passengers increases to about 100. If you build two to three apartment 
houses around the station. passenger numbers will increase more rapidly. The key 
point is buying the AR IIIs and setting that old 8:00 AM departure time - and logical 
development thereafter. 
 
Bay Area 

Map Two isn't so difficult if you've mastered the basic technique of laying 
profitable lines. There is already a large population. Rapid development could be 
stimulated by active, broad expansion of the railroad company and its holdings. 
 
The problem here is how to effectively use the old railroad line at the top of the 
map and how to transport the materials to develop the bay area at the bottom of the 
map. (The harbour is used as a site to store the materials unloaded from ships at 
the end of the reclaimed land; the ship is the Bonhomme Richard). Doing nothing with 
the old line will land you a deficit because of the expenditures you face in leaving 
it unattended. To avoid the deficit, just apply the basic techniques: 
 
First, check the freight train near the factories on the upper-right part of the map. 
If there are only small amount of materials to be transported, remove it from the line 
for a while.

Next, check the second train to see if the departure time is 8:00AM. Reset it if 
necessary. If passenger load increases to more than 1,000 passengers, it's also OK 
to set the departure time at 6:00PM. You can also change the trains on the line 
into AR IIIs to spark some profits. 
 
Of course, experimentation is always fun. Try to make an industrial strip near the 
harbour. Bring the people amusement parks and hotels, and bread and circuses a little 
further away. Be the master mogul of the map. 
 
Resort Development 

There is nothing here in Map Three except the rich natural surroundings. Don't worry 
too much about the airport in the bottom-right corner of the map. (If you're interested, 
the aeroplane is a DC-10). Like Map One, this map is wide open, but you haven't much 
cash . Don't rush into development, or your company will go bankrupt soon. Because 
the old railroad line is very short and the materials-storage place is too easily 
filled with materials, the first recommendation is to extend the material storage 
place to keep more materials. 
 
Next, make your lines profitable. Buy AR IIIs and lay a railroad that can be expanded 
into double lines in the future. The departure time is, of course, set at 8:00 AM. 
After making some money, set up a double-line railroad. 
 
Choose a good site, and concentrate on its development. Don't forget that the best 
use of your money for this map is for resort development. Sculpt your city around 
the mountains and lakes to build a handsome, livable environment. Taking out some 
bank loans is one way to make quick cash. Try to work with one-year debts. From this 
map, you can learn the loan and payback process. Rising development will draw the 
population from outside the map. Keep in mind that the population will not increase 
suddenly. 
 
Multi-City Connection 

Map Four looks quite similar to Map One, but they are different. When you have a 
look at Report 4, you'll find that the scales of the industry and residences are 
very small. Besides, there's no cash.

The first thing to do is to borrow money for laying railroads. Make as many three-year 
debts as possible. It's very important to concentrate on industrial development. Don't 
build commercial yet, but construct a factory in a proper place, and lay a short 
railroad with an AR III locomotive that serves it.
 
Now it's time to encourage residential growth. Since there is little, pay attention 
to the whole balance: number of worksites, other buildings, etc. that develop the 
residential population.
 
If the program is slow in building residences, sell the factory, even if at a loss, 
and build another factory. You can also sell the new factory and build only apartments. 
When the city has been developed to some scale, apply the techniques of profitable 
railroad operation to develop the land in front of the station. If everything goes 
smoothly, enlarge your apartment holdings to make some rental cash. To avoid a high 
profit tax, you can invest in trains. Don't forget that you'll have to pay back any 
debts. 
 
It's a good idea to connect the scattered cities and villages by railroads to stimulate 
growth. Focus on expanding types of businesses. But keep in mind that a rash of 
thoughtless development may bring a state of chaos to the local business community.

Reconstruction 

Although Map Five already has an advanced city, its progress will stop if the 
transportation network lags behind the development. The railroad is now on a belt 
line, but it's running at a big deficit. Your company will go bankrupt if no action 
is taken. The first task is to reconstruct the railroad to reduce the deficit. Your 
expenses are now twice your income, and lack of cash is a big concern. 
 
To cut down on expenses, get in there and manage that railroad. Check the schedules. 
You'll find all trains have been set to one-hour stops. Reset the departure time of 
each train to 8 :00 AM. You'll want to buy the AR III engines (not that we're trying 
to suggest anything), but cash flow is nil. What to do? Determine if there are any 
freight trains that aren't doing a bang-up job. (Hint: You'll find there's such a 
culprit at the bottom right corner of the map. Remove that train immediately). By 
doing so, you'll find that your expenses and income begin to equalize, although there 
might still be a small deficit. From this point the real game starts. 
 
Make some loans and build apartment complexes. When you observe that the whole city 
is thriving, buy some good land and sell it soon after. Cash will increase, and so 
will the population. 
 
