Favorite US Railroad?

Both have been absorbed, but they are also both from my childhood:

ATSF (Always loved warbonnet schemes, especially on f units)
SP
and steam, gotta love UP for the Big Boy and Challenger's
 
I've posted in here before, but I would have to say that my tastes have changed since. I have a greater affinity for fallen flags now than I did in the past.

PRR, simply iconic. I love the GG-1 and the stainless steel Budd cars on the Congressional and Senator trains.

NYC, again another iconic railroad. I liked the NYC electric motors, they looked very elegant for what was generally just a day-to-day locomotive.

B&O, my grandfather was an engineer for them - he was one of the first to operate a diesel-powered streamliner in revenue passenger service.

C&NW, the 'dill pickle' scheme as I like to call it - it is really unique. Both for their intercity trains and commuter trains. Plus, the old C&NW terminal building was great architecture.

AT&SF, another classic. Like rivethed says, the Warbonnet livery is especially beautiful on F units (arguably any cab unit; especially the early E units).

IC, primarily for their electric lines out of Chicago.
 
My favorite RR are so far NG routes, and most of all from Colorado.
further:
D&RGW
RGS
Cass scenic
CVRR (Cumberland - Frostburg) (( which is actually my Project))
UP
CP
CN
AT&SF
DM&IR

Conclusion: I'm rather a Steam/Narrow Gauger. Electric and Diesel is not of much importance to me.
 
Conrail. Something about that shade of blue is appealing to me
Amtrak. PhIII livery is my fave paint
Norfolk Southern.
 
Pere Marquette, Wabash, Lake Superior and Ishpeming, Grand Trunk Western, Norfolk and Western, Texas and Pacific, Western and Atlantic
 
I happened upon the Finger Lakes Railroad a month ago, and couldn't believe how unique their collection is! The Geneva yard was filled with unique and interesting cars. So now I have a new interest!

But Chessie will always be my favorite, since Grandpa worked his career there...
 
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Bump :hehe:

The New York Central is one of my favorites. The streamlined look of everything, the modern apeal... I love it and could fantasize for hours.

The Southern Pacific. All the reasons above, but the 1970s-1990s period up until the merger is just a really cool time period to model, both in V-scale and irl.

Lastly the Union Pacific, mostly because of 844, but they also have a huge amount of preserved steam locomotives. Also to me they represent a modern American Railroad, which is cool.

I also love commuter railroads, NJT, MNRR, Metro Link, Cal Train, Etc. Amtrak is cool as well.
 
Modern Class 1: Norfolk Southern

Fallen Class 1: Pennsylvania Railroad

Regional: Reading & Northern

Shortline: Strasburg Railroad

Fallen Shortline: Maryland & Pennsylania
 
It is easy to develop a fondness for what you see in your area. Currently that is limited to UP. *

Modern Class I: Union Pacific (Especially their big experimental locos.)
Modern Class I: ATSF

Fallen Class I: Southern Pacific (Still love the SP's red and gray paint scheme. They are my favorite locos to use in Trainz. )

Fallen narrow gauge: Pacific Coast Railway (Port San Luis to Los Olivos) Ripped up and scrapped before I was born, but my mom kinda remembers the PCR when she was young.


Heck, just about any railroad is interesting if someone writes about it. Although I find myself liking US and Canadian prototypes more than others.

* Recently had BNSF trains visiting local UP rails to drop military vehicles off at Camp Roberts.
 
Amtrak.

Hear me out:

I'm currently in college studying Supply Chain Management. However, I don't plan on becoming some generic buyer for Ford that sits in an office most days. I want to actually be in the field, doing something where I can physically make a difference. My goal is to become an Amtrak trainmaster after stints as a conductor and locomotive engineer. Although the Road Foreman position sounded intereting, the Trainmaster is much more involved, and that's what I want.

My overall goal is to expand Amtrak service out of Chicago to the midwest region. I already have a plan in the works for Michigan, and preliminary drafts for Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. I'm not sure how much a trainmaster would deal with that, but I suppose that's a little further down the road.

Amtrak has a lot of potential, especially in the Midwest. I figure that if I play my cards right, I can play a role in capitalizing on that potential. Plus, there's a certain romance when it comes to working on/around passenger trains.
 
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