Favorite Railroad and why?

rickoshay posted:

N&WRY. As a small child I visited my grandparents in Maybeury, WV. Their house was located across the hollow from the new (at the time) Elkhorn grade. I can remember trying to count the coal hoppers as the Y6's pulled and pushed the drag up the grade.

As I came back into the hobby in recent years, I have grown to admire the fact that the N&W "home built" some of the greatest steam locomotives ever.

Got to admit, N&W really had great steam. I plan on getting some of them myself, make guest appearances, lol. 

Wonderful thread !! I am enjoying reading all the posts. 

My dad worked for the NYC subway system so I grew up with subways in my blood. Somehow, even though I had Lionel trains from the age of three, I never associated the subway trains with railroads. The Lionel catalogue always had a Santa Fe at or near the end and the price was always too high for my family. I was an O-27 kid. My steamer, a #2025 said "Lionel Lines" on it so that was my railroad for a while. Eventually, I received the #204 freight color Santa Fe locos that I still have so Santa Fe was in the mix early.

My most lasting memory of trains from my childhood was dad taking me down to Penn Station and showing his pass to the GG-1 engineers. They opened the cab door and took me into the GG-1's and that set my love of GG-1's into motion. One would think that the Pennsylvania Railroad became my true love. My favorite railroad is really the one I am thinking about, or looking at, or running at any given moment. There's UP and Santa Fe, a ton of New York Central, many GG-1's on the Pennsy, Rio Grande, Norfolk & Western, Southern Pacific, Southern, lets not forget the SP. Amtrak, yes, and did I mention the Santa Fe. Oh, and New York Central . . . . . I guess I mentioned some railroads twice . . . . Don't forget the City of New Orleans . . . 

PRR. I love K4 and GG1 motive power and "Fleet of Modernism" passenger cars (1938-48). However, I have fond memories of watching LIRR steam trains as a kid. I miss the days when each RR had its own "personality", logo, colors, etc. 

PRR and ATSF. LIRR used to run a lot of Pennsy power so I remember seeing lots of it as a kid too.

My first set of trains was an Lionel HO set of ATSF Alco A-B and streamline passenger cars. Always loved the colors and look of the set.

I have 4 really, B&O, PRR, NYC, & Southern. No real reason or rhyme, just like them. Basically all 4 are what I remember when growing up. Most of my childhood was in West chester, Pa but Father would take me to see trains, Now southern was when I lived in Picayune, MS. for 3 years ( 8 - 11 )   

P&LE/NYC, B&O, Pennsylvania & Erie.  Where I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, got to see them all. I also had a couple of Uncles who worked on P&LE,  and I worked the narrow gauge in the OpenHeath at Briar Hill in Youngstown. Since I moved to NC about 22 years ago, I have made several trip to the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer and also fell in love with Southern and The N&W 611.  I guess if its a train, I love it.  I really love steam.  I guess because the steam you can see what is making it move and the idea that just water and coal or wood was all it took to provide the fuel.  Nothing is more special to me that the smell of a steam engine.  

You stand next to the N&W 611 when it is under power and it feels alive and Oh so powerfull.  

My favorite railroad is most certainly the Western Maryland. Such a well run road that was unique in that transitioned from mainline running between Baltimore and Hagerstown, a mountain railroad between Hagerstown and Connellsville, and a backwoods Appalachian coal hauler from Cumberland to Elkins.

I'm ironically a B&O fan as well, but the Chessie is my least favorite part if the =WM=. They turned the once great WM in to ruins as it was abandoned in favor of the parallel B&O tracks, despite being better engineered. Today, almost the entire scenic Western half of the railroad is abandoned with sections being bike trails and tourist railroads. The eastern half mostly remains, though the large shop complex and yard has been demolished and reduced to a small yard. The extremely steep Blackfork Grade on the Thomas Subdivision, which one required upwards of 6(!) locomotives to move the coal through it, is silent. The Connellsville Sub mainline now sees bike chains rolling through the Big Savage Tunnel instead of the mighty decapods and challengers. 

A fan of the western half especially because of its gorgeous scenery, I've biked the entire Connellsville Subdivision between Cumberland and Connellsville, through the tunnels and over the high bridges. I've done extensive research on the operations of the railroad and plan to model this line circa the late 60's in the future. 

Long live the =WM=, the classiest railroad around. 

WM F units and SD35 7434 idle at Ridgely, West Virginia. The number 7434 is significant as this was a foreshadowing of the Chessie takeover. In fact, the SD35's were the first locomotives delivered to the WM with the B&O numbering system. 

My favorite is the SP because my dad would take me to 3 rd and Townsend to see the trains and also took me on the Daylite and will never forget that ride ,I also model UP,ATSF,N&W and WP.

Mikey

laz1957 posted:

Reading & Northern for me still runs through my hometown of Hazleton, Pa.

Not sure of the city by name but the Reading & Northern a few years ago used to service the company that did Prell shampoo in northern PA. Then the cargo went by rail on another railroad, because Prell shampoo was sold off by Proctor & Gamble a few years back.

