True, I'm guessing someone else gets the GM&O?
Speaking of Southern railroads, have you seen Cliff Powers' Magnolia Route (https://magnoliaroute.com)? It's since been dismantled, but it's one of my favorite freelanced model railroads.
Alternate Railways: V3
- Thread starter Duke Andrew of Dank
- Start date
Speaking of Southern railroads, have you seen Cliff Powers' Magnolia Route (https://magnoliaroute.com)? It's since been dismantled, but it's one of my favorite freelanced model railroads.
Actually, its three constituent roads go to different roads...
Southern gets Mobile & Ohio
I'm not sure about the Chicago & Alton. But I am thinking I'll give it to either B&O or MoPac.
Not sure about GM&N.
@TheMann
Any ideas for what I can do next?
I'm thinking either the NYC or the D&RGW. In the former's case, I plan to have its ally with B&O.
Any ideas for what I can do next?
I'm thinking either the NYC or the D&RGW. In the former's case, I plan to have its ally with B&O.
I plan to revise my earlier posts depending on if I go through with having passenger rail remain private in my final TL.
NAME OF COMPANY: The New York Central Railroad
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
NICKNAME: The Water Level Route
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1914-present
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: The storied history of the New York Central Railroad (or "System" as was officially presented in all modern logos, letterheads, and other designations) can trace its heritage back to one of our country's earliest railroads while its rise into one of the nation's largest lines is credited to a legendary tycoon and industrialist. The NYC has always remembered its roots and named a prominent passenger train after the "Commodore" while its flagship 20th Century Limited is still regarded as arguably the finest passenger train ever operated. For history’s sake you cannot really speak of the NYC without also mentioning rival Pennsylvania Railroad (and vice versa) as both lines compete in many of the same markets stretching from New York City, across Ohio, through Indiana, and terminating at the Midwestern gateways of St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Cincinnati. The PRR and NYC are institutions of their industry and today are still such through the various methods of survival they undertook.
The modern New York Central Railroad map was a collection of predecessor properties which merged or were acquired over many years. The earliest component was one of the industry's pioneers, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. Despite transporting predominantly only passengers early on the Mohawk & Hudson did relatively well and is even credited with operating the first covered freight car, the boxcar, in 1833 (essentially a covered gondola) while it also placed the first steam locomotive into service when the DeWitt Clinton, an American-built 0-4-0 model, entered service on the M&H's first day of operation. Six other small roads comprised what later became the NYC's main line between Albany and Buffalo. These systems included the Utica & Schenectady, Syracuse & Utica, Auburn & Syracuse, Auburn & Rochester, Tonawanda Railroad, and Attica & Buffalo. The consolidation was officially carried out on May 17, 1853 when they formally joined to form the original New York Central Railroad. After the Civil War, the railroad would experience great expansion under the shrewd Cornelius Vanderbilt, often known as the Commodore. Under his rule, the company would expand to include the New York & Harlem and a controlling interest in the Hudson River Railroad. These two roads provided the later NYC with a coveted entry into downtown Manhattan, an advantage the railroad maintained until the Pennsylvania Railroad opened Pennsylvania Station in 1910. Through shrewd business practices the Commodore gained control of the original New York Central Railroad in 1867. He then formed a new company, the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad in 1869; the HRRR and NYC were merged into the new operation while the Harlem was leased. Shortly afterwards was expansion to Buffalo then the purchase of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway and Michigan Central, which linked them to Chicago and other key places in the Midwest. There was also the Boston & Albany, which linked its namesake cities. The NYC's last great addition was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, better known as simply the "Big Four." It constituted almost the entirety of the Central's network across Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois reaching such cities as Indianapolis, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and another link to Chicago.
There were several other takeovers and acquisitions throughout the years after Vanderbilt's death, but the above-mentioned properties formed the bulk of the modern-day New York Central Railroad. One of the most important smaller systems was the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, which provided the Central access to the Steel City as well as Connellsville. While it never served Pittsburgh via a through route, it was still a money-maker and coveted subsidiary. At around the same time the NYC&HR pushed into the coalfields of central Pennsylvania via the Beech Creek Railroad and ownership of the the Fall Brook Coal Company. The Central would eventually operate an "inside gateway" through this region; branching from Lyons, New York these lines passed southward through Geneva and extended to Williamsport, Pennsylvania before turning westward to Curwensville and finally terminating back at Ashtabula, Ohio. Last but far from least, the NYC also took over two coal roads; The Toledo & Ohio Central from Ohio into West Virginia, and the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad in Illinois.
Through yet more business savvy tactics the railroad leased the much-sought Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg in 1891, a system that ran from Rome to Norwood via Watertown and later extended branches to Ogdensburg, along the St. Lawrence River, and Oswego situated on the shores of Lake Ontario. An extension to Montreal, Quebec came by way of another small road, the Mohawk & Malone, leased to the NYC in 1902. Back east the NYC further cemented its power by acquiring two additional properties, the New York & Northern and the New York, Buffalo & West Shore. The NY&N was a small operation and was not particularly profitable and so was largely used to keep potential rivals at bay. The NYB&WS, however, was a much more robust operation and for many years was not under the Central's control. It proved a serious threat to the Vanderbilt-road, eventually opening a competitive route along the west shore of the Hudson River from Weehawken/Jersey City to Buffalo via Albany by 1884. The line had been heavily funded by Central's arch-rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and as revenge the NYC&HR began building its famous South Pennsylvania Railroad to offer a better routing over the PRR's superb Philadelphia - Pittsburgh main line. With JP Morgan as an intermediary the two sides eventually settled the dispute with each acquiring the other's holdings in these systems. The Central took over the NYB&WS in 1885, renaming it as the West Shore Railroad. Interestingly, the old South Pennsylvania was eventually sold to the state with sections becoming part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
By the turn of the 20th century the NYC&HR was largely in place. To streamline the organization, all of the properties except for the Boston & Albany, Michigan Central, and Big Four were merged on December 22, 1914 into the second New York Central Railroad. Although not quite as large as rival Pennsylvania the NYC was a formidable competitor and recognized as one of the country's elite railroads. It operated a network of more than 10,000 miles and served nine states as well as southern Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. It upgraded most of its lines around New York with electrification for safer and more efficient operations, expanded its "Water Level Route" to four tracks from New York to Buffalo, utilized double-tracking on most key routes, and maintained a robust passenger/commuter fleet. The NYC weathered the onslaught of traffic during World War I and the government's mismanagement under the United States Railway Association (USRA) at that time. It also managed to escape the Great Depression without falling into bankruptcy although the system had fallen onto hard times. In the 1930s, several major route changes took place. First off, it trackage rights on their Ashtabula-Williamsport line to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1935 so that said the latter could connect itself with the Reading. (Which in turn had bought the PRR's Wilkes-Barre Branch to link with the Lehigh Valley). In addition, it sold off the RW&O's Buffalo-Oswego line to the New York, Ontario, & Western; which had become a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford. As a result of the former sale, the NYC found itself with a good ally in the B&O, which gave them trackage rights into Washington DC from the B&O's line New York to there via Philadelphia.
