Dual Gauge

Players invest in rail companies, buy stock to fund operations and use company coffers to lay rectangular track tiles across adjacent hexsides. Two track types—more expensive efficient standard gauge and cheaper inefficient narrow gauge—affect which trains a company can run, and newer trains can render older ones obsolete. Companies place tokens to claim station spaces and expand routes while potentially blocking rivals; track and token placement are paid from company funds or by reducing stock value on the game’s two-dimensional market. The system supports multiple maps with unique company abilities and terrain challenges, including an introductory mountainous map and a tougher map where debt and a Chicago-bound double-route bonus influence strategy.

Players: 3–5 best 4
Playing time: 60–90 min
Age: 10+
Complexity: 2.8 / 5