18XX Rules Difference List

Listed in full

Contents

1. First Share-dealing Round
2. Subsequent Share-dealing Rounds
3. Operating rounds: companies that float
4. Operations
5. Tile Lay
6. Station Markers
7. Train Runs
8. Payment of Earnings
9. Purchasing Trains
10. Private Companies
11. Presidency of a Share Company
12. Game Phases
13. End of Game
14. Secrecy
15. Inventories
16. Miscellaneous points

1825, 1829, 1830BC, 1835, 1837, 1853, 18GA, 18MW, 18MX No (i.e. sell-buy-sell)
1826, 1827 Jr., 1831, 1841, 1842, 1844, 1849, 1851, 1854, 1862, 1898, 2038, 18EU, 18VA Sell then buy
1830 Sell then buy, or buy then sell. But the author's intention was to allow sell-buy-sell, and many people, also the computer version, allow this.
1837 Paul Work's translation of the German rules reads ".. a player may buy one certificate and may sell as many shares as desired. Either or both actions may be carried out in any order." Interpretations of this differ.
1856, 1870, 18GA Sell then buy, or buy then sell
1876v2 Sell then buy, or buy then sell but no "panic selling".
Crisis No (i.e. sell-buy-sell). Moreover, a company may not both buy and sell shares in the same company in the same round.

2.2) Are you limited to buying one certificate on your turn?

1825, 1835 No.
1826, 1827 Jr., 1831, 1841, 1844, 1842, 1849, 1851, 1854, 1862, 1898, 2038, 18EU, 18VA No. All selling precedes all buying.
1829, 1830, 1830BC, 1837, 1853, 1870, 18GA, 18MW, 18MX Yes
1856 Yes, but you can't sell the particular share that you just bought. The rules say that you can't sell the particular certificate that you just bought, but designer Bill Dixon has stated that they don't mean it.)
Crisis Players may, companies may not.

2.12) Can companies buy shares?

For other questions about private companies, see section 10.

3. Operating Rounds: Companies that float

4.2) If you sell shares in several companies so that their tokens end up in one stack, what order are they stacked in?

A general principle of all 18xx games is that an upgrade may never destroy existing track. This is to be assumed in everything written below.

There are three common forms of the rule on this:

permissive

Some of the track on the newly-laid tile must be reachable from one of the laying company's station markers by an arbitrarily large train

restrictive

Some of the newly-created track must be reachable from one of the laying company's station markers by an arbitrarily large train

semi-restrictive

Some of the newly-created track must be reachable from one of the laying company's station markers by an arbitrarily large train or the value of a city which can be reached by that train changes

1825 A city may only be upgraded if reachable from one of the laying company's station-markers by "one of the Company's existing Trains" which presumably excludes double-heading (rule 4.3.2).
1825 with survey parties As for 1825 without them (rule 6.6.).
1826 Semi-restrictive.
1827 Jr. Permissive (personal communication from Vellani).
1829 The upgrading company must have moved a Survey Party, and the upgraded hex must be free of Survey Parties (rule 43.).
1830 Rule 18.1 says permissive. However it is possible to read the restrictions of rule 18.0 as applying to rule 18.1, making the result restrictive. A clarification from Avalon Hill says that the 1830 rule is semi-restrictive. Their own computer version is permissive.
1830BC, 2038 NA
1831 Awaiting information
1835 Restrictive (German rule VII.1). But the author's intention was permissive, and another German ruleset exists. An English translation says permissive (rules 3.1.12-3.1.20.).
1837 According to the printed rules, restrictive (rule VI.1.). This means that certain tiles can never be laid, and is a mistake. The designer Leonhard Orgler has stated (personal communication to Steve Thomas) that it should be semi-restrictive.
1841 The original rules were restrictive (rules 4.1.1, 4.1.2.). As for 1837, a subsequent clarification from the author states that it should be semi-restrictive.
1842 Restrictive (rule 6.2.3.). (Note also rule 6.2.2 restricting upgrades to both coastal and inland cities.)
1844 Permissive (rule XV bullet-point 7).
1849v1&3 Restrictive (rule 4.1.)
1849v4 Semi-restrictive (rule 4.1.)
1853 Permissive; but upgrades only allowed on the company's "patch".
1851, 1856 Semi-restrictive (page 16.)
1854 Semi-restrictive (rule 5.4).
1862 Permissive.
1870 Semi-restrictive (page 20.)
1876v2 Permissive. (".. use the 1830 rulebook.")
1898 Permissive (final sentence of section "Lay or Upgrade Track").
18EU Permissive.
18GA A clarification dated 1998-06-25 said restrictive; a later one said semi-restrictive. John David Galt confirmed (2003-01-28) "18AL/GA are actually semi-restrictive".
18MX Semi-restrictive (rule 3.5.5).
18MW Permissive.
18VA Restrictive.
Crisis Permissive.

