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What is your favorite railroad?

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Posted by Roadtrp on Friday, August 6, 2004 10:59 PM
No doubt. Amtrak. I love passenger trains, and Amtrak is the only game in town. They've had to scrape by with rented track, aging equipment, and meager budgets. But they are keeping the dream alive that some day rail might again play a major part in U.S. transportation.

A related note...

They recently opened the first portion of a light-rail commuter line here in Minneapolis. The ridership in the opening month has been more than twice what was projected. If you build it, they will come.

[:)]
-Jerry
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Posted by Stevert on Friday, August 6, 2004 10:03 PM
The GTW. My grandfather worked for them as a carpenter at Elsdon in the (30's?), '40's and early '50's. He died a couple years before I was born, but I guess some of his spirit made it's way to me.

I don't think I could count all the times I got into trouble for pedaling my bike over to Elsdon to watch them switch the yard and ended up missing dinner or whatever. So when I "grew up" and started a layout, there was no choice to be made. It was the GTW or nothing.

And oh yeah, the CN and it's other lines (IC, WC, DW&P, and a few others now) are okay too since they're associated with the GTW.

Stevert
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Posted by ericsp on Friday, August 6, 2004 12:33 AM
My favorite is Southern Pacific. Others that I like (in no order) are: San Joaquin Valley Railroad, Cotton Belt, RioGrande, Western Pacific, Tidewater Southern, Sacramento Northern, Sierra Railroad, and Modesto & Empire Traction.

"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 5, 2004 6:00 PM
CNW
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Posted by orsonroy on Thursday, August 5, 2004 11:55 AM
Nickel Plate Road. All other steam-era roads are slow, unprofitable & ugly!

Ray Breyer

Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 5, 2004 2:46 AM
Penn Central and predecessors, followed by Conrail, Erie Lackawanna, C&O, early Amtrak. Post 2000 favorites are CSX and Metro-North.
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 11:16 AM
Rock Island, MKT , Frisco, the Muskogee roads , Farmrail, AT&L, BNSF
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 6:39 AM
I can't believe that I didn't see this topic when it was first posted. My favorite is by far the Burlington Northern. I find it rather interesting how I became interested in the BN. When I was first getting into trains, I bought five freight cars from IHC. I just chose a road name that was common, BN. Since then it has just grown one me.
Reed
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  • From: Italy
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Posted by ciortato on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 2:48 AM
..... I like BR (Brithish Railways) also .....
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Posted by ciortato on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 2:43 AM
My favorite railroad are: CSX, NS, Amtrak and NYSW.
Further, of course, FS (Italian State Railroad Company) .........
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Posted by Don Gibson on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 1:43 AM
The 'Atchison".
Don Gibson .............. ________ _______ I I__()____||__| ||||| I / I ((|__|----------| | |||||||||| I ______ I // o--O O O O-----o o OO-------OO ###########################
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Posted by Jetrock on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 12:20 AM
Sacramento Northern, with great fondness for Southern Pacific, Western Pacific and of course the Arcata & Mad River Railroad!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 9:51 PM
Here are my selections
!. Rock Island
2. Chessie System
3. Conrail
4. Amtrak
5. Rio grande
6. Burlington Northern
7. New York Central
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Posted by Dbcxyz123 on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 5:54 PM
[:D]Norfolk & Western!![:D]
Norfolk & Western Railway "The light at the end of the tunnel; is probably that of an oncoming train!" Don't forget, Model Railroading is fun
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Posted by tankertoad70 on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 5:46 PM
Rocky, er, Great Northern all the way!!!!!!!!!
Don in 'Orygun' City
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Posted by CBQ_Guy on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 2:08 PM
See my sig-line to get a clue...
"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 Sunday, August 1, 2004 10:08 AM
Modern Union Pacific, of course.

Mac
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Posted by jspinner on Sunday, August 1, 2004 9:26 AM
1 - NS
2 - CONRAIL
3 - BNSF *
4 - NORTHERN SOUTHERN - fantasy * after merger.
5 - CSX
6 - CP
7 - UP
8 - ATSF
9 - BN
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showphoto.php/photo/36623/ppuser/7075
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 1, 2004 6:18 AM
1.UP!
2.UP!!
3.UP!!!
4.UP!!!!
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Posted by NHRRJET on Sunday, August 1, 2004 3:32 AM
NYNH&H
GN
PRR
CNS&M
BNSF
Richard L. Abramson
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 1, 2004 2:28 AM
CSX, closely followed by Chessie. I really like modern day Class I railroading in general.





-John Zuna
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Posted by wd45 on Saturday, July 31, 2004 11:01 PM
I've always liked the Penn Central, myself, since that was the first railroad I remember seeing. After the PC, ....
2. Monon
3. L & N
4. Grand Trunk Western
5. Rock Island
6. Chessie
7. Southern
8. Norfolk & Western
9. D T & I
10. Soo

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 10:41 PM
If your favorite is not listed in this poll select other and then see the "What is your favorite railroad? Part 2" poll.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19428


Part 3 will be open by noon eastern time Sunday.


/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\


Amtrak got its first vote!
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 10:11 PM
Well, I'm partial to the Kettle Valley RR (Later KV Division of the CPR), Algoma Eastern (Later Nickel Sub of the CPR), CN, Canadian Northern, and the Kelowna Pacific/Okanagan Valley RR's.
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 9:51 PM
The Soo Line is my all time favorite, Followed by the WSOR, & CNW.
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 8:00 PM
You see my signature-BURLINGTON ROUTE!!!!!

Then it's a huge tie between the NP, GN, NKP, Wabash, GM&O, and Rock Island.

Granger roads rule!!!
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Posted by jrbernier on Saturday, July 31, 2004 5:44 PM
I basically model the Milwaukee Road in the late 50's. I also has some C&NW on the layout. I did attempt to do some 'modern' stuff about 10 years ago(my son was into Amtrak...). I have thought about doing the Great Northern in Minnesota about 1967(pre-Big Sky Blue), but my mind keeps wandering back to watching 'pumkin orange' GP9's in the late 50's/early 60's. I sort of set a date of 1957/1959 as that was the last Milwaukee steam and the diesels were re-numbered soon after. My layout is 'proto-freelanced' on the Milw/C&NW in SW Wisconsin. I thought I might get tired of limiting myself to this narrow scope, but I have wound up upgrading my GP9's from Athearn units to P2K, and now have added 5 sound equipped steamers over the past 2 years. I also have upgraded or replaced a lot of my old Athearn/MDC freight cars with better/more accurate 'high end' offerings from Intermountain/P2K/Red Caboose & Branchline. I even have started building freight cars again(from scratch). If I was modeling something 'modern', I would be all over the place, thinking about renumbering/mergers/paint schemes and trying to build something I just saw. Nothing wrong with that, but I am more into working on my layout these days.

Jim Bernier

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 4:51 PM
Posting a new poll with a diferent selection of railroads.
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Posted by CBQ_Guy on Saturday, July 31, 2004 4:05 PM
You can get a hint from my signature line.

Other railroads which will be represented on my layout by interchange are PC, TP&W/ATSF, RI, CNW and IC...and possibly the Milwaukee Road.
"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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