While the Central had a large and exquisite passenger fleet its flagship was without doubt the New York-Chicago 20th Century Limited. Arguably the most regal passenger train ever created the Limited was adorned in grays, silvers, and whites while ushering in the Art Deco era of interior design. It was streamlined in 1938 and powered by the handsome J-3a 4-6-4 Hudsons, stylized by Henry Dreyfuss. The New York Central System is remembered for many things but perhaps the railroad’s crowning achievement was its Grand Central Terminal located in downtown New York City. Opened in 1913, three years after the Pennsy opened Penn Station, GCT replaced the earlier Grand Central Station. The new terminal held an impressive 48-track yard below ground to accommodate both commuter and long-distance services. The Central rebounded well during World War II and felt so good about its future prospects that it ordered 420 new lightweight, streamlined cars in 1945 to overhaul its passenger fleet. This was in addition to 300 cars it had already ordered only a year earlier.
But in the early 1950s, as traffic sank the Central was nearly bankrupt and its rival was in far worse shape. The NYC's fortunes soon turned when Alfred Perlman was elected president. Under his guidance the railroad began an aggressive campaign to upgrade the property, modernize the network, and cut costs as effectively as possible. In doing so he sold off all the absolute best of the steam locomotive fleet with diesels, built new classification yards, and introduced new innovative marketing schemes such as Flexi-Van service, an idea far ahead of its time, which was the first successful application of Container-On-Flat-Car service. Perlman and the railroad's culture was laid back where ideas and open discussion freely flowed to solve problems, which greatly aided in getting the company back onto its feet. What also helped was the massive government subsidies President Eisenhower gave to the railroads in his Transportation budgets.
The merger movement was stirring as systems attempted to cut costs and streamline operations in the face of declining traffic and strict government regulations. The NYC's first consideration was the Baltimore & Ohio for its southern markets. They did strength relations during the mid-1950s and have since remained closer partners, but it did not completely go through when it was pointed out that the B&O's control of the Lehigh Valley, along with a few rail lines in the Midwest, would make for a few rail lines that were redundant and therefore would have to be sold off. In response, the NYC instead went to buy the Virginian Railroad in the Virginias in 1958, which expanded their coal traffic to Roanoke and Norfolk. Also purchased at the time was the Western Maryland, which extended the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad to Baltimore, MD in 1960. It also sold off the latter's line from Hagerstown, MD to Shippensburg, PA to the B&O so it could better link with the former Reading at Harrisburg. During the 1970s, the NYC began work on trying to electrify much of their mainline like what the Pennsylvania Railroad was doing. Their first part would be connection the wires in Cleveland and Harlem together. Which was completed quickly by having two crews from each end working together to finish the job, which was completed by June 1975. Shortly after that, the NYC expanded their electrification scheme further by going west to Chicago via Toledo and South Bend, and finished that in July 1979.
In the 1980s, it also acquired a number of smaller lines and built new ones to extend a new route through Vermont and New Hampshire to Montreal and Ottawa and then north into the mineral-producing regions of Quebec and massively expanded its West Virginia secondary from Columbus, Ohio to Charleston and Deep Water, West Virginia, gunning (successfully) for some of the coal traffic that the Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake & Ohio (aka the Chessie System) were feasting on. Further electrification would lead to the Western Maryland line from Cleveland to Cincinnati being electrified by 1988, along with the re-routing of the Chicago-Indianapolis route in the Midwest via Gary and Valparaiso in 1990. In 1993 it also sold the secondary line from Peoria, IL to Springfield, OH to the Chessie System. Lastly, the line from Terre Hautte to Evansville was sold off the Canadian National along with the line to Cairo, IL.
Unlike the Pennsylvania or Chessie, the Central does not have much of a steam excursion program to speak off. But it does willingly host quite a few mainline steamers on its system. Of particular note are the engine located at the Elkhart & Western Railroad Museum. Which was formed out of a large chunk of the NYC's former yards in Elkhart, IN. Among these are Dreyfuss Hudson 4-6-4 #5454, Niagara 4-8-4 #6012, and Mohawk 4-8-2 #3138. Other engines from across the country like other Hudsons and Mohawk #3001, but none more so than those three.
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
NICKNAME: The Water Level Route
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1914-present
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: The storied history of the New York Central Railroad (or "System" as was officially presented in all modern logos, letterheads, and other designations) can trace its heritage back to one of our country's earliest railroads while its rise into one of the nation's largest lines is credited to a legendary tycoon and industrialist. The NYC has always remembered its roots and named a prominent passenger train after the "Commodore" while its flagship 20th Century Limited is still regarded as arguably the finest passenger train ever operated. For history’s sake you cannot really speak of the NYC without also mentioning rival Pennsylvania Railroad (and vice versa) as both lines compete in many of the same markets stretching from New York City, across Ohio, through Indiana, and terminating at the Midwestern gateways of St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Cincinnati. The PRR and NYC are institutions of their industry and today are still such through the various methods of survival they undertook.
The modern New York Central Railroad map was a collection of predecessor properties which merged or were acquired over many years. The earliest component was one of the industry's pioneers, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. Despite transporting predominantly only passengers early on the Mohawk & Hudson did relatively well and is even credited with operating the first covered freight car, the boxcar, in 1833 (essentially a covered gondola) while it also placed the first steam locomotive into service when the DeWitt Clinton, an American-built 0-4-0 model, entered service on the M&H's first day of operation. Six other small roads comprised what later became the NYC's main line between Albany and Buffalo. These systems included the Utica & Schenectady, Syracuse & Utica, Auburn & Syracuse, Auburn & Rochester, Tonawanda Railroad, and Attica & Buffalo. The consolidation was officially carried out on May 17, 1853 when they formally joined to form the original New York Central Railroad. After the Civil War, the railroad would experience great expansion under the shrewd Cornelius Vanderbilt, often known as the Commodore. Under his rule, the company would expand to include the New York & Harlem and a controlling interest in the Hudson River Railroad. These two roads provided the later NYC with a coveted entry into downtown Manhattan, an advantage the railroad maintained until the Pennsylvania Railroad opened Pennsylvania Station in 1910. Through shrewd business practices the Commodore gained control of the original New York Central Railroad in 1867. He then formed a new company, the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad in 1869; the HRRR and NYC were merged into the new operation while the Harlem was leased. Shortly afterwards was expansion to Buffalo then the purchase of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway and Michigan Central, which linked them to Chicago and other key places in the Midwest. There was also the Boston & Albany, which linked its namesake cities. The NYC's last great addition was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, better known as simply the "Big Four." It constituted almost the entirety of the Central's network across Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois reaching such cities as Indianapolis, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and another link to Chicago.
There were several other takeovers and acquisitions throughout the years after Vanderbilt's death, but the above-mentioned properties formed the bulk of the modern-day New York Central Railroad. One of the most important smaller systems was the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, which provided the Central access to the Steel City as well as Connellsville. While it never served Pittsburgh via a through route, it was still a money-maker and coveted subsidiary. At around the same time the NYC&HR pushed into the coalfields of central Pennsylvania via the Beech Creek Railroad and ownership of the the Fall Brook Coal Company. The Central would eventually operate an "inside gateway" through this region; branching from Lyons, New York these lines passed southward through Geneva and extended to Williamsport, Pennsylvania before turning westward to Curwensville and finally terminating back at Ashtabula, Ohio. Last but far from least, the NYC also took over two coal roads; The Toledo & Ohio Central from Ohio into West Virginia, and the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad in Illinois.
