What railroad(s) did we grow up by?

[dharmon]

Some more than once.

at what point do I stop growing?

New Haven / PC
MoPac / SP / MKT
ATSF / BN / HBT
CR / NJ Transit
CSX / NS
GRS / MCL / Safe Handling / SLR
BNSF
and the italian National Railway....

[dphusman]

A few blocks from the Milwaukee Road in SE Minnesota.

[Anonymous]

I was raised near the Illinois Central and Pennsylvania crossing in Effingham Illinois.

[Anonymous]

The first 14 years of my life was arround the Southern Pacific in Eugene Oregon, After that time was around the Union Pacific in Portland, OR and Nampa/Boise Idaho.

[Anonymous]

Erie/Erie-Lackawanna on the Pascack Valley line in New York State. When I got older, I could bike out to Nyack to watch NYC & Penn-Central trains on the West Shore Line.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

Grew up with the main line of the Soo Line and the "Valley" main of the CNW, with a branch of the Milw. Rd. The MILW branch went first about '82, then the CNW was downgraded and the Clyman Sub was abandoned in the mid 80's. The CNW "Valley " main was sold to the Fox River Valley RR in '87, and the Soo Line sold their main to the Wisconsin Central the same year. Then WC absorbed FRVR in the early '90's, and we all know what happened to the WC....[banghead][censored]

[Anonymous]

I grew up (and am growing up) along CSX, CP, NS, and the local shortlines, Grand Rapids Eastern and Mid Michigan.

[NevinW]

I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and spent my time watching the Union Pacific. Each year my parents would put me on a "City" streamliner to Evanston, Wyoming to visit my grandparents. I still have thing for UP E units and small EMD switchers. - Nevin

[BRAKIE]

For me it was PRR.NYC,N&W,C&O and B&O in the Columbus Ohio area.

[Anonymous]

Soo Line and Green Bay & Western in town. CNW and Milwaukee road nearby. I still recall how excited I was seing for the first time the new GP-30's in the red/white decoration crossing the Wisconsin River Bridge here! What a bold change from the old Soo maroon and gold.

[Anonymous]

The Long Island Railroad.

[TDouglasH]

I grew up in Toronto and the CN & CP were all around. Remember the large yard in the north end and the larger yard near the water front ( large roundhouse) and lots of steam. I also remember when steam was going downhill lots were stored at the north end. Things sure have changed now, hardly the same place it seems.
Douglas

[Vampire]

The Conrail mainline was closest to my childhood home. I'd hear the locomotive horn and pedal down to trackside to watch the trains roll by. One day I kept hearing horns but could find no trains in either direction. I followed the sounds eastward and wound up near the Amtrak station. That's when I discovered the Chessie System and the diamonds where it crossed the Conrail tracks. That became my new favorite train-watching spot for many summers! I luved those colorful Chessie diesels... so much more exciting than "Conrail Blue" (to me anyway... no snipe intended for Conrail fans!).

The DT&I also went through town farther to the east... too far for my bike riding. I do remember once walking through a DT&I diesel painted in Bicentennial colors in 1976. My first up close and personal look at a diesel locomotive.

[jrbernier]

I grew up in the 50's in Minnesota. My grandfather worked of the Chicago Great Western, and my first train ride was on the Burlington 'Morning Zephyr'. As a teenager, I hung around the St Paul Union Depot and watched the streamliners/locals from many midwestern roads. I later worked for both the 'Q' and the Milwaukee for summer jobs.
My modeling is centered around Milwaukee branchlines in SW Wisconsin. But I do have things like a CGW RS-2, a GN E7A,and a CRI&P E8A in my display case. I love to look at that Rock Island E8A with it's classy paint scheme(just as God & EMD meant a passenger engine to look like..).
I tend to feel that many of us tend to model what we saw when we really got serious about scale railroading. For me, that is the late 50's and early 60's. I have a friend who started modeling in the late 80's - All of his models are SD60/dash 9/etc with current paint schemes.

Jim Bernier

[AltonFan]

The first trains I ever watched were Milwaukee Road trains that ran by a playground where my Dad used to take me when I was very, very, young.

When we moved to the suburbs, the Soo Line was about a mile to the east, and the Chicago and North Western New Line (which was shared at this point with the Milwaukee Road) was about a mile to the west. By the time I was in high school, the Regional Transit Authority took over the C&NW commuter trains, and before long, RTA gave way to Metra.

