London

London dominates the English railway network. The main lines lead to London, which is the centre of finance and government. They do not run through it; when a train reaches the capital, its journey is complete. So London is both the dominant city and a block to routes across it.

There are at least 9 main line stations in London, including Liverpool Street, St Pancras, Kings Cross, Euston, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Marylebone. Most of these were run by separate companies. It is not practical to represent all nine stations in a single hex, so for game purposes some of these routes will branch in the adjacent hexes.

If the London tile had six station spaces, as in 1829 or 1825, this could cause an anomaly. If a company were to place a marker in London, it could use this to trace a route out vai another company's track, as if (say) Euston and Marylebone were not distinct termini. So a company connecting to London could gain access to a whole new rail network, possibly in a different area of the country.

Therefore I intend to make London a terminus only. Companies will not put markers in London, only connect to it. The simplest way to display this will be to use the same markings as for off-board areas.

Note that companies will be able to share a route into London, as happened historically. This will be controlled by the usual play of station markers in the cities that connect to the capital.