When you're flush with funds, change all the trains into AR IIIs step-by-step. After 
only AR IIIs are on your lines, your railroad operation should become profitable. 
The next stage would be to develop the area around the lake. People will leave the 
city if they have no alternative. Keep a balance between costs and progressive 
construction to invigorate the city. 

Downtown Reorganization 

Map Six already has a fairly developed city. There are a lot of buildings, and the 
business is active. There isn't a lot of cash on hand, but it will increase. Your belt 
line is profitable and the city is already on a large scale.

Where's the challenge? As time passes, you might see the industrial centre deviating 
from the city centre. Traffic jams--like a chronic disease in the transportation 
network--might appear. It's necessary to reconstruct the transportation network in 
order to keep the city active. Here you should carefully study the map and fine-tune 
the situations. Learn how to make a steadily profitable belt line. Develop the area 
in front of each station. 
 
Be playful: you might try repositioning a number of stations, try different types of 
recreational facilities, new track sidelines... enjoy your prosperity or create 
dangerous financial threats - it's all yours.
 
DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT 

The basic process of the city development can be illustrated as follows: 
 
At the beginning of the game, you lay railroads, build a station and provide material 
storage places. Dependent on variable conditions, some residences may appear around 
the new station, but there will be few passengers for your start-up rail operation. 
 
Then you construct apartments near the station to increase residents. The program 
will gradually respond by building residences, providing more passengers for the 
railroad. Repeat the procedure of purchasing and selling off lands to increase this 
building of lots and residences. 
 
Only the subsidiary companies of your railroad company can be directly constructed. 
Their purpose is to produce profits. (Commie insurgents are found off the maps.). 
Facilities around the station also lead to the development of the city. Choose the 
optimum sites to construct facilities that will produce the most profits. There is 
a list of building expenses for all properties - that includes advice for their 
utilization - at the end of this Cities section.
 
MAKING HAY WHILE THE SUNSHINES 

The initial conditions vary with each map. It is to your advantage to learn the 
details of company capital and property and to examine the weak points of the 
company management.                                       
 
The debt limit, as well as your expenses and your tax owed, depends on the company 
assets. Study and confirm operating train incomes on the map. and pay attention to 
the town population and to the fluctuations of stock prices to find opportunities 
for growth.              
                                                   
On each map, there are lines connected to the outside areas. These lines play an 
important part in transporting construction materials from outside. At the beginning, 
schedule the train run once a day (for those trains that you can schedule), and 
increase the number of runs as the town grows. 
 
INDUSTRIES DEPEND ON YOUR INDUSTRY
 
If the population doesn't increase naturally any more, you have to create employment 
opportunities. You can build factories, department stores, etc. Stunted population 
growth is rare, but sometimes it may happen. 
 
The balance between supply and demand of the labour force has a great effect on 
the economy of the city. For example, if there is a surplus of labour force, factories 
will increase production, and consequently so will the incomes of other subsidiary 
companies increase. But the construction of new residences slows down. You should 
keep a sufficient labour force--by building of apartments and work sites to stimulate 
the program's building--to ensure the development of the city. 

Besides working, the residents carry on with their daily lives. They play golf and ski 
on holidays. The recreation facilities provide places for their leisure and their work. 
 
Secondary business 

You can check the concentrations of your city's industrial economy in the "radar 
chart" scale in the Urban Growth window. By secondary industry, we mean the 
fundamental infrastructure of the city, as opposed to your primary industry, the 
railroad. Factories and lease buildings are the basic elements of the secondary 
industry. The income of a lease building depends upon the number of tenants. The 
companies using the building will provide employment opportunities for your 
residents. 
 
Factories produce materials that are essential to the city development. They are also 
large sources of employment. They don't pollute the surroundings. If there is no 
need for materials, the materials will pile-up.

Your map's initial railroad will export them for sale if you don't use them. 
 
Other Business 

The elements of the Other Business consist of golf courses, amusement parks, ski 
resorts, stadiums and hotels. The income of each depends on its location. Don't 
construct two large-scale facilities of the same type near each other. 
 
Different facilities can be built in each neighbourhood. It's better to build hotels 
near recreation facilities. When you have a substantial level of development and ready 
cash, build each of the four leisure type facilities and several hotels around a 
station. The entrance fees for the recreational facilities and the incomes of the 
hotels will symbioticaly boost profits. 
 
At optimal sites, other companies will attempt to do the same business. In order to 
avoid competition, it is better to buy all the land around the station early in the 
game. Competition can spur development, however. 
 
Besides being a source of profits, these commercial developments supply the 
ornamentation for a colourful, scenic map as well - one vote for style. 

EFFECTS OF SPECIAL BUILDINGS 
 
Certain businesses produce high concentrations of people, which can increase the 
passenger totals of the station nearby. 
 