Through yet more business savvy tactics the railroad leased the much-sought Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg in 1891, a system that ran from Rome to Norwood via Watertown and later extended branches to Ogdensburg, along the St. Lawrence River, and Oswego situated on the shores of Lake Ontario. An extension to Montreal, Quebec came by way of another small road, the Mohawk & Malone, leased to the NYC in 1902. Back east the NYC further cemented its power by acquiring two additional properties, the New York & Northern and the New York, Buffalo & West Shore. The NY&N was a small operation and was not particularly profitable and so was largely used to keep potential rivals at bay. The NYB&WS, however, was a much more robust operation and for many years was not under the Central's control. It proved a serious threat to the Vanderbilt-road, eventually opening a competitive route along the west shore of the Hudson River from Weehawken/Jersey City to Buffalo via Albany by 1884. The line had been heavily funded by Central's arch-rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and as revenge the NYC&HR began building its famous South Pennsylvania Railroad to offer a better routing over the PRR's superb Philadelphia - Pittsburgh main line. With JP Morgan as an intermediary the two sides eventually settled the dispute with each acquiring the other's holdings in these systems. The Central took over the NYB&WS in 1885, renaming it as the West Shore Railroad. Interestingly, the old South Pennsylvania was eventually sold to the state with sections becoming part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
By the turn of the 20th century the NYC&HR was largely in place. To streamline the organization, all of the properties except for the Boston & Albany, Michigan Central, and Big Four were merged on December 22, 1914 into the second New York Central Railroad. Although not quite as large as rival Pennsylvania the NYC was a formidable competitor and recognized as one of the country's elite railroads. It operated a network of more than 10,000 miles and served nine states as well as southern Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. It upgraded most of its lines around New York with electrification for safer and more efficient operations, expanded its "Water Level Route" to four tracks from New York to Buffalo, utilized double-tracking on most key routes, and maintained a robust passenger/commuter fleet. The NYC weathered the onslaught of traffic during World War I and the government's mismanagement under the United States Railway Association (USRA) at that time. It also managed to escape the Great Depression without falling into bankruptcy although the system had fallen onto hard times. In the 1930s, several major route changes took place. First off, it trackage rights on their Ashtabula-Williamsport line to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1935 so that said the latter could connect itself with the Reading. (Which in turn had bought the PRR's Wilkes-Barre Branch to link with the Lehigh Valley). In addition, it sold off the RW&O's Buffalo-Oswego line to the New York, Ontario, & Western; which had become a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford. As a result of the former sale, the NYC found itself with a good ally in the B&O, which gave them trackage rights into Washington DC from the B&O's line New York to there via Philadelphia.
While the Central had a large and exquisite passenger fleet its flagship was without doubt the New York-Chicago 20th Century Limited. Arguably the most regal passenger train ever created the Limited was adorned in grays, silvers, and whites while ushering in the Art Deco era of interior design. It was streamlined in 1938 and powered by the handsome J-3a 4-6-4 Hudsons, stylized by Henry Dreyfuss. The New York Central System is remembered for many things but perhaps the railroad’s crowning achievement was its Grand Central Terminal located in downtown New York City. Opened in 1913, three years after the Pennsy opened Penn Station, GCT replaced the earlier Grand Central Station. The new terminal held an impressive 48-track yard below ground to accommodate both commuter and long-distance services. The Central rebounded well during World War II and felt so good about its future prospects that it ordered 420 new lightweight, streamlined cars in 1945 to overhaul its passenger fleet. This was in addition to 300 cars it had already ordered only a year earlier.
But in the early 1950s, as traffic sank the Central was nearly bankrupt and its rival was in far worse shape. The NYC's fortunes soon turned when Alfred Perlman was elected president. Under his guidance the railroad began an aggressive campaign to upgrade the property, modernize the network, and cut costs as effectively as possible. In doing so he sold off all the absolute best of the steam locomotive fleet with diesels, built new classification yards, and introduced new innovative marketing schemes such as Flexi-Van service, an idea far ahead of its time, which was the first successful application of Container-On-Flat-Car service. Perlman and the railroad's culture was laid back where ideas and open discussion freely flowed to solve problems, which greatly aided in getting the company back onto its feet. What also helped was the massive government subsidies President Eisenhower gave to the railroads in his Transportation budgets.
The merger movement was stirring as systems attempted to cut costs and streamline operations in the face of declining traffic and strict government regulations. The NYC's first consideration was the Baltimore & Ohio for its southern markets. They did strength relations during the mid-1950s and have since remained closer partners, but it did not completely go through when it was pointed out that the B&O's control of the Lehigh Valley, along with a few rail lines in the Midwest, would make for a few rail lines that were redundant and therefore would have to be sold off. In response, the NYC instead went to buy the Virginian Railroad in the Virginias in 1958, which expanded their coal traffic to Roanoke and Norfolk. Also purchased at the time was the Western Maryland, which extended the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad to Baltimore, MD in 1960. It also sold off the latter's line from Hagerstown, MD to Shippensburg, PA to the B&O so it could better link with the former Reading at Harrisburg. During the 1970s, the NYC began work on trying to electrify much of their mainline like what the Pennsylvania Railroad was doing. Their first part would be connection the wires in Cleveland and Harlem together. Which was completed quickly by having two crews from each end working together to finish the job, which was completed by June 1975. Shortly after that, the NYC expanded their electrification scheme further by going west to Chicago via Toledo and South Bend, and finished that in July 1979.
In the 1980s, it also acquired a number of smaller lines and built new ones to extend a new route through Vermont and New Hampshire to Montreal and Ottawa and then north into the mineral-producing regions of Quebec and massively expanded its West Virginia secondary from Columbus, Ohio to Charleston and Deep Water, West Virginia, gunning (successfully) for some of the coal traffic that the Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake & Ohio (aka the Chessie System) were feasting on. Further electrification would lead to the Western Maryland line from Cleveland to Cincinnati being electrified by 1988, along with the re-routing of the Chicago-Indianapolis route in the Midwest via Gary and Valparaiso in 1990. In 1993 it also sold the secondary line from Peoria, IL to Springfield, OH to the Chessie System. Lastly, the line from Terre Hautte to Evansville was sold off the Canadian National along with the line to Cairo, IL.
Unlike the Pennsylvania or Chessie, the Central does not have much of a steam excursion program to speak off. But it does willingly host quite a few mainline steamers on its system. Of particular note are the engine located at the Elkhart & Western Railroad Museum. Which was formed out of a large chunk of the NYC's former yards in Elkhart, IN. Among these are Dreyfuss Hudson 4-6-4 #5454, Niagara 4-8-4 #6012, and Mohawk 4-8-2 #3138. Other engines from across the country like other Hudsons and Mohawk #3001, but none more so than those three.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/HAX9E6Y
Here's a semi-crude map of my alternative Northwestern Pacific Railroad.
Here's a semi-crude map of my alternative Northwestern Pacific Railroad.
