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.”
8 chapters · the line from 1830 to Railway King
Table of contents
Handbook
- 01The Railwayman's HandbookRead →What you're building, how you win, and the one loop that decides every game of Railway King.
- 02The Board & the Operating RatioRead →The one number the board grades you on — what it means, how the tiers work, and the cleanest ways to beat it every year.
- 03The Demand EngineRead →Where every fare actually comes from: station colours, the 2-cell catchment, and the worker–job–park gravity that you must keep in balance.
- 04Stations, Trains & ThroughputRead →How many stations a city actually wants, why there's only one train, and the upgrade that matters most when passengers pile up.
- 05Geometry, Land & FaresRead →Why a long trip pays more, why the fare stops growing at 26 cells, and why one simple oval beats snaking the track to fit more stations.
- 06Good Map vs Bad MapRead →Two layouts of the same size, side by side — one nets +1,999 a year, the other bleeds −4,374. The whole difference is how the line is arranged.
- 07The Long Century & the StrikeRead →The scripted shocks of 1830–1973, the one decision the strike forces on you, and proof that a skilled line survives the worst of it.
Strategy
New to the line? Start with the overview →