5.4) Do villages upgrade?

6.2) Can you lay more than one per turn? (This does not include the token in the company's starting hex: you may always lay one in addition to this)

7.2) Can you do a run that passes through a city completely filled by rival station marker(s)?

In 1830 and some other games, villages are a nuisance. They count towards the station count of a train, but add little to revenue. In such games it is almost always better to build a line through an empty field than through a village, if other things are equal and diesels are not in operation. While this is not a problem for gameplay, some people feel that it makes an unsatisfactory simulation. This may be why various authors have found various ways of changing it.

1825, 1829 A run may not start nor end in a village. Double-heading (see previous item) reduces the severity of this restriction.
1826 "H" trains count hexes not stations. "E" and "TGV" trains must ignore villages.
1827Jr, 1849 Trains count hexes not stations.
1830, 1842, 1862, 1870 No special rule. Villages are generally a nuisance.
1835, 1847 As well as N-trains that visit up to N stations, there are N+n trains that visit up to n villages as well as up to N stations.
1837 As for 1835 and 1847, but N+m trains are rarer. Also, for coal trains villages contribute to the run, but do not count towards the station count; and express trains ignore villages.
1841, 1898, 18EU, 18AL, 18GA, 18MX Villages contribute to the run, but do not count towards the station count. In 1841 this rule is in §4.3.1.
1830BC, 1831, 1851, 2038, Crisis There are no villages.
1853 Villages contribute to the run, but do not count towards the station count. They can also be upgraded to cities.
1854 Villages on the local map contribute to the run, but do not count towards the station count. Double villages on the main map can be upgraded to cities, and so can "large" villages from the brown phase.
1856, 18MW Villages may eventually be upgraded to cities or "downgraded" to empty fields.
18VA Not villages, but coal mines. Only goods trains, a.k.a. freight trains, may score them. Other trains may pass through them and ignore them.

8. Payment of Earnings

9.4) When a company has no train, and cannot buy one with its own means, it must use its director's money. What train may it then buy?

9.6 Can trains of the final type be purchased as soon as one train of the next-to-last type is purchased?

1825, 1826, 1829, 1835, 1837, 1851, 1854, 1862, 18MW No
1827 Jr. Some. One can be bought only by share companies
1830, 1830BC, 1856 Once a 3-train has been sold; at from ½ to 2 times face value.
18AL, 18GA, 18MX, 18VA Once a 3-train has been sold; at from ½ to 1½ times face value
1831, 1841, 1849v1&3, 1853, 1898, Crisis NA
1842 Yes, in an auction. The private company ceases to exist, and its assets are transferred.
1844 Yes, once a 3- (or 3H-) train has been sold, at from 1 franc to twice face value.
1847 The stone mine companies only, and not by major(s) in the west.
1849v4 From phase 6 to phase 10.
1870 Once a 3-train has been sold; at from ½ to 2 times face value; the bridge co. sooner by majors on Mississippi.
2038 Once a phase II spaceship has been sold; at from $1 to face value.

