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The Railway Rifle is a rare, custom-made weapon that shoots railway spikes at such a high velocity, they can sever body parts and pin them to walls.Fallout 4 loading screens

The railway rifle is a weapon in Fallout 4.

Background[]

A model that is a product of Tinker Tom's engineering (although at least one seems to have existed before the Great War),[clarification needed] the railway rifle shoots railway spikes at lethal velocities.[1][2] During development there were issues with its cooling unit, and liquid nitrogen was eventually used to decrease the reload time.[2]

Characteristics[]

The railway rifle fires railway spikes as projectiles in the same manner as an air rifle. These are rarely found as ammunition, but are cheap to buy and can be recovered from enemies slain using the weapon. In exchange, the railway rifle has become enormously more powerful from its last iteration while retaining its ability to do extreme damage to limbs—sometimes even pinning detached ones to walls.

The railway rifle is most effective in VATS at close to mid ranges, although its range is somewhat increased from its last incarnation and can be greatly increased with modifications. The reason that the rifle is more effective in V.A.T.S. is that the nails seems to have a slight travel time which makes it harder to hit enemies further away. This travel time reduces the efficiency of the railway rifle as a sniper weapon. However, a scoped railway rifle can still be a devastating sniper weapon for use against unaware enemies because of its massive damage output.

In addition, a train whistle sound effect can be heard when reloading the weapon.

Weapon modifications[]

Receiver
ModDescriptionWeapon prefixDamage per shot changeFire rate changeRange changeAccuracy changeMagazine capacity (shots per reload) changeWeight changeWeapon value change in capsEffect(s)Perk(s) requiredComponentsForm ID
Standard receiverStandard.Gears x4
Nuclear material x4
Oil x6
Screw x4
Steel x8
001A8AAD
Automatic piston receiverImproved rate of fire. Inferior range.Automatic+2-12-1+1.5+75Gun Nut 2Adhesive x8
Aluminum x12
Gears x6
Nuclear material x6
Oil x8
Screw x6
001C4052
Barrel
ModDescriptionWeapon prefixDamage per shot changeFire rate changeRange changeAccuracy changeMagazine capacity (shots per reload) changeWeight changeWeapon value change in capsEffect(s)Perk(s) requiredComponentsForm ID
Short barrelStandard.Screw x4
Steel x6
00188A8B
Long barrelSuperior range and sighted accuracy. Better recoil. Poor hip-fire accuracy.Long+84+2+2.2+20Adhesive x7
Aluminum x10
Fiberglass x8
Oil x4
Screw x6
00188A8A
Stock
ModDescriptionWeapon prefixDamage per shot changeFire rate changeRange changeAccuracy changeMagazine capacity (shots per reload) changeWeight changeWeapon value change in capsEffect(s)Perk(s) requiredComponentsForm ID
Standard stockStandard.Adhesive x6
Plastic x2
Screw x8
Steel x3
00188A8E
Recoil compensating stockExceptional recoil.Recoil compensated+2+1.3+40Gun Nut 3Adhesive x10
Aluminum x14
Rubber x3
Screw x12
Spring x11
00188A8D
Sights
ModDescriptionWeapon prefixDamage per shot changeFire rate changeRange changeAccuracy changeMagazine capacity (shots per reload) changeWeight changeWeapon value change in capsEffect(s)Perk(s) requiredComponentsForm ID
Standard sightsStandard.Adhesive x1
Steel x2
001A8AAE
Short scopeImproved magnification. Superior sighted accuracy.Scoped+16+1.5+35Adhesive x2
Glass x2
Screw x2
Steel x4
001C4053
Reflex sightBetter focus and sighted accuracy.Tactical+7+0.6+45Adhesive x3
Aluminum x4
Fiber optics x2
Glass x2
Nuclear material x2
Screw x2
00188A8C
Medium scopeBetter magnification. Superior sighted accuracy.Scoped+22+2+75Gun Nut 3Adhesive x3
Glass x3
Screw x2
Steel x5
001C4064
Long scopeSuperior magnification and sighted accuracy.Scoped+36+2.4+95Gun Nut 3Adhesive x4
Glass x5
Screw x2
Steel x6
001C4062
Short night vision scopeNight vision. Improved magnification. Superior sighted accuracy.Night-vision+16+1.5+125Gun Nut 3
Science! 1
Adhesive x4
Aluminum x4
Circuitry x2
Fiber optics x3
Glass x3
Nuclear material x2
Screw x2
Silver x2
001C4066
Medium night vision scopeNight vision. Better magnification. Superior sighted accuracy.Night-vision+22+2+145Gun Nut 3
Science! 1
Adhesive x4
Aluminum x5
Circuitry x3
Fiber optics x5
Glass x5
Nuclear material x4
Screw x2
Silver x2
001C4065
Long night vision scopeNight vision. Superior magnification and sighted accuracy.Night-vision+36+2.4+165Gun Nut 4
Science! 1
Adhesive x5
Aluminum x6
Circuitry x5
Fiber optics x6
Glass x6
Gold x2
Nuclear material x6
Screw x2
001C4063
Short recon scopeTracks targets. Improved magnification. Superior sighted accuracy.Recon+16+2.9+195Gun Nut 4
Science! 1
Adhesive x6
Aluminum x6
Circuitry x6
Crystal x8
Fiber optics x8
Gold x3
Nuclear material x7
Screw x3
002492E3
Long recon scopeTracks targets. Superior magnification and sighted accuracy.Recon+36+2.9+195Gun Nut 4
Science! 1
Adhesive x6
Aluminum x6
Circuitry x6
Crystal x8
Fiber optics x8
Gold x3
Nuclear material x7
Screw x3
001C4068
Muzzle
ModDescriptionWeapon prefixDamage per shot changeFire rate changeRange changeAccuracy changeMagazine capacity (shots per reload) changeWeight changeWeapon value change in capsEffect(s)Perk(s) requiredComponentsForm ID
No muzzle
Large bayonetSuperior bash. Inferior range.Bayoneted-18+2.2+40Adhesive x6
Plastic x5
Screw x6
Steel x8
00188A89