At the end of a year, customers of department stores (commercial buildings) greatly 
increase, while in winter, people crowd the ski resorts. People often visit amusement 
parks on Sundays and holidays. Take measures (such as reduced scheduling or longer 
station stops) to deal with the situations when there are few passengers.

Most maps have a lot of facilities belonging to the other companies. Competition 
among the same types of businesses will contribute to the development of the city. 
When the city has several of the same types of enterprise, the city becomes larger. 
There's no limit on land purchase, but there is a restriction on the number of 
commercial properties that your company can erect. 
 
MATERIAL SUPPLY 
 
Materials are essential to the city development. All buildings are constructed with 
materials, whether by you or the hand of the A-Train simulation deity. When building 
a station, purchase the land that will be used as the materials-storage place when 
you build the station. As you expand your city, materials are gradually consumed, so 
you have to use your freight trains to carry in materials from factories or from the 
stations outside the map. 
 
The materials piled up at the factory sites need to be transported once by one of 
your trains before they can be used. You can, however, directly use the factory 
materials when you construct buildings adjacent to the factories. 
 
The materials-storage place should be located within eight blocks of the station - 
otherwise it can't be used to load or unload materials. When the factory materials 
are directly used, you can erect buildings within 10 blocks of the factory storage 
place. 

BUILDING AN EMPIRE 
 
If there are construction materials available, you can construct buildings around the 
station within an eight-block radius. With materials available, residences will begin 
to appear a short distance away from the station. The residences should reach enough 
numbers to constitute a residential town--a bedroom community. 
 
These residential inhabitants are the labour force needed for the construction and 
operation of various facilities. If there are no more new building sites, the 
population won't increase, and residences won't be naturally constructed by the 
simulation. The reason that residences are rapidly built when there are only two 
stations right after the start of the game is that the cities outside the map need 
a labour force. The needed labour force varies from one map to the next. 
 
After awhile, when a number of residences and public buildings have been built, 
the construction speed will slow down. When it does, build department stores and 
other commercial income property to increase employment. If you develop these kind 
of building lots, the construction of new residences by the simulation will continue. 
It's all right to develop property outside the town if you have a strategic overview 
of future connectivity. You can also construct leisure facilities such as stadiums 
and amusement parks if your population can support them. Other companies will also 
build hotels and commercial properties around stations. 
 
Residences and public buildings are constructed more quickly by the simulation on 
land that you have sold after purchase. There is no fee for purchasing/selling land, 
but there are expenses for the development of building lots if it is necessary to 
clear the land. 
 
Residences are rapidly built by the simulation if the blocks are vacant lots. If there 
are farms, ranches or woods on the blocks, the blocks are first changed into vacant 
lots, and then residences will appear.

This can take a good deal of time. When farms and ranches are destroyed by the 
program, that agricultural industry is on its gradual decline, and won't recover. 
When woods are destroyed, they cannot be planted again. Thus it's important to make 
a good city plan that recognizes these contingencies and allows for them - if you 
want to retain an agricultural flavour, for instance - before you begin the development 
of building lots. 
 
After awhile, a street begins to extend from the rear of the big stations at a right 
angle from the track. Buildings will be constructed along the street by the simulation. 
(The street will not be built up by the program with skyscrapers and big buildings 
unless you build the large stations). 
 
Buildings naturally constructed by the simulation are usually about 10 blocks from 
the station. After the residential development around the station has been completed, 
the demand for materials decreases. The simulation will then begin the street 
construction, and local rentable buildings will become taller, all of which may 
consume a lot of materials. Building-expansion by the simulation will occur if there 
are materials within 12 blocks. 
 
PUBLIC FACILITIES 

Besides the residences and the urban street, the simulation will also build small 
office buildings, stores, schools, hospitals and public parks. 
 
All of the facilities built by the simulation are a natural consequence of growth. 
The roads and parks belong to the public, so you can't buy them or construct facilities 
on them. 
 
Occasionally, depending on how you develop the map, the town will not naturally 
grow to become more than a bedroom community. If this is the case, it's necessary 
to create additional opportunities for employment by building factories, etc. 
However, make sure that you have enough cash flow to cover new and old debts. 
 
When the land in back of a station is owned by other companies and they have erected 
large buildings, or there are buildings other than residences and public buildings 
on the land, the urban road can't be built by the simulation - it won't appear. You 
can buy the land in back of the station, but don't develop it with any facilities; 
if conditions are right, the road should appear soon after you sell the land. When 
a road appears, big commercial projects and lease buildings of considerable size can 
be constructed by the program. 