10.2) Does a private company prevent builds in its home hex(es) while it is owned by a player?

11.2) Can you exchange the director's share for regular shares from another player when you sell shares to the Bank Pool?

1825
2  One   Train limit four, 1 OR
3  Two   Green tiles, 2 ORs,
4
5  Three Brown tiles, 2-trains rust, train limit three, 3 ORs

1826
2H   2H   Train limit four, 1 OR, top OBH
4H   4H   Green tiles, 2 ORs, top OBH
6H   6H   2H-trains rust, train limit three, trains can be bought across, top OBH
10H  10H  Brown tiles, 4H-trains rust, train limit two, 3 ORs, second OBH
E    E    6H-trains rust, third OBH
TGV  TGV  Grey tiles, bottom OBH

1827 Jr.
1H  1H   Train limit four, 1 OR
2H  2H   Green tiles, 2 ORs, privates may be bought by share companies,
         —  more share companies available, more privates available
3H  3H   1H trains rust, train limit three, bonds available,
         — another private available
4H  4H   2H trains rust, prestige items available, another private available
5H  5H   Brown tiles, 3 ORs, high value for OBHs, another private available
P8H P8H  3H trains rust
F7H F7H  4H trains rust, 5H trains require maintenance

1829
2  One   Train limit four, 1 OR
3  Two   Green tiles, 2 ORs
4
5  Three Brown tiles, 2-trains rust, train limit three, 3 ORs
7  Four  Gray tiles, 3-trains rust, train limit two, 4 ORs

1830
2  Yellow Train limit four, 1 OR
3  Green  Green tiles, privates may be bought by companies, 2 ORs.
4         2-trains rust, train limit three
5  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, higher values for obhs,
          — privates close
6         3-trains rust, D-trains available immediately
8         4-trains rust

1831
2  One   Yellow tiles, Train limit Five, 1 OR
3  Two   Green tiles, corporations may have Station and rail yard in same city
4  Three Blue tiles, train limit four, 2 ORs, 2 certificate block buys allowed
5  Four  2-trains rust, train limit three, station token cost and payout increase
6  Five  3-trains rust
7  Six   Red tiles, 4-trains rust, 4 ORs, 4 certificate block buys allowed
9  Seven 5-trains rust, train limit two, station token cost and payout increase
12 Eight Mergers cease
15 Nine  6-trains rust

1830BC
1+1 1  Harvest 20, 6 water per river.
2   2  Harvest 20, 6 water per river.
3   3  Harvest 25, 6 water per river, 1+1s rust, indies may be bought by companies.
4   4  Harvest 25, 7 water per river, 2s rust, indies close.
M   5  Harvest 30, 8 water per river, 3s rust.

1835
2    1  Train limit four(two), two tile lays by majors
2+2
3    2  Green tiles, transfer of trains, 2 ORs, one tile-lay per company,
        — mid value for obhs, trains may be bought from other companies
3+3
4       2 trains rust, train limit three(one), Prussia may start
4+4     2+2 trains rust, Prussia must start
5    3  Brown tiles, train limit two (Pr 3), high value for obhs, 3 ORs,
        — all minors must fold into Prussia and all privates close
5+5
6       3 trains rust
6+6     3+3 trains rust

1837
2    1  Train limit four for majors, two for minors
3    2  Green tiles, transfer of trains, 2 ORs, Bosnia-Herzegovina open,
        — passes may be built without help of mountain railways, 2G trains available,
        — train limit three for majors, trains may be bought from other companies
3+1     Train limit one for non-Hungarian minors and for coal companies
4       2 trains rust, 3G trains available (once 2Gs have sold out) & rust 1Gs,
        — Italy secedes, Bozen upgraded to green, Sudbahn launched, K+K may be launched,
        – train limit for Sudbahn and K+K is four.
3G      1G trains rust
4E      Hungarian may launch – its train limit is four.
4+1     K+K must launch.
5    3  Brown tiles, train limit two (three for fused companies), 3 ORs,
        — 4G trains available (once 3Gs have sold out) Hungarian must launch,
        — private companies closed, coal companies fused into majors
4G      2G trains rust.
5+2     3+1 trains rust.

