Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Characters / Fallout4TheRailroad

Go To

1[[WMG:[[center:[-''VideoGame/Fallout4'' '''[[Characters/Fallout4 Main Character Index]]'''\
2[[Characters/Fallout4ProtagonistAndFamily Sole Survivor and Family]] | [[Characters/Fallout4Companions Companions]] ([[Characters/Fallout4MainStoryCompanions Main Story Companions]]) | [[Characters/Fallout4Factions Factions]] ([[Characters/Fallout4BrotherhoodOfSteel The East Coast Brotherhood of Steel]] -- '''The Railroad''' -- [[Characters/Fallout4TheInstitute The Institute]]) | [[Characters/Fallout4CommonwealthCitizens Commonwealth Citizens]] ([[Characters/Fallout4DiamondCity Diamond City]] -- [[Characters/Fallout4Goodneighbor Goodneighbor]]) | [[Characters/Fallout4IslandCitizens Island Citizens]] | [[Characters/Fallout4NukaWorldCitizens Nuka-World Citizens]]-]]]]]
3
4This is a page for the members of the Railroad within the ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' Commonwealth.
5----
6[[header:The Railroad]]
7[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/railroadpaintedlogo.png]]
8[[caption-width-right:300:Follow the Freedom Trail]]
9->''"I have a question. The only question that matters: Would you risk your life for your fellow man? Even if that man is a Synth?"''
10-->--'''Desdemona'''
11
12A faction of ordinary Wastelanders dedicated to fighting for the freedom and safety of Synths. Their goal of saving and protecting Synths puts them in conflict with both the Institute (who view their Synths as nothing more than tools) and the Brotherhood of Steel (who believe all Synths must be destroyed as dangerous technology).
13
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:In General]]
17* ActivistFundamentalistAntics: The Railroad takes this trope up to eleven. After making a peaceful escape plan for synths with an ally from inside the Institute, the Railroad instead secretly double-cross their ally and conspire for an armed revolt that results in the purging of many Institute scientists. It is unknown what happened to many of the remaining Institute personnel, including children, if they manage to evacuate their home.
18* AndroidsArePeopleToo: Their motivation in a nutshell.
19* AscendedExtra: They were originally mentioned as part of a ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' secondary questline, but naturally play a much larger role in ''Fallout 4''.
20* AttackItsWeakPoint: The Railroad does this to the Institute and Brotherhood of Steel, smacking them down ''hard'' if the Survivor sides with them.
21* BlackAndWhiteMorality:
22** The Railroad doesn't believe the issue of Synths is a debatable one. As far as they're concerned, the Institute is a group of slavers and Synths are slaves. Period.
23** They do have a rift on whether to consider the earlier generations of Synths and other robots as people, like the Mr. Handies, Protectrons, and even PAM. Glory and others think of them as living beings, others like Desdemona don't want to touch the debate til the current issues are resolved.
24* BombThrowingAnarchists: While the Railroad aren't technically anarchists, they do have certain links to the stereotypical view of the anarchist movement from the perspective of the West, what with the Railroad being a highly segemented organization prone to issues involving RightHandVersusLeftHand, [[AndThenWhat them not having any real plan for the future]] after their bloody revolution succeeds, prioritizing the value and freedom of the individual above the group, and causing the whole Commonwealth [[AnarchyIsChaos to descend into chaos]] after they wipe out both the Brotherhood and Institute.
25* BrainwashedAndCrazy: The BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood example below can backfire as it means these Synths have no idea they should care about their pasts or Synth rights. [[spoiler:Paladin Danse is one such example.]]
26* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: They offer the Synths they meet new memories to help them acclimate to the Wasteland and live normal lives as humans. It's completely voluntary, but almost all of them agree to it since they want to leave their hellish memories in the Institute as far behind them as possible.
27* BunnyEarsLawyer: They're an ''odd'' bunch of people, to say the least. However, they're frighteningly effective and can strike down considerably more powerful organizations.
28* CurbStompBattle: Suffered one of these when their home base was attacked by the Institute and the group was almost wiped out.
29** The Battle of Bunker Hill can potentially be one in their favor, though few characters comment upon it. The main reason for this is that Railroad heavies have Gauss rifles and can use them to blast through the Brotherhood, and their armor has a high enough energy resistance to be effective against the Institute and Brotherhood's mostly laser weapons, along with a strong numerical advantage over the Brotherhood.
30** The Railroad suffers another one of these if the player character sides with the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood will discover the newly established Railroad HQ and exterminate them all. Additionally, they may even acquire PAM, the predictive analysis machine, and reconfigure her for their own uses.
31* DavidVersusGoliath: The Railroad is a loose confederation of Wastelanders with a few scientists and Synths of note. The Institute is arguably the single most powerful organization in Post-War New England. Another Goliath enters when the Brotherhood of Steel shows up.
32* DeathByIrony: The Railroad are a fanatical organization that relies on converting moles to gather intelligence. [[spoiler:In either the Brotherhood or Institute routes, the Sole Survivor uses their knowledge as an "ally" of the Railroad to bring them down.]]