CROSSROADS
 
THE ULTIMATE SHAPE OF A CITY 
 
In the map below, there is a crossroads where two roads intersect. Designing your 
city centre around a crossroads like this has a great effect on the city development. 
The city centre will move from the station to the crossroads. Around the crossroads, 
various buildings will be built by the simulation, just as they are around the station. 
If the station materials-storage place is also near the crossroads, those materials can 
be used for this development. 
 
The price of the land around the crossroads will greatly increase. High-rise buildings 
are easily constructed by the simulation under these prospering conditions. To develop 
a big city with many large offices, the crossroads is essential. 
 
The city outline shown in the bottom figure displays an optimum shape for successful 
expansion. There are four stations around the belt line. If there are materials at 
one station, they can be used to construct buildings almost everywhere in the area. 
Your rail passengers will increase as you develop the city.

If you have built according to these suggestions, you should be able to jump to the 
next city scale goal. After the development around your first stations has been 
settled, repeat the above procedure in a new place. You can build flourishing cities 
- your empire - everywhere on the map! 

GENERAL BUILDING GUIDELINES
 
The BUILD and REMOVE commands are on all the menus. 

The building area varies with the type and the scale of the building to be constructed.

To construct a building on land not owned by the company, you must have the money 
for both land purchase and the construction  expenses. Sometimes the land may not 
be for sale. In such a case, you can't build.

The buildings that don't belong to your company can't be removed unless you buy them.

A signboard (small square) representing ownership by your railroad company is put on 
the top of each building. It will be removed if you sell the property.The building 
materials must be near the construction site for successful erection. 
 
Residence 
Materials: 2 
Expense: 0 
labour force: N/A 
 
The player cannot build residences - they are a natural consequence of certain game 
conditions. There are 8 families in one block, each family having 7.5 members. There 
are 16 types of residences, but every residence has the same number of members and 
a similar economic state. There are about 60 people living on one block.

Apartments 
Materials: 8 
Expense: 340,000 dollars 
labour force: 10 people 
 
There are 150 families in one apartment complex, each family having 3.5 members. The 
operating expense of a complex is 1,500 dollars to 2,000 dollars per day. Income is 
over 3,000 dollars if it is in front of a station, but apartments will produce a 
deficit if they are located far away from the station. If there are lease buildings 
or amusement parks nearby, income will moderately increase. There are three types 
of apartment complexes, and there are no differences between them in operating 
expenses and income.

Factory 
Materials: 20 
Expense: 250,000 dollars 
labour force: 500 people 
 
Factories produce construction materials, which should be transported from the 
factory by freight trains to areas outside the map if you don't use the materials 
yourself. The operating expense is 2,000 dollars a day, even when the factory stops 
working (after your materials-storage place has been filled with materials). Each 
material is sold for 2,500 dollars, and a three-coach freight train can carry four 
materials in a time. If you need a lot of materials, factories can be linked together 
to increase production. 
 
Public Buildings 
Materials: 4 
Expense: 0 
labour force: 60 people 
 
Built by the simulation in the residential areas, public buildings may represent 
schools, hospitals or shops. There are eight types, which vary with your city's 
development process. The more public buildings, the bigger the city. 
 
Lease Buildings 
Materials: 10 for the first 5 stories; 
8 for each additional 5 up to 40 
Expense: 240,000 dollars 
labour force: 120 people and up 
 
The tallest lease building can be up to 40 stories; every five stories takes up a 
block. There can be 1,000 people working in one building. The operating expense is 
400 dollars to 450 dollars per day. The income is from 800 dollars to 900 dollars 
a day for a building near a station, and 500 dollars to 600 dollars if the building 
is far away from the station. The income may increase when there are hotels in the 
neighbourhood. 

Commercial Buildings 
Materials: 12 
Expense: 1,200,000 dollars 
labour force: 550 people 
 
To gain a profit, build your department stores and offices near a station. The 
operating expense is 23,000 dollars to 26,000 dollars per day, increased by 30% 
for holidays. The income is 22,000 dollars to 27,000 dollars if the store is near a 
station, and less than half that if the station is far away. Income increases by 50% 
on holidays. If there are many residences, apartments, lease buildings and hotels 
nearby, the income can increase by at most 5,000 dollars a day. Income rises by 
20% to 30% in December, and decreases by 10% to 20% in February and August. Income 
will also decrease by 20% to 40% when there is a rival store. 

Hotel 
Materials: 12 
Expense: 1,000,000 dollars 
labour force: 550 people 

The income of a hotel varies greatly with the location. The operating expense per 
day is 17,000 dollars to 19,000 dollars. The income per day is about 14,000 dollars 
if the hotel isn't close to a station. and 16,000 dollars to 18,500 dollars when 
near a station. The income can be increased by at most 2,000 dollars a day on working 
days if there are factories and lease buildings nearby, and to 5,000 dollars at most 
on holidays if there are residences and apartments nearby. The presence of recreational 
facilities can also boost income. Your income can decline by 10% to 30% when other 
competitive hotels open.

