Favorite Short/Branch Line

"What IS your favorite branch line"?  I hope that doesn't mean still existing, for I am

not up on the current ones, which might include the California Western, and ignoring

narrow gauge lines, that would be the Great Western.  It is gone, the CW still survives.

Odd. Mine is CW too, but it's Chesapeake Western. There is one VO660 in the VMT Museum in Roanoke. I do appreciate nice paint jobs...

 

My non defunct favorite ...... northern NJ's Morristown & Erie delivers lumber near my house

 

 

Defunct short line: Cumberland & Pennsylvania
Current shortline: Maryland Midland

Defunct branchline: B&O Salisbury,PA. branch
Current branchline: any x-WM or B&O lines still operated by CSX, also MMID Taneytown-Woodsboro branch (x-PRR)

Wabash Ry's Bluffs-Keokuk branch, powered by double headed 2-6-0's. And Chicago, Burlington & Quincy's Sterling, CO-Cheyenne, WY branch, powered by 4-6-0's, the last being #919. And about 247 others, but won't bore you.

Favorite shortline:   Probably Strasburg, but don't hold me to it.

Favorite branchline:  The Penn Sandusky Line...back in the day, when it was the PRR.

Second favorite BL:  The B&O Fairport - Lake front line

Sorry, no. Here's a picture I took though....

 

 

Wyhog - Oh yes, The Burlington's Black Hills line!   Loved the big ole 2-6-6-2's the Q domiciled in Edgemont, the big coal trestle, the lonely yard, just fabulous!  Here is one of the places the Burlington earned it's Everywhere West banner! It's #3 on my list of 247 branches! Oh to see a couple of mallets muscling a handful of boxcars filled with feldspar on a 3% grade.  The Deadwood Mallet Shed had a silohuette of one of the 2-6-6-2's painted on the wall, as of my last visit in about 1994.

Conway Scenic Railroad great views in New England!

 

Pacific Harbor Line (PHL) boosted their "street cred" when they painted their locomotives in fallen flag schemes -- SP Black Widow, CNW Yellow/Green, ATSF Zebra Stripe, etc. They've settled in on Zebra Stripes since switching over to low-emissions diesels and retiring their older SD's. They took over the Harbor Belt Line that served the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that was jointly owned by Pacific Electric, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and ATSanta Fe. After UP merged SP, they spun the line off to Anacostia, operator of several branch and short lines.

 

 

 

 

 

This short line has come a long way.They started out with gp9 or 7 Ithink they had a few gp16s.Anyway they have some excanadian rr gp40s.That have the widecab and some gp38s.They also have sd40-3 and they are conected   to ns and csx.It has one of the most eye catching paintjobs around.As I stated before they have come a long way.I hope they get ns to work on the tracks to charottle.Its the only thing I see that can cause them problems.

Indiana And Ohio Railway grew up watching their gorgeous red, orange, and white GP40-1's operating the local on the branch near my grandmother's house. Now a days the GP40-1's are goneand the locomotives are orange and black, but I still love the I&O

 Mine is probably the CCT Central California Traction.  Here's a link to a youtube video of it in action about 20 years ago....DaveB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD-aMhZu3UU

Neat....that's some fast switching!

 

I miss that PHL line, they had a great mix of power.  I seen the local gov had made them go green and ditch the old power for gensets and such. glad to see they settled on the Zebra stripes. when they worked the old coal docks they would stop by the Maritime Museum to use the restroom, I got to check out the cabs. Nice folks.

The Black River and Western runs between Ringos, NJ and Flemington, NJ. Mr. Miron Bigger was part owner of the road and former owner of OGR Publishing. I had many fun rides in the cab on the old No. 60 Steamer, but that's another story.

 

Jack   

Had a great visit a few years back to the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern.

 

 

The Florida Northern Railroad (fnor) on ex ACL later SCL track between Reddick Florida and Candler Florida.  These pics are taken within 30 yards or so from one another, but about 35 years apart. In Ocala Florida just 3 blocks away from my house, where street running is seen twice a day. The FNOR CF7 snakes through the three small towns dropping and picking up cars. Up until 1970 the same track seen daily passenger service.

  My favorite shortliones:

the Maryland & Pennsylvania, Stewartstown, Canton, and Patapsco & Back Rivers.  Other lines that interest me are the Washington,Baltimore & Annapolis/Baltimore & Annapolis,Hagerstown & Frederick, and the Washington & Old Dominion.  These are/were in the Baltimore-Washington area.

I'm interested in  Washington Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway, the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Patapsco and Back Rivers, Canton RR, and the Chesapeake Beach Railway.  All of these roads ( with exception of Canton ) are fallen flags and operated in Maryland.  One other I like is The Washington Terminal Co. which did the switching at Union Station in Washington DC.  

 

I would love to see MTH bring out ( since MTH does produce some obscure road names ) a Chesapeake Beach Railroad steam locomotive.  Atlas O did a very nice rendering of Washington Terminal RS 1#46 some years ago.  I wish I had one 

Narrow Gauge:

East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, which ran in the area my parents grew up in. I model it today in On30

 

White Pass & Yukon, which I've ridden twice

 

Standard Gauge:

Puget Sound and Pacific, which runs within sight of my house...

 

Branch line: Popes Creek Branch, CSX, from Benning Yard in Washington DC to Morganstown and Chalkpoint power stations.  Last stand of the CSX SD80MACs, home of the SD80MACS in Conrail days because they had cab controls.   Trains on this line have to run down the Amtrak NEC before entering the branch at Bowie. 

 

Bob

The Delaware-Lackawanna

defunct shortline:  Montour Railroad

 

current shortline:  Union Railroad(URR)

 

Nick

I like the Detroit & Mackinac Railway and the

Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad

These are two RailKing Locomotives along with a RailKing Hopper Car.

Gary • Cheers from The Detroit & Mackinac Railway • Photo from my layout.

   Click on photo to enlarge......

Favourite short line - Wellsville Addison & Galeton late of PA. Attached photo taken on my visit in 1976.

Ian

San Diego Imperial Valley Railway

My favorite has to be the Manistee & Northeastern Rwy.

 

I also like several others, listed below.

 

D&H Saranac Lake line

 

D&H Rutland branch 

 

Frisco's "Leaky Roof" line, documented well in the book Frisco Power by the late, great Joe Collias

 

Jeff C

Ah. Another Genesee and Wyoming short line. Matches the California Northern and the Arizona and California. Like that paint scheme.

Strasburg and New Hope & Ivyland!!!

I also like the FLN and its Pinnsly siblings FL West Coast and FL Midland.

 

I recently bought a couple of Bayline cars (a Genessee & Wyoming short line) and like the color scheme. Bayline runs between Panama City and Dothan, AL and carries cement, brick, wood and other things. It also connects to CSX and NS track. 

 

FL East Coast is not generally considered a short line but technically it is, running only through a dozen or so counties between Jax and Miami, all in Florida. FEC tops my short line list, especially with their photogenic red and yellow color scheme. They are also developing the All Aboard Florida passenger train between Miami and Orlando. Can't wait. 

 

BTW, great pics; love that SCL!