33* DidntThinkThisThrough: Deacon defends [[ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish their HQ's password, "Railroad"]] by noting that most people in the Commonwealth are illiterate. [[spoiler: One of their enemies, the Brotherhood of Steel, are neither illiterate nor native to the Commonwealth, and will easily get past the Railroad's defenses during both of their storylines. That's not even mentioning the fact that the majority of, if not all, Institute personnel have post-graduate level educations and would certainly be capable of solving the puzzle.]]
34* ElaborateUndergroundBase: Their previous Headquarters, the Switchboard, was under a donut shop... or more specifically, a Pre-War military intelligence bunker built ''under'' that donut shop. They're currently operating from the catacombs under a church.
35* EliteArmy: They don't have a lot of fighters, but those they have are a mix of well-equipped Heavies in heavily armored leather coats and elite spies and saboteurs, seasoned with some crackerjack basement techies.
36* {{Foil}}:
37** To the Commonwealth Minutemen, who are {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s that care about all Wastelanders versus the Railroad's RebelliousRebel attitude prioritizes Synth lives. It's downplayed in that the two attitudes aren't necessarily contradictory as the Railroad are there because no one else cares about Synths and the two organizations don't even engage in a conflict unless you make an enemy of the Railroad. Preston also almost always approves of a Railroad aligned Sole Survivor's actions (although, as the Minutemen ending shows, there are members of the Minutemen who hate Synths and ''will'' kill them), he just doesn't love it like he does the Minutemen route. Similarly, Deacon has an overall fond view of the Minutemen, but is also cautious towards them due to both his own anti-authority past and him noting that historically, [[PoliceAreUseless the Minutemen have been little better than policemen]].
38** To the Brotherhood of Steel which believes Synths are the potential destroyers of humanity while the Railroad seeks to free them at any cost, including human life. The Brotherhood is also huge and loud while the Railroad is quiet and treacherous.
39* FromNobodyToNightmare:
40** When the Sole Survivor meets them, they've been badly weakened from Institute attacks to the point where they're one major setback away from total collapse. With the Sole Survivor's help, they can go on to utterly annihilate the two strongest factions in the Commonwealth.
41** Even if the Sole Survivor doesn't align with them, they can meet the Railroad in their attempts to decode the Courser Chip, see their dilapidated state, and then the ''next'' encounter with the Railroad is on an Institute quest where suddenly they have an army of Heavies.
42* GoodIsNotNice: Fully intend to wipe out both the Institute ''and'' the Brotherhood of Steel.
43* GoodIsNotSoft: The Railroad has been kicked around horribly by the Institute and its members take unimaginable risks -- and they keep going.
44* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Sometimes their actions are more extreme than what even the Brotherhood is willing to do. They are even considered by many to be as mysterious as the Institute themselves.
45* ImpartialPurposeDrivenFaction: The Commonwealth is a CrapsackWorld and the Railroad only cares about the liberation of the Synths. Doing so will lead to the destruction of both the Brotherhood of Steel and Institute. While the latter is the biggest threat to a free Commonwealth and the former to synth lives, it also eliminates two major factions that might stabilize the Commonwealth.
46* ItsPersonal: What motivates them to finally strike against the [=BoS=]. [[spoiler:The Brotherhood attempts to raid their HQ and Glory is killed holding the line against them. Part of the reason for the mission is to prevent such future raids, knowing the Brotherhood won't back down and the Railroad is too involved with the Institute to move their HQ; the other is to avenge Glory's death.]]
47* LaResistance: They serve as this towards the Institute. In fact, it's mentioned that for the vast majority of the Commonwealth's history prior to the Brotherhood's arrival, the Railroad has been the '''only''' organization to have consistently taken the fight directly to the Institute, helping explaining why so many people work for them despite the widespread FantasticRacism against Synths.
48* MirroringFactions:
49** [[invoked]] To the Followers of the Apocalypse. While both are largely humanitarian organizations dedicated to helping the downtrodden and less fortunate, the Railroad is more focused on the Followers' [[BombThrowingAnarchists anarchism]] and "fight the power" elements than their expertise with science and knowledge. Furthermore, while the Followers [[ButtMonkey are frequently co-opted by]] the NCR, the Great Khans, and other groups to build their empires, the Railroad [[BewareTheNiceOnes actively tears them down]] but has a far less positive effect on society as a whole (while still helping individuals). The Railroad are also [[WellIntentionedExtremist perfectly fine with their sometimes ruthless reputation]] for helping liberate and protect Synths (most of which will likely cause the Commonwealth to stay chaotic), while the Followers are [[OldShame intentionally trying to distance themselves from that stereotype of anarchism]].
50** To the Minutemen in some respects. Similar to how the Minutemen use Pre-War American symbolism (in their case, from the Revolutionary War), the Railroad invokes the historical Underground Railroad of the Antebellum/Civil War period. And just like the Minutemen lost the Castle, the Railroad suffered a serious setback when they lost their previous (seemingly impenetrable) HQ at the Switchboard.
