Fallout 4: The Railroad / Characters

Fallout 4 Main Character Index
Sole Survivor and Family | Companions (Main Story Companions) | Factions (The East Coast Brotherhood of Steel — The Railroad — The Institute) | Commonwealth Citizens (Diamond City — Goodneighbor) | Island Citizens | Nuka-World Citizens

This is a page for the members of the Railroad within the Fallout 4 Commonwealth.

The Railroad

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/railroadpaintedlogo.png

Follow the Freedom Trail

"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?"

—Desdemona

A 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).

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In General

Activist-Fundamentalist Antics: 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.
Ambiguous Situation: Their status in 2296 is rather ambiguous. A line in the Fallout TV show reveals that the Brotherhood of Steel still maintains a heavy presence in the Commonwealth several years after the events of Fallout 4. This likely means that the Institute was destroyed in either the Brotherhood or Minutemen endings, since those are the only endings where the Brotherhood survives in the Commonwealth. It's less clear what happened to the Railroad, as they are destroyed in the Brotherhood ending but survive in the Minutemen one. It's also unclear what their purpose would be if they indeed managed to outlive the Institute, though it's possible they could've transitioned to helping surviving Synths avoid being purged by the Brotherhood forces in the Commonwealth.
Androids Are People, Too: Their motivation in a nutshell.
Ascended Extra: They were originally mentioned as part of a Fallout 3 secondary questline, but naturally play a much larger role in Fallout 4.
Attack Its Weak Point: The Railroad does this to the Institute and Brotherhood of Steel, smacking them down hard if the Survivor sides with them.
Black-and-White Morality:
- 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.
- 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.
Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: 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 Right Hand Versus Left Hand, 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 to descend into chaos after they wipe out both the Brotherhood and Institute.
Brainwashed and Crazy: The Brainwashing for the Greater Good example below can backfire as it means these Synths have no idea they should care about their pasts or Synth rights. Paladin Danse is one such example.
Brainwashing for the Greater Good: 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.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: They're an odd bunch of people, to say the least. However, they're frighteningly effective and can strike down considerably more powerful organizations.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Suffered one of these when their home base was attacked by the Institute and the group was almost wiped out.
- 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.
- 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.
David Versus Goliath: 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.
Death by Irony: The Railroad are a fanatical organization that relies on converting moles to gather intelligence. In either the Brotherhood or Institute routes, the Sole Survivor uses their knowledge as an "ally" of the Railroad to bring them down.
Didn't Think This Through: Deacon defends their HQ's password, "Railroad" by noting that most people in the Commonwealth are illiterate. 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.
Elaborate Underground Base: 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.
Elite Army: 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.
Foil:
- To the Commonwealth Minutemen, who are Reasonable Authority Figures that care about all Wastelanders versus the Railroad's Rebellious Rebel 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, the Minutemen have been little better than policemen.
- 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.
From Nobody to Nightmare:
- 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.
- 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.
Good Is Not Nice: Fully intend to wipe out both the Institute and the Brotherhood of Steel.
Good Is Not Soft: The Railroad has been kicked around horribly by the Institute and its members take unimaginable risks — and they keep going.
He Who Fights Monsters: 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.
Impartial Purpose-Driven Faction: The Commonwealth is a Crapsack World 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.
It's Personal: What motivates them to finally strike against the BoS. 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.
La Résistance: 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 Fantastic Racism against Synths.
Mirroring Factions:
- 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' anarchism and "fight the power" elements than their expertise with science and knowledge. Furthermore, while the Followers are frequently co-opted by the NCR, the Great Khans, and other groups to build their empires, the Railroad actively tears them down but has a far less positive effect on society as a whole (while still helping individuals). The Railroad are also 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 intentionally trying to distance themselves from that stereotype of anarchism.
- 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.
- 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 — a memory wipe^note - and hide in an Elaborate Underground Base, while the Gunners, Brotherhood, and Minutemen are all out in the open.
Mysterious Past: 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.
Not in This for Your Revolution: According to Deacon, and even admitted by Desdemona, most of the human members of the Railroad are not keenly interested in saving synths. Rather, they are victims of the Institute’s actions in the Commonwealth and see the Railroad as the only way they can fight back. Saving Synths is a great way to spite the Institute.
Odd Friendship: 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.
Only Known by Their Nickname: 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.
The Password Is Always "Swordfish": 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 the Commonwealth, the very ability to spell "Railroad" isn't exactly common.
Principles Zealot: 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.
Properly Paranoid:
- The Railroad uses elaborate methods to keep their existence covert like dead drops, Spy Speak, and secret hideaways. This is because the Institute has eyes and ears everywhere. 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.
- 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.
Ragtag Band of Misfits: 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.
Rebellious Rebel: 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 Heartbroken Badass.
The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: 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.
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: 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.
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.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: 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 the Prydwen and the Institute, and, in a series of radiant quests, have you hunt down surviving enemies.
Rule of Symbolism:
- 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 due to it being a former U.S. Defense Command listening post.
- Fittingly for the Fallout series' Atompunk themes, the lantern on the Railroad's flag is housing an atom in lieu of a candleflame.
Secretly Earmarked for Greatness: There is evidence that they've known about and been watching the 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).^* You can also see Railroad member Deacon 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.
Spy Speak: The Railroad employs "tourists" to help allies move "packages." Deacon in particular approves if you talk like this during missions.
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.
Took a Level in Cynic: 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.
True Companions: All of the Railroad's members seem to be very close friends and like family. Except for Doctor Carrington, who is The Friend Nobody Likes, but even he is still viewed with overall respect by the other Railroad members.
Underground Railroad: As their name implies, they serve as this for Synths.
The Unfettered: 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.
Unknown Rival: Inverted despite the fact that the Railroad is an incredibly secretive and Properly Paranoid 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.
We Are Everywhere: 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 We Are Everywhere.
We Can Rule Together: 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.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: What their plans ultimately amount to. Freeing Synths, in their eyes is worth whatever the cost, however bloody the outcome.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: 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?
What the Hell, Hero?:
- If you side with the Minutemen and take down the Institute without sounding the evacuation order, the Railroad will become hostile to you.
- 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.
- 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.
Would Hurt a Child: Child squires are aboard the Prywden when the Railroad bomb it. You can't save them.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: This can happen to the Railroad if the Sole Survivor uses them to eliminate the Brotherhood, then kills them for the Institute.
Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: 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.
Zombie Advocate: 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."

