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Sizable Railroads That Are Relatively Obscure

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Saturday, November 12, 2022 9:09 AM

Overmod
When you come right down to it, B&M.

The musical fruit?

https://bmbeans.com/

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, November 12, 2022 8:29 AM

charlie hebdo
 
Ulrich

Maine Central.

BAR

When you come right down to it, B&M.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, November 11, 2022 12:55 PM

Ulrich

Maine Central. 

 

BAR

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 6:55 PM

BaltACD
Wheeling & Lake Erie still exists and is larger in the 21st Century than it was in its original form.

And the last time I looked they were happily providing a home for orphaned SD40-2's.  Big Smile

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Posted by Ulrich on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 9:00 AM

Maine Central. 

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Sunday, November 6, 2022 10:18 AM

dcm74

 

 
BaltACD

Remember we have gone from roughly 130 Class 1 carriers of the 1950's to nominally 6 today.

 

 

 

In the 1950's a railroad was considered Class 1 if it had $1,000,000 in revenue.

 

 

If that was still the criteria for a Class 1, with inflation todays figure would only be about $9-$12 million. It would mean we'd have a lot Class 1's today.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, November 4, 2022 9:38 PM

Convicted One
Well, if the Wheeling and Lake Erie qualifies as "sizable", then so too should the Minneapolis and St Louis the "Tootin Louie"

Wheeling & Lake Erie still exists and is larger in the 21st Century than it was in its original form.

https://www.wlerwy.com/railway-map/

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by tree68 on Friday, November 4, 2022 8:29 PM

Many railroads "back in the day" that were considered Class 1's would today be considered regionals...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Overmod on Friday, November 4, 2022 8:27 PM

Has anyone mentioned Toledo, Peoria, and Western?

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Posted by Convicted One on Friday, November 4, 2022 8:25 PM

Convicted One

Well, if the Wheeling and Lake Erie qualifies as "sizable", then so too should the Minneapolis and St Louis the "Tootin Louie"

 

 

Good choice!!

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Friday, November 4, 2022 7:26 PM

The Tootin' Louie! Cowboy

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, November 4, 2022 5:48 PM

Elgin Joliet and Eastern

Alton & Southern

 

 

 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, November 4, 2022 5:46 PM

Illinois Traction/Terminal

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, November 4, 2022 5:44 PM

Murphy Siding

In my neck of the woods, The Chicago,  St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway - The Omaha Road. The reason it was relatively obscure was that The Chicago & Nortwestern controlled it for 90 years before merging it. Most people didn't know it as anything other than the C&NW.

 

Minneapolis & St.Louis

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Posted by Lithonia Operator on Friday, November 4, 2022 4:46 PM

Atlanta & West Point. Western of Alabama.

Still in training.


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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, November 4, 2022 3:35 PM

Georgia Railroad and Banking Company

Gainesville Midland

Winston Salem Southbound

 

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by csxns on Friday, November 4, 2022 3:24 PM

Clinchfield.

Russell

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Posted by ns145 on Friday, November 4, 2022 1:26 PM

Quanah, Acme & Pacific.  Hosted Frisco-Santa Fe LA-Southeast hot shots until the early 1970's.

The Muskogee Roads - Midland Valley, Kansas Oklahoma & Gulf and the Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka.  Operated hundreds of miles of track in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Arkansas.  Remained independant until purchased by the Missouri Pacific in 1964.  MV and KO&G were merged into the somewhat obscure Texas & Pacific. OCCA was sold by the MP to the AT&SF.

The Rutland.  Operated a handsome fleet of 4-8-2's.   

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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, November 4, 2022 12:16 PM

Chicago Attica & Southern (and its relationship to C&EI)

 

....and what qualifies as "sizable" Question

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Posted by dcm74 on Friday, November 4, 2022 12:07 PM

BaltACD

Remember we have gone from roughly 130 Class 1 carriers of the 1950's to nominally 6 today.

 

In the 1950's a railroad was considered Class 1 if it had $1,000,000 in revenue.

