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A Class I railroad in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue
Revenue

In business, revenue or revenues is income that a corporation receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of product to customers....
.

Smaller railroads are classified as Class II
Class II railroad

A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad....
 and Class III
Class III railroad

A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million ....
. The exact revenues required to be in each class have varied over time; however they are now continuously adjusted for inflation
Inflation

In economics, inflation is a rise in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. The term "inflation" once referred to increases in the money supply ; however, economic debates about the relationship between money supply and price levels have led to its primary use today in describing price inflatio...
.

Surface Transportation Board
Surface Transportation Board

The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
 (STB) defines a Class I railroad in the United States as "having annual carrier operating revenues of $250 million or more" after adjusting for inflation using a Railroad Freight Price Index
Price index

A price index is a normalized average of prices for a given class of Good s or Service s in a given region, during a given interval of time. It is a statistic designed to help to compare how these prices, taken as a whole, differ between time periods or geographical locations....
 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics , a unit of the United States Department of Labor, is the principal fact-finding agency for the government of the United States in the broad field of labor economics ....
 (BLS).






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Class1rr
A Class I railroad in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue
Revenue

In business, revenue or revenues is income that a corporation receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of product to customers....
.

Smaller railroads are classified as Class II
Class II railroad

A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad....
 and Class III
Class III railroad

A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million ....
. The exact revenues required to be in each class have varied over time; however they are now continuously adjusted for inflation
Inflation

In economics, inflation is a rise in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. The term "inflation" once referred to increases in the money supply ; however, economic debates about the relationship between money supply and price levels have led to its primary use today in describing price inflatio...
.

Current criteria

The Surface Transportation Board
Surface Transportation Board

The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
 (STB) defines a Class I railroad in the United States as "having annual carrier operating revenues of $250 million or more" after adjusting for inflation using a Railroad Freight Price Index
Price index

A price index is a normalized average of prices for a given class of Good s or Service s in a given region, during a given interval of time. It is a statistic designed to help to compare how these prices, taken as a whole, differ between time periods or geographical locations....
 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics , a unit of the United States Department of Labor, is the principal fact-finding agency for the government of the United States in the broad field of labor economics ....
 (BLS). According to the Association of American Railroads
Association of American Railroads

The Association of American Railroads is an industry trade group representing primarily the major freight Rail transport of North America . Amtrak and some regional Commuter rail in North America are also members....
 (AAR), Class I railroads had minimum carrier operating revenues of $346.8 million (USD) in 2006.

In Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 a Class I rail carrier is defined (as of 2004) as a company that has earned gross revenues exceeding $250 million (CAD) for each of the previous two years.

The establishment of the criteria in the United States has always been subjective since different regulations apply to the different classes. In early 1991 both Montana Rail Link and Wisconsin Central
Wisconsin Central

Wisconsin Central could refer to:*Wisconsin Central Railroad , Wisconsin Central Railway , and Wisconsin Central Railroad , successive names for a predecessor of the Soo Line...
 asked the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission

The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President of the United States Grover Cleveland....
 (ICC) to increase the minimum annual operating revenue criteria (then established at $93.5 million USD) in order to avoid being re-designated as Class I, due to increased administrative and legal costs resulting from different regulations. The criteria was increased in 1992 to $250 million annually, which resulted in the Florida East Coast Railway
Florida East Coast Railway

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the United States state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad....
 having its status changed to Class II (the Class II/III criteria stayed at $20 million).

Currently nine railroads in North America are classified as Class I, seven of which operate in the United States.

United States
  • BNSF Railway
    BNSF Railway

    The BNSF Railway , often referred to as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America....
  • CSX Transportation
    CSX Transportation

    CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
  • Kansas City Southern Railway
    Kansas City Southern Railway

    The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
  • Norfolk Southern Railway
    Norfolk Southern Railway

    The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
    • The Surface Transportation Board
      Surface Transportation Board

      The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
       also classifies the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway
      Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway

      The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system....
       as Class I, grouping it with NS as "Norfolk Southern Combined Railroad Subsidiaries".
  • Union Pacific Railroad
    Union Pacific Railroad

    The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....