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Riain
Banned
NAME OF COMPANY: Great Southern Rail - High Speed division
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
NICKNAME: SEX; Sydney EXpress (from Melbourne or Brisbane)
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1995-present
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: In 1994 the Keating Government ordered a number of Xplorer trains for NSW Countrylink as payment-in-kind to transfer the 9 train-set XPT fleet to a new company from 1995 when the standard gauge line conversion from Melbourne to Adelaide as part of the the One Nation project
The new company was dedicated to higher speed services linking the 3 city pairs on the East coast, and the Keating government made good political mileage out of the 160km/h speed of the XPT. This unlike the previous NSW State Government XPT operator CountryLink which was reducing top speed and dedicated to providing a minimum service to grudgingly cover their state transport obligations. Unlike CountryLink GSR provided only limited stops in larger cities on its inter-capital routes, which gave a brisk timetable comparable to car travel over the same distances.
Over the next decade the Howard government, wishing to be seen to be nation-building and not to be seen as neglecting something, kept improvement to the rail routes each year the the budget. A host of minor things like curve easing, signal improvements, duplications and a host of other improvements across the network. This saw the average journey speeds creep up, point to point timetabling creep down and the XPT fleet spend more and more of its time at its top speed, this was particularly prevalent on the Adelaide-Melbourne city pair with its 350km long, flat run between Horsham and Murray Bridge. True to its nature the Howard Government presented this to the public as typical of its good government, providing solid, long-term improvements.
The great leap forward came from the twin crisis of 2008, the Global Financial Crisis and the Fuel Price Spike, which forced more travellers onto trains in Australia as well as the US and other countries. As an economic stimulus package, in competition with subsidised home solar installation, home roof insulation and building halls for every school in the country the Rudd Labor government decided to upgrade GSR from a medium to a high speed train network. This involved buying new 'tilt trains' capable of 210km/h operation and a host of infrastructure improvements including major line deviations in the Great Dividing Range. This project was given even more impetus after the 2010 election where Labor was in minority government with the support of the Greens, and by 2013 was largely complete.
These days the GSR network is classed as a lower-end High Speed Rail network, with top speeds of only 210km/h, but with tilting to keep speeds up in the mountainous areas behind the coastal plain. However given the peculiarities of Australian geography and settlement patterns and the comparatively miniscule cost of developing this network it is considered a significant national asset and very popular with Australian travellers.
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
NICKNAME: SEX; Sydney EXpress (from Melbourne or Brisbane)
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1995-present
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: In 1994 the Keating Government ordered a number of Xplorer trains for NSW Countrylink as payment-in-kind to transfer the 9 train-set XPT fleet to a new company from 1995 when the standard gauge line conversion from Melbourne to Adelaide as part of the the One Nation project
The new company was dedicated to higher speed services linking the 3 city pairs on the East coast, and the Keating government made good political mileage out of the 160km/h speed of the XPT. This unlike the previous NSW State Government XPT operator CountryLink which was reducing top speed and dedicated to providing a minimum service to grudgingly cover their state transport obligations. Unlike CountryLink GSR provided only limited stops in larger cities on its inter-capital routes, which gave a brisk timetable comparable to car travel over the same distances.
Over the next decade the Howard government, wishing to be seen to be nation-building and not to be seen as neglecting something, kept improvement to the rail routes each year the the budget. A host of minor things like curve easing, signal improvements, duplications and a host of other improvements across the network. This saw the average journey speeds creep up, point to point timetabling creep down and the XPT fleet spend more and more of its time at its top speed, this was particularly prevalent on the Adelaide-Melbourne city pair with its 350km long, flat run between Horsham and Murray Bridge. True to its nature the Howard Government presented this to the public as typical of its good government, providing solid, long-term improvements.
The great leap forward came from the twin crisis of 2008, the Global Financial Crisis and the Fuel Price Spike, which forced more travellers onto trains in Australia as well as the US and other countries. As an economic stimulus package, in competition with subsidised home solar installation, home roof insulation and building halls for every school in the country the Rudd Labor government decided to upgrade GSR from a medium to a high speed train network. This involved buying new 'tilt trains' capable of 210km/h operation and a host of infrastructure improvements including major line deviations in the Great Dividing Range. This project was given even more impetus after the 2010 election where Labor was in minority government with the support of the Greens, and by 2013 was largely complete.
These days the GSR network is classed as a lower-end High Speed Rail network, with top speeds of only 210km/h, but with tilting to keep speeds up in the mountainous areas behind the coastal plain. However given the peculiarities of Australian geography and settlement patterns and the comparatively miniscule cost of developing this network it is considered a significant national asset and very popular with Australian travellers.
I thought I would suggest the North Central Railroad 2ft gauge line envisioned by @NHBL.
In fact, I had my own opinions for what kinds of steam engine classes could be on that line.
- 2-4-4Ts: Short branch line trains.
- 2-6-2s: Local trains
- 4-6-2s: Fast Passenger
- 4-8-2s: Mixed Traffic
- 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratts: Heavy Freight
In fact, I had my own opinions for what kinds of steam engine classes could be on that line.
- 2-4-4Ts: Short branch line trains.
- 2-6-2s: Local trains
- 4-6-2s: Fast Passenger
- 4-8-2s: Mixed Traffic
- 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratts: Heavy Freight
There will likely be some 0-4-4T's as well; the originals had plenty of those. The OTL locos on the Maine 2 footers were 0-4-4T Forneys, the bigger 2-4-4's, and 2-6-2 tender locomotives. Exceeding a mile per minute seems scary, but it was done.
2 foot gauge diesels were made for industrial use in OTL until at least until 1949. That's when the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum's diesel was built.
NAME OF COMPANY: Boston & Western Rail System
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
NICKNAME: The All American Route
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1840 - Today
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION:
If one thinks of Americas railroads then one cannot ignore the Boston & Western Rail System Corporation. A route spanning Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota ,Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, Michigan, Maryland and Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California. It´s called the All American Route. Unite the nation using a vast fleet of most modern state-of-art locomotives moving thousands of box cars and flatcars, tankers and hoppers and others, and contributed to grow of the country. The passenger service is the best service and most modern offer today on america, if modern commuter trains on all major cities that go, a modern high-tech bullet train system link the great cities of america and transcontinental superliners that look´s like luxury cruisers on tracks.
1840 - 1900
Lima Locomotive Works 4-6-2 Class FP-1 on Boston Station, 1937.
1901 - 1942
General Electric EP-1, first mainline electric engines built for B&W D.C. - Boston electrification project in 1923.
B&W Altoona Works and GE Class DD-1, built for the newly New York Tunnels projects and on Ex-Long Island Railroad until 1950s.
St. Louis Car Company Metro Type II from 1936, second generation of B&W commuter EMUs, operated on NEC, Boston, NYC and D.C.
1948 - 1970
One of first generations of diesel for B&W, EMD F7, if more than 200 units bought.
Considered one of first american high speed rail experiments, the B&W Superliner became a profitable model of passenger service and a example to other roads.
Baldwin Catalog photo from Class C1, the last steam engine built for Boston & Western.
The first american high speed trainset, the "Electra". They are used by Boston & Western and Southern Pacific Railroad.
1971 - 2020
California High Speed Séries AMX-100 (American Xpress Rail Séries 100).
Commuter Trains like the Stadler - Budd KISS North America are common on NYC, Boston, Chicago, Twin Cities and L.A.
Siemens Velaro on Minneapolis - Chicago High Speed Rail, 2020.
Freight train if two GE ES44AC on L.A. - Chicago route, 2019.
