not to accent the negitive…ive seen the posts about your favorite this and that…but what is your least favorite…
fallen flag CNW just seemed a little TO plain vanilia…lefthand running aside
current road NS no reason other than was the compitition when i was a trainman on CSX…and the crews i had talked to then never had anything nice to say about the company
engine steam and/or diesel anything built by GE post 72
not meaning to offend anyone remember these are just opinions and have fun with it
J Edgar, in order to truly appreciate the C&NW you really had to have seen it away from the “main line” out to IA and NE. I am referring personally to the C&NW lines up in Wisconsin, which for me meant the line from Green Bay to Wausau and west (before it was torn up) and even the line that ran through the resort country near Woodruff and Minocqua (also since torn up) back in the mid 1970’s and earlier. The eclectic mix of power and cars and freights put on quite an interesting show for this (then) novice railfan.
I would vote for the Milwaukee Road in the 1970s. Rust and an upper management that did not have a clue about running a railroad in those challenging times.
I am with EOLAFAN about the C&NW. It certainly is one of my favorites. And, I think it is just loaded with variety. Wide-ranging motive power, long trains, fairly photogenic. It is no Milwaukee Road, but it is close.
But, to answer your question:
Fallen Flag: Unquestionably the PC. Although both predecessors are OK to read about, I just think the PC epitomized everything that was wrong with railroading prior to Staggers. Reading about the PC is like reading about the dying days/funeral of someone you liked. Sometimes, when you look close enough at PC trains in videos, you can see the sword of Damocles hanging over some of PC’s motive power. I didn’t get a lot out of the PC’s color scheme either.
Current Road: CSX. Although I get a lot more out of reading about CSX than the PC, I think it epitomizes everything that might/could go wrong with today’s railroads.
Engine: Any modern Amtrak unit. They look like the box a locomotive should come in, not the locomotive itself.
I am not far behind you on GEs either. A wise man once said we shouldn’t long for the days of seeing SD-45s, steam ext., because it all is going to change and we should enjoy it for what it is. I certainly see the logic in his point. But, it doesn’t change the fact that, logic notwithstanding, I get so much more out of seeing a SD-40, SD-45, GP-40 consist or a consist of Alcos than today’s GEs. I think most things are like that-people seem to find once ubiquitous but now rare things more venerable/collectible. Alas, yet another one of my desires that defies logic . . .
Gabe
I just have the feeling that this thread is opening a pandoras box.
While growing up, i was an advid Soo Line fan and my Brother was a CNW fan so naturally I didnt like the CNW. Outside the Appleton/Neenah area, we usually went on railfan trips to the CNW double main and mainly went to Clinton Iowa to satisfy both my brother and my love for our respectful railroads. My Dad didnt mind either one of them so it was a win-win all around.
Nowadays, everything is desensitized. Either you get one of the class 1 road units (boring now) or the very predictable GE dash units or the EMD SD70-75’s (in neenah wi). But there has been an influx of IC SD70’s (me and Dad would go to Champaign Ill to catch these) around so that makes it like Christmas around here.
Paul
Were this a play, “enter MichaelSol” would be an appropriate thing to say.
I respectfully disagree. But, aside from saying I am glad I wasn’t saddled with the job of keeping the Milwaukee Road alive in the 1970s, I think Michael is going to give a better defense of the Milwaukee Road than I could, so I will just wait for his response.
Gabe
In the interest of an improved level of discussion I would prefer to delete my post. It was not meant as a straw man.
Sorry, if you thought I was trying to be offensive–I wasn’t. I just thought it might evoke an interesting discussion about the Milwaukee, managerial decisions, and the difficulties attendant to railroading in the 70s. As indicated in my post, I certainly respect your opinion, I just see it a little differently. You may well be right, as I certainly am an amature at these things.
Gabe
No need to delete your post on the Milwaukee Road in the 1970’s as you were right. The MILW was in bad shape and getting worse all the time, but I had just moved to Wausau, WI and the MILW had a small yard and an engine servicing area with a “roundhouse” of sorts where I could go and watch them shuttle power around. I vividly recall the old GP-7/9 units and the F’s as well. We would occasionally see some SD7/9 units but he “big time” came when they brought in some new GP40’s in the 350 number series (as I recall) in shiny new paint and WOW was that exciting. Then I moved to Naperville, IL and the BIG TIME of the BN and C&NW main through Wheaton (long before I knew Rochelle existed). Those times in Wausau will always live in my memory, though and I will never forget the Milwaukee Road!
please… im not meaning to start any strife…although your right its gonna…just a matter of opinion…ill stand by my 75 dart as much as you stand beside your 74 vega or whatever…just reaching out for others opinions on subjects i think about is all…have fun with it [;)]
point taken…ive never been intrested enough to realy dig deep…granted CNW’s home rebuilds of the 70’s made for good laff’s[:o)]
again point taken…but ya cant overlook the op crews that struggled through those hardtimes with a dim future…made for interesting railroading
My least favorite railroad is the one that I haven’t learned about yet. I think every railroad is interesting in some way. Before I moved to CO, I really wasn’t a huge DRGW fan. I didn’t dislike the Grande, but if I had an option between reading a book on it or one of the granger roads (to which I had had much more exposure), I would choose the latter every time.
Now that I’ve been exposed to the remnants of the Grande, it’s one of my favorite roads (and one that I wish I had paid more attention to when I was younger – then again, it did make its exit into history when I was 8 years old).
If I had to pick a railroad today that didn’t interest me as much as other railroads, I would probably pick something like the Florida East Coast, or something along those lines. Still, I’ve only read a couple of articles in Trains on it, so I really can’t really make an informed opinion on it. I’m sure if I took the time to learn about the FEC, my interest would increase as well.
My only regret is that I have a finite amount of time that I can dedicate to learning about railroads, railroading and railroaders. It really is a fascinating industry.
You have to admit, the rebuilding of the old CNW branch lines with 136 pound CWR means they will be around for a while longer. And with ethanol, these branches seem to be much busier, and still growing.
It’s really hard to have much of a warm, fuzzy feeling about PennCentral.[xx(]
I agree!
Yet, I’ve always been fascinated by the PC story – maybe in a demolition derby kind of way.
The whole idea of merging two historic arch-rivals (especially two with such different corporate cultures as the PRR & NYC) just seems absurd to me. Add in a little mix of David Bevan’s “creative” accounting to the red team/green team issue (which started all the way at the top between Saunders and Perlman) and it makes for a great story. While reading The Wreck of the Penn Central and Fallen Collossus, I found myself glued to the pages thinking “Wow, this is going to be ugly.”
Of course I knew what the outcome of the PC ordeal was going in, but being a product of 1980, I didn’t really understand just how big of collapse it was. I was able to live it vicariously through the books. While some later bankruptcies may have been larger, I don’t necessarily think that they had the impact that PC did.
The fact that de-regulation of the industry probably got a big shove because of PC and gave railroads the chance to re-invent themselves (including Conrail, which kind of seems like the Phoenix rising out of it’s own ashes) puts the icing on the cake for me. It may have been ugly, but it was fascinating and important to railroading. The PC story is certainly not my least favorite part of railroading.
Just my [2c].
I don’t disagree that the “PC Story” is fascinating. I just find it fascinating in the same way that the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the sacking of Troy, or the burning of the Library at Alexandria was “fascinating.” They all make for interesting and informative reading. But as a railophile, I am as inclined to find the PC story as heartwar
i hate the UP paint schemes just to blah and they are takeover happy