Canada, with trackage extending into the United States
  • Canadian National Railway
    Canadian National Railway

    The Canadian National Railway is a Canada Class I railroad operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
    • The Surface Transportation Board
      Surface Transportation Board

      The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
       classifies the Grand Trunk Corporation
      Grand Trunk Corporation

      The Grand Trunk Corporation is the subsidiary holding company for the Canadian National Railway's properties in the United States. It is named for the former Grand Trunk Railway, which CN absorbed in the early 1920s....
       as the CN's Class I subsidiary, itself owning a number of companies, including several former Class I carriers.
  • Canadian Pacific Railway
    Canadian Pacific Railway

    The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
    • The Surface Transportation Board
      Surface Transportation Board

      The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
       classifies the Soo Line Railroad
      Soo Line Railroad

      The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
       as the CP's Class I subsidiary.


Mexico, with no trackage in the United States:
  • Ferromex
    Ferromex

    Ferromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railroad in Mexico....
  • Kansas City Southern de México (wholly owned by the Kansas City Southern Railway
    Kansas City Southern Railway

    The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
    )


Both Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
 and VIA Rail
VIA Rail

Via Rail Canada is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail transport services in Canada.Via Rail Canada operates 480 trains in eight Canada Provinces of Canada over a network of of track spanning the country from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay....
 provide intercity passenger rail service in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, and have both been considered Class I.

History

The classification of railroads in the U.S. as Class I, II or III was started by the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission

The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President of the United States Grover Cleveland....
 in the 1930s. Initially Class I railroads were defined as railroads with operating revenue of at least $1 million. There were 132 Class I railroads in 1939.

The $1 million figure was used until 1956 (at which time there were 113); however since that time it has increased faster than inflation. In 1956 it was increased to $3 million. By 1963 the number of Class I railroads had dropped to 102. By 1965 the cut-off had increased to $5 million, to $10 million in 1976 and to $50 million in 1978, at which point only 41 railroads were still Class I. The Class III
Class III railroad

A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million ....
 category was dropped in 1956, but reinstated in 1978. In 1979 all switching and terminal railroads, even those with Class I or Class II revenues, were re-designated as Class III.

Currently the Class II and Class III designations are rarely used outside the rail transport industry. The American Association of Railroads typically divides non-Class I companies into three categories:
  • Regional railroad
    Regional railroad

    In the United States, a regional railroad is a railroad company that is not Class I railroad, but still has a substantial amount of traffic or trackage ....
    s operate at least 350 miles or make at least $40 million per year.
  • Local railroads are non-regional railroads that engage in line-haul service.
  • Switching and terminal railroad
    Switching and terminal railroad

    A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility....
    s mainly switch cars between other railroads or provide service from other lines to a common terminal.


In the United States the Surface Transportation Board
Surface Transportation Board

The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
 continues to use the designations of Class II and Class III since there are different labor regulations for the two classes.

Consolidations

Over the years many Class I railroads have merged to stave off bankruptcy
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
 or simply to increase profits. The following is a list of consolidations that have merged at least one Class I railroad into a larger one:
  • 1940: Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad
    Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad

    The Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad is a List of defunct United States railroads. On September 13, 1940, it was merged with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to form the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad....
     and Mobile and Ohio Railroad
    Mobile and Ohio Railroad

    The Mobile and Ohio Railroad is a List of defunct United States railroads. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee....
     merge to form Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
    Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

    The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Rail transport carrier in the central United States, with its primary routes from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama and Kansas City, Missouri....
    .
  • 1947: Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad absorbs The Pere Marquette Railway
    Pere Marquette Railway

    The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario....
    .
  • 1957: Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
    Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway

    The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating the in the southern United States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia ....
     absorbed by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
    Louisville and Nashville Railroad

    The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business....
    .
  • 1957: New York, Ontario and Western Railway
    New York, Ontario and Western Railway

    The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidation by a US bankruptcy judge....
     is abandoned.
  • 1959: Norfolk and Western Railway
    Norfolk and Western Railway

    The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
     absorbs The Virginian Railway
    Virginian Railway

    The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads....
    .
  • 1960: Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad and Erie Railroad
    Erie Railroad

    The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, connecting New York City with Lake Erie, and extending west to Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago....
     merge to become Erie Lackawanna Railroad.
  • 1960: Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
    Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway

    The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an United States Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
     merged in to Chicago & Northwestern Transportation Company.
  • 1961: Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
    Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad

    The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwest U.S. Commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was merged with several other major CP subsidiaries on January 1, 1961 to form the Soo Line Railroad....
    , Wisconsin Central Railroad
    Wisconsin Central Railway

    The original Wisconsin Central Railroad Company was established by an act of the Wisconsin State Legislature and incorporated in February 1871. It built track throughout Wisconsin, connecting to neighboring states, before being leased to Northern Pacific Railway between 1889?1893....
     and Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad merged in to Soo Line Railroad
    Soo Line Railroad

