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Since 1950
Over fifty years ago, Merle Armitage published a book called
"The Railroads of America". In it, he listed the major railroads of the time. I took his list and tried to see where they all went. I also compared to a 1980 source of Class 1 railroads. Note:"Conrail" is listed as the final disposition because of the added complexity of integrating the final disposition of Conrail. |
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Typical of railroads around in 1950 but gone in half a century was the C&WC. The Charleston & Western Carolina Railroad was merged into the Atlantic Coast Line System after 1959. This GP-7 was painted in the ACL's scheme of Purple/silver but was lettered for the C&WC instead of ACL. When the ACL began repainting their units in the black/yellow stripe scheme the CN&L units were also repainted and renumbered. For more details refer to the Book "ACL-the Diesel Years" by W. Calloway. For more on Southeastern US railrtoads, visit www.hosam.com |
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Welcome to our WebSite of Railroads Since 1950
Find railroads in alphabetical order: Railroads from A to C Railroads from D to K Railroads from L to P Railroads from R to Z |
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| Gone when? | Name | 1980? | In between then and now | 2000 | 1966 Mles |
| 1982 | Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railroad | Yes | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern | 171 |
| 1973 | Alton & Southern Railroad | No | Purchased by Cotton Belt and Missouri Pacific | Union Pacific |
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| 1963 | Ann Arbor Railroad | No |
Controlled by Wabash until 1963 then sold to DT&I; 1976 to Conrail; then split up portions of the line in March 1976 and the remainder, including the Lake Michigan car ferries, in 1980. On October 1, 1977, Michigan Interstate Railway began operating the line. In October 1988 a newly formed AA purchased. the Frankfort to Toledo line |
CN North America; shortlines; abandoned |
292 |
| 1995 | Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway | Yes | Sante Fe | BNSF |
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| 1983 | Atlanta & West Point Railroad | Yes | Seaboard System | CSX | 226 |
| 1967 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad | No | Seaboard Coast Line | CSX | 5501 |
| 1973 | Baltimore & Ohio Railroad | No | Chessie System | CSX | 5874 |
| Current | Bangor and Aroostook Railroad | Yes | Iron Road Railways |
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| Current | Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Company | Yes | Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Company |
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| Current | Boston and Maine Railroad | Yes | Owned by Guilford Transportation | Guilford Transportation |
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| 1976 | Buffalo Creek Railroad | No | Conrail |
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| 1994 | Cambria & Indiana Railroad | Yes | Bethlehem Steel | Abandoned |
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| Current | Canadian National Railways | Yes |
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CN Rail |
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| Current | Canadian Pacific Railway | Yes |
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CP Rail [CP Limited] |
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| 1963 | Central of Georgia | No | Southern | Norfolk Southern | 1745 |
| 1976 | Central Railroad Company of New Jersey | No |
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Conrail | 630 |
| 1959 | Charleston & Western Carolina Railway | Atlantic Coast Line | CSX |
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| 1973 | Chesapeake & Ohio | No | Chessie System | CSX | 5119 |
| 1996 | Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway | Yes | Illinois & Midland (Genesee & Wyoming Ind) |
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| 1995 | Chicago & Northwestern Railway | Yes |
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Union Pacific |
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| 1975 | Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad | No |
Purchased by Missouri Pacific. An arrangement with the Wabash provided that railroad with entrance trackage and terminal facilities in the city itself. This arrangement involved joint ownership of the C. & W.I. RR. |
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| 1963 | Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad | No |
Missouri Pacific (part) Louisville & Nashville (part) Union Pacific acquired Missouri Pacific; CSX acquired L&N |
863 | |
| 1970 | Chicago Burlington and Quincy | No | Burlington Northern | BNSF |
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| 1968 | Chicago Great Western Railway | No | Chicago and Northwestern | Union Pacific |
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| 1980 | Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad | Yes |
Bankrupt; parts to numerous railroads Union Pacific; BNSF; CSX |
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7849 |
| 1971 | Chicago, Indianapolis, & Louisville Railway | No |
Renamed Monon; went to Louisville & Nashville |
CSX | 541 |
| 1982 |
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) |
Yes | Bankrupt. |
Part to SOO. Chicago-area commuter lines in METRA CP Rail, shortlines or abandoned |
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| 1983 | Clinchfield Railroad | Yes |
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CSX | 306/td> |
| 1981 | Colorado and Southern Railway | Yes |
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BNSF |
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| Current | Columbus & Greenville Railway | Yes | Illinois Central 1972 | Now CAGY |
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| Current | Delaware and Hudson Railroad | Yes | Guilford Transportation | CP Rail System |
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| 1960 | Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad | No | Erie Lackawanna | Conrail |
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| 1988 | Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad | Yes | Southern Pacific | Union Pacific |
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| ???? | Detroit & Mackinac Railway |
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Lake States Railway |
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| 1981 | Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad | Yes | Grand Trunk Western | CN North America |
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| 1983 | Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad | Yes | Grand Trunk Western | CN North America |
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| Current | Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway | Yes |
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Duluth Missabe and Iron Range |
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| 1961 | Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad | No | Soo Line created by merger with Minneapolis, St Paul & Sault Ste Marie | CP Rail |