I was bummed when the Milwaukee Road was absorbed first by Soo Line, then by Canadian Pacific. I liked having three railroads run through town. But I was cheered when Wisconsin Central started running on the former Soo Line tracks. I was even happier when WC began allowing steam excursions. I was able to watch Frisco 1522 and CMStP&P 261.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a town who had very little service by the Reading that was then on it's deathbed. About 15 Miles away Reading still had passenger service up until the mid 70's to Pottsville, PA with an RDC.
The best part was my Aunt lived in St Clair PA and right across the street was the Readings M<ill Creek Yard. It was massive and had all of the old buildings such as a Roundhouse and Coaling tower still in it. Today it the home of an industrial park and one track to Service Yuengling Beer Americas Oldest Brewery. Dave

[Anonymous]

I could watch the 1950s Missouri Pacific from my front porch. A bicycle took me to Frisco's Lindenwood Yard(Frisco freight was still black and yellow then), and a short walk took me to some T.R.R.A. (Terminal Railroad Association)trackage. In the late 60s my wife and I lived by the UP main in Kansas. Now it's BNSF, UP, KCS and Amtrack.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jabrown1971

I grew up in Edwardsville, Il......along the N & W (NKP) line and the CNW (L & M). In my young days I remember long NW freights moving through town, meeting other freights, and 4 or more CNW trains a day. The Illinois Terminal would also put in an appearance via trackage rights from nearby LeClaire tower. Long gone was the traction line to Peoria, but the T & E Belt still had action. In the early 80's the NW through freights moved to the ex Wabash main across town, the NW bought the IT and closed the T & E and LeClaire tower, then NS abandoned the NKP line through town followed by the UP taking out the CNW. My parents still live in that house, but the trains no longer go by it.

Yeah, Edwardsville's railroads just kind of got butchered up...You used to have the NYC, NKP, maybe the C&EI, and Wabash lines all coming into town from the Northeast. Then almost all of the tracks heading into town from the NE got abandoned.

I should also note that before the KCS, there used to be a regional around here named the Gateway Western until 1997 when the KCS bought them out, I don't really remember anything about them but every once in a while I still see a car with Gateway Western painted across it.

[Ziggy]

Grew up a couple miles from the L&N Evansville Howell yards, till I was about 5. My grandfather was engineer with the L&N, running mostly Evansville to St. Louis runs... frieght and passenger. He would take me down to the yard sometimes and would get to climb all over the engines and cars. I got a few pictures doing that. Rode in the cab with him on the last passenger train service on that line between Mt. Vernon and Evansville.
Moved to Mt. Vernon in '75, barely used old C&EI line was about 1/4 mile behind our house (country) across the fields. My aunt and cousins lived in town with their backyard connected to the right of way through town for the L&N, and the depot was right on the other side of the tracks from there.

Ahhh... the good ol' days.

[Anonymous]

In my home town of Langenburg, Saskatchewan, CP runs right through town, so as I kid I grew up watching CP. I also have a lot of exposure to CN, too, though, as they're pretty prominent here as well.

[Anonymous]

Nothing near my childhood home. But for ten years (1950 - 1959) my parents took us on family vacations to a cottage on Rock Lake near Lake Mills WI. CNW's Madison - Milwaukee line was located directly behind our cottage. I can still vividly recall the daily three- car passenger train - E unit and heavy weight mail storage car, RPO, and coach. Local freights were powered by Alco RS-2s or 3s with huge mars lights on top of the nose at each end. Occasionally extra trains were operated over the line including some steam powered freights, and a diverted Dakota "400". We used to fish off the huge crossbeams of the CNW trestle near the lake. My parents would warn us to keep our heads down and don't panic if a train ever came. Well, one day a train came, and their advice paid off. Needles to say my CNW experience at Lake Mills WI played a very big role in developing my interest in trains.

