Fallout 4 Guide: How to Join the Railroad Faction

Obey the trail and decipher the key to the Railroad hideout

Once Fallout 4 lets you complete the Road to Freedom quest, everyone can opt to become an aristocratic member of the Railroad. In this guide, we’re going to point out all of the details and tips that are going to help you reach this faction’s hidden hideout and discover the Freedom Trail Code.

If you want a detailed overview of all the factions of Fallout 4 before going into the details of the Railroad faction; head over to our Fallout 4 Companion Guide.

Key Highlights
  • In Fallout 4, the Railroad faction is one of the strongest factions that you join, providing many powerful perks to work with.
  • In order to join the faction, you first have to finish a series of quests called “Serve the Freedom Trail”
  • After figuring out all the clues and reaching the Railroad Hideout it will ask for a password, that being “RAILROAD”.
  • You will then meet up with an NPC called Desdemona and after completing her quests, you will be allowed to join the faction.
Fallout 4 Character Planner
Plan your ultimate Fallout 4 character. Try our intuitive calculator now and conquer the Wasteland..

Serve the Freedom Trail Quest

There are various ways to initiate this quest. One way is to study the Park Street Station area for hints. The second one is to converse with Doctor Amari during The Molecular Level quest, where she suggests seeking out the Railroad faction. Though, the simplest path is to bug in one of the two locations, which is the path we counsel. 

Start this quest by progressing to Diamond City or the Good Neighbor. We chose Diamond City. When you visit, walk nearby and overhear on the locals till you catch some of them discussing this mysterious faction. If you prefer to go to Diamond City, the characters you need to eavesdrop on will likely be in either the Market or the Dugout Inn. 

Simultaneously listening to the commentaries about the Railroad, the quest objective will now turn to “Follow the Freedom Trail”, and a brand-new objective icon will be located on your map. Observe the icon till you arrive near a fountain in Boston Common close to the Park Street Station. In the presence of the fountain, you will discover a board with rough writing that shows, “At Journey’s End Follow Freedom’s Lantern.” There is also a Tour Bot to the right of the fountain, alongside a sign that says, “The Freedom Trail.” The Tour Bot suggests a historical tourist path that curves throughout the city, starting at this location in Boston Common.

Related: Best Dying Light 2 Faction

Seek the red brick trail to attain the clues on each marked seal.

Freedom Trail Code

  1. Starting Point: Begin at the stamped seal in front of the fountain. Follow the red brick path, which will lead you to various tourist locations in the city.
  2. Symbols and Clues: At each tourist location, you’ll find a city seal on the ground with a specific letter and number written on it. Record these symbols as they will be used later to unlock the door to the Railroad’s hideout. There are eight seals in total, including the starting point which states “A7”.
  3. Tourist Locations and Seals:
    • Boston Common: Seal “A7”.
    • Massachusetts State House: Seal “L4”.
    • Old Granary Burying Ground: Seal “A2”.
    • Old State House: Seal “O6”.
    • Old Corner Bookstore: Seal “3I”.
    • Faneuil Hall: Seal “5R”.
    • Paul Revere’s House: Seal “8D”.
    • Old North Church: Ultimate clue seal “1R”.
  4. Finding the Old North Church: You can follow the Freedom Trail path to reach the Old North Church, or you can head directly there from Boston Common if you know its location.
  5. Entering the Old North Church: Once inside the Old North Church, look for the door marked by the seal and lantern on the ground. Prepare for combat as you may encounter Ghouls inside.
  6. Navigating to the Basement: Proceed through the hole in the wall and turn right through another doorway. Descend the staircase to the basement corridors.

How to Get the Passcode to the Railroad Hideout

After inputting the password, the wall will thrust to open, exposing a dark chamber with numerous Railroad faction members anticipating inside, one of whom is Desdemona. She will shortly question you on how you came upon finding their hideout. You can decide to be honest, or reserve information. You will ultimately be given provisional admittance, as Desdemona demands your help with a new task.  

Joining the Railroad Faction

Subsequently chatting with Desdemona and Deacon, admit the follow-up quest titled Tradecraft. After finishing this quest and responding to Desdemona, you can choose whether or not to allow admittance within the Railroad faction. If you accept, accompany Desdemona to the Railroad headquarters to open this as a fast travel point on your map.

You can seek multiple factions, but know that the more quests you complete for the Railroad, the more other factions will disapprove of your actions. The Brotherhood of Steel and the Institute are both factions that don’t conceive profoundly of Railroad Agents.

Did you find this helpful? Leave feedback below.

Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡

How can we make this post better? Your help would be appreciated. ✍

Subscribe to our newsletter and get up-to-speed gaming updates delivered to your inbox.

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy.


Martin Bell is a News Writer on eXputer who’s been invested in the latest technology and games since the very early years of his childhood. He’s clocked in several hours into CS:GO and other eSports games and is enthusiastic about PC hardware. His passion for gaming and PC hardware shows in the News stories that he breaks for his audience. He is a professional journalist who loves networking with people in the industry to catch the latest scoop before it hits the mainstream media. Experience: 5+ years || Education: Bachelor's in Journalism || Broken 250+ News Stories || Mainly Covers News Articles on eXputer

Related Articles

Join Our Community

Enjoyed this article? Discuss the latest gaming news, get expert help with guides and errors, and chat about all things gaming on eXputer Forums and Discord Server. Connect with fellow gamers who share your passion by becoming a part of eXputer's community.