51** To the Institute, as both are ideal-obsessed and don't care much for the plight of the Commonwealth, and utilize deep networks of covert informants while caring little for collateral damage to achieve their ideals. Both of them also hold the exact same fate in store for any Synth -- [[DeathOfPersonality a memory wipe]][[note]]though it's for very different reasons, with the Institute wiping Synths without their consent as part of a punishment for them going against the Institute's caste system, while the Railroad's memory wipes are entirely voluntary and only offered to help escaped Synths hide from the Institute along with ridding them of immensely traumatic memories[[/note]] - and hide in an ElaborateUndergroundBase, while the Gunners, Brotherhood, and Minutemen are all out in the open.
52* MysteriousPast: One of the organization's biggest secrets is that its records only go back 21 years to the log of a former leader named Wyatt, who took over after his predecessor Agamennon was killed when the Institute massacred the Railroad's HQ at the time. The only people who know this are current leader Desdemona and Deacon, who she suspects is the "John D" mentioned as another survivor in the same log.
53* OddFriendship: To a Brotherhood of Steel Sole Survivor. While the Railroad would like the Brotherhood destroyed, the Brotherhood doesn't care until later in their main storyline.
54* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Most Railroad members only use code names or titles and we never learn their real names. The Sole Survivor is also allowed to choose his own, and is only ever referred to by such afterwards. Desdemona, Deacon, Drummer Boy & Glory all use such code names.
55* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: The top secret password for the top secret lair of the top secret organization known as the Railroad... is "Railroad". This can be lampshaded and justified; certain dialogue options when they challenge you on breaking into their lair allow you to point out that it's not as if "Railroad" is an incredibly tough password to crack, at which point they can reply that in [[CrapsackWorld the Commonwealth]], the very ability to ''spell'' "Railroad" [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome isn't exactly common]].
56* PrinciplesZealot: The Railroad risks their lives daily and are hunted mercilessly by the Institute. They will put civilians in harms way (including children), and betray their allies if it benefits their cause. They do this for a relatively tiny group of people in an already hellish land. Why? Because they believe in Synth rights.
57* ProperlyParanoid:
58** The Railroad uses elaborate methods to keep their existence covert like dead drops, SpySpeak, and secret hideaways. This is because the Institute has eyes and ears '''everywhere.''' [[spoiler:And if you read a terminal in the Institute's Synth Retention Bureau along with examining their surveillance monitors, you will know that this is ''not an understatement.'']]
59** It's also why they're so unwilling to reach out to the Commonwealth in general. If they help the wrong person, or say the wrong thing, the Institute would be on top of them in a heartbeat.
60* RagtagBandOfMisfits: For the most part, they're just ordinary Wastelanders, without the resources and military might of the Institute or the Brotherhood of Steel. They don't even have the (in)formal combat training that the Minutemen have, although they do have fighters, guns, and the willingness to use them.
61* RebelliousRebel: Subverted as the Railroad is made of the rich, poor, rebellious, lawful, and everything in-between. Deacon, however, cultivates this image as a means of dealing with the fact he's a HeartbrokenBadass.
62* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: While the Railroad's members may mean well and can do good on an individual basis, it's made evident that they have no real long-term plans for the Commonwealth outside of taking down the Institute and Brotherhood alike, and some members like Glory even show a ''complete'' lack of respect for non-Synth life.
63* RightHandVersusLeftHand: Sometimes over-allocation occurs when there are two cells unknowingly organizing for the same job. In one instance, both Glory and the Sole Survivor are sent to clear the same location by different Railroad cells.
64-->'''Glory:''' With all our "compartmentalization" bullshit, this sort of shit happens. You got the job from the Goodneighbor side, I got it from Griswold Safehouse.
65* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The Railroad endgame in particular plays out like one. After being curb stomped by the Institute and Brotherhood for most of their quest line, losing several bases and many people, they finally have enough. They systematically destroy both [[spoiler:the ''Prydwen'' and the Institute]], and, in a series of radiant quests, have you hunt down surviving enemies.
66* RuleOfSymbolism:
67** Their base is underneath a church and is lead to by the Freedom Trail. Subverted by their last home base, which was under a doughnut shop [[spoiler:due to it being a former U.S. Defense Command listening post.]]
68** Fittingly for the ''Fallout'' series' [[RaygunGothic Atompunk]] themes, the lantern on the Railroad's flag is housing an atom in lieu of a candleflame.
69* SecretlyEarmarkedForGreatness: There is evidence that they've known about and been watching the [[PlayerCharacter Sole Survivor]] from the moment they walked out of Vault 111 (a painted railsign for "ally" can be found at a wilderness lookout close to, and facing the direction of the Vault entrance).[[labelnote:*]]The Dolyist explanation for why Diamond City Radio broadcasts a report about the Sole Survivor being seen leaving 111 supports this theory as well since nobody except Codsworth lives in Sanctuary.[[/labelnote]] You can also see Railroad member Deacon [[MasterOfDisguise undercover]] as a "drifter" in a few settlements keeping tabs on you. After following the steps to meet the group, he'll come forward and vouch for you to the leader, noting your accomplishments in the Commonwealth so far.
70* SpySpeak: The Railroad employs "tourists" to help allies move "packages." Deacon in particular approves if you talk like this during missions.
