Play Railroad for Free

The First Continental Railroad was opened in 1869, not long after the American Civil War had ended, bringing renewed optimism and economic opportunities to the country. In fact, it could be argued that this railroad was one of the vital instruments in firmly bonding the great economic powerhouse that is the United States as we know it today. Who knows, with wins worth up to 8,000 credits in any spin, this Railroad slot machine might just help you turn into a minor economic powerhouse too!

The reels themselves present a very familiar image of historical America, one which has been immortalised time and time again in Hollywood films and television – the Wild West. Therefore, players will discover symbols upon the reels which depict many stereotypical conventions of the genre. There are stagecoaches, buffalo, cactus plants, rodeo gals and sheriffs – the perfect cast for a western caper. Plus, keeping in line with the railroad theme, spinners will see a bright red steam train, which bullets through the landscape to bring the game's most lucrative five-of-a-kind wins.

In terms of design, this Railroad slot machine by Merkur Gaming plays it relatively safe with a bare and minimal game screen, upon which a wooden plank holds the 5 spinning reels. It may not be very extravagant but it does add a rustic charm to draw out the western theme. The symbols themselves are rendered with subtle 3D animations, meanwhile a slow and languid backing track (which Ennio Morricone would be proud of) plays in the background. It's almost enough to make you think you've been transported into a spaghetti western!

Despite the promise of economic prosperity that the railroad brings, players will still have to play with some astute strategies. That is because there are only 5 paylines in play, making for less frequent wins than most video slot machines. But before you attempt to spin the reels and take the winnings, you will have to decide how much to invest in the Railroad slot machine. Line bet wagers range from as little as 0.01 to as much as 2.00 credits, making for minimum total bets of 0.05 credits and maximum overall stakes of 10 credits.

The majority of wins are calculated as line bet multipliers whenever three or more identical icons align from left to right on any of the 5 fixed paylines, as you can see in the table below. However, spinners can also hope to line up some total bet multipliers by finding three or more cactus scatter icons in any reel position. This will award a total bet prize of 2x for three scatters, 10x for four scatters, and 50x for five scatters.

The game's biggest jackpot, however, is unleashed whenever 15 buffalo icons appear on the reels to form a full house combination. This will apply a 4,000x line bet multiplier to turn a 2.00 credit line bet into 8,000 credits.

Railroad features a couple of bonus features, the first of which is a conventional wild symbol – the train – which will help to complete line wins by substituting for all other line win paying icons. Of course, the only symbol that won't be replaced by the wild train is the scattered cactus. However, should three, four or five cactus icons appear, players will be awarded with 12, 16 and 32 free spins accordingly. And when this happens, the wild train will become a “Multi-Wild” symbol, which basically means that it will expand to other positions on the same reel if a winning combination is possible.

Railroad offers a unique twist of the popular western slot machine genre. Instead of simply focussing on sheriffs and bandits, the game adds an element of economic history to the reels with the inclusion of the First Continental Railroad. However, the game is let down by the lack of real winning opportunities. Because, with only 5 paylines and a relatively low range of line bet multipliers, spinners will find it difficult to feel the benefit of economic prosperity.