@Andrew Boyd @TheMann @isayyo2
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
NICKNAME: The All American Route
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1840 - Today
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION:
If one thinks of Americas railroads then one cannot ignore the Boston & Western Rail System Corporation. A route spanning Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota ,Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, Michigan, Maryland and Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California. It´s called the All American Route. Unite the nation using a vast fleet of most modern state-of-art locomotives moving thousands of box cars and flatcars, tankers and hoppers and others, and contributed to grow of the country. The passenger service is the best service and most modern offer today on america, if modern commuter trains on all major cities that go, a modern high-tech bullet train system link the great cities of america and transcontinental superliners that look´s like luxury cruisers on tracks.
1840 - 1900
- Boston & Albany is create after merger of Boston & Worcester, Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad, Western Railroad and Hudson and Boston Railroad;
- Boston & Maine absorbed Fitchburg Railroad;
- Boston & Albany take the Boston & Maine;
- Rutland and Vermont, Maine Central and Bangor & Aroostook is all merged in Maine Central North;
- New Haven Railroad take the Old Colony R.R.;
- Boston & Albany take the Maine Central North and New Haven Railroad;
- Boston South Station built;
- B&A renamed for Boston & Western Railroad and begin a massive expansion and a vision to link the oldest american city if West coast.
Lima Locomotive Works 4-6-2 Class FP-1 on Boston Station, 1937.
1901 - 1942
- New York Central take Michigan Central and Lackwanna Railroad;
- Boston & Western absorve New York Central Railroad;
- B&W bought the Pennsylvania Railroad, Norfolk & Western and Virginian R.R. after financial problems caused by coal mining strike of 1931;
- Electrification of D.C. – Boston route begin;
- "The American Spirit" pulled by Baldwin Demonstrator 4-4-4-4 on Chicago – New York go up the 156mph;
- Boston & Western bought the Westchester Railroad;
- Electrification works begin on New York – Chicago via ex-PRR route;
- First railroad to use EMUs on regional service on America, on D.C. – Boston and Great Chicago area;
- B&W became one of first railroads to introduce diesel power streamliner trainsets after the "CB&Q Pioneer Zephyr" and "Union Pacific M10000", the road show they newly "DSP-1 The Abraham Lincon" between Chicago – Milwaukee and later on Atlanta - Boston;
- Electrification Works completely on all of Northeast Corridor, New York to Chicago and lines of ex-Long Island Railroad and Westchester, and became the railroad if mostly electrificated network on america.
General Electric EP-1, first mainline electric engines built for B&W D.C. - Boston electrification project in 1923.
B&W Altoona Works and GE Class DD-1, built for the newly New York Tunnels projects and on Ex-Long Island Railroad until 1950s.
St. Louis Car Company Metro Type II from 1936, second generation of B&W commuter EMUs, operated on NEC, Boston, NYC and D.C.
1948 - 1970
- Boston & Western System now have all major railroads trunk lines on eastern seaboard and direct acess to Chicago by 1950;
- President Eisenhower pass the American Transport Act, that subsidize the modernization of american railroads and creation of mass rapid transit on all major cities across the nation;
- Begin of dieselization and update of electric fleet;
- Creation of the "Superliner" Higher Speed Streamliner trainset for they electrifield routes, if a top speed of 111mph;
- A.T.S.F. are merged on B&W, create a transcontinental road link both coast by 1954;
- The new version of "American Liberty Ltd" begin operations between Boston and L.A. by 1956;
- Boston & Western and Pacific Electric became a joint higher speed service on California Air Line between San Diego, L.A. and S.F., and compete Southern Pacific "The Daylight" and "California Flyer", use the "Budd Company "California Vision" electric streamliners;
- Last generation of steam power create by 1958, as 2-8-4 Class C-1, built by Lima and used until 1967;
- B&W became common passenger operations if Pacific Electric on L.A. - San Francisco route and Lake Shore Railroad on Chicago - Milwaukee area;
- Milwaukee Road, Soo Line and Grand Trunk Western are take by Boston & Western in 1959;
- Atlantic Coast Line merged on B&W by 1960;
- By 1960, a Oil crisis make continue use of modern steam power, as Class C1 and Class T2 until 1964, together as expansion of electrification and creation of newly electric commuter services on main cities and suburbs;
- The old Milwaukee Road electrification is modernized, as close the gaps and all mainline between Seattle and Chicago receive wires, continues track, new sinalization and concrete tiers, between 1961 and 1965;
- After Shinkansen Bullet Train begin operation on Japan in 1964 and the sucess of the new supertrain, President John F. Kennedy pass the American High Speed Rail act of 1968, provide to introduce high speed trains on major corridors;
- Boston & Western upgrade all D.C. to Boston, NYC - Chicago and Chicago - Kansas City routes to 125mph, vision the introduce of newly "Electra" high speed trainsets built by Budd and GE by 1970;
- Introduction of Turbotrains on Florida between Miami and Jacksonville.
One of first generations of diesel for B&W, EMD F7, if more than 200 units bought.
Considered one of first american high speed rail experiments, the B&W Superliner became a profitable model of passenger service and a example to other roads.
Baldwin Catalog photo from Class C1, the last steam engine built for Boston & Western.
The first american high speed trainset, the "Electra". They are used by Boston & Western and Southern Pacific Railroad.
1971 - 2020
- Formed by U.S. Government and exist railroads, Amtrak begin operations on focus on rapid intercity dense areas and to built newly-true High Spee Rail on link metro areas.
- B&W continue to operate our own proftable passenger service and make a massive acquisition of newly state-of-art passenger cars for they now luxury transcontinental train services;
- In 1977, Boston & Western, Pacific Electric, Southern Pacific and Amtrak begin the construction of California High Speed Rail, inspired after the Shinkansen network of Japan;
- CHSR begin operations in 1982;
- Amtrak and B&W begin construction of NEC HSR by 1979, inspired on TGV-Sud, if a top speed of 200mph and built entire grade-separated if elevated and even super-elevated tracks. The trains are from B&W, but operation is provide by crews from Amtrak.
- NEC HSR begin operations by 1984 use derivated French TGV trainsets;
- In 1990, Congress pass the Steel Interstate Act, provide creation of electric transcontinental lines link all major cities and industrial regions if two and four tracks for passenger and freight.
- Between 1990s and 2000s, Boston & Western begin to build and operate HSR on California, East Coast and Midwest, use Siemens Velaro and GE/Hitachi Shinkansen derivated-trainsets. Conventional passenger service now is mostly intercity electric 125mph corridors and the transcontinental luxury streamliners.
California High Speed Séries AMX-100 (American Xpress Rail Séries 100).
Commuter Trains like the Stadler - Budd KISS North America are common on NYC, Boston, Chicago, Twin Cities and L.A.
Siemens Velaro on Minneapolis - Chicago High Speed Rail, 2020.
Freight train if two GE ES44AC on L.A. - Chicago route, 2019.
@Andrew Boyd @TheMann @isayyo2
MatthewB
Banned
British imperial railway connecting Singapore to Calcutta through Malaysia and Burma. Also includes Britain seizing the western shore of Thailand. Standard India gauge for the entire network 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in).
Serves as alternative to sea travel and means to move troops and military equipment quickly from India.
