Noted and added to the fleet. Randy Staller
I think that it would have been unlikely for NKP to have been the surviving firm in any merger because of shareholder attitudes. NKP's absorption of W&LE in 1949 was a lease in part because NKP shareholders resisted a dilution of their interest that would have accompanied a merger involving an exchange of stock (W&LE shareholders would have exchanged their stock for newly issued NKP stock at a previously agreed ratio).
Any attempt of the NKP to take over the N&W would have meant that the C&O would be going after the NYC and that would have sent the Pennsy running for cover. Pennsy would NOT have sold their Columbus- Bellevue line to NKP, maybe limited trackage rights nothing more. Pennsy would have opposed the Wabash being taken over by NKP. Let's ask another question, what would have happened to NKP if N&W had not merged with the NKP. We may have avoided the Penn Central debacle, but someone else would have gobbled up the NKP I think.
rstaller I posted this question on the MR forum, originally. I got to thinking, I should've probably it here. I'm re-writing rr history. The year is 1964, the NKP still has control of the W&LE, and has just merged the N&W into the NKP. Within a couple of decades, the Southern, and Conrail will join the NKP fold. From 1964 forward to the present, give me your interperetatins of the NKP's loco roster. Keeping in mind a couple of things, the NKP was a conservative, and cost efficient management style railroad. Do you think AC power would have played a major role in their locomotive makeup. I think AC might have used on the N&W Div. coalfields, but not quite sure if it would have found much use elsewhere on the rest of the NKP, (W&LE Div, Sou. Div., CR Div.) Possibly some use in AC switchers ( mp 15 ac's) in heavy yard use, locals? To all you railroaders, this is a blank canvas. Give me your best guess as to the NKP's loco rosters, there is no right or wrong, just best guesses. The NKP Heritage Fleet, will be SD 70M's, numbered as followed 1. NKP # 1881 2. W&LE # 1949 3. N&W # 1964 4. Sou. # 1982 5. CR # 1998 The questions are before you, have a go at them. Randy Staller
I posted this question on the MR forum, originally. I got to thinking, I should've probably it here. I'm re-writing rr history. The year is 1964, the NKP still has control of the W&LE, and has just merged the N&W into the NKP. Within a couple of decades, the Southern, and Conrail will join the NKP fold. From 1964 forward to the present, give me your interperetatins of the NKP's loco roster. Keeping in mind a couple of things, the NKP was a conservative, and cost efficient management style railroad. Do you think AC power would have played a major role in their locomotive makeup. I think AC might have used on the N&W Div. coalfields, but not quite sure if it would have found much use elsewhere on the rest of the NKP, (W&LE Div, Sou. Div., CR Div.) Possibly some use in AC switchers ( mp 15 ac's) in heavy yard use, locals?
To all you railroaders, this is a blank canvas. Give me your best guess as to the NKP's loco rosters, there is no right or wrong, just best guesses.
The NKP Heritage Fleet, will be SD 70M's, numbered as followed
1. NKP # 1881
2. W&LE # 1949
3. N&W # 1964
4. Sou. # 1982
5. CR # 1998
The questions are before you, have a go at them. Randy Staller
The same forces that caused Conrail to be split between CSX and NS would mean your 21st Century Nickel Plate would only purchase half of Conrail, the other half going to whatever the CSX (probably also including Wabash) equivalent RR would be called...Given that the senior Management in the modern NKP would all have hired on after the 60's acquisitions I don't really understand how you can assume that the combined railroad would still follow the same motive power practices, especially as the combined system would have very different traffic and operating conditions than the "classic" NKP did...
Anyway, I imagine a roster similar to NS except no high- nose second generation diesels (I doubt NKP would have bought high nose units after the N&W merger) and perhaps with AC power being purchased as much as a decade earlier than NS did..
"I Often Dream of Trains"-From the Album of the Same Name by Robyn Hitchcock
Your NKP Heritage fleet would also include:Wabash 1963AC&Y 1965
Most of the ACY would be torn up. Wabash adds the Detroit-Kansas City route. It would still be a player in the auto business. I can see a large GP 38 fleet & some GE units to replace the aging Alcos.
You seem to be proposing this from an "NKP centric" position, and considering that the NKP was a central player in "the alpahbet route", assuming they are in a position to be calling the shots, I see them operating more through a series of intertwined agreements, rather than mergers
but considering they were more than happy to stay with their Berks as long as possible, they probably would have been the last mainline to let go of their signature fleet of SD40-2s
I think that a cooperative agreement with Santa Fe would have ultimately been in the stars for a survivalist NKP
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