1841
2  2  train limit four(two)
3  3  Green tiles, 2 ORs, two track-lays per major,
      — track-lays across borders, non-historic companies may start
4  4  2-trains rust, borders change, IRSSF split, Tuscan merge,
      — mid values for obhs, train limit three(two)
5  5  3-trains rust, borders change again, brown tiles, 3 ORs,
      — one track-lay per major
6  6  high values for off-board hexes, train limit two(one)
7  7  4-trains rust
8  8  5-trains rust

1842
1  Yellow Train limit four, 1 OR
2
3  Green  1-trains rust, train limit three, green tiles, 2 ORs,
          — privates may be bought by companies, trains may be bought from other companies
4         2-trains rust
5  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, higher values for obhs
6         3-trains rust
7         4-trains rust

1844
2/2H  Yellow Train limit four, 1 OR
3/3H  Green  2-trains become 2Hs, green tiles, 2 ORs, privates may be bought by companies,
           — trains may be bought from other companies, special properties of privates may be used
4/4H         2H-trains rust, 3-trains become 3Hs, train limit 3
5/5H  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, SBB forms at end of current OR
6            3H-trains rust, 4-trains become 4Hs, companies that have not
           — floated will be fully capitalised without need to destinate
7            4H-trains rust, 5-trains become 5Hs, grey tiles available

1847            [ This needs checking ]
3    yellow Train limit four(two), two tile lays, no development of others' home bases
3+3
4    green  Green tiles, transfer of trains, 2 ORs, one tile-lay per company,
            — mid value for obhs, stone mines may be bought,
            — others' home bases may be developed
4+4         3 trains rust
4           train limit three(one)
5  
5+5  brown  Brown tiles, 3 ORs, high value for obhs
            — (in alternative version 3+3 trains rust)
6           3+3 trains rust (in normal version), train limit 2,
            — stone mines except Rammelsbach close
6+6         (in alternative version 4 trains rust)

1849
 4   4  Train limit four, companies start at 68 or 100
 6   6  Green tiles, 2 ORs, companies also start at 144
        — (ver4 only, privates may be bought by companies)
 8   8  4-trains rust, mid value for off-board hex, train limit three
10  10  6-trains rust, red tiles, train limit two, 3 ORs, companies also start at 216
12  12  Earthquake, high value for off-board hex (ver 4 only, privates eliminated
        — and if playing the electric variant, electric tokens and trains are available)
16  16  8-trains rust, R6 trains available immediately, share prices may enter the
        — final section of the stock market
R6

1851
 2  Two    Train limit 4, 1 OR, reds + specials use small values, one yellow
 3  Three  Two yellows/one green, 2 ORs
 4  Four   Train limit 3, reds & specials use middle value, 2-trains rust
 5  Five   Brown tiles, privates close. Train limit 2, 3ORs
 6  Six    3-trains rust, reds & specials use high values
 8  Eight  4-trains rust, grey tile

1853
2   1  Train limit four, 1 OR*
3   2  Green tiles, 2 ORs*, 2M trains available
4   3  Orange tiles, 3 ORs*, train limit three, 2-trains rust, 3M trains available
5   4  Grey tiles, train limit two 4, 3-trains rust, 4M trains available
6

1854
2  2  train limit four(two), 1+-trains available
3  3  Green tiles, 2 ORs, 2+- then 3+-trains available, green values for obhs
4  4  2- and 1+-trains rust, train limit three(one)
5  5  Brown tiles, 2+-trains rust, brown tiles, 3 ORs, brown values for obhs,
      — mountains close, locals may close, merge or continue
6  6  3- and 3+-trains rust
8  8  Grey tiles, 4-trains rust, grey values for obhs
rusted 4     rusted 2 trains rust again.