[JPowell]

Well, I was brought up watching Conrail doing action in and around the DeWitt NY hump yard that they had. Now, I live even closer to the yard...about a 5 minute trip from my current houseand it's all CSX w/ the occasional NS, CN, and very rare BNSF's and UP's. My great grandfather was a conductor w/ NYC working out of either here in Syracuse NY or Auburn NY. The hump is no longer a part of the CSX mix, but the DeWitt Yard is very busy now as a Intermodal yard.
I have a spur that serves a local beer distrobutor across the street from my house that I get to see CSX GP38-2's on atleast 2x a week. I'm thinking of modeling my block w/ the beer distro @ the end of it on my layout.
Since the local UAW unions here voted last week to accept the contract to become New Process Gear, Inc, I'm wondering if the new parent company, Magna, Int. (a Canadian co) is thinking of having CSX start serving the facility again, since they (Magna) want to make it the headquarters for their drivetrain unit?

[Anonymous]

I grew up near the Maine Central / Portland Terminal and the eastern end of the B&M. My grand father and dad both worked for Maine Central in Portland. I spent many weekends with my dad at Rigby Yard in So. Portland. Now I live on Guilford's NH mainline.

NHGUY21

[Anonymous]

Guilford Transportation during the late 80's, early 90's.

[Morpar]

I have 3 in my hometown (Frankfort, IN.). The main (and still operating) was N&W (former NKP) going right through town. I watched a lot of work getting done at the then still operating turntable and roundhouse. Next closest to my house was the Penn Central (former Pennsy), this was the line we hiked out of town for about 2 miles on our hunting trips. Last was the L&N (former Monon), this line ran alongside PC on the north side of town and had a field full of rabbits between them! We usually followed the L&N north from town, almost to where I live now. I have a lot of old (and not very good!) photos of the different trains that we saw on these various trips. The best were the winter shots, watching the trains plow through some rather deep snow.
Today, NS runs trough town, bringing locos from all over the country. I remember that a Union Pacific loco was a very strange sight back then, now I can see UP, BNSF, WC, SP, pretty much you name it going by the yards now. The old Monon has long been abandoned, I actually saw the last train ran on this part of the line from my current home. The old Pennsy still has trackage intact just north of town, but I rarely see any CSX trains on it. I do believe that Frankfort's days as a "railroad town" are pretty much gone, but at least there is still some activity. I really wish someone could persuade NS to reawaken it's steam program again. I got to see 611 the first time it came through town, plus 759 and 587 a time or two. My kids deserve to see the same!!

[bcammack]

Alaska Railroad. 1956-1972

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the early '70's. The Milwaukee Road came right through the middle of the entire town and had two sidings where grain could be loaded from two elevators. Then the Milwaukee pulled up tracks around 1981 and that was it. The Burlington Northern ran a very busy track 7 miles from my hometown and right through my Grandparents town. I spent alot of time by Gpa & Gma and the BN line was one block from there house so I remember running to meet the passing trains with my cousins alot.

Today, that BN line is now a very busy BNSF line and I live one mile from it. My son and I still chase after trains! A farily busy UP line is about 15 miles from me and I pass it nearly everyday at work so I get my "fix" of UP's there.

[Anonymous]

I think I had the best of both worlds. One block east of my home was the PRR, and best of all the PRR yard. One block west of me was the great WMRY. I used to watch both alot. At the PRR yard I could watch the turntable running, engines in the roundhouse and see what was going on in the train shops, and when I walked to school I could watch the WMRY switching on major sidings in my town. Thirteen miles north was where Reading track began and 24 miles south was the Hagerstown MD yard. Although I never went to Hagerstown to watch as I couldn't drive : ) . Also though I don't remember (lol no I am not THAT old) there was the Cumberland VAlley Railroad. So I have to say I enjoyed myself alot and have MANY nice memories.

[Anonymous]

The B & O and the Pennsylvania RR. The Reading was not to far away. I love the Pennsy because of its 4 tracks and track running all day long.

[jabrown1971]

I grew up in Edwardsville, Il......along the N & W (NKP) line and the CNW (L & M). In my young days I remember long NW freights moving through town, meeting other freights, and 4 or more CNW trains a day. The Illinois Terminal would also put in an appearance via trackage rights from nearby LeClaire tower. Long gone was the traction line to Peoria, but the T & E Belt still had action. In the early 80's the NW through freights moved to the ex Wabash main across town, the NW bought the IT and closed the T & E and LeClaire tower, then NS abandoned the NKP line through town followed by the UP taking out the CNW. My parents still live in that house, but the trains no longer go by it.