Stadium 
Materials: 20 
Expense: 1,000,000 dollars 
labour force: 150 people 
 
The operating expense of a stadium is 2,400 dollars to 2,600 dollars per day. The 
income per day is 800 dollars when it is not close to a station, and 1,400 dollars 
when a station is nearby. Income will rise by 10 dollars per 1,000 stadium occupants, 
and increases by 50% on holidays. If there are residences, apartments, lease buildings 
and hotels nearby, your income may rise by up to 5,000 dollars daily. But income will 
decline by 20% to 30% when there is a competing stadium within 14 blocks.
 
Ski Resort 
Materials: 8 
Expense: 900,000 dollars 
labour force: seasonally dependent    
 
To construct a ski resort, you need a mountain that has a wide slope. (Map Four 
has no such mountains). The opening period is December through February. The operating 
expense per day is 500 dollars in the off-season, about 9,600 dollars when open, and 
double on holidays. The income is 13,000 dollars when the resort is not close to a 
station, 16,600 dollars when it is close to a station, and three times that on holidays. 
The income increases by 1,600 dollars for each hotel nearby, and drops by 20% to 40% 
when a rival resort opens nearby.

Amusement Park 
Materials: 24 
Expense: 1,900,000 dollars 
labour force: 200 people 
 
The operating expense per day is 7,500 dollars to 10,000 dollars. The income is 
3,900 dollars when it is not close to a station, 5,500 dollars to 7.200 dollars 
otherwise. The income rises 10 dollars for each 1,000 patrons, and rises by 50% on 
holidays. If there are residences, apartments and hotels nearby, the income 
increases by up to 2,000 dollars daily. Revenues decrease by 20% to 40% when 
arrival appears. There are fireworks shows on Saturday nights. 
 
Golf Course 
Materials: 8 
Expense: 2,050,000 dollars 
labour force: 200 people 
 
The operating expense of a golf course doesn't depend much upon the station. It 
takes 22,210 dollars to 24,420 dollars per day, and increases by 50% on holidays. 
The income per day is 23,100 dollars on working days and double on holidays. If 
there are hotels, residences and apartments nearby, the income increases. If the 
course is near a station, the income is up by 10% . When there is another golf 
course, the income can be reduced by 20% to 30%. The course doesn't open in winter.

Small station 
Materials: 4 
Expense: 40,000 dollars 
labour force: 150 people 
 
The small stations have red roofs. Residential areas with up to eight apartment 
complexes and two hotels will be built by the simulation near the station if 
development conditions are right. Of course, you can construct as many buildings 
as you like in proximity to the station. The operating expense per day is 50 dollars. 
The income is zero when there are less than 100 passengers, 20 dollars for 101 to 
300 passengers, 40 dollars for 301 to 500 passengers, and 60 dollars for more than 
500 passengers (per trainload, station-to-station). Fares are calculated separately 
as part of rail company income. Both small and large stations receive additional 
income from gift shops and other tenant sales dependent on passenger numbers.

Big station 
Materials: 8 
Expense: 120,00 dollars 
labour force: 150 people 
 
Urban roads and skyscrapers can be built by the simulation only behind big stations. 
The operating expense of a big station is 90 dollars per day. The income is zero for 
less than 100 passengers, 70 dollars for 101 to 300 passengers, 100 dollars for 301 
to 500 passengers and 120 dollars for more than 500 passengers. 
 
Park 
Materials: 4 
Expense: 0 
labour force: 0 
 
Parks are built by the simulation according to the local budget. But they cannot be 
built when the figure representing the local budget in Report Four is less than 
20,000. They are usually built at the final stage of city development. When a road 
extends though a park, the park will be destroyed. 

Road 
Materials: 2 
Expense: 0 
labour force: 0 
 
The conditions for which a road is built (by the simulation) vary with the number of 
apartments, hotels, lease buildings, railroad passengers and station size. For each 
block, two materials are needed for the road and six materials for a bridge. 
 
LAND CLEARING EXPENSES AND TERRAIN INFORMATION 
 
Cleared Land - Blocks encircled by dashed lines represent the plain land on which 
residences and public buildings can be constructed directly without land-clearing 
expenses. The land is owned by somebody besides you until you shell out the dough. 

Wood - Blocks with only a single tree as well as true forest land are called "woods". 
(It's a sign of our optimism). To turn a wood into cleared land takes 100 dollars.

Farm - To turn a farm I into cleared land takes 200 dollars.

Ranch - To turn a ranch into cleared land takes 200 dollars.

Hill - There are some hills where ski areas can be built on slopes.

