travelling railroads

[Rick Bradley]

so i can justify running my union pacifics and norfolk westerns on a mostly Canadian National layout...Artistic licsence i guess, right?

[jguess733]

I'm pretty sure the GN strayed across the border as well.

[BRJN]

Wabash operated across southern Ontario, too.

If you want to bend history a bit for layout purposes, you could say that your RR's President had enough pull with both countries' politicians to get an exemption to the normal laws and regulations...

[R. T. POTEET]

C&O and NYC operated  in Canada..I am sure there where others as well.

Don't forget that D&H operated to Montreal and, whoever it was owned Central Vermont, came south of the border to transfer trains.

I know that the Canadians will probably take exception to this but, to me, the U.S.-Canadian border is probably the most ludicrous political factor in the world today.  With the exception of Quebec we have a common language and common social and political heritage.

Anyway, with the recent mergers/acquisitions I can't track who is who without a scorecard anymore; I do know, however, that I have encountered CN units south of Chickytown on the old IC. I hope to attend the NMRA national in Hartford in '09 and I intend to explore railroad activity in New York and New England; it has changed so dynamically since I was stationed in Massachusetts with the Air Force over forty years ago and my income then really did not allow for much exploration.  I guess that Canadian trains readily pass across the border these days.

Some of you may remember Uncle John Santa Fe's attempt in the late '70s or early '80s to bring a Canadian wide-nosed loke to Topeka to allow their engineering staff to examine it.  U.S. Customs had a fit; they were just sure that Uncle John was trying to sneak a locomotive past customs!!! Keep in mind that these people are now part of the organization that is not guarding our southern border.

As an historical aside, in one way the CP owes its existance to the Northern Pacific.  British Columbia had grown increasingly tied to the U.S. following the completion of the transcon in 1869; after the NP pushed their line through to Puget Sound, this dependency increased.  This did not sit well with various politicians who did not seem to be able to stimulate the Canadian government.  They sent an unofficial delegation to Washington to discuss the possibility of annexation to the U.S. and made sure that this news got back to Ottawa - somebody correct me if I am wrong about where the Canadian capitol was located at that time; it had the desired effect; the Canadian government got off of its duff and funded the CP to push through to the Pacific.  Whether annexation was a rational factor or not is now, of course,  a moot point

[Rick Bradley]

Duh.. i forgot about that . feeling alittle silly now

[BRAKIE]

C&O and NYC operated  in Canada..I am sure there where others as well.

[Rick Bradley]

did railroads of old travel into canada with there trains like they do today, or did they leave them at the border and the canadian trains come pick them up?Want a reason to run my american trains as well instead of renaming them.