Nostalgia & History > New construction on C&NW, 1910

Midwestern RRs are famous for building too much --
wonder how much of this is an example of that.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2632267&seq=680

Earlier that year, C&NW said it had 352 miles
of "new line" under construction at the time.
I just chose 1910 at random -- think it was typical?

Interesting to see how some of these other under construction or proposed lines fared 100+ years after the fact.  For example, LIRR was in the process of eliminated grade crossings and redoing the station layout at Jamaica NY.  Considerably busier now than it would have been then.  And UP was building a section of the Marysville cutoff from Onaga to Marysville KS.  Still plenty of traffic on that line too.  On the other hand, SP was in the process of building the eastern end of what would become the Alturas Cutoff from Fernley NV toward Lassen County CA.  And the NYO&W was embarking on a double-tracking project for their Scranton division.  And we all know how that turned out.

mike woodruff
north platte ne

swaool Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting to see how some of these other under
> construction or proposed lines fared 100+ years
> after the fact.  For example, LIRR was in the
> process of eliminated grade crossings and redoing
> the station layout at Jamaica NY.  Considerably
> busier now than it would have been then.  And UP
> was building a section of the Marysville cutoff
> from Onaga to Marysville KS.  Still plenty of
> traffic on that line too.  On the other hand, SP
> was in the process of building the eastern end of
> what would become the Alturas Cutoff from Fernley
> NV toward Lassen County CA.  And the NYO&W was
> embarking on a double-tracking project for their
> Scranton division.  And we all know how that
> turned out.
>

The Modoc as a thru line lasted close to 70 years and may still be in service had the UP not swallowed the SP.

The Powder RIver improvements and feeder lines has been in service for about 50 years. Will it last another 20?