Leader

Desdemona

Voiced by: Claudia Christian

"This isn't the Railroad's darkest hour. We will make it through."

The current leader of the Railroad, elected to replace Pinky Thompson in 2277.

Action Girl: Knows how to fight as well as lead the Railroad.
Black-and-White Morality: The synths are good, the Institute is evil, the Railroad helps synths.
Crazy-Prepared: 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."
Expy: Of Delphine, albeit being slightly nicer to the Player Character. Both of them are older women who are The Leader to mysterious intelligence organizations and are Properly Paranoid Principles Zealot Reasonable Authority Figures that are initially skeptical of the skills of the Player Character before being later proved wrong.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: 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 Reasonable Authority Figure.
La Résistance: Leads the Railroad. The Brotherhood mentions, however, that she's just one of five people necessary to running the group.
The Lost Lenore: If killed, her dying words are "Sam... I'm coming home."
Meaningful Name: 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, somehow intended it to be taken ironically, or simply thought the name sounded cool. Since the name is taken from Shakespeare's Othello, the symbolism would be... kinda weird, to say the least, if it was intended to be played straight. For context, 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.
Pet the Dog: 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.
Properly Paranoid:
- 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.
- 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 Hoist by His Own Petard or a Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal 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.
Secret-Keeper: When 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.
Skeptic No Longer: Loses all trace of disbelief in the Survivor when they kill a Courser single-handedly and then infiltrate the Institute.
Spike Shooter: Her weapon is the Railway Rifle, which shoots railway spikes.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: 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 Player Character 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.
The Spymaster: The Railroad under her is a half-guerrilla organization, half-covert agency, all refugee assistance society.
This Is Unforgivable!:
- If you 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.
- She will also turn on you if 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.
We Help the Helpless: Her view on what the Railroad is about.