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| Current | Elgin, Joliet & Eastern | Yes | One of several railroads owned by Transtar (50% owned by US Steel). Sold to CN in 2009 | CN North America |
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| 1960 | Erie Railroad | No | Erie Lackawanna | Conrail |
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| Current | Florida East Coast Railway | Yes |
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Florida East Coast |
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| 1971 | Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern Railway | No | CNW | Union Pacific |
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| 1982 | Fort Worth and Denver Railway | Yes | Colorado and Southern | BNSF |
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| 1971 | Georgia & Florida Railroad | No | Southern | Norfolk Southern | 321 |
| 1983 | Georgia Railroad | Yes | Seaboard System | CSX |
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| Current | Grand Trunk Western Railroad | Yes |
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CN North America |
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| 1970 | Great Northern Railway | No | Burlington Northern | BNSF |
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| 1992 | Green Bay & Western Railroad | Yes |
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Wisconsin Central |
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| 1972 | Gulf Mobile & Ohio Railroad | No | Illinois Central Gulf | Illinois Central |
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| Current | Illinois Central Railroad | Yes | Illinois Central Gulf | Illinois Central |
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| 1981 | Illinois Terminal Railroad | Yes | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern | 338 |
| Current | Kansas City Southern Railway | Yes |
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Kansas City Southern |
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| 1981 | Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Railroad | Yes | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern |
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| Current | Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad | Yes |
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| 1976 | Lehigh & Hudson River Railway | No |
To Conrail some to NY, S&W |
Conrail; NY,S&W | 98 |
| 1960 | Lehigh and New England Railroad | No |
Lehigh and New England Railway Company; some to Central Railroad of New Jersey; later to Conrail; rest abandoned |
Conrail |
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| 1976 | Lehigh Valley Railroad | No |
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Conrail | 1095 |
| Current | Long Island Railroad | Yes | Was owned by Pennsylvania but purchased by the State of New York. | Metropolitan Transit Authority |
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| 1939 | Louisiana & Arkansas Railway | No | Merged in 1939 but operated as a separate railroad | Kansas City Southern |
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| 1982 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad | Yes |
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CSX | 5697 |
| Current | Maine Central Railroad | Yes |
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Guilford Transportation |
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| 1992 | McCloud River Railroad | Yes |
Acquired by Itel Corp in 1977. Sold to 4-Rails in 1992 and renamed McCloud Railway |
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| 1967 | Midland Valley Railroad | No |
Texas & Pacific; then Missouri Pacific |
Union Pacific |
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| 1960 | Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway | No | Chicago and Northwestern | Union Pacific |
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| 1961 | Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault St. Marie Railroad | No |
Commonly known as the Soo Line, the MSt.P&SSM merged with the original Wisconsin Central to create the "official" Soo Line in 1961. |
CP Rail |
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| 1967 | Mississippi Central Railroad | No |
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ICG |
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| 1982 | Missouri Pacific Railroad | Yes |
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Union Pacific |
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| 1988 | Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (KATY) | Yes |
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Union Pacific |
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| 1975 | Montour Railroad | No | Pittsburgh & Lake Erie | Conrail | 83 |
| 1957 | Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway | No | Louisville & Nashville | CSX |
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| 1983 | Nevada Northern Railway | Yes | Suspended operations when Kennecott mine closed | Abandoned |
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| 1968 | New York Central Railroad | No | Penn Central | Conrail | 9844 |
| Current | New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad | Yes |
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Delaware Otsego |
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| 1964 |
New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) |
No | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern |
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| 1968 | New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad | No | Penn Central | Conrail | 1637 |
| 1957 | New York, Ontario & Western Railway | No | {bankrupt} | abandoned |
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| 1982 | Norfolk & Western Railway | Yes |
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Norfolk Southern | 7057 |
| 1974 | Norfolk Southern Railway | No | Southern | Norfolk Southern | 592 |
| 1970 | Northern Pacific Railway | No | Burlington Northern | BNSF |
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| 1950’s | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | No | Southern Pacific | Union Pacific |
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| Current | Ontario Northland Railway | Yes | Government of Ontario | Ontario Northland |
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| 1968 | Pennsylvania Railroad | No | Penn Central | Conrail | 9652 |
| Current | Peoria & Pekin Union Railway | Yes |
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| 1969 | Piedmont & Northern Railway | No |
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CSX | 136 |
| 1996 | Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad | Yes |
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Genesee and Wyoming Inc. |
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| 1964 | Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway | No | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern | 132 |
| Current | Prescott & Northwestern Railroad | Yes |
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Owned by Potlatch Co |
