F@#$ Brass Birmingham hints, an incomplete and largely incomprehensible strategy guide.

Part 1 :  Broad Strokes

1. There are two ways to score points, canal/rail links and industry VP.  In general, you either want to flip high level industries in canal phase so they score twice OR start with a pile of money in rail phase and claim lucrative rail links quickly.  A hybrid strategy is viable as well, if harder to pull off.
2. Canal phase should set up rail phase:  L1's go away so have a good reason to play an L1 industry.  Auto-Flipping a L1 iron or coal is a very good reason, ineffiecently trading a L1 cotton or manufacturing is not a good reason. 
3. Canal phase should set up rail phase part two:  SPREAD OUT IF YOU CAN!  Rail links and industry cards require you to be 'in network' and it's important to be in multiple regions heading into rail.
4. There is a lot of resource sniping
1. don't leave something you want open (this includes markets)
2. even if you don't leave it open, don't be surprised if it's unlocked and taken anyways

Part 2 : Tactical hints

1. if you are flipping a tile and taking a loan in the same turn, always take the loan first.    The lower rungs of the income ladder are much easier to climb than the higher.
2. Canal's are inefficient.  It's incredibly difficult to escape canal phase without building at least 1 canal, but think carefully before playing one.
3. Coal is great at generating income but is awful for victory points.  In rail phase, don't subsidize rail builds by supplying cheap coal!  Similar to canals, it's incredibly difficult to not play any coal in rail phase but simply auto-flipping a coal mine in rail phase is not an adequate reason  to justify playing that tile.
4. My favorite mechanic in the game is playing with turn order.   So pay attention to what was spent, what you're going to spend.  
5. "Scouting" -  if you have to scout more than once, the game is not going well for you.  Also I think it's better to do it earlier in the round than later.
6. There's no hard and fast rule for Iron plays.  Development is really important in canal phase, but playing Ironworks is incredibly lucrative.  Iron is a game within a game.
7. I have not figured out Clay at all, so take this with a grain of salt.  Even number pottery tiles look like they're there to claim spots and be overbuilt by the next level up.   Only trade them if they're part a multi-trade action.
8. The market bonuses are nice but not vital.  Yes try to get them, but the true benefit is flipping your industry tiles.