River - A river has little effect on the city development, but a railroad or a road 
can't go through the river without a bridge being built. 

Sea and Lake - Nothing except Shinkansen can be built on a sea or a lake.

MYSTERIOUS FLYING OBJECTS 
 
You might occasionally see some the migratory birds flying in group formation on 
your map: they are red-crowned cranes. They fly south October 1/2, north April 5/6. 
They appear at 5:00AM and take about one day to cross the map. 
 
HOW TO MAINTAIN THE COMPANY 
 
At the beginning, it's foolish to build long, lavish railroads with the initial company 
assets. For some maps you will need to secure some bank loans to open business lines 
based on the original holdings. It is a good idea to lay short, cheap railroads in 
your initial phases of development. 
 
You can take out a loan any time. Your loan limit is about 30% of the company assets 
- The greater the company and its assets, the greater the limit. There are one-year, 
two-year and three-year loans; the rates rise with the term length. The management 
chief will inform you in a message window when to pay the debts two weeks in advance, 
but you can see dates any time by clicking the DEBT TOTAL button in the BANK window. 
If you can't pay at that time, your company will go bankrupt. You are limited to 8 
loans outstanding. 
 
Large loans should be made when the interest rates are low. The rates are variant 
according to the terms. The lowest rates are 2% for one-year debts, 3% for two-year 
debts and 4% for three-year debts. 
 
Frequently check the sales of your rail operation. Extended rail lines have increased 
expenses, and require a longer time period to turn a profit. Make sure that you 
have enough insurance capital in case expenses become greater than your income. 
 
The land prices rise as the city grows. Be aware that land previously purchased is 
taxable. Keep in mind the dates when your taxes and other debts are due. If the 
company operating funds are negative, the company will go bankrupt and your trains 
will run no more. 

STOCKING UP 
 
Watch the current (and constantly changing) financial circumstances of the city to 
seize every good opportunity to make a killing by getting good bank loans or by 
selling off stocks. You can play the game without doing any stock trading. but if 
you're careful, it can be a valuable source of surplus funds. However, as many sad 
traders know, it's not an absolutely reliable way. 
 
There are 24 stock brands. You can scroll the board to view them all. The two 
numbers after the company name represent its trading value and the amount by which 
it has dropped or risen since the day before. After you select a particular stock 
name, a graph appears to show the price variations of the stock over the past 30 
weeks. You may find that the stock prices change considerably over two-month periods 
for many brands. There are also brands whose stock price won't change much over 
several months. The fluctuations don't depend on the brands, but vary with each game. 
 
Try to discern a fluctuation pattern for stocks you're interested in and buy when the 
price is at the bottom of the curve and sell when the price at the top of the curve. 
(Mama didn't raise no fool.) Of course, it can be difficult to know just when the top 
of the curve has occurred. 
 
The stock price of a brand might display a trend of increasing value over a six-month 
to one-year period. But a stock slump may also happen once every year and a half or 
so. Be alert to trends by checking the stock board frequently and paying attention 
to the advisors in the message windows. If a slump occurs, the stock price will drop 
to one-half or one-third of its past price in a day. 

STOCK BRANDS 
 
Do-Beeus Trading:        A worldwide general trading company.
Twisted Metal:           A company that manufactures metal materials used for cars, 
                         trains and ships.
Pickupstik Construction: A construction firm skilled at building skyscrapers, halls 
                         and domed stadiums.
Whozit & Whatzit Export: A general trading company that imports and exports various 
                         materials such as foods and chemicals. 
Mjollnir Products:       A company that makes iron and steel products for building 
                         construction.
Aahp-Yurs Building:      A construction company that builds residences, factories, etc.
Tricks o' Trade:         A general trading company.
Big Iron:                A big iron company.
Radon Realty:            A big real estate company that owns most office buildings 
                         in the big cities.
Anything Goes Trading:   A general trading company.
Taffy Steel:             An iron company.
Brauny Construction:     A construction company that builds mainly residences.
Heavy Water Chemistry:   A company that produces chemical fertilizers and chemicals.
Raxsoft Lighting:        A general household electric appliance company that produces 
                         lighting equipment, audio-visual equipment and computers.
Artdink Estates:         A real estate company that deals with residences and apartment 
                         complexes.
Tesla Electric:          An electrical company that makes wires and electrical 
                         equipment used in factories and buildings.
Maxis Motors:            A general electrical company that makes household appliances 
                         and motors.
Slippery Stuff Chemical: A chemical company that produces lubricants, detergents, etc. 
Sticky Disks:            A company that produces various magnetic media such as 
                         cassette tapes and floppy disks.
Spinnin' Wheels Auto:    A big automobile company.
IoeCo Gas:               A city gas company.
I.B.B.M.:                A big communication company that has the second largest 
                         share of the world market. 
JSmgmt:                  A company that is known for developing a new material 
                         with wide applications.
JenSuz Power:            An electric power company that supplies electricity to 
                         generators for big cities.

