Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon

Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon is a business simulation game by Sid Meier, released in 1990, and the game revolves around building up a business empire.

Its design is further from "Sid Meier's Civilization" than "Sid Meier's Colonization". Differences include that fact that it's not turn-based, but real-time (though you can freeze time easily).

Cities, villages, industries, and resources are already on the map (and tend to increase over time, although there are occasional disappearances). What the player builds are stations of various sizes and tracks joining them, with locomotives and carriages or freight cars.

The trains are then scheduled to pick up and deliver mail, passengers, and three classes of goods. Each station produces potential freight, in four batches per year, according to how many cities, villages, and resource-producers are in its radius. Freight is also produced by conversion of lower-class goods (e.g. coal into steel) in a processing industry within the station's radius.

Speed of delivery is the chief determinant of your income; you are also competing with other railroad tycoons, and may buy shares in their railroad companies (as they may in yours).

Sequels

 * Railroad Tycoon Deluxe (1993) - three new "worlds" (but without the British Isles) and more variety of messages; closing adverts for Return Phantom, Pirates Gold, and Sid Meier's Civilization
 * Railroad Tycoon II (1998)
 * Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century
 * Railroad Tycoon II: Gold Edition
 * Railroad Tycoon II: Platinum Edition
 * Railroad Tycoon II: The Next Millennium (2000)
 * Railroad Tycoon 3 (2003)
 * Railroad Tycoon 3: Coast to Coast (2004)
 * Sid Meier's Railroads! (2006)