The inspiration for building the four railroads in Monopoly is derived from two historic cities in the northeast part of the USA: Atlantic City and New Jersey. The inspiration was then applied when naming streets and locations and companies connected, however only three of the four are named after real train stations.
What are the four railroads in a monopoly game? There are four major Railroads found in Monopoly including B&O, Reading, Short Line, and Pennsylvania.
Each of these railroads costs a player $200 to buy them. Whenever a player lands on any of the four railroads above owned by another player, they will have to pay rent before leaving space, provided the properties have not been mortgaged yet.
According to the Monopoly Railroad rules, the property is played sightly different than other assets in the game. When a player owns all the Railroads, the rent increases up to $200, but when only one Railroad is owned, then rent is only $25.
A majority of the Property names in Monopoly are named after actual streets, companies, and locations in the real world. Most of these are found in historical Atlantic City and New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania and Reading railroads were the two historical railroads connecting to Atlantic city, whereas the B&O was connecting the Baltimore port and Ohio river. The short, fast line is used by passenger trains to provide services from Atlantic City and Philadelphia.
First, Pennsylvania is an actual railroad in the world referred to as the standard railroad. It connects Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, which ultimately serves the entire bounded region of New York, Chicago, and Washington. It’s the largest railroad in the world as a whole.
Secondly, B&O is a railroad constructed in 1827 to connect the Baltimore port to the Ohio River. The Reading Railroad serves only Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. It’s relatively minor compared with the other two railroads.
Lastly, Short Line is an imaginary railroad used in Monopoly to connect interurban lines. It is used to fill the slot and provide at least one Railroad on each side of the board.
Using Railroads to your advantage can be part of your game winning strategy. Answered below are frequently asked questions about the four Railroads in Monopoly so you can implement them in your gameplay.
What are Railroads in Monopoly?
Railroads represent four of the spaces amongst the 40 total spaces found in the Monopoly board game. The four Railroads in Monopoly include Reading, Pennsylvania, Short Line, and B&O.
Anytime a player lands on a Railroad owned by another player, the cost of rent is charged depending on how many railroads the landlord owns. The more Railroads a player has, the higher the rent they collect.
Once a railroad has been mortgaged, it is dealt with as a mortgaged property, and therefore it does not earn any rent to the owner.
Whenever players land on unowned railroads, they can buy them directly from the bank. If they don’t, the railroad is auction by the bank using the original price for a start, but if more than one player is interested in the railroad, the highest bidder takes the property.
Railroads do not hold houses or hotels, and rent is multiplied by owning two, three or all four stations.
What do the B&O Railroads stand for in Monopoly?
The B&O is an abbreviation that stands for Baltimore and Ohio railroad. It represents the historical railroad that connects the Baltimore port to the Ohio river in the Monopoly game.
It’s located between the Atlantic and Illinois avenues. The B&O railroad does not connect directly to Atlantic City. Like any other railroad in monopoly, its rent varies depending on how many railroads the player owns.
When a player lands on a Railroad in Monopoly, that player must pay rent to its owner, the same way they do with other properties.The least rent collected from the railroad is $25 when a player only owns one, and increases up to $200 when the player owns all four railroads.
What are the 4 major Railroads in Monopoly?
The four major railroads in the board game Monopoly include:
- Reading Railroad: It’s the first railroad a player comes across in a standard board of monopoly game. It’s located between Oriental Avenue and the Income Tax space. It’s pronounced as REDD-ing, contrary to the people briefs, which is after the Pennsylvania city. It follows all the rules of railroads, which include rent earned and its cost.
- Pennsylvania Railroad: Pennsylvania is the second railroad that a player comes across in the monopoly game between St. James and Virginia avenue. Like any other railroad, it generates rent whenever a player lands on it, and its rent rate varies from $25 as the least to $200 as the highest when all four stations are owned by a single player. Its rent increases with an increase in the number of railroads owned by the player who owns it.
- B&O Railroad: It comes after the Pennsylvania Railroad, and it’s located between Illinois and Atlantic Avenue. Its potent anytime paired with at least two railroads. Like any other railroad, its rent is highest when paired with the other three railroads ($200), and its rent is even higher if the player landed on it as a result of drawing a Chance card. The least rent collected from it is $25 when it’s the only railroad a player owns.
- Short Line: It’s the only railroad that is not named after real railroads. It was included by the inventor of the game to have a short interurban line to complete the board with a Station an all four sides of the board.
Which of the four railroads in monopoly is not real?
Short line is the only railroad in a monopoly that is not named after a real world station. The designer included it in the game to have a short interurban line on the last side of the board.
In fact, it’s a term that is applied to any independent railroads that cover short distances. It has been derived from the historic shore Fast Line, which operated on Atlantic City and New Jersey streets between 1907 and 1948.
Is rent higher when you own all the four railroads in Monopoly?
Yes, rent is increased to $200 when a player owns all four Railroads in Monopoly. Whenever a player owns all the railroads, each of the four stations earn a rent of $200 whenever an opponent player lands on it.
Rent for owning Railroads:
- $25 for owning 1 Railroad
- $50 for owning 2 Railroads
- $100 for owning 3 Railroads
- $200 for owning 4 Railroads
However, the increased rent only applies if the railroads have not been mortgaged. The maximum rent earned from owning four railroads is $200. Only when a player has the four railroads, earn the same amount as the purchase price (100% profits).
Railroads in Monopoly: Conclusion
Three out of four railway lines are named after real Railroads located on the Northeastern seaboard of the USA. Both the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads found in Monopoly are historic railroads that connect New Jersey to Atlantic City, and B&O is the third railroad connecting the Baltimore port and the Ohio River.
However, Short Line is the fourth railroad and the only railroad in Monopoly that has not been named after a real world station, though its name was cut from a short line used by passengers in Atlantic city.
The amount of rent collected from a given Railroad corresponds to how many Railroads its owner has. The rent is $25 when the owner ownsonly one Railroad. and maximizes when the owner owns all four Railroads on the board.
Owning all the Railroads on the board is a great strategy to implement. Use the luck of the dice and savvy negotiation skills to trade properties to acquire all four Railroads as part of your property portfolio and use it to your advantage to win the game.