I wonder..........

[JanOlov]

what the railroads might have looked like today if Pennsylvania and New York Central had never merged in 1968? Or, the merger craze of 1976, and NO AMTRAK 1971. What if the railroads had been in top conditions, AND like if Alco, Baldwin, FM and Lima still be building locomotives ? aaahh, wonderful thoughts [:D]

[Richard A]

Jan,

Interesting and fun idea, but very hard to imagine (and I love the idea of steam locos running rampant throughout the country....or at least, throughout the Northeast). But for that scenario to exist something else would have had to have changed. i.e. - America's love affair with the automobile, technology improving upon the steam engine with diesels, the general dissatifaction with air pollution caused by burning coal (although oil and possibly other fuels could have saved the steamers, too), and probably umpteen other factors that I am overlooking.

50 or so years from now, we will be saying similar things about the demise of diesel locos compared to whatever will succeed them.

[red p]

First of all the PRR and NYC were both broke so the out come would have been the same. And a lot of it was brought on by government restrictions. The industry had pushed for deregulation for a long time, but didnt come until President Ford signed the 4R act in 1976 (RailRoad Revitalization and Reform act) When Just about the whole industry was bankrupt or at least very deep in the red. so it really wasnt a merger craze, but a government bail out.

[trolleyboy]

I don't know. I would like to think that everything would have neen electrified. Ala the New Haven electric districts.Imagine GG1's or similar effortless pulling passenegrs and fireght all over North America. Clean and efficien.

[JanOlov]

Sorry folks. I was more thinking about diesels when it comes to ALCO, Baldwin, Lima and the FM. Steam would have super[:D], but impossible. I don't think that they would have been very nice looking either [V]. Wouldn't have anything against electrics either, you've had some REALLY good looking ones in the U.S of A, Little Joe's, GG1's and quite a few others Box Cabs etc just to mention a few [^].