Mergers - Big Four, Big Three, Big Two... ?

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Or, one reason I lost interest in US railroading (three others being PSR, dominance of intermodal and modern motive power...)

 

 

I can't recall where I found this, and it's by no means comprehensive.  But it does give an idea of the lessening variety of US railroading during my life time.  It's not just lines on a chart, every road that disappears is an end to distinctive paint schemes, operating practices, locomotive types, traffic, and so on.

 

I was a very lucky boy that I saw as much variety as I did in the early 2000s before the slump hit.

 

I know there are lots of little short lines, and so on - but I'm a mainline man.  And I still miss the Espee and the Santa Fe every time I go out west...

 

Cheer up, it's nearly Christmas.  

 

 

[pH]

There’s also CP, CN and KCS as mainline railroads in the US (or at least bigger than ”little short lines”). Though those three are about to become two, one way or another.

[F-UnitMad]

I suppose CP & CN are Canadian roads, beyond the remit of the OP list?, although they have swallowed up a lot of US lines between them (Soo Line in particular, for me!!   ) 

 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

CN/CP KCS is another depressing merger.  I forget which one has snaffled KCS... is it CP?

 

And all the shortlines belong to the G&W orange conglomerate...

 

Ho ho bloody ho merry christmas

[pH]

1 hour ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

CN/CP KCS is another depressing merger.  I forget which one has snaffled KCS... is it CP?

 

CP, unless something unforeseen comes up.

 

Accepted by STB:

 

https://futureforfreight.com/surface-transportation-board-accepts-cp-kcs-merger-application-as-complete-sets-procedural-schedule/

 

 

And Mexican authorities:

https://futureforfreight.com/canadian-pacific-and-kansas-city-southern-merger-proposal-receives-required-mexican-regulatory-approvals/
 

Edited December 3, 2021 by pH

[Wendell1976]

On 03/12/2021 at 12:40, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

And all the shortlines belong to the G&W orange conglomerate...

 

Not all of the shortline railroads are under the Genesee & Wyoming umbrella. You also have Watco Companies that own many railroads and some independent railroads such as the Salt Lake, Garfield, and Western Railway and the Oregon Pacific Railroad.

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA 

[simon b]

On 03/12/2021 at 17:57, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

Or, one reason I lost interest in US railroading (three others being PSR, dominance of intermodal and modern motive power...)

I know there are lots of little short lines, and so on - but I'm a mainline man.  And I still miss the Espee and the Santa Fe every time I go out west...

 

 

 

If we're talking about 2-3 mile long freights then I agree the variety is a little limited but scale things down and there are still interesting things around. I'm more interested in the huge variety of commuter operations rather than freight roads, but a few that come to mind are:

 

The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a good one, lot's of old Alco's on multi unit mixed freight trains.

 

The New York and Atlantic Railway has some fast moving mixed freights, deliveries of subway cars, and a car float operation.

 

CSX and Norfolk southern still operate a few old units, NS even has rare "high hood" units, gp38 and sd40 iirc.

 

Pan-am railways has a few unusual units on some fairly long mixed freights.

 

New York, Susquehanna & Western is another line worth a look.

[John M Upton]

Whilst the modern modern scene is of little if any interest to me, BNSF still roster some reworked GP30's here and there which look good and earlier today I accidentally fell into this lovely photo website all about Grain Elevator locos:

http://www.trainweb.org/bobx/Trains_Grain1.htm

 

Some seriously interesting little gems in that lot!!

[pH]

38 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

Whilst the modern modern scene is of little if any interest to me, BNSF still roster some reworked GP30's here and there which look good …

(Very) personal opinion, I know,  but I think GP30s are ugly! Almost as bad as CF7s.

[mdvle]

1 hour ago, pH said:

(Very) personal opinion, I know,  but I think GP30s are ugly! Almost as bad as CF7s.

 

How could you consider anything that carried Pacman to be ugly?

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5368497

 

 

[pH]

18 minutes ago, mdvle said:

 

How could you consider anything that carried Pacman to be ugly?

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5368497

 

 

Those two were aberrations!

[F-UnitMad]

With the big bulges on top of the cab roof, going back to the dynamics blister, GP30s always remind me of a couple of Avro Lancasters that had a trial fuel saddle tank added for possible Far East service in 1945....

 

[pH]

On 07/12/2021 at 05:28, jamie92208 said:

Then another.

 

On 07/12/2021 at 05:39, John M Upton said:

If it is the same one, 5001 is a very rare beast, one of only two Canadian built GP30's. 

 

It is the ex-CPR unit:

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/LocoPicture.aspx?id=50177

Which, by coincidence, was mentioned in another post (above) just yesterday:

 

19 hours ago, mdvle said:

 

How could you consider anything that carried Pacman to be ugly?

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5368497

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by pH

[pH]

That last post should have been in Jamie’s “American photos” topic, shouldn’t it? 

[Allegheny1600]

On 08/12/2021 at 01:29, pH said:

(Very) personal opinion, I know,  but I think GP30s are ugly! Almost as bad as CF7s.

I used to think that too but as time has passed, I’ve grown to like them.

They are a quirky little thing but unique to a certain period in NA railroading history and they speak to me of when technology was being rapidly developed along with a huge variety of roads that are fondly remembered.

Which is I believe, the point of this thread.

However, I read in Nov 2021 “Trains” that CPKC may be the last of the big mergers? 
While rail fans might like to think so, I’ve long thought that eventually there will only be two big roads in the US.

In which case, long live the short line!

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

However, I read in Nov 2021 “Trains” that CPKC may be the last of the big mergers? 
While rail fans might like to think so, I’ve long thought that eventually there will only be two big roads in the US.

 

I agree.  Capitalism drives businesses towards monopolies, so the current east/west divide won't be allowed to stand for much longer.  

 

Question is; two railroads... both east-west and notionally in competition, or one east-west and one north-south?

 

How are the mid-sizes doing?  KCS has now gone, but is MRL still going?  NYSW?  Any others?

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

While rail fans might like to think so, I’ve long thought that eventually there will only be two big roads in the US.

American Railroad and Canadian Railways?

[mdvle]

5 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

However, I read in Nov 2021 “Trains” that CPKC may be the last of the big mergers? 

While rail fans might like to think so, I’ve long thought that eventually there will only be two big roads in the US.

In which case, long live the short line!

 

20 years ago when the regulator blocked the CN - BNSF merger they essentially said KCS was fair game to be absorbed but the others would be blocked, and that is what is likely driving the current view that there will be no more mergers.

 

Which isn't to say things can't change, but there does appear to be a growing awareness that these mega-mergers benefit the new CEO (bigger salary) and Wall Street but nobody else - and this is likely even true of the CP KCS merger.

 

 

[Johann Marsbar]

Pan Am now part of CSX from today.....

http://www.panamrailways.com/

[barkingdigger]

I'm surprised nobody has raised the failed SP-SF merger yet.  After it collapsed folks said the re-lettered SPSF locos stood for "Shouldn't Paint So Fast"...