Favorite railroad

[nkp_174]

None and none. I don't have a favorite. I have a few that I don't care much about, and I strongly prefer north american prototypes and eras between about 1880 and 1980.
Why? well, I live in north america, and that is what I am used to. As for eras, I am most interested in the "maturity" of railroads after about 1880 - when railroads became part of a national system, and became standardized with couplers and gauges, and the development of what I consider a more modern and familiar culture was developing (electricity, steel construction, modern sports, etc). I am much less interested post about 1980, as railroads consolidated down to a few big ones, the final branchlines started to give way to trucks, and railroads became primarily a mainline operation. But as to a particular railroad - well I really don't have a preference one way or another.

Very interesting, Kevin!

One of my favorite parts of John White's Am. RR. ____ Car books are how he covers the changes in technology. Same thing with Hilton's coverage of the narrow gauge movement in Am. NG RRs.

Btw, Ralph, the biggest problem with the Penn Central wasn't the jade green, nor the infamous maintenance, nor the burning up of eightyeightfan1's bridges ...but rather the fact that the Island series observation cars didn't last long enough to be a part of it :mrgreen: