Yet Another Game Idea - A Train Game

I like coming up with the ideas for the games but I have no idea how to transfer the idea from my mind to a workable game.  But anyways, most of the train games out there are effectively multiplayer solitaire.  Sure someone could mess with you but they have to almost go out of their way to mess with you.  In the crayon games (which I really like btw), the only way that you can seriously mess with someone is by mucking your cards and hoping for the disasters but the way the disasters work, you usually end up screwing with yourself.  In Rail Baron, for the end game, you can try to crash with a player as he heads for his home city to win the game.  To me, this is a pretty wonky mechanic and it doesn't add much to the game except drag it out (another game I like though).   In Railroad Tycoon, you can mess with people by making them reroute their builds but this is a shitty rule that doesn't add much to either your or their strategy (we typically house rule this one out).  But anyways...

When the rails were being forged across this country, the people doing so were pretty ruthless in doing so.   They would first try to buy the land at a reduced price.  If the people weren't willing to sell, the railroads would come up with other methods to acquire the land.  There was also a great deal of competition, especially in areas where the best rail land was limited.  Not to mention there were other interests competing for that same land (farmers, cattlemen, sheepmen (BLECH!).  I could see a game where each player represents those various factions.  Each faction of course has different goals.  There might even be a couple of players representing rival railroads. 

You could go for overt methods (hiring gunmen) or more covert methods (Damn, it would be a shame if your barn burnt down a fourth time).  The winner would be the person that finishes his goal first.