I say potential, because it may simply be a matter of how one defines things.
The situation is this: U.S. CG in about 1859 or so; I have heavily used colonial development on the continent -- essentially using every development card that may be available between Misourri and California every turn.
The result that concerns me has to do with road and telegraph usage. I have some areas (Osage Prarrie, Denver, Tucson, the entire state of Minn., the entire Pacific Northwest) that have developed "double railroad" development status although I have never built a railroad there, and they are (or were) colonial areas that are releatively sparsely populated.
So, the question is whether "double railroad" is merely a synonym for "highly developed" or whether that term actually requires the building of railroads.
In any case, I had the situation where I was able to connect to Osage Prairre with a railroad in the adjacent section of Missouri. Once the adjacent area built a railroad the "railroad" in Osage Prarrie came to life although I had never built a railroad there.
Regards,
Feltan