1856
2  one   train limit four
3  two   Green tiles, companies may buy privates, 2 ORs
4  three 2-trains rust, train limit three
5  four  Brown tiles, private companies close, 3 ORs,
         — use "5" value for obhs, train limit two
6  five  3-trains rust, repay loans, CGR starts, villages can go,
         — port token dies, diesels available, gray tiles
D  six   4-trains rust, use bottom value for obhs

1862
2  one   train limit four
3  two   Green tiles, companies can redeem shares, 2 ORs
4  three 2-trains rust, train limit three
5  four  Brown tiles, privates close, 3 ORs, use right value for obhs,
         — bonus values rise, debt interest drops, train limit two
6  five  3-trains rust, diesels available, debt interest drops, gray tiles
8  six   4-trains rust
10 seven

1870
 2  one   train limit four
 3  two   Green tiles, companies may buy privates, 2 ORs
 4  three 2-trains rust, train limit three
 5  four  Brown tiles, privates close, 3 ORs, use mid value for obhs,
          — train limit two
 6  five  3-trains rust, port & cow tokens go, diesels available,
          — gray tiles
 8  six   Use bottom value for obhs
10  seven
12  eight 5-trains rust

1876v2
 1½  yellow  train limit four
 2½  yellow
 3½  green   Green tiles, 1½-trains rust, companies may buy privates, 2 ORs
 4½  green   2½-trains rust, train limit three
 5½  brown   Brown tiles, privates close, train limit two, 3ORS
 6½  brown   3½-trains rust, diesels available
 D   gray    Grey tiles, 4½-trains rust

1898
1 - start of the game, concessions phase
2 2 train limit four (two)
3 3 green tiles, 2 ORs, two track-lays per major,
     — non-historic companies may start
4 4 2-trains rust, TDF split, Rhône Valley merge, second values for off-board hexes,
     — train limit three (two), two track-lays per minor
5 5 3-trains rust, brown tiles, 3 ORs
6 6 third values for off-board hexes, train limit two (one)
7 7 4-trains rust, grey tiles, 4 ORs
8 8 highest values for off-board-hexes, 5-trains rust

18AL
2  Yellow Train limit four, 1 OR
3  Green  Green tiles, privates may be bought by companies, 2 ORs.
4         2-trains rust, train limit three, companies may buy multiple trains per turn
5  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, higher values for obhs,
          — privates close
6         3-trains rust
7         4-trains wounded
4D Grey   Grey tiles

18GA
2  Yellow Train limit four, 1 OR
3  Green  Green tiles, privates may be bought by companies, 2 ORs.
4         2-trains rust, train limit three, companies may buy multiple trains per turn
5  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, higher values for obhs,
          — privates close
6         3-trains rust
8         4-trains rust

18EU
2  2  Train limit four/two.
3  3  Green tiles, Pullmans available.
4  4  2-trains rust, train limit three/one.
5  5  Brown tiles, train limit two/one, minors will close by next SR,
      — higher values for obhs.
6  6  3-trains rust.
8  8  Grey tiles, 4-trains rust.

18MW
2  2  Train limit four, 1 OR
3  3  Green tiles, privates may be bought by companies, 2 ORs.
4  4  2-trains rust, train limit three, higher values for obhs
5  5  Brown tiles, 3-trains rust, privates close, companies may merge
6  6  4-trains rust, train limit two, villages may be upgraded or abolished,
      — properties of privates cease
8  8  Grey tiles, higher values for obhs
10 10 5-trains rust
D  D  6-trains rust

18MX
2  Yellow Train limit four, 1 OR
3  Green  Green tiles, privates may be bought by companies, 2 ORs.
4         2-trains rust, train limit three
5  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, higher values for obhs,
          — privates close
6         3-trains rust
7         4-trains wounded
4D

