This isn't exactly the place for this, but since it's on the Sid Meier's Railroads! (http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/railroads.html) official site, I thought I would post about it here.

Although the website states it is the original Railroad Tycoon and even features the box art for the original game, it is in fact its successor Railroad Tycoon Deluxe. (I know this because I purchased the entire series as each game was released.) Which isn't a bad thing as it has more maps and plays almost identically as the original minus some of the animated scenes.

If you have a problem locating the download on the official site and don't want to use a 3rd party site, here is Take-Two Interactive's direct download link (http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/downloads/Railroad_Tycoon.zip).

The game runs flawflessly on my Pentium IV under Windows XP (actually better than it did under DOS in the original game, I think). This is no doubt made possible by the DOSBox developers and beta team at VOGONS since they received a special thanks in the game's Readme file.

Enjoy! :smoke:

Nice find!

Is this legal? Have the mods approve of this?

Is this legal? Have the mods approve of this?
Considering it is on 2K Games' website, and the fact that Thunderfall posted it on the main page (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=193837), I'd have to go with yes. ;)

Yes, there is no problem with the owner of the game and its copyright making the game available for free, as is the case here. This doesn't mean it's freeware, necessarily, as you may not be able to put it up for download anywhere else to give copies away, but you are free to give the link out and tell people where to get it as long as it's up for free download.

Usually, when a game is given away for free, it's to promote a new and related game, as in this case. The same thing was done with Betrayal in Krondor before Betrayal in Antara came out.

Considering it is on 2K Games' website, and the fact that Thunderfall posted it on the main page (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=193837), I'd have to go with yes. ;)
Well I am just checking since once I see "Free Download" of a game, I suspiciously think that the thread is about wirez and other illegal taboos.

Anyone playing the free game yet? I have been having a problem laying angled track. I thought I remembered that you had to hit shift but no matter what combination of NUM LOCK, Scroll Lock, Shift, and 7,9,1, and 3 in the number pad I can't get any tracks to come up on the screen except for those that are laid straight up and down and left and right with the arrow keys.

I would really like to play this game again but can't lay track.

Anyone playing the free game yet? I have been having a problem laying angled track....

I would really like to play this game again but can't lay track.

That is the only problem I have had with the game. In the original game you laid track by holding down the Shift Key while pressing the appropriate directional key, but that doesn't work.

Edit: I got it to work after pressing the Num Lock key twice. After enabling track laying, you have to click on the section of track that you want to build from and then lay track. Be careful as any directional key will build track from an existing track.

After track laying has been enabled, the Num Lock key will act as a toggle to turn track laying off and on.

oh my god! The Vogons website brings back memories of years gone by. Dosbox is all I need.

I guess I was too busy playing civilization back in the day and missed this.

I'll try laying track again, has been a pain in the ass so far.

Is it free, not a 30 day free trial?

Is it ads in it?

Is it free, not a 30 day free trial?

Is it ads in it?
its totally free.

they started allowing "free" downloads a while ago, but now its offically on there website. theres 2 "mods" out there that have been tweaked to make the game run better on XP. one is called openTTDX and i cant remember the other one.

Railroad Tycoon and Transport Tycoon are totally different games. Transport Tycoon Deluxe (TTDX) is the seminal and definititive train game imho.

OpenTTD is a from scratch (ish) TTDX clone, with a rabid community. TTDPatch is a 90% modded programme you add to the original TTDX game.

Locomotion is the 'spiritual' update to the original Transport Tycoon. Its modding community is quite small.

Chris Sawyer's trains games simply piss on Meir's train games i'm afraid to say. Although RRT2 was awesome (RRT3 is rubbish). Although together they would make an uber dream team of train geekness!

www.tt-forums.net is the best source for info.

Link went dead :cry:

:clap: But I found the official one here http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/railroads.html

Not to get too far off topic, but Trains & Trucks Tycoon (TTT) is my all time favorite train sim program. Probably have played it in the 1000's..:)

Link went dead :cry:

:clap: But I found the official one here http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/railroads.html
Fantastic music on that page, but no Railroad Tycoon Deluxe download.

This link worked for me today..:)
http://www.gamershell.com/download_16510.shtml

Here is another working link:
http://games.softpedia.com/get/Freeware-Games/Railroad-Tycoon-Deluxe-Free-Full-Game.shtml

Also a interesting review, game & manual download links..
http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/strategy_games/games_q_r/railroad_tycoon_deluxe.html

Thank you. Let's hope that link doesn't go dead too soon, because I don't have time now.

