Boxcars

About this board game

Boxcars is a 1974 railroad board game for 2–6 players, with an approximate playing time of 180 minutes. It combines board gaming with the history of American railroading on a map of the United States.

The single-piece board unfolds to reveal routes traced for 28 historic railroads. Players navigate this railroad network while using rules that distinguish Boxcars from its better-known successor, Rail Baron.

• Routes can be reused without restriction, allowing players to circle along the same track for as long as desired.
• A railroad can be traded, sold, or auctioned at any time during the game.
• The game does not include the Express or Superchief locomotive upgrades found in Rail Baron.

Originally released independently in 1974 by previously unknown designers R.S. Erickson and T.F. Erickson, Jr., Boxcars was billed as “The Informative NEW travel game of OLD-time railroading.” For a first-time effort, its components were considered surprisingly refined and professional.

The game later attracted the attention of The Avalon Hill Game Company. After the rights were apparently sold to Avalon Hill, the remaining copies were quickly dispersed, and it is estimated that only 1,000 copies of Boxcars were ever printed.

Avalon Hill subsequently scaled down the physical format, modified the rules, and released Rail Baron in 1977. As its predecessor, Boxcars offers a distinctive early entry in the train gaming genre and a rare look at the origins of a game that helped provide solid footing for railroad board games.