HQ Staff

Deacon

See: Fallout 4: Companions

Tinker Tom

Voiced by: Byron Marc Newsome

A mechanic/electronic specialist who started working for the Railroad after his family farm was attacked by the Institute.

The Armorer: The Railroad have advanced weapons and stealth boys, most of them put together by Tom.
Black and Nerdy: He's the designated tech guy of the organization. He's also black.
Cloudcuckoolander: He's pretty hyperactive and not quite all there in the head, leading to plenty of smart-ass remarks from Deacon.
Conspiracy Theorist: Even goes so far as injecting algae into his blood in order to prevent The Institute from spying on him.
The Cracker: Is this for the Railroad in terms of investigating Institute tech.
Create Your Own Hero: 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.
The Engineer: Tom's primary job is, as his name implies, to "tinker" with machinery.
Freudian Excuse: Tom's goofy demeanor is implied to be due to him looking for ways to avoid grieving over his dead family.
Functional Addict: He's said to take chems on a regular basis, but it doesn't seem to stop nor hinder his technical abilities.
Gadgeteer Genius: Cobbles together various gear for the Railroad out of spare parts, like the faction's signature Railway Rifles and his MILA scanning devices.
Known Only by Their Nickname: Played With. 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.
Meaningful Name: 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 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.
Properly Paranoid:
- Despite his eccentric nature, all things considered the Institute really does warrant the level of paranoia he displays.
- 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.
Real Name as an Alias: Tinker Tom's real name is Thomas Weatherby.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: 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.
The Smart Guy: 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.
What the Hell, Hero?: Similar to Ingram and Sturges, he'll call you out if you decide to leave "Shaun" behind in the soon-to-be-nuked Institute in the end. Unlike the others, he claims that he'll still send Shaun to the Railroad HQ but the kid will never show up.

Dr. Carrington

Doctor Stanley Carrington

Voiced by: Sean T. Krishnan

The technical advisor (one of them, at least) to the Railroad. He likes to style himself as the second-in-command of the organization.

Dr. Jerk: He's no Doctor Amari, that's for sure.
The Friend Nobody Likes: 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.
Jerkass: Just about every word out of the good doctor's mouth is barely concealed contempt for everyone and everything.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: 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 a subdued appreciation for your talents.
Jerkass Has a Point: 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.
Not That Kind of Doctor: 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.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: 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.
The Smart Guy: His role in the Railroad. Technically Subverted 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.
Sour Supporter: 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.
Took a Level in Kindness: If you complete "The Nuclear Option" on behalf of the Railroad, he's considerably nicer to you.
Unexplained Accent: He's the only other character in the game aside from Dr. Amari with an Indian accent.
Wrong Genre Savvy: Carrington claims that the reason why he's so acerbic to others is because he feels that the Railroad needs to be harsher and more cautious when dealing with outsiders so 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 kinder and more open to outsiders.

Glory

Glory (G7-81)

Voiced by: Chelsea Tavares

A 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.