71* {{Steampunk}}: Their general aesthetic is basically "Steampunk-lite," with most of their agents wearing armored leather longcoats, their weapon being a steam-powered railgun, and candles & brickwork making up most of their headquarters.
72* TookALevelInCynic: According to Deacon, the Railroad had previously been more open towards the rest of the Commonwealth and wanted to help everyone as part of working against the Institute's grip over the surface. Unfortunately, this led to the Institute easily tracking them down and almost annihilating them, making them become far more cautious and secretive along with viewing the rest of the Commonwealth with barely-disguised disdain.
73* TrueCompanions: All of the Railroad's members seem to be very close friends and like family. Except for Doctor Carrington, who is TheFriendNobodyLikes, but even he is still viewed with overall respect by the other Railroad members.
74* UndergroundRailroad: As their name implies, they serve as this for Synths.
75* TheUnfettered: This is a group that prioritizes saving synths above all else. Nothing will stop them no matter the cost. To them betraying allies, the deaths of civilians, and even ''children'' is all acceptable collateral damage. If they have to fight back against any group attempting to establish some form of stability in the Commonwealth to save synths they will do it.
76* UnknownRival: Inverted despite the fact that the Railroad is an incredibly secretive and ProperlyParanoid organization. Both the Institute and Brotherhood of Steel consider them major potential threats which makes sense given their love of Synths. However, it's initially played straight in their relationship to the Brotherhood. The Railroad is entirely unaware the Brotherhood of Steel has plans to destroy all Synths and doesn't have anything against them until they're attacked. Indeed, if you're a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, Deacon mentions it when you first join as a point in your favor. This may however, just be a front they’re putting on for you, since if you listen to Desdemona’s idle chatter upon the arrival of the ''Prydwen'' and you haven’t joined the Brotherhood, she flat out mentions "Operation Red Glare" being a contingency to use ...if needed.
77* WeAreEverywhere: Active Railroad agents are spaced out, but they have helpful tourists and dead-drop couriers all over the Commonwealth and beyond. They have to be like this because it's the only way to beat the Institute at their ''own'' version of WeAreEverywhere.
78* WeCanRuleTogether: It's possible for the Railroad to partner up with the Minutemen, especially given how both have mutual foes in the form of the Institute.
79* WellIntentionedExtremist: What their plans ultimately amount to. Freeing Synths, in their eyes is worth whatever the cost, however bloody the outcome.
80* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Their entire ethos is that Synths are people just like the rest of humanity. However, even they have trouble in deciding which Synths qualify and which don't. Deacon mentions that there is a heated philosophical debate over whether or not the Railroad should be helping just the Gen 3 Synths or all Synths. If they decide to help the Gen 1 Synths, which are little more than humanoid high tech Protectrons or turrets, where do they draw the line?
81* WhatTheHellHero:
82** If you side with the Minutemen and take down the Institute [[spoiler:''without'' sounding the evacuation order]], the Railroad will become hostile to you.
83** A ex-ally of the Railroad will call out the Railroad for betraying him and killing many of his friends and family members right before he commits suicide.
84** [=DiMA=] points out that, while their cause is noble, the fact that they push the synths they help to accept memory wipes is pretty fucked up. It both essentially kills the synth and causes quite a bit of paranoia in the wasteland.
85* WouldHurtAChild: Child squires are aboard the ''Prywden'' when [[spoiler:the Railroad bomb it. You can't save them.]]
86* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: This can happen to the Railroad if the Sole Survivor uses them to eliminate the Brotherhood, then kills them for the Institute.
87* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Depending on who you speak to after the Railroad's main quest, various characters will comment on anything from the faction being liberators to them killing off their friends and family.
88* ZombieAdvocate: A portion of the Railroad believes that they should be "liberating" generation 1 and 2 synths. These synths are openly hostile to anything not affiliated with the Institute and would open fire on their "liberators."
89[[/folder]]
90
91!!!Leader
92
93[[folder:Desdemona]]
94!!Desdemona
95[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/desdemona_fo4.jpg]]
96
97->'''Voiced by:''' Claudia Christian
98
99-->''"This isn't the Railroad's darkest hour. We will make it through."''
100
101The current leader of the Railroad, elected to replace Pinky Thompson in 2277.
102----
103* ActionGirl: Knows how to fight as well as lead the Railroad.
104* BlackAndWhiteMorality: The synths are good, the Institute is evil, the Railroad helps synths.
105* CrazyPrepared: Formulated a contingency plan called “Operation Red Glare” as soon as the Brotherhood of Steel made their grand entrance into a Boston on the ''Prydwen''. After the Brotherhood attacks the Old North Church, Des tells Tom that they're executing "Operation Red Glare"; the Railroad hijacks a Brotherhood vertibird, using it to infiltrate and destroy the ''Prydwen'' itself. The name of the quest where you get to carry this out is called "Rocket's Red Glare."
106* {{Expy}}: Of [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Delphine]], albeit being slightly nicer to the PlayerCharacter. Both of them are older women who are TheLeader to mysterious intelligence organizations and are ProperlyParanoid {{Principles Zealot}} {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s that are initially skeptical of the skills of the PlayerCharacter before being later proved wrong.
107* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When you first meet her, Des is paranoid, curt and stern as she interrogates you and later proves to be dogmatic in her beliefs and mission. However, if you join the Railroad and remain loyal to them, she is a pretty ReasonableAuthorityFigure.
108* LaResistance: Leads the Railroad. The Brotherhood mentions, however, that she's just one of five people necessary to running the group.
109* TheLostLenore: If killed, her dying words are "Sam... [[TogetherInDeath I'm coming home]]."
110* MeaningfulName: Played straight if you destroy the Railroad, and inverted if you end up supporting them. Since all Railroad members use codenames chosen by them, it's not clear if Desdemona intended the trope to be played straight, [[IronicNickname somehow intended it to be taken ironically]], or [[RuleOfCool simply thought the name sounded cool]]. Since the name is taken from Shakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', the symbolism would be... kinda weird, to say the least, if it was intended to be played straight. For context, [[spoiler:Desdemona was the daughter of a king who enloped with a moorish man called Othello, who is driven into a jealous rage when he's lied to by Iago when he said that Desdemona had an affair. In the play, Othello kills Desdemona and then kills himself out of grief and guilt after learning the truth.]]
111* PetTheDog: Offers to use the Railroad's resources to help the Survivor find their son if they ask for help even before discovering the Institute's involvement.
112* ProperlyParanoid:
113** She was vocal about her predecessor's lax attitude towards Operational Security. Her tenure as Railroad Alpha has been one of the most effective of the organization on record, even counting the Switchboard massacre.
114** Subverted if the player only meets the Railroad while looking for the Courser Chip code and doesn't return to answer Desdemona's interview questions before travelling into the Institute. Upon learning you travelled into the Institute without informing her, Desdemona will accuse you of joining them and refuse to work with you further, even if you shot Father the moment he arrived and became enemies on your first visit there. Double Subverted if you do end up joining the Institute or the Brotherhood of Steel and end up massacring the Railroad, although that may be a case of HoistByHisOwnPetard or a MistreatmentInducedBetrayal if the Sole Survivor did initially actually want to help and join the Railroad but joined the Institute or Brotherhood to seek revenge on Des for rejecting them.
115* SecretKeeper: When [[spoiler:Patriot commits suicide and sends a scathing letter to the Railroad, she covers it up and tells you to keep your lip zipped about how he really felt, because Patriot was too important a symbol for the Railroad for her to sully.]]
116* SkepticNoLonger: Loses all trace of disbelief in the Survivor when they kill a Courser single-handedly and then infiltrate the Institute.
117* SpikeShooter: Her weapon is the Railway Rifle, which shoots railway spikes.
118* TeethClenchedTeamwork: She views working with the Minutemen as this. She admires their desire to help the innocent, but she thinks the Minutemen would have the same fearful attitude towards synths as the common people of the Commonwealth, given that such people actually make up the Minutemen. Thus, she would rather the Sole Survivor work with the Railroad. However, if her plans can no longer work (as in, if the PlayerCharacter gets kicked out of the Institute before the Railroad's mole operation with them can succeed), Desdemona will tell the Sole Survivor they need an army like the Minutemen to take on the Institute, and outright suggests the Sole Survivor work with them.
119* TheSpymaster: The Railroad under her is a half-guerrilla organization, half-covert agency, all refugee assistance society.
120* ThisIsUnforgivable:
121** If you [[spoiler:do not issue the Evacuation Order during the Nuclear Option quest]], Desdemona will lose any and all respect she had for you and the entire Railroad will turn against you.
122** She will also turn on you if [[spoiler:you visit the Institute without working with her due to believing you are now working with them, and threatens you to stay away from the Railroad afterwards.]]
123* WeHelpTheHelpless: Her view on what the Railroad is about.
124[[/folder]]
125
126!!!HQ Staff
127
128[[folder:Deacon]]
129See: [[Characters/Fallout4Companions Fallout 4 Companions]]
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Tinker Tom]]
133!!Tinker Tom
134[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tinker_tom_fo4.jpg]]
135
136->'''Voiced by:''' Byron Marc Newsome
137
138A mechanic/electronic specialist who started working for the Railroad after his family farm was attacked by the Institute.
139----
140* TheArmorer: The Railroad have advanced weapons and stealth boys, most of them put together by Tom.
141* BlackAndNerdy: He's the designated tech guy of the organization. He's also black.
142* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's pretty hyperactive and not quite all there in the head, leading to plenty of smart-ass remarks from [[DeadpanSnarker Deacon]].
143* ConspiracyTheorist: Even goes so far as injecting algae into his blood in order to prevent The Institute from spying on him.
144* TheCracker: Is this for the Railroad in terms of investigating Institute tech.
145* CreateYourOwnHero: From the perspective of the Institute, as he first joined the Railroad after a Courser accidentally wiped out his family's homestead when they threw a grenade wrong.
146* TheEngineer: Tom's primary job is, as his name implies, to "tinker" with machinery.
147* FreudianExcuse: Tom's goofy demeanor [[StepfordSmiler is implied to be due to him looking for ways to avoid grieving over his dead family]].
148* FunctionalAddict: He's said to take chems on a regular basis, but it doesn't seem to stop nor hinder his technical abilities.
