Ultimate Railroad List

[Anonymous]

Get a copy of the July 1969 Official Guide to the Railroads. The last 20 pages or so list most of the common carrier railroads that existed up to that point in the US. It is quite a list, very small letters, single spaced, multiple columns per page. Being restricted to common carrier only, the list does not include mining or logging railroads, nor does it include industrial railroads. The list was published as "complete" but I have found a handfull of very early, or very obscure common carriers that are not listed.

[Anonymous]

Chicago South Shore and South Bend
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee
Chicago and Milwaukee Electric
Chicago Aurora and Elgin
Aurora Elgin and Chicago
Northwestern Elevated RR
Metropolitan West Side Elevated
Chicago and Oak Park Elevated
South Side Elevated RR
Sacramento Northern
Oakland Antioch and Eastern
Northern Electric
Illinois Terminal
Bamberger
Pacific Electric
Terre Haute Indianapolis and Eastern
Dayton and Western
Winona Railroad
Yazoo and Mississippi
Chicago and Joliet Electric
Aurora and Plainfield
Pere Marquette
Fonda Johnstown and Gloverville
New York Ontario and Western
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of Pennsylvania
Wharton and Northern
Milwaukee Northern
The Milwaukee Electric Railway Light and Heat
Grand Trunk Western
Chicgo Lake Shore and South Bend
St Joseph South Bend and Southern
Chicago South Bend and Northern Indiana
United Railroads of Michigan
The Indiana Railway
Cincinnati and Lake Erie
Erie
Delaware Lackawanna and Western
Erie-Lackawanna
New York Chicago and St Louis
Chicago Indianapolis and Louisville
Metra

(The author apologizes, in advance, for any mis-spellings, errors, omissions, delays, or failure to make connections.)
Mitch

[espeefoamer]

Ann Arbor
Baltimore & Ohio
Chicago, South Shore & South Bend
Pacific Electric
Ferrocarril del Pacifico
National of Mexico
Ferrocarril Sonora Baja California
Ferrocarril Chihuahua del Pacifico
British Columbia Railway
Ontario Northland
Algoma Central
Alberta Northern
Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo
Quebec North Shore & Labrador
Cartier
Kaiser Steel
Trona Railway
San Diego & Arizona Eastern
South Pacific Coast
Ocean Shore
North Pacific Coast
Spokane Portland & Seattle
Portland Terminal
Spokane International
Central Pacific
Southern Paacific of Mexico
Atlantic & Pacific
British Columbia Hydro
Greater Winnapeg Water District
Black Mesa & Lake Powell

[CShaveRR]

I don't think you hit my railroad's ancestors:

Chicago & North Western
Chicago Great Western
Chicago, St. Paul, Misseapolis & Omaha
Litchfield & Madison
Minneapolis & St. Louis

Seriously, there was a book out called Railroad Names, by the late William D. Edson. Pretty thick. That would save you one heck of a lot of work, and it would be easier to add the names that have cropped up in the 20 years or so since the book came out.

[Overmod]

Just to give you some idea of the magnitude of this task you've set, look here (at yet another railroad not mentioned in the list or posts so far):

http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Corphist/pftw_c.html

There's another question, too: What about railroads that were chartered but not fully built? For example, some Utah lines weren't constructed, but later railroads used their charters to justify the right to build. Does that count, or not?

I think even keeping all the original 'predecessor' and leased railroads straight, over the years, with the larger companies that owned or controlled them, is going to be a lifetime's worth of academic research -- let alone ensuring you have every railroad that was set up in the world!

[wcfan4ever]

A few from Wisconsin:

Brillion & Forest Junction Railway
Escanaba & Lake Superior
Janesville & Southeastern
Wisconsin & Calumet
Wisconsin Central
Wisconsin Southern

Many more to come...

[ValleyX]

You could go on and on and on.

Michigan Central
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
Toledo and Ohio Central
Zanesville and Western
Kanawha (sp?) and Michigan
Cincinnati Northern
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis (The Big Four)

The Virginian
Nickel Plate Road (New York, Chicago, and St. Louis)
Wabash Railroad
New Jersey, Indiana, and Illinois
Lake Erie and Western
Toledo, St. Louis, and Western (Cloverleaf)
Akron, Canton, and Youngstown
Pittsburgh and West Virginia
Wheeling and Lake Erie
Scioto Valley and New England
Cincinnati and Eastern
Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio
Shenandoah Valley

Findlay, Fort Wayne, and Western
Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton
Columbus, Hocking Valley, and Toledo
Columbus, Sandusky, and Hocking


Even some of these roads had predecessor roads with different names

[Anonymous]

Holy Cow!! Good luck!!