Serves as alternative to sea travel and means to move troops and military equipment quickly from India.
Based on the universe created by @HeX.
NAME OF COMPANY: Georgia Western Railroad
GAUGE: Standard Gauge
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1875-1920
HISTORY/ DESCRIPTION: This rail line began in the aftermath of the US Civil War. This railroad was built to provide Georgia with yet another railroad link to the Atlantic Ocean to Savannah. There was already the Central of Georgia, but this railroad would expand well beyond the home state in a few years.
The railroad began with a link to Athens. Where the line went north through the Carolina to Charlotte. A line to Savannah via Augusta was completed first in 1879, with the Charlotte line completed in 1881. 1880 saw the construction west to Montgomery, AL west from Columbus, GA. From there, the railroad went west to New Orleans via Penascola, Mobile, and Poplarville, MS. At Poplarville, a line to Meridian was also formed via the state capital of Jackson.
For almost its entire existence, the railroad utilized 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s as their main heavy power. Smaller trains were handled by 4-4-0 American types. However in the early 1900s, the railroad did try its hand with several 4-6-2s and 2-8-2s. Though the railroad almost became immediately infatuated with the otherwise rare 4-8-0 Mastadons. They ordered about 300 of the Mastadons for use on trains all the way from New Orleans to either Charlotte or Savannah via Mobile, Pensacola, Columbus, Atlanta, and Athens.
The railroad was naturally a target of acquisition by the Southern Rail in its early days. The Southern eventually bought stake in the line in 1900, and eventually absorbed it in 1920. However, the line's legacy would stand for many years due to the 4-8-0s still being used. As well as many of their great rail stations being used as major Southern ones. Especially on the line from New Orleans to Jackson and Meridian. As well as the Atlanta - Savannah Peachtree line. Both lines also were used as the reroute basis for Amtrak Southeast HSR and Georgia's state-subsidzed Peachtree trains.
NAME OF COMPANY: Georgia Western Railroad
GAUGE: Standard Gauge
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1875-1920
HISTORY/ DESCRIPTION: This rail line began in the aftermath of the US Civil War. This railroad was built to provide Georgia with yet another railroad link to the Atlantic Ocean to Savannah. There was already the Central of Georgia, but this railroad would expand well beyond the home state in a few years.
The railroad began with a link to Athens. Where the line went north through the Carolina to Charlotte. A line to Savannah via Augusta was completed first in 1879, with the Charlotte line completed in 1881. 1880 saw the construction west to Montgomery, AL west from Columbus, GA. From there, the railroad went west to New Orleans via Penascola, Mobile, and Poplarville, MS. At Poplarville, a line to Meridian was also formed via the state capital of Jackson.
For almost its entire existence, the railroad utilized 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s as their main heavy power. Smaller trains were handled by 4-4-0 American types. However in the early 1900s, the railroad did try its hand with several 4-6-2s and 2-8-2s. Though the railroad almost became immediately infatuated with the otherwise rare 4-8-0 Mastadons. They ordered about 300 of the Mastadons for use on trains all the way from New Orleans to either Charlotte or Savannah via Mobile, Pensacola, Columbus, Atlanta, and Athens.
The railroad was naturally a target of acquisition by the Southern Rail in its early days. The Southern eventually bought stake in the line in 1900, and eventually absorbed it in 1920. However, the line's legacy would stand for many years due to the 4-8-0s still being used. As well as many of their great rail stations being used as major Southern ones. Especially on the line from New Orleans to Jackson and Meridian. As well as the Atlanta - Savannah Peachtree line. Both lines also were used as the reroute basis for Amtrak Southeast HSR and Georgia's state-subsidzed Peachtree trains.
This is a revision to some ideas I had for if @HeX gives me a chance to contribute some railroad ideas. Alot of wether not I use these specifics depends on when he is open to a railroad in Georgia.
NAME OF COMPANY: Georgia Atlantic
GAUGE: 5 ft 6in (1831-1887); 4 ft 8.5 in (1887-1922)
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1831-1922
MOTTO (optional): The Real Peculiar Institution
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: This rail line began in the aftermath of the US Civil War. This railroad was built to provide Georgia with yet another railroad link to the Atlantic Ocean to Savannah. Something which would also later be achieved with the Central of Georgia and its line via Macon. However, this road was unique among the other railroads of America. Mainly because it initially used the 5ft 6in broad gauge system. No one knows for sure why, but one explanation that has been provided that some executives rode Brunnel's Great Western broad gauge in England and felt that it indeed could be advantageous.
Whatever the story is, the choice was made, and the railroad began construction soon after in March 1832. The railroad managed to reach Statesboro in only three months, and had reached Augusta by November of that year. After a break of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years the railroad's construction started back up in February 1833, and soon was able to reach Athens in April. The ultimate western terminus of Atlanta was reached in August 1833. This use of the 5ft 6in gauge earned the line its famous (or infamous depending on the time period) nickname, the "Real Peculiar Institution".
However, the railroad did not starting running until later in 1833. Since the railroad still needed equipment and rolling stock. For that reason, the Georgia Atlantic initially had issues trying to get locomotive builders on their side. However, the Baldwin locomotive works ultimate did agree, and sent them several specially built 4-4-0s for the line. These engine were unique among American designs for a simple reason: they were almost British in terms of physical design. Nonetheless, this design was just what the Georgia Atlantic needed at the time, and many more engines were ordered of the design. Said type, called the ATL "Atlantas" by the GA line, were repeated in 1902 by Baldwin for the railroads of British India.
However, the main weakness of Broad Gauge soon became apparent for the same reason as the Brunel Gauge in the UK. After all, main reason for a narrower gauge is that it costs less. The Georgia Atlantic's trains could only run on broad gauge lines and could not share its tracks with other railroads nor run trains run along other railroads. In addition to that broad gauge was fine on main lines but prohibitively expensive on branch lines and just like airlines today operate feeder services at a loss to get passengers for their main lines, railways without a feeder service would have much lower passenger numbers. For this reason, it was decided to make their line from Athens though the Carolinas to Charlotte, NC standard gauge.
Nonetheless, the Georgia broad gauge continued for many years. Even to the point that in the late 1840s the Georgia Atlantic ordered several more broad gauge steamers. Among them were the ATH "Athens" Class 4-6-0s to fill in for the ATLs on heavier trains. There were even the SAV "Savannah" 0-6-0s built from a cancelled locomotive order for British India, which became the only inside-cylinder locomotives used in American railroads.
Nonetheless, broad gauge was on its way out by the 1880s. At first, the Georgia Atlantic used dual gauge trackage on its lines instead. But nonetheless, all new equipment after 1875 would be standard gauge. When broad gauge was eventually phased out, the locomotives had several options comparatively. Most were sold off to 5ft 6in railroads in Latin America and British India where they continued to serve until around the 1920s. Those that stayed in Georgia had their boilers used to rebuilt them into standard gauge designs, whereas one engine, the ATL Class #1, was preserved at corporate headquarters in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the railroad was naturally a target of acquisition by the Southern Railroad in its early days. The Southern eventually bought stake in the line in 1900, and used them as a way to compete with the Central of Georgia, a subsidiary of the Illinois Central. Eventually, the Southern was allowed to buy up the line in the 1920s.