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| 1969 | Pullman Company | No |
Not really a railroad; but was in the list |
Amtrak (not really a railroad either!) |
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| 1975 | Railway Express Agency, Inc. | No | Not really a railroad, but important in 1950 | Bankrupt |
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| 1981 | Raritan River Railroad | Yes |
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Conrail |
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| 1976 | Reading Company | No |
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Conrail | 1284 | |
| 1993 | Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad | Yes | Chessie | CSX |
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| 1961 | Rutland Railway | No | (bankrupt) |
Green Mountain Railroad; Vermont Railway |
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| 1970, 1979 | San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway | No | Part to Mexican gov’t, part to San Diego MTDB |
Union Pacific; Kyle Railways, MTDB |
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| 1971 | Savannah & Atlanta Railway | No | Southern | Norfolk Southern |
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| 1967 | Seaboard Air Line Railroad | No | Seaboard Coast Line | CSX | 4123 | |
| 1996 | Southern Pacific Company | Yes |
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Union Pacific |
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| 1982 | Southern Railway | Yes |
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Norfolk Southern | 14027 | |
| 1958 | Spokane International Railroad | No |
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Union Pacific |
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| 1970 | Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | No |
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BNSF |
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| 1996 |
St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt) |
Yes | Southern Pacific | Union Pacific |
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| 1980 |
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) |
Yes |
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BNSF |
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| 1968 | Tennessee Central Railway | No | Abandoned; portions to Seaboard and Southern |
Norfolk Southern; CSX |
280 | |
| 1971 | Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway | No | Southern | Norfolk Southern |
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| 1976 | Texas & Pacific Railway | No | Missouri Pacific | Union Pacific |
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| 1983 | Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad | Yes |
(once part of Sante Fe) Then Delaware Otsego |
RailAmerica |
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| 1987 | Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Railway | Yes |
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CP Rail [CP Limited] |
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| Current | Union Pacific Railroad | Yes |
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Union Pacific |
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1959 | Virginian Railway | No | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern |
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| 1964 | Wabash Railroad | No | Norfolk & Western | Norfolk Southern |
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| 1973 | Western Maryland Railway | No | Chessie System | CSX | 1410 | 1982 | Western Pacific Railroad | Yes |
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Union Pacific |
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| 1964 | Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway | Yes/No | Nickel Plate | Norfolk Southern |
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1952 | Wichita Valley Railway | No | Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Company | BNSF |
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| 1967 | Winston-Salem Southbound Railway | No |
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Norfolk Southern; CSX |
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| Current | Wisconsin Central Railway | No |
The original WC was formed in 1871. It came under control of the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault St. Marie in 1909 through a 999 year lease. In 1961 the two railroads were merged to create the Soo Line. A newly formed WC purchased the Lake States Transportation Division of the Soo Line in 1987. |
Wisconsin Central |
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| 2000 | Youngstown & Southern Railway | Yes |
Last Y&S train 1992. In 1993/1994, the Little Beaver Creek RR (PL&W) operated it for a short time. Rail Ventures Inc., purchased the Y&S from the Youngstown & Southern Railway Co. in 1996. |
Central Columbiana and Pennsylvania Railway (CQPA) | 46 |
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Railroads On The Rebound |
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Over the last 50+ years, railroads have changed a lot. Now they are about to change again.
It is all about a combination of economic factors and climate factors. Since 1950 , railroads have consolidated. Freight moved from a "box car mentality" to a "unit train,mentality". Passenger went from a robust business to a "caretaker" arrangement called AMTRAK. This happened as everybody could drive for free on the Interstate Highway System or fly on an airline system where the government subsidized both airlines and airports. In the meantime, railroad express and railroad post offices went "down the tubes". The old Post Office Department and the Railway Express Agency could not adjust to the new way. UPS and Fex Ex could. |
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Carbon Calculator
What's the most environmentally-friendly way to transport goods? The answer is freight rail. The EPA estimates that every ton-mile of freight that moves by rail instead of by highway reduces greenhouse emissions by two-thirds. But what does that really mean? Our easy-to-use carbon calculator will estimate the amount of carbon dioxide that can be prevented from entering our environment just by using freight rail instead of trucks. We'll even tell you how many seedlings you'd need to plant to have the same effect. |
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| Interested in Penn Central? New York Central? Pennsylvania Railroad? New Haven Railroad? or in the smaller Eastern US railroads? Then you will be interested in "What if the Penn Central Merger Did Not Happen". You will also enjoy "Could George Alpert have saved the New Haven?" as well as "What if the New Haven never merged with Penn Central?" | ||
| REFERENCE |
| List of Defunct US Railroads |
| JJ's Railroad Links |
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Not so Long Ago: Some
tidbits from railroading magazines of the 1940's which seem so strange and
out-of-place now. Also a fictional plan (by Ken Kinlock) for mass transit in the Albany, New York area. |
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