149* GadgeteerGenius: Cobbles together various gear for the Railroad out of spare parts, like the faction's signature Railway Rifles and his MILA scanning devices.
150* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: PlayedWith. He's mostly called Tinker Tom now. His real name is Thomas Weatherby. Given that he rarely leaves the Railroad's HQ, however, he doesn't have the same need to keep his identity hidden that a field operative would.
151* MeaningfulName: His name is Tom and he's a tinker. Given both that and the general themes of Colonial Americana in ''Fallout 4'', he almost certainly takes his name from "Tom the Tinker," the name penned on various letters during the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion Whiskey Rebellion]], which threatened tax collectors (and those who went along with the new whiskey tax) in the belief that it went against the principles of the American Revolution.
152* ProperlyParanoid:
153** Despite his eccentric nature, all things considered the Institute really ''does'' warrant the level of paranoia he displays.
154** Another one of his areas of paranoia are aliens, which are very much real in the Fallout universe and most certainly not nice. The worst part is that the Zetans still seem to be investigating Earth even after the events of ''Fallout 3''.
155* RealNameAsAnAlias: Tinker '''Tom''''s real name is '''Thomas''' Weatherby.
156* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Dr. Carrington's blue, being more excitable and prone to bursts of emotion in contrast to Carrington's muted and dismissive attitude towards everyone else.
157* TheSmartGuy: For the Railroad, alongside Dr. Carrington. He's the main reason they stopped being limited to using pipe guns. Specifically, Railroad Heavies have ''Gauss Rifles'', making them better armed than anything short of Gatling Laser-packing Brotherhood Paladins.
158* WhatTheHellHero: Similar to Ingram and Sturges, he'll call you out if you [[spoiler:decide to leave "Shaun" behind in the soon-to-be-nuked Institute]] in the end. Unlike the others, [[spoiler:he claims that he'll still send Shaun to the Railroad HQ but [[StoryAndGameplaySegregation the kid will never show up]].]]
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Dr. Carrington]]
162!!Doctor Stanley Carrington
163->'''Voiced by:''' Sean T. Krishnan
164
165The technical advisor (one of them, at least) to the Railroad. He likes to style himself as the second-in-command of the organization.
166----
167* DrJerk: He's no Doctor Amari, that's for sure.
168* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Doctor Carrington is this to the Railroad. They all need him for his medical expertise, but nobody really wants his advice on anything due to his rudeness.
169* {{Jerkass}}: Just about every word out of the good doctor's mouth is barely concealed contempt for everyone and everything.
170* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: For all of Carrington's many flaws, he's still part of an organization which devotes itself to protecting runaway Synths. It's also one where he constantly risks his life. He's also still a medic, and serves as one. Do a few missions for him, and he'll start to begin to demonstrate [[HiddenDepths a subdued appreciation]] for your talents.
171* JerkassHasAPoint: His attitude towards the player isn't based around anything personal, as he will explain if the player goes out of their way to speak with him. Rather, it's coming from his annoyance at the security risks inherent in letting a total stranger have full knowledge of their HQ. This is entirely reasonable, given that both the Brotherhood and Institute will happily assign the player to wipe the Railroad out.
172* NotThatKindOfDoctor: Inverted. Doctor Carrington ''is'' a medical doctor (or at least what passes for one in the Commonwealth), but obscures this fact to make himself seem smarter. He seems to want to be thought of as a doctor of whatever subject he's currently discussing.
173* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Tinker Tom's Red. He prefers logical thinking and pragmatic actions over wild, off-the-wall approaches to problems, something that Tom is very guilty of. He also comes across as a calm and reasonable (if condescending) person, whereas Tom, friendly as he is, is most certainly ''not'' someone you'd want to entrust your health to.
174* TheSmartGuy: His role in the Railroad. Technically {{Subverted|Trope}} in that there's quite a few other geniuses in the faction (like Tinker Tom) but he doesn't seem to acknowledge this. His particular area of expertise (aside from medical knowledge) may be Synths themselves, as Tom seems to specialize in weapons, communications, and gunships and does not seem particularly knowledgeable about how Synths themselves function.
175* SourSupporter: He undermines Desdemona when he can, insinuating she's too weak and empathetic for the hard choices, but does so in a very subdued passive-aggressive manner. However, for all his grousing, he's still very loyal to the cause.
176* TookALevelInKindness: If you [[spoiler: complete "The Nuclear Option" on behalf of the Railroad]], he's ''considerably'' nicer to you.
177* UnexplainedAccent: He's the only other character in the game aside from Dr. Amari with an Indian accent.
178* WrongGenreSavvy: Carrington claims that the reason why he's [[{{Jerkass}} so acerbic]] to others is because he feels that the Railroad needs to be [[TookALevelInJerkass harsher and more cautious]] when [[CruelToBeKind dealing with outsiders]] so [[TookALevelInBadass they can be stronger against]] the Institute and Brotherhood. However, Deacon points out to the Sole Survivor that the Railroad would get a ''lot'' more public support in the Commonwealth if they were [[TookALevelInKindness kinder and more open]] to outsiders.
