I’m sure most of us have heard the term Class 1 railroad and know what it refers to but I have never seen a definition of a Class 1 railroad. Is there an official criteria for labeling a railroad as Class 1 or is it a term used loosely to describe any large railroad system. Today we have the big four, NS and CSX in the east and UP and BNSF in the west. Each of these absorbed numerous fallen flags that were Class 1 railroads in their day. Are then any other railroads currently running in the USA that would be considered Class 1 and if so, what makes them Class 1.
This may help.
I remembered this question asked and answered a couple of years ago in a “forum prototype” search. See the first thread response on page two of this thread…
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/2/135321/ShowPost.aspx#135321
I’m sure there are other forum members who can expand on a Class I railroad.