Lee

phillyreading posted:

laz1957 posted:

Reading & Northern for me still runs through my hometown of Hazleton, Pa.

Not sure of the city by name but the Reading & Northern a few years ago used to service the company that did Prell shampoo in northern PA. Then the cargo went by rail on another railroad, because Prell shampoo was sold off by Proctor & Gamble a few years back.

Lee

Proctor and Gamble sold Prell in 1999; R&N still serves the massive P&G plant in Mehoopany,PA. in Wyoming County.

Why the Blue and yellow of our Northern most state, "ARR".  Coloration, a not followed very much line, some unique 

tourist car coloration, and what I think is some of the cleanest product to present to their customers in very harsh conditions.

I just dont think,  someone said go take a shower real quick and put makeup on for the cameraman, picture day is tomorrow

D&RGW here. A scrappy competitor, mountain scenery, great color schemes. I have ridden both the Rio Grande Zephyr and the ski train. My first HO set was lettered for the Grande and now all 9 of my O gauge engines have been painted and lettered for it too.

There was a time when I owned every book ever published on the CB&Q, C&S, FW&D, and quite a few for BN, Inc.  I'm quite sure there were no exceptions. This included booklets, pamphlets, promotional literature, and  stacks of timetables. The coolest CB&Q book I owned was actually a novel titled Snow on the Headlight which was based on the Burlington strike of 1888.  The original owner of the book was a CB&Q old timer who made marginal notes and wrote the real names beside those of the fictional characters.  I also bought Freeman Hubbard's personal copy of Diesels West by David P Morgan.  Then I went thru a phase and sold it all.        But having personally seen these magnificent items of industrial design below, nothing can purge that from one's system.  I have great affection for my home road and the ATSF, but the Q and its affiliates is still my favorite. 

I spent a lot of time beside the FW&D as a child.  From reading all these submissions, that seems to be the common denominator. 

photo credit: ES44DC

photo credit: unknown.

The New York, Ontario, & Western Railway. (NYO&W, O&W, Old & Weary)

I fondly remember as a kid going through the Catskills and my Dad turning it into a game following the old road bed as it carved its way along Route 17.

He later divulged that we actually owned a piece of the old roadbed in North Norwich, which was used as a family campsite when he was a kid due to the excellent trout fishing in the stream that runs along the roadbed. 

20th Century Class 1:  Southern mostly because I grew up around it and knew people who worked for it.  Also I like that during the late steam era they stuck with 2-8-0s and 2-8-2s for freight and 4-6-2s for passenger and I liked their early diesel colors.

Short Line:  Washington & Old Dominion probably because I saw its last days and then spend many days walking and biking the former right of way.

Historic:  Tie between Manassas Gap and Virginia & Tennessee.  Manassas Gap has an interesting "might have been" story.  The Virginia & Tennessee was big time railroading in the south.

No one mentioned my favorite that I grew up with literally across the highway from me--good old missouri pacific " MOPAC"-- long live the screaming eagle!

The first and finest, the Baltimore and Ohio, and subsidiaries CNJ, WM, RDG, B&OCT and, dearest of all, the Staten Island Rapid Transit (SIRT):

Though I grew up in Illinois and rode the MILW, CNW, CB&Q and IC; in my youth my family rode the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington, DC, and that trip made a huge impression.  The experience of boarding in Grand Central Station, Chicago, is stamped in my memory indelibly as is the memory of awakening in a Pullman berth while rolling through the mountains of West Virginia.

While in the military and stationed in New York during the early 1970's, my railfanning was limited to the SIRT and CNJ, though there were forays into PRR territory.  The bulk of my career was spent in the east and was tied to the RDG and later to the SIRT.   Though not as historic, scenic or romantic as the B&O proper, the history of the SIRT dates to its conception in 1851, its completion in 1860, and is closely tied to the Vanderbilt and Garrett families.

It was during negotiations for the transfer of the SIRT (then Staten Island Railway - SIR) from Vanderbilt interests to the B&O that "Public Be ****ed" William Vanderbilt dropped dead of a stroke.  The experience drove the B&O's representative, Robert Garrett, II, over the edge, precipitating his breakdown and eventual demise.  Take heed, ye who wish to meddle with the SIRT!

The Clifton Shop, erected on the site of the first SIR ferry terminal, built and maintained the fleet of steam locomotives and cars that provided service until electrification in 1925 and dieselization in 1943-44; 1945 witnessed the last run of a steam locomotive.  Clifton now maintains the fleet of R-44 passenger equipment, Brookville BL20G diesel locomotives and the various cars used in MoW service.

RIDE THE RAPID!

The N&W.  Home built power, beautiful country.....nuff said. 

ATSF has always been my favorite, for several reasons:

-Their 1950s-era advertising, with its recognition of Native American culture.

-The striking Warbonnet scheme.

-The lovely passenger trains.

-The excellent service.