179[[/folder]]
180
181[[folder:Glory]]
182!!Glory (G7-81)
183[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glory_fo4.jpg]]
184
185->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChelseaTavares
186
187A female Railroad Heavy who fights in their more frontline operations. Glory is actually one of the synths that the Railroad rescued, but instead of going through the memory replacement procedure and starting a new life, G7-81 begged them to let her join the Railroad.
188----
189* ActionGirl: One of the Railroad's few remaining [[OneManArmy Heavies]].
190* AmbiguouslyBi: Her [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] with the Sole Survivor [[PurelyAestheticGender regardless of gender]] can be seen as flirting. However, her relationship with [[spoiler: the brain-dead female Synth [=G5-19=]]] is [[ShipTease implied to have been something more than just caring for a friend/protectorate]].
191* AndroidsArePeopleToo: Even moreso than the rest of the Railroad, as Glory ([[InformedAttribute and other unnamed Railroad members that don't really appear]]) considers Gen [=2s=] to be people, albeit more like Cro-Magnon folks.
192* TheBigGirl: She's a Railroad Heavy who fights with a gatling gun.
193* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: Can fall victim to this depending on how you end the main quest, since two factions want the Railroad destroyed. [[spoiler:When siding with the Railroad, she will die trying to HoldTheLine when the Brotherhood assaults the Railroad HQ.]] Funnily enough, if you destroy the Institute with the Minutemen but stay on friendly terms with the Railroad, a glitch may make Desdemona talk about Glory as if she's dead, [[NotNowWereTooBusyCryingOverYou potentially while Glory is standing right behind her.]]
194* BloodKnight: She's nothing but civil to the Sole Survivor, but Desdemona chides Glory, telling her that murder should be her last choice of action, not her first.
195* CessationOfExistence: Due to her being a [[ArtificialHumans Synth]], she claims to have no reason to believe in the possibility of an afterlife for herself.
196* ContraltoOfStrength: Has a very deep and husky voice while easily being Railroad HQ's most dangerous fighter.
197* DeadpanSnarker: She comments that she's just as human as the Sole Survivor, but his/her parents had more fun making their creation than the Institute did making Glory.
198* EarlyBirdCameo:
199** It's possible to meet her before meeting the Railroad during [[spoiler:Curie's personal quest to [[BrainUploading put her in a Synth body]].]]
200** There's {{Foreshadowing}} for her if the player takes out the Raider boss Cutty at Poseidon Energy before encountering the Railroad. More specifically, [[StoryBreadcrumbs her name is written in the room Cutty's found in]], and there [[CrypticBackgroundReference seems to be some (unknown) connection]] between the two.
201* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Glory acknowledges if Deacon's with you during "Memory Interrupted," having extra lines specifically for the occasion.
202* GatlingGood: Her weapon is a Minigun.
203* GoIntoTheLight: Discussed in her last words - "[[spoiler:Isn't there supposed to be a light]]?"
204* GuestStarPartyMember: During "Memory Interrupted". Coincidentally, both the Sole Survivor and her end up being sent to the same area.
205* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:She confronts the Brotherhood soldiers attacking the HQ's main entrance and gets mortally wounded [[YouShallNotPass while preventing them from passing through]].]]
206* ShoutOut: After completing the exceptionally dangerous Freedom Trail and becoming a member of the Railroad, she can compliment the Sole Survivor by remarking "Not bad. For a human, that is." That's based on a ''very'' similar compliment that the android Bishop gives Ripley in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.
207* ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer: Deacon and most of the other Railroad agents prefer the subversive approach because it keeps them hidden. Glory, however, is all about in-your-face violence, and encourages the Survivor to follow the same tactic.
208* ZombieAdvocate: While all the Railroad agree that Gen-3 synths are people, the debate gets heated about [[SkeleBot9000 earlier-gen Synths]]. Glory is firmly in the camp that earlier-gen Synths are people too... even though anyone not flagged as Institute-aligned gets shot at without hesitation by them.
209[[/folder]]
210
211[[folder:Drummer Boy]]
212!!Drummer Boy
213->'''Voiced By:''' Brandon Keener
214
215The official messenger of Railroad Headquarters, and the person tasked with alerting the Sole Survivor when people in HQ want to talk to them.
216----
217* HeroicSelfDeprecation: He coordinates all the communication between different Railroad safe-houses and cells, if he weren't good at what he does the whole Railroad would be in danger. The Sole Survivor can try to point out what an important job this is, but Drummer Boy snarks that he could be replaced by a chalkboard.
218* QuestGiver: His primary function is to tell you about dead drop quests, or to notify you that someone else in Railroad HQ has a job for you.
219[[/folder]]
220
221[[folder:P.A.M.]]
222!!P.A.M.
223->'''Voiced By:''' Colleen Delaney
224
225-->''"Operation complete. You are a rogue variable. No current or previous models predict your presence or existence."''
226
227The Predictive Analytics Machine, a Pre-War computing project developed by the Defense Intelligence Agency and the US Military. When the Railroad operated out of the Switchboard, a restored Pre-War DIA operations center, she was salvaged and put to work crunching the numbers for Railroad operations.
