I have had an idea for a while about a fictional railroad between the U.S. and Canada, and I have created quite a few scenarios in my head. I was actually inspired in a very weird way. I saw the movie Alpha & Omega in 2010, and the scenes with the trains made me think: "Could there be a railroad between Jasper Yard in Alberta and southeastern Idaho?" So I came up with my own and here is what I got:
Originally the railroad was going to be a CN branch line, but that seemed way to long because the railroad was going to be 1,000 miles long, so I started on a blank slate. I came up with an independent Class II railroad called the Idaho Montana & Alberta Railroad (IMAR) with a fleet of 3 GE U-Boats, 2 EMD SD45s, and 2 former BC Rail C40-8m locomotives for freight purposes. I even thought up a beautiful executive train, similar to Conrail's OCS train. The only difference was that IMAR's train was pulled by two former Metrolink F59ph locomotives. After deciding the roster, I dove into the world of steam excursions. I didn't know what would fit the bill. I thought of a double header with GTW 6325 and CP 1293. It was close but no cigar. I thought about 6060, but decided that she should stay in Canada with Harry Home. But then I realized that this was a fictional railroad, and thought: "Why don't we just restore CN 6218, and slap a 26L brake stand, cab signaling, and an MU stand in the cab and run excursions with the executive train?" It seemed like a good idea and 6218 would be at home, so that's what I did.
The IMAR interchanges with BNSF, Union Pacific, and Canadian National. It also serves a mine and power plant, and is a major grain and crude oil carrier.
Thats my fictional railroad. Now tell me yours and its roster. Have a nice day everyone!