1870: The Trans-Mississippi

8 Operate Trains

If a company owns a train (or trains), it operates the train (or trains) along the track laid on the map to generate income for the company.

8.1 Train Routes

Routes must meet the following requirements:
  1. A valid route for a train must include a city or off board destination with one of the company's tokens on it and one or more additional cities or off board destinations.
  2. A train's route can include off board destinations as the beginning and/or end of the run.
  3. A single train may not run through or to the same city on a tile twice, but it may run through and count two different dot cities on the same tile.
  4. A train may not use a specific section of track more than once, but may use different sections on the same tile. Where two track sections meet at the edge of a tile, only one of the segments may be used in a route. Where the two segments overlap on the edge of the tile, they are assumed to be common track.
  5. A train may run to and count a city that is full of and blocked by other railways' tokens but may not run through it. Unstarted railway companies do not block.
  6. A train may not reverse its route at a junction.
If a railway is running more than one train, each train must conform to the above rules and may not use a section of track that another of that company's trains has used this operating round. It may, however, use and count cities used by the other train(s) as long as it uses different track segments.

8.2 Route Length

The maximum number of cities a train can run to or through is equal to the number of the train type. I.e., a type four train may count up to four cities or destinations.

8.3 Route Value

The income value of the trains' run is equal to the total of the values of the cities it traces a route through or to and possibly, the value of an edge connection it starts or ends its run at. Private company tokens may increase the value of one or more of these cities. Where multiple trains are run, the dividend value is the total of all the trains' runs. Normally, the president of the railway decides which route to use, however a stock holder in the running railway may point out a higher value route that the president is then required to run.

8.3.1 City Value

When calculating the value of a city first start with the basic value of the city (printed on the city tile), do any doubling for destination tokens, then add the value of any private company tokens.

8.3.1 Edge Area Value

When calculating the value of an edge area first start with the basic value of the edge area (see "Section 4: Sequence of Play and Game Phases" to determine which edge value to use) and then do any doubling for destination tokens.

Table of Contents - Tokens - Dividends - Glossary
Last Modified: November 12, 2003. Copyright 1999-2003. W.R.Dixon.
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