228----
229* AmbiguousSituation: It's subtly implied she ''might'' have directly influenced the events that led to the Great War. The terminal entries in the Switchboard include her running simulations on how China may launch a nuclear attack on the US, and she also warns that with how advanced Chinese stealth technology was, it's possible they may have stealth ''submarines''. Another terminal details reports of sightings of unknown submersibles off the California coast the very day of the Great War, hours before the US launched its nukes. All-in-all, P.A.M.'s predictive models may have influences the decisions of those in power at the time, but given that the circumstances of the Great War are a RiddleForTheAges in ''Fallout'', it's unclear how much she impacted things, if at all.
230* {{Fembot}}: P.A.M. was miniaturized enough to fit into an Assaultron chassis to render her mobile.
231* FunWithAcronyms: Pam is short for "Pamela", a feminine name. Predictive Analytics Machine is a fembot.
232* LogicBomb: PlayedForDrama in one of the Pre-War terminal entries found in the Switchboard, wherein she suffers a system error and crashes after she's asked to run a scenario of the USSR and China both launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States since [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil she can't comprehend the logic in doing such a horrific thing]] if the supposed goal for doing so is "conquest".
233-->'''[=P.A.M.=]:''' Posit: You cannot conquer what is destroyed.
234* NoodleIncident: She was initially reluctant to join the Railroad, but Glory took her aside to have a long conversation, and that was enough to persuade her. Deacon's joked that P.A.M. has a crush on Glory.
235* PrescienceByAnalysis: What P.A.M. was built by the DIA to attempt. Unfortunately, the often illogical nature of humans frequently throws her calculations completely off.
236* BeenThereShapedHistory: She was used by the US military and government before the Great War to aid in their decision-making.
237* QuestGiver: Her primary function in the Railroad.
238[[/folder]]
239
240!!!Switchboard Agents
241
242[[folder:Tommy Whispers]]
243!!Tommy Whispers
244
245One of the Railroad's few heavy agents who was killed during the Synth attack on The Switchboard and is found by Deacon and the Sole Survivor near the end of the Tradecraft quest. He carried a unique silenced pistol called "The Deliverer" as his preferred weapon, which Deacon awards the Sole Survivor for their help during the mission.
246----
247* TheBigGuy: He was a heavy who fought alongside Glory during his time at the old HQ. Unlike other Heavies, however, he seemed to favor a stealthier approach.
248* HellbentForLeather: Unlike Glory and other Railroad Heavies, Tommy was a master of stealth and preferred the lighter leather armor over road leathers for his specialization.
249* HeroicSacrifice: He stayed behind at the Switchboard while the rest of the Railroad escaped and died protecting their secrets from the Synth attackers.
250* StealthExpert: According to the other Railroad members, Tommy was a master of stealth, even for their group. He also carried a unique silenced pistol as his weapon of choice.
251[[/folder]]
252
253!!!Other Agents
254
255[[folder:High Rise]]
256!!High Rise
257[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/high_rise_fo4.png]]
258->'''Voiced by:''' Avery K. Waddell
259
260A agent in charge of Ticonderoga Safehouse in Cambridge. The Sole Survivor aides him in getting H2-22 to safety.
261----
262* KilledOffscreen: The Institute eventually learns the location of Ticonderoga, and has everyone inside killed. The player will only get to see the aftermath.
263* MauveShirt: He has just enough characterization for it to be noteworthy when the Coursers track him down.
264* TheMentor: Most new recruits to the Railroad are first assigned to Ticonderoga, where High Rise teaches them all they need to know about working for the Railroad.
265* MysteriousPast: Mentions that part of the reason he joined the Railroad was to make up for a misspent youth, but never offers any other details.
266* NiceGuy: Even when the Sole Survivor is rude to him, High Rise is never anything but polite and thankful for their help and his top priority is making sure H2-22 is safe.
267* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He true name is never mentioned.
268[[/folder]]
269
270[[folder:Ricky Dalton]]
271!!Ricky Dalton
272->'''Voiced by:''' Richard Cansino
273
274A surveyor who has been keeping an eye on the Switchboard, an old Railroad HQ. He appears during the "Tradecraft" quest to give the Sole Survivor and Deacon some intel and provide support.
275----
276* HeroicSacrifice: He can be persuaded to cause a distraction or provide sniper support instead of just staying put or leaving, though both actions will likely end up killing him.
277* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's pretty rough around the edges, but genuinely cares about supporting the Railroad and saving Synths. He'll complain about it, but he's even willing to sacrifice himself if the Sole Survivor convinces him to help.
278-->'''Ricky:''' Well, if I make it out alive -- you goddamn own me. If not, you never let them forget good old Ricky Dalton.
279* ProperlyParanoid: He's extremely paranoid, to the point he'll nearly shoot the Sole Survivor if they don't used the agreed upon code phrase. However, he's also supporting one of the most mistrusted and hunted factions in the Commonwealth, who a lot of people would kill on sight. It only makes sense that he'd be a bit paranoid.
280* SourSupporter: He genuinely believes in the Railroad's cause but feels he isn't very appreciated for his role or sacrifices. He'll still give his life for them though, complaining all the way.

Top