Why can't I build railroads?

[Dr Strangelove]

I've acquired the ability to build railroads, and have an extensive network on my home continent. I've built 3 cities on a neighboring island, but the game won't let me build railroads between them. Why?

[pauli]

do your workers on the island have access to coal?

[Dr Strangelove]

There has to be coal on the island? I've got plenty of coal on the mainland.

[pauli]

do you have harbors connecting them? do the cities on the island have a coal supply? are the roads you're upgrading connected to the cities?

[Dr Strangelove]

I have one city on the coast, but it doesn't have a harbor yet. All the cities are connected by roads. I haven't seen any coal on the island. Would it help if I built a harbor or do I absolutely have to have a source of coal on the island?

[pauli]

the harbors will do the trick.

the workers can't build railroads without coal, and like any strategic resource, it has to be traded across via roads, harbors, or airports. once that's taken care of, you're golden.

until it runs out

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by pauli
the harbors will do the trick.

the workers can't build railroads without coal, and like any strategic resource, it has to be traded across via roads, harbors, or airports. once that's taken care of, you're golden.

until it runs out

It didn't work. I built a harbor, but I still can't build railroads on the island.

[FeathersMcGraw]

You need to have a harbor on the island, as well as a harbor on your main continent. In addition, the harbor on the main continent must be located on a body of water that allows sea travel to the island (i.e. building a harbor on a landlocked lake won't help).

Or you need an airport on your main continent and an airport on the island.

In either case, the airport and harbor on your main continent must also have access to coal via roads.

[solo]

I think you also need iron to build railroads.

[simwiz2]

if the cities on the island dont have BOTH coal and iron in their strategic resource box, then you either are not connected to the mainland, or you dont have iron at all. And without coal and iron you cannot build RR's

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by simwiz2
if the cities on the island dont have BOTH coal and iron in their strategic resource box, then you either are not connected to the mainland, or you dont have iron at all. And without coal and iron you cannot build RR's

Eventually the game decided to allow me to build railroads on the island. This occured a few turns after building a harbor on the island. I already had several ocean harbors on the mainland, and a plentiful supply of iron and coal. I guess the game took a few turns to decide that I was sufficiently connected.

The undocumented features of this game, i.e., things that are governed by rules in the programming that I the gamer doesn't know about, really tick me off at times.