 Strousberg engaged general contractors responsible for the construction of the railway lines, whom he paid with block of shares in instalments according to the building progress.He himself had to raise less capital while Strousberg's stockholders initially generated high profits, however, the nominal value of the shares reached dubious heights with regard to the actual costs of constructing.In 1868 he also purchased the iron foundry and engineering works of Georg Egestorff in Hanover, predecessor of Hanomag, and operated the Berlin cattle market.