Player’s handbook · est. 1830
The Railwayman’s Handbook
“Your great-uncle Aloysius has departed this world and left you his pride and folly — a little railway that loses money spectacularly. Yours now.”
6 chapters · the line from 1830 to Railway King
Table of contents
Handbook
- 01The Railwayman's HandbookRead →What you inherit in 1830, the cycle your railway runs on, the rank ladder you climb, and the year a good railwayman reaches the top.
- 02Where Fares Come FromRead →The two-cell catchment, the worker-to-job balance that wants about five houses per factory, parks as the weekend trade, and the per-line demand cap.
- 03Stations, Trains & ThroughputRead →The number of stations a line really wants, why adding one is usually the wrong fix, and the carriage, speed, platform and engine upgrades that move income.
- 04Fares, Distance & the Shape of a LineRead →The fare formula, why trip distance is arc-length and not separation, the short-arc trap that costs new players most, and why a folded compact loop beats a big oval.
- 05The Operating RatioRead →The one number the board grades, why a frozen line slides into a miss, and the debt that is the only way you actually lose the game.
Strategy
New to the line? Start with the overview →