Variants[]

Locations[]

  • Big John's Salvage - inside a shelter, which is in a blue overturned railway car just behind the house. In order to enter the shelter's trapdoor, the power must be switched on. The power switch is near the automobile-powered main gate to the salvage yard, attached to a power cable that runs to the blue railway car. After hitting the switch, access the trapdoor by jumping on top of the car. There is a fuse box to turn on between the buildings before the door will activate. It is at ground level. Follow the black power cable.
  • Potential reward for completing the Railroad quest Underground Undercover and starting Precipice of War.
  • Bedford Station - Inside a blue railway car attached to a locomotive. Appears at level 20.
  • Carried by Desdemona during the quest Tactical Thinking.
  • Carried by generic Railroad agents.
  • Tinker Tom occasionally sells one railway rifle.

Notes[]

  • Railway rifles only spawn when the Sole Survivor is above level 20, with the exception of the one carried by Desdemona during the quest Tactical Thinking.
  • The railway rifle was brought back from Fallout 3, and shares a similar appearance to the original.
  • The limb-pinning effect affects heads. Also, pinning does not always happen in outdoor areas. In V.A.T.S. the camera will follow the flying limb or head for quite a while before giving up.
  • Very often there are spikes stuck in walls and bodies after a fight. These spikes are irretrievable.
  • The rifle appears to be semi-automatic since the Sole Survivor doesn't cock it before or after each shot.
  • Railway spikes can be retrieved from the corpse of a hostile target.
  • Completion of the quest "Underground Undercover" will add legendary variants of the railway rifle as loot on legendary enemies.
    • The console command Set LegendaryRailwayRifle to 0 will enable them to be looted if one cannot, or does not wish to, complete this quest.
  • The standard receiver for the railway rifle is mislabelled as the automatic piston receiver in the console.
  • The rifle has a capacity of 10 spikes but the Sole Survivor will always load 5 spikes into it while reloading.
  • In first-person view, the player character holds the railway rifle with their left hand gripping the barrel, but in third-person the left hand will grip the underside area of the gun's receiver.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Fallout 4 loading screens: "The Railway Rifle is a rare, custom-made weapon that shoots railway spikes at such a high velocity, they can sever body parts and pin them to walls."
  2. 2.0 2.1 Railroad HQ terminal entries; Tinker Tom's terminal, Field test log
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