Action Girl: One of the Railroad's few remaining Heavies.
Ambiguously Bi: Her snark with the Sole Survivor regardless of gender can be seen as flirting. However, her relationship with the brain-dead female Synth G5-19 is implied to have been something more than just caring for a friend/protectorate.
Androids Are People, Too: Even moreso than the rest of the Railroad, as Glory (and other unnamed Railroad members that don't really appear) considers Gen 2s to be people, albeit more like Cro-Magnon folks.
The Big Girl: She's a Railroad Heavy who fights with a gatling gun.
Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Can fall victim to this depending on how you end the main quest, since two factions want the Railroad destroyed. When siding with the Railroad, she will die trying to Hold the Line 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, potentially while Glory is standing right behind her.
Blood Knight: 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.
Cessation of Existence: Due to her being a Synth, she claims to have no reason to believe in the possibility of an afterlife for herself.
Contralto of Strength: Has a very deep and husky voice while easily being Railroad HQ's most dangerous fighter.
Deadpan Snarker: 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.
Early-Bird Cameo:
- It's possible to meet her before meeting the Railroad during Curie's personal quest to put her in a Synth body.
- There's Foreshadowing for her if the player takes out the Raider boss Cutty at Poseidon Energy before encountering the Railroad. More specifically, her name is written in the room Cutty's found in, and there seems to be some (unknown) connection between the two.
Gameplay and Story Integration: Glory acknowledges if Deacon's with you during "Memory Interrupted," having extra lines specifically for the occasion.
Gatling Good: Her weapon is a Minigun.
Go into the Light: Discussed in her last words - "Isn't there supposed to be a light?"
Guest-Star Party Member: During "Memory Interrupted". Coincidentally, both the Sole Survivor and her end up being sent to the same area.
Heroic Sacrifice: She confronts the Brotherhood soldiers attacking the HQ's main entrance and gets mortally wounded while preventing them from passing through.
Shout-Out: 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 Aliens.
Violence Really Is the Answer: 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.
Zombie Advocate: While all the Railroad agree that Gen-3 synths are people, the debate gets heated about 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.

Drummer Boy

Voiced By: Brandon Keener

The official messenger of Railroad Headquarters, and the person tasked with alerting the Sole Survivor when people in HQ want to talk to them.

Heroic Self-Deprecation: 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.
Quest Giver: 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.

P.A.M.

Voiced By: Colleen Delaney

"Operation complete. You are a rogue variable. No current or previous models predict your presence or existence."

The 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.

Ambiguous Situation: 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 Riddle for the Ages in Fallout, it's unclear how much she impacted things, if at all.
Fembot: P.A.M. was miniaturized enough to fit into an Assaultron chassis to render her mobile.
Fun with Acronyms: Pam is short for "Pamela", a feminine name. Predictive Analytics Machine is a fembot.
Logic Bomb: Played for Drama 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 she can't comprehend the logic in doing such a horrific thing if the supposed goal for doing so is "conquest".
P.A.M.: Posit: You cannot conquer what is destroyed.
Noodle Incident: 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.
Prescience by Analysis: What P.A.M. was built by the DIA to attempt. Unfortunately, the often illogical nature of humans frequently throws her calculations completely off.
Been There, Shaped History: She was used by the US military and government before the Great War to aid in their decision-making.
Quest Giver: Her primary function in the Railroad.

Switchboard Agents

Tommy Whispers

One 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.

The Big Guy: 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.
Hellbent For Leather: Unlike Glory and other Railroad Heavies, Tommy was a master of stealth and preferred the lighter leather armor over road leathers for his specialization.
Heroic Sacrifice: He stayed behind at the Switchboard while the rest of the Railroad escaped and died protecting their secrets from the Synth attackers.
Stealth Expert: 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.

Other Agents

High Rise

Voiced by: Avery K. Waddell

A agent in charge of Ticonderoga Safehouse in Cambridge. The Sole Survivor aides him in getting H2-22 to safety.

Killed Offscreen: The Institute eventually learns the location of Ticonderoga, and has everyone inside killed. The player will only get to see the aftermath.
Mauve Shirt: He has just enough characterization for it to be noteworthy when the Coursers track him down.
The Mentor: 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.
Mysterious Past: Mentions that part of the reason he joined the Railroad was to make up for a misspent youth, but never offers any other details.
Nice Guy: 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.
Only Known by Their Nickname: He true name is never mentioned.

Ricky Dalton

Voiced by: Richard Cansino

A 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.

Heroic Sacrifice: 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.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: 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.
Ricky: Well, if I make it out alive — you goddamn own me. If not, you never let them forget good old Ricky Dalton.
Properly Paranoid: 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.
Sour Supporter: 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.