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Modeling Merged Railroads ? ? ?

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  • Member since
    April 2003
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Modeling Merged Railroads ? ? ?
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, April 25, 2004 11:27 AM
After reading another thread in the MR forum it gave me an idea for this thread. [:0] [;)]

When Conrail was split up how did it effect modeling for you? Do you or did you model Conrail? Or perhaps you modeled NS or CSX. If so, did it change your layout any or do you plan to in the future. Of course many people model fallen flags and it would certainly be "more than ok" to continue modeling the layout the way you did preConrail merger. If the split up changed your modeling how so?

In real life we all know the merger has greately effected Eastern railroading in many ways, many of them very negatively. From a railfanning point of view the merger was a diaster. It has taken much traffic from the Suzie Q. It has taken away a good class one railroad and the opportunity to railfan it. But mergers seem to never be kind to the merged road and this certainly is the case for the ex-Conrail lines.

With all that said, back to modeling. I forgot to include the Suzie Q in the modeling questions above. Some people may have or still do model the Suzie. That is just fine in my book. (I hope they include some of the Q's Alcos [;)] )

Anyway let's hear your thoughts on these questions. [:p] [8D] [;)] [:)]
  • Member since
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  • From: Whitby, ON
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Posted by CP5415 on Sunday, April 25, 2004 4:06 PM
There's nothing we can do about mergers. It's all about business.
I guess the same could be said for the D&H. There's not too many locomotives left in that livery.
My worst nightmare is if & or when the CPR is merged with another company & the big red locomotives are gone from the rails here in Canada.
In terms with my modeling I know I won't be affected by mergers because I usually don't pay attention to them in terms with my modeling.
Mind you if the CPR didn't buy the SOO or the D&H I probably wouldn't have locomotives with those liveries on my layout.
I guess it would have to be all about one's own personal taste in his/her modeling if they are going to worry about it

just my 2 cents

Gordon

Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!

 K1a - all the way

  • Member since
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  • From: Culpeper, Va
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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Sunday, April 25, 2004 4:06 PM
Conrail, what's Conrail? There is some loose talk going around about merging the PRR and NYC. I think they're going to call it the CenPen. But it's just a rumor. The big news is the Ma & Pa wants to abandon the Maryland part of their line. It's 1955 and all is right on the steel roads.
Enjoy
Paul
If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, April 25, 2004 4:53 PM
Well heres something interesting I do. CP was going to sell off the D&H last year so I decided that if nobody got it the AS&N would take it over and guess what? Nobody took it over. In 2005 the AS&N will officaly lease the D&H until 2010.

In my AS&N history I say Norfolk SOuthern sold the trackage the AS&N operateson after the CR split since they have two lines operating between Allentown and Buffalo.

Since UP is selling most of their SD40-2s off guess who bought 20? The AS&N.

Whatever happens in the real world happens onthe AS&N.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, April 25, 2004 6:32 PM
It means that I can now paint one of my GP15s in NS livery!

---jps
  • Member since
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  • From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
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Posted by cacole on Monday, April 26, 2004 8:37 AM
The Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club allows members to run anything they want, so I have a lot of fallen flags from the midwest, such as Illinois Central, Missouri Pacific, Nickel Plate, Louisville & Nashville, etc.

Out here in Arizona along the former SP Sunset Route, now owned by UP, it's hard to tell there have been any buyouts or mergers. I still see road names from all across the country, even on the engines -- CSX, Conrail, Illinois Central, Cotton Belt, Norfolk Southern, SP, UP, CN, BN, Santa Fe, you name it, UP is still using it. Even some of the old SP engines that are so weathered and unwashed that they don't even have a visible road name are running out here. UP seems to have a critical motive power shortage and is using anything they can get their hands on.
  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Crosby, Texas
  • 3,660 posts
Posted by cwclark on Monday, April 26, 2004 9:30 AM
all these mergers are costing me money and lots of paint...I did nothing but SP..then they bought the DRG&W in the late 80's...so i go out and purchase 4 DRG&W GP 50's to make it prototype..so now what happens?...UP buys the SP so now i'm buy'in UP loco's...and to make it really tough..UP doesn't mind leasing stuff from other railroads...I've already seen a N&W, BNSF, CSX, and some minor branch line railroads..and that's only in one yard that i pass on the way to work everyday...[:(!]

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  • From: North Central Illinois
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Posted by CBQ_Guy on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 2:28 PM
I like the opportunities I have available to me modeling a soon to be merged rr - the CB&Q just a few months before the actual merger occurred. To a large extent this impending merger also influenced my choice of era.

I am modeling late summer/early fall of 1969. The layout is yet to be built, though this is the second version of it. The original existed a number of years ago at the old house. I liked the concept and it worked well so I decided to just do the same in the much larger area available to me in the new house. My focus was/would be on equipment painted for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. I've been building up my roster over the past dozen years to get the basic layout up and running.

Some day in the future I may wi***o expand things a bit. No problem. Just bump the era up into 1970, just AFTER the merger. Now I can run NP, GN and other equipment and power alongside the existing CB&Q stuff. This also would allow me to have power that CB&Q didn't, but the other roads did, too. Eventually, If I so choose, I can bump the era up again to 1971 right after the formation of Amtrak. Now I can run multi-colored passenger trains, too.

I like the potential for future expansion and new areas to explore using the above concept. Finally, newer motive power and rolling stock options become available as one marches forward in time, as well.

What a GREAT hobby!
"Paul [Kossart] - The CB&Q Guy" [In Illinois] ~ Modeling the CB&Q and its fictional 'Illiniwek River-Subdivision-Branch Line' in the 1960's. ~
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 8:58 PM
Time marches on,..... If anything a merger just makes you pick a time frame to stop modeling your RR, or just carry on as if the merger never happened.....after all it is your layout

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