The USRA

[nachoman]

As my railroad is set during WWI, I have a few questions about the USRA. My understanding is that the federal government took control over american railroads during the war. Does this mean all railroads, or just the major ones? My "fictional" railroad is an industrial short line - would that have fallen under the USRA control as well? I have also heard that some locomotives and equipment from one railroad was transferred, as needed, to other railroads. Does this mean that it was possible to see distinctive locomotives of one railroad operating completely out of their region? In other words, would this be justification to run another railroad's locomotive on my line?