Today, the Georgia Atlantic Railroad's legacy remains in several things. Many of the broad gauge locomotives that were converted to standard gauge designs remained in operation under the Southern. Whereas a good chunk of the Broad Gauge stock that was sold off managed to survive in their new homes. Eventually, the Southeastern Railroad Museum in Atlanta bought up the #1, alongside some ex-GARR rolling stock found in India, and put them on their museum grounds. Where they were granted a sum by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Historic Preservation Division to build a segment of 5ft 6in gauge track to run it all. Today, many people come to the museum just to see the last operating remainder of the GARR's broad gauge; in addition to the museum's mainline steamers. [1]
[1] Those being Atlanta & West Point 4-6-2 #290 and Louisville & Nashville 2-8-4 #1985
NAME OF COMPANY: Georgia Atlantic
GAUGE: 5 ft 6in (1831-1887); 4 ft 8.5 in (1887-1922)
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1831-1922
MOTTO (optional): The Real Peculiar Institution
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: This rail line began in the aftermath of the US Civil War. This railroad was built to provide Georgia with yet another railroad link to the Atlantic Ocean to Savannah. Something which would also later be achieved with the Central of Georgia and its line via Macon. However, this road was unique among the other railroads of America. Mainly because it initially used the 5ft 6in broad gauge system. No one knows for sure why, but one explanation that has been provided that some executives rode Brunnel's Great Western broad gauge in England and felt that it indeed could be advantageous.
Whatever the story is, the choice was made, and the railroad began construction soon after in March 1832. The railroad managed to reach Statesboro in only three months, and had reached Augusta by November of that year. After a break of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years the railroad's construction started back up in February 1833, and soon was able to reach Athens in April. The ultimate western terminus of Atlanta was reached in August 1833. This use of the 5ft 6in gauge earned the line its famous (or infamous depending on the time period) nickname, the "Real Peculiar Institution".
However, the railroad did not starting running until later in 1833. Since the railroad still needed equipment and rolling stock. For that reason, the Georgia Atlantic initially had issues trying to get locomotive builders on their side. However, the Baldwin locomotive works ultimate did agree, and sent them several specially built 4-4-0s for the line. These engine were unique among American designs for a simple reason: they were almost British in terms of physical design. Nonetheless, this design was just what the Georgia Atlantic needed at the time, and many more engines were ordered of the design. Said type, called the ATL "Atlantas" by the GA line, were repeated in 1902 by Baldwin for the railroads of British India.
However, the main weakness of Broad Gauge soon became apparent for the same reason as the Brunel Gauge in the UK. After all, main reason for a narrower gauge is that it costs less. The Georgia Atlantic's trains could only run on broad gauge lines and could not share its tracks with other railroads nor run trains run along other railroads. In addition to that broad gauge was fine on main lines but prohibitively expensive on branch lines and just like airlines today operate feeder services at a loss to get passengers for their main lines, railways without a feeder service would have much lower passenger numbers. For this reason, it was decided to make their line from Athens though the Carolinas to Charlotte, NC standard gauge.
Nonetheless, the Georgia broad gauge continued for many years. Even to the point that in the late 1840s the Georgia Atlantic ordered several more broad gauge steamers. Among them were the ATH "Athens" Class 4-6-0s to fill in for the ATLs on heavier trains. There were even the SAV "Savannah" 0-6-0s built from a cancelled locomotive order for British India, which became the only inside-cylinder locomotives used in American railroads.
Nonetheless, broad gauge was on its way out by the 1880s. At first, the Georgia Atlantic used dual gauge trackage on its lines instead. But nonetheless, all new equipment after 1875 would be standard gauge. When broad gauge was eventually phased out, the locomotives had several options comparatively. Most were sold off to 5ft 6in railroads in Latin America and British India where they continued to serve until around the 1920s. Those that stayed in Georgia had their boilers used to rebuilt them into standard gauge designs, whereas one engine, the ATL Class #1, was preserved at corporate headquarters in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the railroad was naturally a target of acquisition by the Southern Railroad in its early days. The Southern eventually bought stake in the line in 1900, and used them as a way to compete with the Central of Georgia, a subsidiary of the Illinois Central. Eventually, the Southern was allowed to buy up the line in the 1920s.
Today, the Georgia Atlantic Railroad's legacy remains in several things. Many of the broad gauge locomotives that were converted to standard gauge designs remained in operation under the Southern. Whereas a good chunk of the Broad Gauge stock that was sold off managed to survive in their new homes. Eventually, the Southeastern Railroad Museum in Atlanta bought up the #1, alongside some ex-GARR rolling stock found in India, and put them on their museum grounds. Where they were granted a sum by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Historic Preservation Division to build a segment of 5ft 6in gauge track to run it all. Today, many people come to the museum just to see the last operating remainder of the GARR's broad gauge; in addition to the museum's mainline steamers. [1]
[1] Those being Atlanta & West Point 4-6-2 #290 and Louisville & Nashville 2-8-4 #1985
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Here's some 5ft 6in gauge designs that ITTL were inspired by the Georgia Atlantic Railroad.
Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway 4-4-0
Chilean State Railway type 38 4-6-0
Both photos are from DeviantArt used RLKitterman.
Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway 4-4-0
Chilean State Railway type 38 4-6-0
Both photos are from DeviantArt used RLKitterman.
This is a revision of one my earlier ideas. But now with details I plan to add for the TL of @HeX. For which I will revise things later.
NAME OF COMPANY: Southern Pacific Lines
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1865-present
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: The Southern Pacific (SP) is one of America's most successful and widely recognized railroads. The "Espee" prides its heritage being tied to one of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Since then, Central Pacific's presidents sought total control of California's transportation network. To do so, they created the Southern Pacific. Their system eventually became so large it stretched from Portland to New Orleans. Over time, it has blossomed into the most far-reaching of all the classic American railroads with a network expanding all across the Southwest.
The SP had long been expanding in 1907. When they bought up the Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific for its valuable mainlines to Chicago and Memphis. As well as the the routes all across the Midwest and Great Plains. Soon, the mainline proved an effective method of competition with the Aitchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe that had long dominated the Chicago - West Coast traffic. In addition, the SP also built a new line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via Santa Clarita, Mojave, and Ridgeland. Further south, the line along the west coast was extended to San Diego, then on to La Paz in Baja California. Which become part of California after the Mexican-American wars.
NAME OF COMPANY: Southern Pacific Lines
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1865-present
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: The Southern Pacific (SP) is one of America's most successful and widely recognized railroads. The "Espee" prides its heritage being tied to one of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Since then, Central Pacific's presidents sought total control of California's transportation network. To do so, they created the Southern Pacific. Their system eventually became so large it stretched from Portland to New Orleans. Over time, it has blossomed into the most far-reaching of all the classic American railroads with a network expanding all across the Southwest.
The SP had long been expanding in 1907. When they bought up the Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific for its valuable mainlines to Chicago and Memphis. As well as the the routes all across the Midwest and Great Plains. Soon, the mainline proved an effective method of competition with the Aitchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe that had long dominated the Chicago - West Coast traffic. In addition, the SP also built a new line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via Santa Clarita, Mojave, and Ridgeland. Further south, the line along the west coast was extended to San Diego, then on to La Paz in Baja California. Which become part of California after the Mexican-American wars.
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The second original railroad I plan for the TL of @HeX.
NAME OF COMPANY: Amarillo & Jefferson Railroad
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1873-1925
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: After the take over of the Chihuahua and Sonora from Mexico by the US, a railroad was considered a natural way to keep the new territory safe if Mexico ever dared to retake it. As such, General Grant was tasked with creating a rail line to link it with Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. The railroad began in Amarillo in 1873 and had reached Chihuahua by 1879 via Lubbock and Pecos. From there, the railroad intended to reach the new border with Mexico at the new state of Jefferson. It reached said place in 1883 on a line that ran via Chihuahua and Cuidad Obregon. A branch also ran from Yecora to Hermosillo.
The railroad quickly became a contested corridor among the other railroads in El Paso. Especially between the Santa Fe and Missouri Pacific railroads. Ultimately, the railroad remained independent as the Santa Fe extended their own mainline from El Paso to Mexico proper to Torreon. Whereas the MoPac was eventually allowed to take up the railroad.
Today, the railroad serves as an important part of the MoPac's Chicago - Jefferson mainline via St. Louis, Arkansas, and Texas.
NAME OF COMPANY: Amarillo & Jefferson Railroad
GAUGE: 4 ft 8.5 in
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1873-1925
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION: After the take over of the Chihuahua and Sonora from Mexico by the US, a railroad was considered a natural way to keep the new territory safe if Mexico ever dared to retake it. As such, General Grant was tasked with creating a rail line to link it with Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. The railroad began in Amarillo in 1873 and had reached Chihuahua by 1879 via Lubbock and Pecos. From there, the railroad intended to reach the new border with Mexico at the new state of Jefferson. It reached said place in 1883 on a line that ran via Chihuahua and Cuidad Obregon. A branch also ran from Yecora to Hermosillo.
The railroad quickly became a contested corridor among the other railroads in El Paso. Especially between the Santa Fe and Missouri Pacific railroads. Ultimately, the railroad remained independent as the Santa Fe extended their own mainline from El Paso to Mexico proper to Torreon. Whereas the MoPac was eventually allowed to take up the railroad.
Today, the railroad serves as an important part of the MoPac's Chicago - Jefferson mainline via St. Louis, Arkansas, and Texas.
Based on various ideas I once presented in the Railroad Thread. Which I will probably use in rebooting my railroad thread in the 1920s.
NAME OF COMPANY: Ohio Central Railroad
GAUGE: Standard Gauge
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1983-Present
HISTORY/ DESCRIPTION: During the 1980s and 90s, it became clear to many that certain population corridors in the United States would need transport more efficient than road or air could provide at the time. Around the same time, President Ronald Reagan had begun the privatization of America's railroad network. Which had been semi-nationalized when the Great Depression incapacitated many of them. Despite regrowth in the 1940s and 50s, the railroads had begun to falter again because not only did the federal government turn towards planes and cars. But also because of other issues that began like foreign aid to other countries and the fear of being weak in the face of the Soviets.
As such, Reagan would give the freight railroads control of the tracks they have been given. Both in terms of original routes of acquired lines. He took a similar approach to Amtrak, the company created to operate high-speed rail lines across the continental US. Under this new plan, Amtrak's major-interstate lines would be split into several different regional operations; Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast. These would be owned mainly by a coalition of railroads, local transport businesses, and other businesses. These operations would receive tax breaks, and sometimes even direct subsidies, in exchange for maintaining certain standards and cleanliness on their trains.
However, many portions run entirely within certain states would be private-public collaborations. One of the first successful ones was the Ohio Central railroad. Founded primarily by the Erie Lackawanna, Chessie System, the Budd Company, and Southwest Airlines which wanted to use it as a way to shuttle passengers to their international flights. The charter was granted in June 1983, and the company started from Cleveland to Akron on a line paralleling the Baltimore & Ohio, a part of the Chessie. From there, it ran parralel to the Erie Lackawanna to Marion. Where it then follows the Chessie to Columbus. The remainder of the line ran to Cincinnati via NYC/EL trackage via Springfield, Dayton, and Hamilton. A later extension pushed it across the Ohio River, and to Louisville parallel to the Louisville & Nashville route.
The trains were an instant success upon their conception. Soon after, the state of Ohio aided the OC in construction of a line parallel to the B&O from Akron to Pittsburgh. In addition, the Ohio Central's relative autonomy from Amtrak Midwest permits it to operate trains on an even more frequent basis. The fact OC maintains its own rolling stock also allows for a prize in excellence. This was not even the first or only state-run network, as New York already had its own, then Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Florida, and California caught up on similar ideas.
As is usual for any state-run rail network, the livery of the trains throws back to the state's rail history. The Ohio Central's locomotives are painted in the blue, yellow, and silver of the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad.
OOC: Special thanks to @TheMann for letting me use ideas.
NAME OF COMPANY: Ohio Central Railroad
GAUGE: Standard Gauge
PERIOD OPERATIONAL: 1983-Present
HISTORY/ DESCRIPTION: During the 1980s and 90s, it became clear to many that certain population corridors in the United States would need transport more efficient than road or air could provide at the time. Around the same time, President Ronald Reagan had begun the privatization of America's railroad network. Which had been semi-nationalized when the Great Depression incapacitated many of them. Despite regrowth in the 1940s and 50s, the railroads had begun to falter again because not only did the federal government turn towards planes and cars. But also because of other issues that began like foreign aid to other countries and the fear of being weak in the face of the Soviets.
As such, Reagan would give the freight railroads control of the tracks they have been given. Both in terms of original routes of acquired lines. He took a similar approach to Amtrak, the company created to operate high-speed rail lines across the continental US. Under this new plan, Amtrak's major-interstate lines would be split into several different regional operations; Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast. These would be owned mainly by a coalition of railroads, local transport businesses, and other businesses. These operations would receive tax breaks, and sometimes even direct subsidies, in exchange for maintaining certain standards and cleanliness on their trains.
However, many portions run entirely within certain states would be private-public collaborations. One of the first successful ones was the Ohio Central railroad. Founded primarily by the Erie Lackawanna, Chessie System, the Budd Company, and Southwest Airlines which wanted to use it as a way to shuttle passengers to their international flights. The charter was granted in June 1983, and the company started from Cleveland to Akron on a line paralleling the Baltimore & Ohio, a part of the Chessie. From there, it ran parralel to the Erie Lackawanna to Marion. Where it then follows the Chessie to Columbus. The remainder of the line ran to Cincinnati via NYC/EL trackage via Springfield, Dayton, and Hamilton. A later extension pushed it across the Ohio River, and to Louisville parallel to the Louisville & Nashville route.
The trains were an instant success upon their conception. Soon after, the state of Ohio aided the OC in construction of a line parallel to the B&O from Akron to Pittsburgh. In addition, the Ohio Central's relative autonomy from Amtrak Midwest permits it to operate trains on an even more frequent basis. The fact OC maintains its own rolling stock also allows for a prize in excellence. This was not even the first or only state-run network, as New York already had its own, then Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Florida, and California caught up on similar ideas.
As is usual for any state-run rail network, the livery of the trains throws back to the state's rail history. The Ohio Central's locomotives are painted in the blue, yellow, and silver of the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad.
OOC: Special thanks to @TheMann for letting me use ideas.