Link went dead :cry:

:clap: But I found the official one here http://www.2kgames.com/railroads/railroads.html


Yes, that is the first link in my initial post in this thread. Unfortunately the direct download I posted the link to in my same post no longer works for some reason.

Fantastic music on that page, but no Railroad Tycoon Deluxe download.

I don't know why some people have that problem. That was the reason for the direct download link I posted that no longer works. Do you have Javascript enabled?

I don't know why some people have that problem. That was the reason for the direct download link I posted that no longer works. Do you have Javascript enabled?He's trying to tell you that the game download is not the one with the word "Deluxe" in the title.

He's trying to tell you that the game download is not the one with the word "Deluxe" in the title.

That's because the game download is labelled wrong. What is shown is Railroad Tycoon. What it actually is is Railroad Tycoon Deluxe.

This link worked for me today..:)
http://www.gamershell.com/download_16510.shtml

Here is another working link:
http://games.softpedia.com/get/Freeware-Games/Railroad-Tycoon-Deluxe-Free-Full-Game.shtml

Also a interesting review, game & manual download links..
http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/strategy_games/games_q_r/railroad_tycoon_deluxe.html
I am wary of downloading from a third party. These third party downloads probably work, but how safe are they?

Quote from one of them, softpedia:
Softpedia guarantees that Railroad Tycoon Deluxe Free Full Game is 100% CLEAN, which means it does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors.

This software product was tested thoroughly and was found absolutely clean, therefore it can be installed with no concern by any computer user.However, it should be noted that this product will be retested periodically and the award may be withdrawn, so you should check back on this page from time to time.
They did not mention adware. I suspect and expect adware from all free games downloaded from third party sites, until the oposite is proven.

What is your opinions?

I haven't been able to get this to work on my laptop, probably due to the embedded "number pad" within the regular keyboard. I can lay track in the cardinal directions using the arrow keys, but not diagonal track. I believe I've tried every combo of the "Blue fn", shift, num lock, and the 1-3-7-9 keys, including (just now) hitting the Num Lock key 2, 3, or even 4 times. Any ideas (other than zig-zag track)?

I haven't been able to get this to work on my laptop, probably due to the embedded "number pad" within the regular keyboard. I can lay track in the cardinal directions using the arrow keys, but not diagonal track. I believe I've tried every combo of the "Blue fn", shift, num lock, and the 1-3-7-9 keys, including (just now) hitting the Num Lock key 2, 3, or even 4 times. Any ideas (other than zig-zag track)?
I also use a laptop. In some games the PgUp/Down, Home, End and Insert keys works as numpad.

You can also try to use the Numlock. On my pc, it is Fn + NumLock. When NumLock is activated, certain keys on the keyboard works as numpad.

Mine is also Fn-NumLk. I can navigate the screen with (say) Shift-Fn-9 but I can't lay track that way. I haven't tried Page Up (etc.) so I'll try those. Thanks for the ideas. It would be nice to play an old favorite again, and I'm confident that Railroads isn't going to work on this laptop.

Buy an usb numpad. They are not so expensive and I found it to be a good investment.

Buy an usb numpad. They are not so expensive and I found it to be a good investment.

Ah, the good ol' "upgrade your machine" advice...

Ah, the good ol' "upgrade your machine" advice...
Customary with new games, unusual with an "ancient" one. Come to think of it I once had to get a PCMCIA card with a game card adapter so I could use an old FlightSim control yoke on a laptop. That USB numpad would be a hell of a lot cheaper than the video card upgrades--or new computers--needed to play games like Railroads! and Oblivion and Caesar IV and Civ4 and Medieval 2: Total War and... :eek:

I have tryied to play it, but I can't get track to appear :mad:. I am probably doing somthing really dumb. :blush:

Ah, the good ol' "upgrade your machine" advice...
Yes. ;)
But often the "upgrade your machine" advices are about more expensive things like RAM, CPU and graphics cards.

Without the necessary keys, even an up-to-date computer will be hampered.

I have tryied to play it, but I can't get track to appear :mad:. I am probably doing somthing really dumb. :blush:

Did you try pressing the Num Lock key twice? After that, it should act as a toggle to lay track. At least it did for me.

Got it working, laying track on diagonals, after several tries. Num Lock must be OFF when DOSbox fires up. Then I gotta toggle NumLock on and off after loading a saved game. At that point I can lay tracks on diagonals using the number pad.

Welcome to the Civilization Fanatics' Forums, RalphCringely. :beer: