HomeExplore
Genres
Strategy GameCard GameCooperative GameSee more
Themes
FantasyFightingScience FictionSee more
Mechanics
Hand ManagementVariable Player PowersDice RollingSee more
Quick access
Short Games (< 30 min)2 Players GamesLight Playstyle Games
pay the ONE
Strategy GamesFamily GamesCard GamesWar GamesMiniature Games
  1. pay the ONEHome

Loading...

 
 

Loading...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paytheone
Board games made easy
Company
  • About us
  • Career
  • Contact us
Legal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Refund Policy
© 2026 Pay the ONE™. All Rights Reserved.
Facebook: PaytheOneInstagram: PaytheOneBGTwitter: @PaytheOneBG
  1. pay the ONEHome
  2. Strategy Game
  3. GMT Games
  4. 1846 - The Race for the Midwest (2nd Printing)

1846 - The Race for the Midwest (2nd Printing)

In 1846, 3-5 tycoons compete to earn money and build the best stock portfolio by investing in and operating railroads within the midwestern United States.

Five competing railroads, in search... (read more)
Select an option above or just click "Explore Next" to skip this item and see the next product in your exploration list
Buy our best deal
from Noble Knight Games logoNoble Knight Games
$58.95
USD 54.00
Disclosure: This site includes affiliate links. PaytheOne may earn a commission for purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. Your support is appreciated.
Reviews
mostly positive, 75% of all reviews are favorable
Playtime
120 minutes
Published
2021
Age
14+
Publisher
GMT Games
Players
3 to 5 players
Designers
Tom Lehmann and Thomas Lehmann
Playstyle
Involved
Game's Categories
Strategy Game, Trains, Economic, Stock Holding, Network and Route Building, Market, and Victory Points as a Resource
1846 - The Race for the Midwest (2nd Printing) preview image1846 - The Race for the Midwest (2nd Printing)
$58.95
$54.00
Noble Knight Games logo

Description

In 1846, 3-5 tycoons compete to earn money and build the best stock portfolio by investing in and operating railroads within the midwestern United States.

Five competing railroads, in search of Midwestern grain and markets, crossed the Appalachian mountains in the early 1850s: the New York Central, Erie, Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, and, via Canada, the Grand Trunk, backed by Boston merchants.

Can you knit together these private companies and Eastern railroads to form the most profitable rail network in the Midwest, stretching to Chicago and St. Louis and connecting East and West?


Game Play


Players begin by investing $400 apiece in drafting private companies and launching corporations. WIth fewer than five players, some companies and corporations are randomly removed, making each game different.

Play consists of alternating stock rounds with pairs of operating rounds. During stock rounds, players buy and sell shares, possibly launching new corporations. During operations, each railroad -- with its majority stock holder (President) making all its decisions -- lays track and stations, runs routes, declares dividends, and possibly buys bigger and better trains.

As new train types appear, older trains go obsolete, representing technological progress. A corporation without a train must buy one -- with its President having to make up the difference out of pocket if the corporation doesn't have enough cash!

The game ends once the bank runs out of money. The player with the best stock portfolio and most cash on hand -- not including any money in corporations -- wins!

1846 is an '18xx' game, one of many games by different designers inspired by Francis Tresham's 1829. 1846 has several unique features, such as its opening draft, variable setup, and (comparatively - 18xx games tend to be longer-playing, but this is one of the shorter ones) shorter game length, which are good for players new to 18xx.

1846 features a nice balance between portfolio management and board play (track and station lays and building profitable routes). It is highly rated on BGG but has been previously available only by small press publication. GMT is proud to offer this new version of 1846, with enhanced components, as our first 18xx game.

Note to existing 18xx players: Andy Lewis, an avid 18xx player himself, says you are going to want to know the following two things about our version:

1. We're not changing anything in terms of game play. This will still be the 1846 game you love, just with better components.

2. Regarding the components, besides putting the map on a mounted game board, we'll be using half-size playing cards for the Stock Certificates and trains, and the Corporation mats, stations tokens, and track tiles will be on the high-quality counter stock like what you'll find in our more recent versions of the Deluxe Edition of Twilight Struggle.

Purchase option

Buy 1846 - The Race for the Midwest (2nd Printing)
from Noble Knight Games logoNoble Knight Games

$58.95
USD 54.00
Disclosure: This site includes affiliate links. PaytheOne may earn a commission for purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. Your support is appreciated.

Price History

Loading chart...

Game's Categories

Genre

  • Strategy Game

Themes

  • Trains
  • Economic

Mechanics

  • Tile Placement
  • Network and Route Building
  • Hexagon Grid
  • Investment
  • Stock Holding
  • Victory Points as a Resource
  • Ownership
  • Market

Publishers

  • GMT Games
  • Rawstone
  • Deep Thought Games, LLC
  • Golden Spike Games

Designers

  • Thomas Lehmann
  • Tom Lehmann

Artists

  • Kurt Miller
  • Mark Simonitch
  • Chris Lawson
  • Rodger B. MacGowan
  • John Tamplin

Strategy Game

In Library
Wishlisted
1846 - The Race for the Midwest (1st Printing)
In Library
Wishlisted
Stockpile (Epic Edition, Kickstarter Exclusive)
In Library
Wishlisted
London Markets
In Library
Wishlisted
Railways
In Library
Wishlisted
Majority, The - Complete Edition
In Library
Wishlisted
Russian Railroads - Mini-Expansion (German Language Edition)
In Library
Wishlisted
Axis & Allies - 1941
In Library
Wishlisted
Pacific Rails Inc.

Rio Grande Games

In Library
Wishlisted
$34.95
Robber Barons vie for dominance as they build railroads from Chicago across the vast plains of America’s midwest. Sales of stock raise the capital necessary for these fledgling railroads to drive west through the bountiful heartland in their quest for...
14+
3 to 5
60 mins
In Library
Wishlisted
-20%
$34.95
$28.00
The growth of railroads in Germany was explosive. Everyone wanted them and wanted them now. The Kaiser, Industry, Merchants, Moguls and Mayors got the wheels of German engineering cranked up fast. Money flooded in from all quarters and the race was ...
14+
3 to 5
90 mins
In Library
Wishlisted
$29.95
$28.00
America in the 19th century: railroads are booming! Pioneer spirit and vision are everywhere. Everyone wants to be the first to build a railroad network across the country. Each player has five cities and tries to connect them with a shared network ...
66%
14+
2 to 6
30 mins
Light

BoardM Factory

In Library
Wishlisted

Ultimate Railroads

-21%
$119.99
$94.98
Perfect for die hard fans or newcomers alike, Ultimate Railroads brings you the base game of Russian Railroads bundled together with all of its expansions and more. Now back on shelves after years out of print, this classic comes complete with not only...
very positive, 87%
12 y/o +
1 to 4 players
90 minutes
Involved
Strategy Game
Industry / Manufacturing
Trains
End Game Bonuses
Tableau Building
Tech Trees / Tech Tracks
Turn Order: Claim Action

Mons Johnson

In Library
Wishlisted

Axis & Allies - 1942 (2nd Edition)

$59.95
$58.95
Five major powers struggle for supremacy: Germany and Japan are aligned against the great alliance of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States.Designed for 2–5 players, the game is set in 1942 — the historical high - water mark of...
mixed, 61%
12 y/o +
2 to 5 players
180 minutes
Involved
Strategy Game
Economic
World War II
Area Movement
Dice Rolling
Simulation

Eagle-Gryphon Games

In Library
Wishlisted
It is mid-19th century Europe. The railroads that first appeared in England are now appearing on the European mainland. Wealth and prestige await the person who can tap into the resources and demands of the continent. Do you build through the mountains...
Railroad Tycoon - Rails of Europe Expansion
-40%
$14.95
$9.00
In Library
Wishlisted
Players are investors who risk their businesses and money on this new technology, as they build railway links through the mountains and over the rivers of historic New England. New England Railways puts players in the roles of those who built the railroads...
New England Railways
-56%
$24.95
$11.00

Market

In Library
Wishlisted
$150.00
In Library
Wishlisted
$350.00
In Library
Wishlisted
-10%
$145.00
$130.00

Queen Games

In Library
Wishlisted

Kansas Pacific (2nd Edition)

$34.00
Players take the role of a major investor in the railroads during the massive expansion across the North American continent that took place during the 19th century. Depending on how you invest you may be the president of one (if not more!) of the historic...
12 y/o +
3 to 6 players
120 minutes
Trains

Stock Holding

In Library
Wishlisted
-13%
$36.95
$31.99
In Library
Wishlisted
$125.00
In Library
Wishlisted
$24.95

National Geographic Society

In Library
Wishlisted

On Assignment with National Geographic

$9.00
OBJECT:To be the winning photographer by earning the greatest number of points. YOU EARN POINTS BY:Traveling to your assigned destinations on the Map Board. Being the first to fill your portfolio with the 6 photo cards in your portfolio. Getting rid...
8 y/o +
2 to 4 players
60 minutes
Family Game
Trivia

Horror

In Library
Wishlisted

Night, The

$59.95
$56.95
The Night is an exciting and fast-paced board game featuring a group of refugees who are fleeing a widespread outbreak of the undead. As night falls, the refugees find themselves in an “abandoned” middle-class home in a pleasant, midwestern community...
12 y/o +
1 player
60 minutes
Horror

David Fooden

In Library
Wishlisted

Donner Dinner Party

$17.00
Who’s safe when there are cannibals hiding among you? That’s the question at the heart of this fast-paced game of social deduction in which cannibals and pioneers face off in a fight for survival. Set in the winter of 1846, players are members of the...
mixed, 59%
12 y/o +
4 to 10 players
30 minutes
Light
Strategy Game
Cannibals / Cannibalism
Bluffing
Deduction
Player Elimination