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Friday, November 4, 2022 11:11 AM

SALfan1

You almost never see Seaboard Air Line mentioned anywhere.

 

Well, the Seaboard is certainly remembered here in the Richmond VA area, at least by the railfans.

But I'd guess the Seaboard's less remembered than other southern 'roads because in many ways it was the "Avis" to the Atlantic Coast Line's "Hertz," if anyone remembers those old rental car commercials.

At least it's mentioned in the Johnny Cash song "Orange Blossom Special."

"It's the Orange Blossom Special, comin' down the Seaboard Line!"

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, November 4, 2022 10:38 AM

A long consist of covered wagons doing the same thing with a single 'locomotive' road number, no less...

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, November 4, 2022 10:32 AM

BEAUSABRE

Piedmont & Northern - Was it an interurban that thought it was a railroad or a railroad that thought it was an interurban? Piedmont and Northern Railway - Wikipedia

Piedmont & Northern was similar to Illinois Terminal and South Shore, it started out as an interurban that changed into a "steam" road.

Before anybody challenges me, South Shore began losing its interurban character when Insull bought and re-equipped the road.  By the late 1950's, the only thing that appeared interurban about South Shore was the overhead and the street running.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, November 3, 2022 10:27 PM

Bamberger Railroad

Beaver Meade & Englewood

Fremont & Elkhorn Valley

Apache Railway

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Posted by kgbw49 on Thursday, November 3, 2022 9:52 PM

Chicago Great Western.

Awesome name.

Three dozen 2-10-4 steam locomotives with 92,590 lbs tractive effort and another 13,300 lbs from a booster to tie the whole yard to the tank and pull it all out of town.

Long consists of covered wagons doing the same thing a generation later.

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Posted by SALfan1 on Thursday, November 3, 2022 8:55 PM

You almost never see Seaboard Air Line mentioned anywhere.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Thursday, November 3, 2022 8:42 PM

In my neck of the woods, The Chicago,  St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway - The Omaha Road. The reason it was relatively obscure was that The Chicago & Nortwestern controlled it for 90 years before merging it. Most people didn't know it as anything other than the C&NW.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Thursday, November 3, 2022 6:50 PM

Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Kankakee Beaverville & Southern along with Green Bay and Western are 3 my hubby talks about.

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Thursday, November 3, 2022 4:05 PM

The L&NE folded still solvent and making a profit, but realized the coal traffic that was the key to their operation was going away and their wasn't enough traffic to the NH at Maybrook to support both it and the L&HR. And the L&HR was owned by the roads that fed traffic to both, so how much was the L&NE going to get. CNJ picked up the viable pieces in the "Cement Belt" around Allentown

Some other nominees 

Iron Mountain - St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway - Wikipedia

International-Great Northern - International–Great Northern Railroad - Wikipedia

Miuskogee Group (The Oklahoma City, Ada & Atoka, The Midland Valley, The Kansas Oklahoma and Gulf) - joint ownership Muskogee Roads - Wikipedia

Norfolk Southern - Norfolk Southern Railway (1942–1982) - Wikipedia

Piedmont & Northern - Was it an interurban that thought it was a railroad or a railroad that thought it was an interurban? Piedmont and Northern Railway - Wikipedia

Morgan's Louisiana & Texas - "The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partly double-track, standard-gauge, steam railroad, situated entirely within the State of Louisiana. The main line extended from Algiers, on the Mississippi River opposite New Orleans, to Lafayette, where it connected with the line of the Louisiana Western Railroad Company. It formed an important link in the through route of the Southern Pacific Company between New Orleans and San Francisco. The principal branch lines extended from Lafayette to the Mississippi River opposite Baton Rouge, from Lafayette to Cheneyville, from Breaux Bridge to Port Barre, from Breaux Bridge to Cade, and from Thibodaux Junction to Napoleonville. There were a number of other branch lines of an average length of about 10 miles, which served the numerous sugar plantations along parts of the line"

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