TRACKING YOUR TRAIN COSTS 
 
The running expenses of the railroad company are your prime expenditures. Naturally, 
you can't get income without incurring some development expenses. Your profit, obtained 
by subtracting the expenses from the income, is added to the cash figure you see on 
your financial reports. If you have a minus profit, your cash is reduced by that figure. 
 
The expenses of the railroad branch are calculated by hours. A running train costs 
90 dollars per hour. When passengers get on a train, the operations charge is 10 
dollars for each 10 persons. The train's income is relative to the travel distance, 
fare and the number of passengers. 
 
Use REPORT 1 to see your company's profit and loss figures. If the balance is a 
negative figure, your company has a deficit. The menu has a three-part display that 
covers more of your screen display with each click. 
 
Level One 

This display charts the information on your available cash, debts and the estimated 
amount of tax for your company. 
 
Cash is the money used for purchasing and construction. Your company will go bankrupt 
- and your game lost - if your cash becomes a negative figure. Debts are the total 
monies borrowed from banks. They must be paid on the appointed dates. 
 
The amount of tax is estimated on March 31, and is due on June 1. It's essential that 
you have a cash reserve to cover your tax expenses. 
 
Level Two 

The status of the railroad and subsidiary sales and expenses as well as Level One 
information is displayed. A figure will appear in the Taxes column after estimation. 
 
Today:      sales, expenses and income for today are displayed. 
This Month: the business report from the first day of this month to yesterday is 
            displayed. 
This Term:  the business report from April 1 to yesterday is displayed. 

Level Three 

The railroad branch data as well as well as Level Two information is displayed. 
 
Stations:    the total number of stations on the map. 
Switches:    the total number of switches on the map. 
Trains:      the total number of trains owned by the company. 
Rail Length: the total length of railroads (in blocks). 
 
Balance Graph 

The strips in the graph show the difference between the income and the expenditures. 
If the colour is red, the expenditure is greater than the income. If the colour is 
black, the income is greater than the expenditure. The vertical axis represents money, 
and the horizontal axis time - the changes are recorded in one month blocks. 
 
The income and expenses of the nine subsidiary companies can be viewed in Report 1 
from 11:00AM to 7:00PM. At 9:00PM, each station reports its daily business. 
 
All of your company funds are deposited in banks paying an interest rate of at least 
0.1% . The company collects the interest once a month. Stock dividends are paid 
once a year on July 1. You will get an on-screen message: "You have received a 
dividend". Don't forget that you pay taxes on June 1 - you MUST have enough money 
set aside for this purpose or the game is kaput. 
 
The most critical factor in your commercial success is the income of the railroad 
branch - it's the base of the company. The second most important is the income from 
subsidiary companies. You might find it useful to always display the first level of 
Report 1 on the screen during game play. Check your cash when you want to purchase 
something. 
 
BUSINESS FLUCTUATIONS 
 
The macro-economics of the game are complex. It's hard to anticipate all business 
fluctuations, because some of the business conditions have random elements built 
in. When the business conditions deteriorate, the number of railroad passengers 
decreases by 10%. 
 
In April and December, when there is a great demand, your business is sure to be 
in good shape. But if there is a stock market slump, a recession will follow. Your 
income changes also have a small effect on business successes, and so does the 
balance between supply and demand of the labour force. 
 
There are two dominant expenses: temporary or fluid ones, such as the railroad 
construction/removing costs, the cost for purchasing lands and the fee for 
purchasing trains; the on going expenses consist of personnel expenditures and 
everyday fuel costs. 
 
Your subsidiary companies, like factories and department stores, also incur expenses. 
To see the expenses of subsidiary companies, use REPORT 2. The subsidiary companies 
can make profits by expanding the city and helping to develop new stations and railroads. 
When the profits of a subsidiary company are poor, you should consider selling it.
 
SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 
 
The simulation will settle your accounts for the year by calculating the final income 
and expenses. The amount of taxes is also estimated. You must take measures to 
ensure that your cash figure isn't lower than your tax due. The tax and debts are 
paid on the following weekday if the corresponding due date is a holiday.
 
Your term profits will be taxed at 50% and your assets at 5%. Thus the principal way 
to save on your tax bill is to spend your profits to purchase assets--subsidiary 
companies, lands, stocks, railroad facilities, etc.-before the March 31 tax estimate. 
(You can see the figure in the Taxes column in Report 1 and Report 2). 
 
