1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties

About this board game

1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties is an 18xx railway game for 1–8 players, with a listed play time of 300 minutes. Released in 2013, it is set in East Anglia, England.

The game features a particularly company-packed board: only 16 of 20 available companies are randomly selected for use, while the map itself contains just 37 hexes. This combination gives the game a defined setting for its railway companies and operations.

One distinctive feature is petitioning Parliament, which players can use as a means of floating their preferred company. Companies also use a mixture of full and partial capitalisation, adding different approaches to how they enter play.

Train development is divided among three train types. Each type has its own objectives and building requirements, making the distinctions between them a central feature of the game.

• Randomly selected companies from a pool of 20
• A board containing 37 hexes
• Parliamentary petitions for floating a preferred company
• Full and partial company capitalisation
• Three train types with differing objectives and building requirements
• Company mergers and re-floatation
• An 1860-style semi-linear stock market with multiple stock jumps

Companies can merge and later be re-floated, while the stock market follows an 1860-style semi-linear structure featuring multiple stock jumps. These systems define the financial and corporate character of 1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties and distinguish its railway-focused design.