Which one of the four railroads in monopoly was not a real railroad?

Short Line is the railroad that is not real in monopoly. All the other three railroads existed in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Monopoly railroads were based on actual railroads that practiced monopolistic businesses, except the Short Line railroad, which is fictional.

Monopoly has four railroads: Short Line, B&O, Pennsylvania, and Reading. The monopoly game board is based in New Jersey, specifically Atlantic City. Therefore, the railroads in this game were significant players in the city and often indulged in monopolistic business practices, with most of them not serving the coastal beach resort town. Though these railroads make this game even more interesting, they can be confusing. Most monopoly players, especially new ones, often misunderstand the rules governing railroads and are unsure whether they should purchase them. What is even more fascinating about these railroads is that one of them is fake and was not a real railroad. Read on to learn more exciting facts about monopoly railroads and find out which was fake.

Which one of the four railroads in monopoly was fake? – (Not a real railroad)

Short Line is the railroad in monopoly that was not real. As mentioned above, monopoly has four railroads that existed in Atlantic City. All the railroads featured in this game existed in the city and indulged in monopolistic business except the Short Line, which did not exist and is fictional. In the UK, railroads found in the monopoly board games are referred to as railway stations and are all named after real railway stations. The railway stations in the UK monopoly board game include; Liverpool St Station, King Cross Station, Fenchurch Station, and Marylebone Station.

Why is the Short Line railroad in monopoly considered fake?

Short Line railroad in monopoly is fake as it was not named after any real railroad that existed before. This railroad is fictional and was incorporated into the monopoly game by the creator of this game. When naming the gaming property of the monopoly game, the monopoly creator is said to have had less information about the interurban tram line, the Shore Fast Line. He, therefore, ended up naming the last railroad in monopoly as Short Line. Any autonomous railroad covering a short distance is referred to as a short line. Most such railroads have either shut down or have been acquired by bigger companies.

Why was the Short Line railroad added to the monopoly if it was fake?

As mentioned above, Short Line is the only railroad in monopoly that is not real. You might wonder, why is it part of the game if it is not real? Does it have a special meaning? Absolutely not! The Short line railroad is just like the other railroads, just that the monopoly inventor did not have much information about small interurban tram lines when naming this railroad.

It is believed that he had the Shore Fast Line in mind when naming this railroad. Therefore, we can assume he missed the name because of less information about the area. Short Line refers to an independent railroad covering a small region. Therefore, even though the Short Line railroad is not real, the inspiration to have it added to the monopoly is from a real railroad.

Are railroads in the monopoly game actual railroads?

Yes, three out of the four railroads in monopoly are actual railroads. These railroads existed in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and were added to this game because of the monopolistic businesses. They include;

Pennsylvania railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), often referred to as Pennsy, is famous and has been labeled “The Standard Railroad of the World.” This railroad is among the three railroads in the monopoly game that was real and existed. The PRR was, for many, the largest railroad worldwide. Though this railroad mainly served a territory bounded by Washington, New York, St. Louis, DC, and Chicago, its core purpose was to connect Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

B&O Railroad

The B&O railroad stands for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. This railroad was initially constructed mainly to connect the port of Baltimore to the Ohio River in 1827. During its construction in 1827, this railroad got a public charter, making it the first to get one. Therefore, this indicates that this railroad featured in the monopoly game was real and existed.

Reading railroad

The last of the three real railroads in the Monopoly game is the Reading railroad. This railroad was originally built to connect Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Reading. This railroad also practiced monopolistic business as it only served Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Reading railroad also generated massive profits by hauling coal from the mine to several cities across the three states. Due to its massive interest in mining, this railroad was once the world’s largest corporation by revenue despite being relatively small by mileage.

Summary

Railroad	Real or fictional
Pennsylvania	Real
B&O railroad	Real
Reading railroad	Real
Short Line	Fictional

Conclusion

Monopoly game board has four railroads, with three of these roads having existed in Atlantic City. However, the Short Line railroad is fictional, which is not real in this game. It is believed that the creator of this game knew little about the interurban tram line, hence had the Shore Fast Line in mind while naming the Short Line railroad. The other three railroads were incorporated into this game as they all existed and had a history of practicing monopolistic services.

FAQs

Is the Pennsylvania railroad in monopoly real?

Yes, this monopoly railroad was named after a real railroad in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

What are the basic railroad rules when playing monopoly?

When a player steps onto a railroad they do not own, they can move their token to any railroads they go on or decide not to travel. Either way, they must pay rent. A player can travel freely across any railroads that they own.