You can turn any profit into newly purchased subsidiary companies before the settlement 
of accounts, and sell them in the new year. since a subsidiary company can gain a 
profit by itself, in many cases it won't be a "loss" to purchase it. Besides, the 
appraised value of the subsidiary company may grow. But the money you get from selling 
the subsidiary companies will add to the profit of the new year, so the cycle of buying 
and selling might have to be repeated every year. It is sound, and necessary, policy 
to consider the development and/or sale of subsidiary companies as an integral facet 
of your overall financial flowering. You are restricted to a total of 15 subsidiary 
sales for a single year. 
 
Within a limit of 18 for each category and 60 total, you can choose the following 
buildings and facilities for your company development: factories, commercial properties, 
hotels, golf courses, amusement parks, stadiums, ski resorts, apartments, and lease 
buildings. 
 
Your railroad company logo, in the form of a small box, will appear on top of the 
building or facility after purchase. (The logo will be removed after it has been 
sold). Some buildings and facilities can't be bought or sold depending on how much 
speculating you have done and the development state of the game. 
 
Purchasing land is also a reasonable method of investing profit, hut it saves you 
less than buying a subsidiary company. because the price of one block of land is far 
cheaper. Purchasing stocks is probably the easiest way to divert the profit tax. But 
keep in mind that there may be a stock market slump. It's also possible to save taxes 
by laying railroads or purchasing trains. If you don't have enough time (or money) to 
make a plan for laying railroads, it is better simply to purchase trains and hold them 
for the future. 
 
READING THE BALANCE SHEET AND CALCULATING YOUR TAXES 
 
Use the Balance Sheet (Report 2) to learn about the current financial management 
of the company, your assets, and as a basis for planning. You can find itemized 
information on assets, their appraised values and the corresponding taxes. 
 
There are three main parts: assets, revenue and expenditures. As mentioned, there 
are two types of tax: asset tax and profit tax. For assets, such as subsidiary 
companies, stocks and lands, the tax is 5% of their appraised value. The tax does 
not vary with the overall business balance of the company. 
 
The profit tax is 50% of the company profits, which are obtained by subtracting the 
expenses from the whole incomes. The minimum amount is 100 dollars, even when the 
company is operating at a deficit. 
 
The tax amount is calculated on March 31 , and paid on June 1 . Keep in mind the 
company will go bankrupt and the game will end if there is not enough money to pay 
your taxes on June 1. 

Railroad Assets 
 
The railroad track in one block is worth about 1,500 dollars, the switch 1,550 
dollars. A small station is worth 48,000 dollars, and a large station 196,000 dollars. 
This is in addition to the valuation of purchased trains. 
 
Subsidiaries 

The appraised value is the total amount of market values of all subsidiary companies. 
Each appraised value varies with the income of each separate subsidiary company. 
 
Stocks 

The appraised value is the total market amount of the stocks you have at the time. 
 
Real Estate 

The appraised value is the total amount of the current market prices of your land 
holdings. 
 
Revenue 
 
Railroad Operation 

The total amount of the sales of the railroad branch from April 1 to the present. 
 
Subsidiaries 

The total amount of sales of all subsidiary companies from April 1 to present. You 
can find the sales of each subsidiary company in Report 3. 
 
Selling Subsidiaries 

The total amount obtained from selling subsidiary companies. 
 
Selling Stocks 

The total amount obtained by selling stocks. 
 
Selling Real Estate 

The total amount obtained by selling lands. 
 
Stock Dividends 

The dividends of all the stocks on July 1. 
 
Interest Income 

The total interest of this term (from April 1 to present). 

Expenditures 
 
Railroad Operation 

The sum of operating expenses of trains and stations. 
 
Subsidiaries 

The total operating expenses of all subsidiary companies. 
 
Acquisition of Subsidiaries 

The total price of purchased subsidiary companies. 
 
Stock Purchase 

The total price of purchased stocks. 
 
Real Estate 

The total price of purchased land. 
 
Commission 

The fee totals of this term. When buying stocks, there is a charge of 10 dollars for 
each stock and a basic fee of 50 dollars. To sell a subsidiary company, the basic fee 
is 500 dollars, in addition to a commission taking 2% of the appraised value of the 
company. 
 
Interest Paid 

The interest totals paid on all debts. 
 
Balance 

The difference between the total income and the expenses. 
 
Income Tax 

This tax takes 50% of the profits. When there is no profit, it takes 100 dollars. 
 
Cash 

The total cash at present. 
 
Total Tax 

The sum of the profit tax and the asset tax. It is estimated on March 31 and due on 
June 1. 
 
Railroad operation figures are calculated hourly. The consolidated figures of your 
subsidiaries for the hours between 11:00 and 7:00 are calculated daily, along with 
the station sales at 9:00PM. Interest income on your cash balance is the sum of your 
lowest balance multiplied by 0.1% once monthly. Stock dividends are distributed on 
July 1.