I'm starting a collection of every penny used in the US. Can you guys help out? [:o)]

[eolafan]

How about the original BURLINGTON NORTHERN RR

[Overmod]

I suppose I shouldn't spoil Randy's fun ... but where's Montreal, Maine & Atlantic?

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Overmod

Kinda strange that no part of the New York Central (either Railroad or System) seems to have made this list. Erie or Lackawanna or CNJ or Lehigh Valley or Delaware and Hudson (or, for that matter, thinking of Dereco) Norfolk & Western either.

But Rock Island... that's on there (properly listed under the "C"s, of course ;-})

Oh! Was that their real name? I just assumed it was always just the Rock Island. There I go assuming again! [#oops]

[Anonymous]

Guilford Transportation
Housatonic Railroad
New England Central
Central New England Railroad
Connecticut Southern
Providence & Worcester
New Hampshire Northcoast
Amtrak
Maine Central
Boston & Maine
Bangor & Aroostook
and... try this website: http://www.ole.net/~rcraig/MPR.html They have many shortlines and regionals.

[Overmod]

Kinda strange that no part of the New York Central (either Railroad or System) seems to have made this list. Erie or Lackawanna or CNJ or Lehigh Valley or Delaware and Hudson (or, for that matter, thinking of Dereco) Norfolk & Western either.

But Rock Island... that's on there (properly listed under the "C"s, of course ;-})

[lonewoof]

That's gonna be one heck of a list!!
Southern Railway
Seaboard Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Charleston & Western Carolina
Seaboard Coastline
Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific
Georgia Southern & Florida
Alabama Great Southern
Central of Georgia
Georgia Railroad
Norfolk & Southern (not same as NS)
Hampton & Barnwell
Rockton & Rion
(you might need a new hard drive if you pursue this...!)

[Junctionfan]

So do I

Canadian National
Canadian Pacific

[ValleyX]

What are you looking for? I see two glaring omissions!

Norfolk Southern Corporation
CSX Transportation

[Mookie]

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Rock Island. Is this what you are looking for?

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to accomplish and ultimate railroad company list past and present on all railroads in the world, it's a long term goal but can u guys help me out? Here is my list so far:


Alaska Railroad Corporation
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Black River and Western Corporation
Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
Bucks County Railroad Preservation and Restoration Corporation
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company
Cape May Seashore Lines, Incorporated
Catskill Mountain Railroad Company, Incorporated
Catskill Revitalization Corporation, Incorporated
Central Pacific Railroad Company
Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority
Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company
Chicago Transit Authority
Cincinnati Railroad Company
Consolidated Rail Corporation
Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Corporation
Electric Traction Company
First American Railways, Incorporated
Five Mile Beach Electric Railway Company
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
Johnstown Traction Company
Juniata Terminal Company
London Underground Limited
Long Island Rail Road Company
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Market Street Railway Company
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
McKinney Avenue Transit Authority
Memphis Area Transit Authority
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company
Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad Company
National Rail Passenger Corporation
New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, Incorporated
New York City Transit Authority
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company
Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation
North Alabama Railroad Museum, Incorporated
Ohio Central Railroad Incorporated
Pacific Sunset Rail Tour Company
Pennsylvania Railroad Company
Port Authority Of Allegheny County
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
Port Authority Transit Corporation
Portland Streetcar Company
Railroaders Heritage Corporation
Rail Tours, Incorporated
Reading Company
Reading and Northern Railroad Company
Rio Grande Railway Preservation Corporation
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Six Flags, Incorporated
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Southern California Regional Rail Authority
Stewartstown Railroad Company
Strasburg Rail Road Company
The Friends of the East Broad Top, Incorporated
Tarantula Corporation
The Heart Of Dixie Railroad Museum, Incorporated
Toppenish, Simcoe and Western Railroad, Incorporated
Union Pacific Railroad Company
Utah Transit Authority
Valley Transportation Authority
Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company
Walt Disney Company
Wanamaker, Kempton, and Southern, Incorporated
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Yreka Western Railroad Company