Rails of Revival: China 1889

Lay the rails. Feed the cities. Carry a nation through its hardest half-century.

It is 1889, and the Peking–Hankow line is still a proposal on paper. You have some capital, a map, and forty-eight years. Link the mines, mills, ports and cities — when freight moves, money moves; when money moves, cities grow.Your own railway company in China, 1889

It is 1889, and you have some money to start a railway. Where should the first line go? You could haul coal from a mine or bring grain into town. Once the revenue starts coming in, buy more trains, build a branch line and let the business grow. With trains running across the map, that town just beyond your tracks starts to look rather tempting.

Making a railway pay takes some work

Two places may look close on the map, but there are hills and rivers in the way. Bridges cost money, a detour needs more track, and a steep climb needs an engine that can manage the load. Before you start building, check the terrain and work out what the line will carry, and how much. Better to do the sums before the track is laid.

Which locomotive, and how many wagons?

Hauling coal calls for a different train from carrying passengers. Some engines are faster, others pull more, and reliability matters too. Match the engine and wagons to the route, allow for the gradients and set the number of runs. There are no signals or passing moves to manage. When you have a spare moment, click a train and follow it through the towns along the line.

The goods a town needs might be just down the line

Check stocks and demand before building a new route. If a mine has coal and a nearby factory needs it, you have a reason to connect them. But you cannot keep sending everything to the same place forever. Deliveries change stocks and local prices, and a shortage may not last. Come back after a while and see how the market is doing.

After hauling all that freight, why not open a mill?

If your railway passes through cotton country, you could open a spinning mill and send the yarn on to a weaving mill. Coal and iron ore nearby might make a steelworks worth considering. Your own railway can carry both the raw materials and the finished goods. Once the factories are running, though, you need to keep them supplied. If something runs short, trace the problem back along the line.

A growing town needs more deliveries

Keep grain, cloth and other goods coming in, and the towns along your railway have room to grow. More residents bring more demand, so the few runs that used to be enough may no longer do the job. Open the city card, check what is missing, then decide whether to add trains or build another line. The route may be the same, but it gets busier.

Hard times for a railway company

Between 1889 and 1937, your company will live through the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer crisis and the 1911 Revolution. Historical events happen in their appointed years. Lines may be requisitioned, or trade may slump. Spend every last coin on track and you could struggle to keep going when trouble arrives. It pays to keep some cash in reserve.

Plenty of new track. How much cash is left?

Found a promising route but cannot afford it yet? You can issue bonds or mortgage railway assets. Borrowed money gets construction moving, but the interest still needs paying. Do not get so caught up in expanding that you forget the bill. At the end of the year, open the ledger and check revenue, net worth and cash to see what you actually have to show for all that work.

Try a new challenge, or make your own map

Start with the tutorial and build your first line, then try the management scenarios, each with a different set of tasks. For a game on your own terms, choose Free Play. The map editor lets you lay out mountains, rivers, towns and resources. Random maps also have a seed code: send it to a friend and each of you can try your own railway on the same terrain. Single-player, with English, German, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese text.