While train cars will change appearance through different eras, the world map does not, and thus a meat packing plant or a steel mill will look the same in 1855 as in 2055. The overall effect is that poor goodwill in a territory leads to higher costs to acquire the rights to lay track and to run trains.
Every territory has a default value, but certain things can raise it (manager bonuses, reliable and frequent service) and other things can degrade it (untransported cargo loads, breakdowns, and so forth). Alliance Meter: In Tycoon 2, you can go into your company's information book and see just where you stand with various territories in terms of their goodwill.
