Nostalgia & History > The Most Interesting Railroad in the United States.

Now I spent most of my life on the West Coast and we had some pretty classy stuff without a doubt.
But the best damm RR out there when it came to interesting power be it steam, diesel or electric plus route miles into
historic interesting places had to be the New Haven! Don't argue. It's the New Haven.
Now I'll go for the Pennsy and NYC maybe tied for second Place.
After that I'm at a loss and will let the readership join in!
Don't forget that triangular catenary either.
 

Hard to argue with that!

New Haven's dining cars and parlor cars were well known for food and beverage.  And were often found on branch line trains to places like Danbury, Cape Cod, or Springfield MA.

A lot of motive types in the early 1950s.  Steam, diesel, overhead electric, third rail electric.

Yes, the New Haven has interested and appealed to me alot, with purchases of models, books, and videos.  One of my favorite movies is "It Happened to Jane" - filmed on the New Haven.  But the home roads of my youth - Seaboard, Atlantic Coast Line, and Southern - provided me with wonder, fascination, comfort, dreams, hope, friendship, education, and ultimately paychecks.  In retirement they provide me cherished memories.  They will always interest me the most.  All three had enjoyable E-units that could still hit triple digit speeds.

I agree with you.  I always was a fan of the big roads, but the New Haven was just small enough that you could "wrap your arms around it".  I didn'  What variety!  You had the electrification out of New York, it went into both Grand Central and Penn Station, the beautiful ride on the Shore Line along Long Island Sound, the bucolic ride along the Hosatonic river on the line to quaint Pittsfield, Mass, a mountain division to Maybrook, N. Y. with a spectacular bridge over the Hudson River.  I could go on and on.  

Although I liked the New Haven enough to ride a Metro North excursion behind New Haven-painted FL9s in 1987 and ride the Essex Railroad in 2021, I feel other railroads such as the Milwaukee Road, Duluth Missabe & Iron Range, Erie-Lackawanna, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Southern Pacific are more interesting. 

To each, their own...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/23 17:10 by RuleG.

When I see red and silver, my pulse goes up.

texchief11
RC Lundgren

For sheer roster variety Milwaukee Road.

Out 

Capitol Subway System | Architect of the Capitol (aoc.gov)

Nothing compares to the Espee.....

callum_out Wrote:
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> For sheer roster variety Milwaukee Road.
>
> Out 

For sheer variety, period. 

I'm not from that region, but If I started over in following a railroad, Milwaukee would be high on my list to choose.

There were so many, but, even as an SP brat, I recall being in awe of the great CP system, which was global at one point.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

I grew up with the SP but Rio Grande is most interesting to me.

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