18VA
2  Yellow Train limit four/two, 1 OR
3  Green  Green tiles, privates may be bought by companies, 2 ORs.
4         2-trains rust, train limit three
5  Brown  Brown tiles, train limit two, 3ORs, higher values for obhs,
          — 3-trains rust
6         3-trains rust
4D        4-trains rust

2038
5/1,3/2  I   spaceship limit four(two)
6/2,4/3  II  Probe rusts, growth corps may start,
             — corps may buy each others' assets
7/3,5/4  III Phase I ships rust, AL may form,
             — spaceship limit three (four-AL)
8/4,6/5  IV  AL must form, transshipment hexes count higher value
9/5,7/6  V   Phase II ships rust, indies must join AL,
             — privates and pilots go, phase VI ships available
9/7      VI  Phase III spaceships rust, ship limit two (three-AL)

Crisis
2   2   train limit four
3   3   orange tiles available
4   4   2-trains rust, train limit three, brown tiles available, no forced tile actions any longer
5   5   3-trains rust, blue tiles available, signals may be replaced, no anti-syndicate laws any longer
E4  E4  train limit two, grey tiles available
E5  E5  4-trains rust
E6  E6  5-trains rust, red tiles available

[ In my own circle, we play with all money open for inspection, because of a mythical player called "Clive". Clive always knows exactly how much money each player and company has, because he mentally notes the effect of every transaction. However he takes time to do this, and makes the game unbearably slow when secrecy is in force.
Note that secret transactions foil even Clive. ]

14.1) Is a player's cash secret, or open for inspection?

[ Where the above lines end with a "?", I do not know if the largest trains are meant to be unlimited in number. I will be grateful for any information. ]

When the largest trains are specified as "unlimited", only a finite number is issued with the set. If they run out [rare in my experience] you manufacture some more.

15.3) Tiles available.

In 1826 and 1851 the yellow tiles with plain track on them (tiles no. 7 8 and 9) are to be treated as unlimited.

1830BC does not use tiles.

15.4) Other items in limited supply.

1825

1826

When companies fuse to form the État, it may find itself in an unfloated state unless enough shares in it have been distributed.

Bank Loans are used to make up shortfalls during emergency money raising: thus the costs are effectively socialised over the entire share owning public.

1827 Jr.

For tables to explain the share-price movements, see http://www.maproom.co.uk/1827jr.htm.

1829

Players may sell their private companies to other players.

1830BC

1830Lummerland

1831

Companies can merge into a system. If both companies have the same president, it is a friendly merger, otherwise a hostile takeover. A second hostile takeover can be done for bonds. Bonds pay 10% of face value regardless of what is done with stock dividends.

Stock is divided into preferred and common shares. Preferred stock comprises 50% of the company. Stock price rises immediately when 80% is bought, and again at 90%. Par price increases after all preferred stock is bought (which floats the company) so common stock costs more to buy from the Initial offering than preferred did.

Trains come in 3 flavors, Passenger (=Station), Freight (=Yard), and Mixed.

Government intervention, caused by a random card draw, introduces a random element.

1835

1841

It costs 50 to upgrade mountain track.

1841, 1849 and 1898

1842

There are special bonuses (see rule 6.2.4) for connecting hexes F18, and O13.

Rule 6.2.2 "Restrictions for Coastal Towns" describes restrictions on upgrades of all towns, not just coastal ones.

If a player holds at least two shares in each of at least three companies, her certificate limit is increased by one. This increase may be anticipated in buying the second share in a company.

There are hexes on the board which are yellow but have no track. These may not be developed until the green phase, and the first tiles laid on them must be yellow.

1844

The number of station markers a major company gets depends on its flotation price.

1849

It costs the full price to upgrade mountain track.

1853

1854

Two hexes of the main map correspond to a 16-hex "local map" on which "local railways" operate.

1856

After the sale of a 6-train, villages may be removed, either by promoting them to cities, or by downgrading them to plain track. Double villages may be promoted but not removed.

A company can fall off the bottom of the stock market. It then ceases to exist.

The initial state of Toronto is two 30-cities, as on the map – the tile manifest is wrong (Bill Dixon, rgb, May '97).

1870

Has "share protection" in which the president immediately buys sold shares, to protect the price. Also "share redemption" in which a company buys one of its own shares, and "share reissue" in which the shares bought back in this way are offered for sale again.

A company that connects to its "destination" does a special bonus run.

There is a "ledge" on the stockmarket. Tokens trying to move downwards through this do so normally except if this would cause them to stop immediately below it, when they instead stop immediately above it. Tokens trying to move upwards through the ledge do so normally. Tokens trying to move rightwards through the ledge get diverted upwards by arrows. Tokens trying to move leftwards through the ledge do so normally. [This is not obvious from the published rules. It was stated by Bill Dixon, the designer of 1870.]

Two of the companies may buy the bridge private before a 3-train has been sold. Bill Dixon has stated:

"The Mississippi River Bridge Company may be purchased by one of the two companies on the Mississippi River (Missouri Pacific or St. Louis Southwestern) in phase one for $20 to $40. If one of these two public companies purchases this private company during their first operating round, the company may use the private company to lay a tile at its starting city for no cost. This tile lay is in addition to its normal tile lay(s). This uses up the private company. The company cannot lay a tile in their starting city and upgrade it during the same operating round."

1876v2

You can only upgrade a city tile if you have a station-marker there or you are about to put a station-marker there or there is no station-marker there.

You can put a station-marker in a place reserved for another company's station-marker. When the station-marker with the reserved place turns up, yours is killed.

Diesels do not count against the train limit.

18GA

18MW

18MX

18VA

Crisis

Glossary

block

A group or tranche of shares, sold simultaneously.

city

One of the blob-shaped, or multiple-blob-shaped, places on the map, where station-markers can be. Cf. "village".

clarification

Statement contradicting or obfuscating an earlier statement.

crow without a passport

moves as a crow flies, i.e. as straight as possible without regard to existing track, mountains, etc.; but not leaving the country, i.e. the set of hexes potentially available for track-laying.

destinate

To achieve one's destiny. See next.

destiny

An incentive assigned to a company, to encourage it to build in a specific direction, as in 1853, 1856, 1870 and 18AL.

double-heading

Operating a pair of trains of the same size as if they were a single longer train.

ledge

A feature of the stockmarket in 1870.

left

References to the "next player to the left" assume that the game is being played clockwise.

NA

Abbreviation for "Not Applicable".

OBH

Abbreviation for "Off-Board Hex". These are areas near the edge of the board, usually red and rarely hexagonal, at which routes may start or finish.

OR

Abbreviation for "Operating Round".

rust

The process which causes small trains to disappear when certain larger ones are bought.

SR

Abbreviation for "Share-dealing Round".

village

One of the blip-shaped places on the map, with no room for a station-marker. Cf. "city".

wounded

A "wounded" train may operate once more, and then dies. It may not be transferred between companies.

Rubric

This document was originally created by Nick Sauer, and modified by Nick Wedd. It includes contributions by David Allsopp, Dave Berry, Werner Baer, Elliott Bonnett, Michael Brünker, Arthur Bullock, Bill Dixon, Daniel W. Farrow IV, Jonathan Ferro, John David Galt, Jeff Goldsmith, David Grabiner, Aaron Haag, David Hecht, Andy Holt, Mike Hutton, Peter Jacobi, Robert Jasiek, Hunter Johnson, Matthias Klose, Chris Lawson, Noel Leaver, Lonny, Ryan Moats, Dylan O'Donnell, Alex Rhomberg, Adam Romoth, Nick Sauer, Robert Stimets, Steve Thomas, Erik Vos, Nick Wedd, Rick Westerman, Jeff Wilson, Paul Work, and Dafydd Wyn Evans.