    The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
    .
  • 1964: Norfolk and Western Railway
    Norfolk and Western Railway

    The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
     merges the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
    New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad

    The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois....
     (“Nickel Plate Road”), and leases the Wabash Railroad
    Wabash Railroad

    The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario....
     and the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway
    Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway

    The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a railroad in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wheeling, West Virginia areas. Originally built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of George J....
    .
  • 1967: Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
    Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

    The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an United States railroad that existed between 1898 and July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
     and Seaboard Air Line Railroad
    Seaboard Air Line Railroad

    The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an United States railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
     into Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
    Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

    The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was created July 1, 1967 as a result of the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad....
    .
  • 1968: New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad
    Pennsylvania Railroad

    The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
     merge to become Penn Central.
  • 1968: Chicago Great Western Railroad merged in to Chicago & Northwestern Transportation Company.
  • 1969: New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (also known as the New Haven Railroad) becomes part of Penn Central on 1/1/1969.
  • 1970: Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
    Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

    The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and throug...
    , Great Northern Railway, Northern Pacific Railway
    Northern Pacific Railway

    The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin....
     and Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
    Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

    The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
     all merge into Burlington Northern Railroad
    Burlington Northern Railroad

    The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company operating between 1970 and 1996....
    .
  • 1972: Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
    Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

    The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
    , Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
    Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

    The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to Sandy Hook, Maryland....
     and Western Maryland Railway
    Western Maryland Railway

    The Western Maryland Railway was an United States Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.History ...
     become the Chessie System
    Chessie System

    Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers....
    .
  • 1972: Illinois Central Railroad
    Illinois Central Railroad

    The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
    , Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad
    Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

    The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Rail transport carrier in the central United States, with its primary routes from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama and Kansas City, Missouri....
    , and Columbus and Greenville Railway
    Columbus and Greenville Railway

    There have been two uses of Columbus and Greenville Railway, both for the same rail line.The first Columbus and Greenville Railway was formed by the sale of the Southern Railway operated Southern Railway in Mississippi, to local interests....
     merge into Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
    Illinois Central Railroad

    The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
    .
  • 1976: Central Railroad of New Jersey
    Central Railroad of New Jersey

    The Central Railroad of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States....
    , Erie Lackawanna Railroad, Lehigh and Hudson River Railway
    Lehigh and Hudson River Railway

    The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast-southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Bridge at Maybrook, New York with Easton, Pennsylvania, where it interchanged with various other companies....
    , Lehigh Valley Railroad
    Lehigh Valley Railroad

    File:1884 PRR RDG LVRR.jpgThe Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal....
    , Penn Central and Reading Railroad all merge into Conrail
    Consolidated Rail Corporation

    Consolidated Rail Corporation, also known as Conrail , began operations on April 1, 1976 as a federally funded takeover of the major railroad companies in the Northeast U.S....
    .
  • 1980: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
    Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

    The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock....
     commences liquidation, and is eventually sold piecemeal to various railroads.
  • 1980: Burlington Northern merges the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
    St. Louis-San Francisco Railway

    The St. Louis?San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, is a List of defunct United States railroads. It operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S....
     (“Frisco”).
  • 1982: Louisville and Nashville Railroad
    Louisville and Nashville Railroad

    The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business....
     and Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
    Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

    The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was created July 1, 1967 as a result of the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad....
     merge to create Seaboard System Railroad
    Seaboard System Railroad

    The Seaboard System Railroad was a railroad subsidiary of the CSX Corporation, created as an intermediate step in the mergers that would form CSX Transportation....
    .
  • 1982: Norfolk and Western Railroad and Southern Railway
    Southern Railway (US)

    The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894....
     merge to form Norfolk Southern
    Norfolk Southern Railway

    The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
    .
  • 1982: Western Pacific Railroad
    Western Pacific Railroad

    The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad railroad in the United States. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad . It was the second railroad company to use this name....
     and Missouri Pacific Railroad
    Missouri Pacific Railroad

    The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. The company came under control of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982....
     merged into Union Pacific Railroad
    Union Pacific Railroad

    The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
    .
  • 1985: Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
    Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

    The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986....
     merged into Soo Line Railroad
    Soo Line Railroad

    The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
    .
  • 1986: Seaboard System Railroad
    Seaboard System Railroad

    The Seaboard System Railroad was a railroad subsidiary of the CSX Corporation, created as an intermediate step in the mergers that would form CSX Transportation....
     merged with Chessie System to form CSX Transportation
    CSX Transportation

    CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
    .
  • 1987: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
    Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

    The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to Sandy Hook, Maryland....
     and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
    Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

    The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
     merged into CSX Transportation
    CSX Transportation

    CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
    .
  • 1988: Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
    Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

    The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , generally referred to as the Rio Grande, originally the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, is a former U.S....
     and Southern Pacific Railroad merge, keeps Southern Pacific name.
  • 1988: Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
    Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

    The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
     merged into Union Pacific Railroad
    Union Pacific Railroad

    The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
    .
  • 1992: Soo Line Railroad
    Soo Line Railroad

    The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
     merges into Canadian Pacific Railway
    Canadian Pacific Railway

    The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
    .
  • 1994: MidSouth Rail
    MidSouth Rail

    The MidSouth Rail Corporation is a former railroad line that is currently operated by Kansas City Southern Railway as a result of the January 1, 1994, acquisition; KCS began operating over MidSouth's line on January 11, 1994....
     merges into Kansas City Southern Railway
    Kansas City Southern Railway

    The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
    .
  • 1995: Chicago and North Western Transportation Company merges into Union Pacific Railroad
    Union Pacific Railroad

    The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
    .
  • 1995: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
    Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

    The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger List of United States railroads. The company was first chartered in February 1859....
     and Burlington Northern Railroad
    Burlington Northern Railroad

    The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company operating between 1970 and 1996....
     merge to become Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
    BNSF Railway

    The BNSF Railway , often referred to as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America....
    .
  • 1996: Southern Pacific Railroad merges into Union Pacific Railroad
    Union Pacific Railroad

    The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
    .
  • 1998: Conrail
    Consolidated Rail Corporation

    Consolidated Rail Corporation, also known as Conrail , began operations on April 1, 1976 as a federally funded takeover of the major railroad companies in the Northeast U.S....
    's main operations divided between CSX Transportation
    CSX Transportation

    CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
     and Norfolk Southern
    Norfolk Southern Railway

    The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
    ; Conrail continues as a CSX-NS joint venture for shared trackage areas.
  • 1999: Illinois Central Railroad
    Illinois Central Railroad

    The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
     merges into Canadian National Railway
    Canadian National Railway

    The Canadian National Railway is a Canada Class I railroad operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
    .
2005: Wisconsin Central merges into Canadian National Railway.
  • 2005: Texas Mexican Railway
    Texas Mexican Railway

    The Texas Mexican Railway is a Class II railroad that operates as a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway....
     merges into Kansas City Southern Railway
    Kansas City Southern Railway

    The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
    .
2008: Elgin,Joliet,and Eastern Railroad merges into Canadian National Railway.

Table of Class I railroads by year

Fiscal yearCutoffRailroadsChanges from previous year
1950s  ACY
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad

The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad was a railroad that existed between 1907 and 1982, running from Mogadore, Ohio west to Delphos, Ohio, United States....
, AGS
Alabama Great Southern Railroad

The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia , Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , running southwest from Chattanooga, TN to New Orleans, LA through Birmingham, AL and Meridian, MS....
, CA
Alton Railroad

The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad, was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 and was controlled until 1942 when the Alton was released to the courts....
, AA
Ann Arbor Railroad

The Ann Arbor Railroad , historically, was an United States railroad that operated between Toledo, Ohio, and Elberta, Michigan and Frankfort, Michigan with carferry operations across Lake Michigan....
, ATSF
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger List of United States railroads. The company was first chartered in February 1859....
, ASAB, AWP
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road

The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia , forming the east portion of the Atlanta, GA-Selma, AL West Point Route....
, AD, ACL
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an United States railroad that existed between 1898 and July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
, BO
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to Sandy Hook, Maryland....
, BAR
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad

The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad is a defunct United States railroad company, that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine. Brightly painted BAR boxcar attracted national attention in the 1950s....
, BLE
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad

The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a historic class II railroad that operated in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.The railroad's main route ran from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio to North Bessemer, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a distance of 139 miles....
, BM
Boston and Maine Railroad

The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century....
, BRI
Burlington-Rock Island Railroad

The Burlington-Rock Island Railroad officially came into existence on July 7, 1930, through the reorganization of its parent road, the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway Company , AKA the ?Boll Weevil"....
, CI
Cambria and Indiana Railroad

The Cambria and Indiana Railroad is a railway company that is located in the southeastern part of Indiana County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
, CN, CP
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
, CG, CNJ
Central Railroad of New Jersey

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States....
, CRP
Central Railroad of Pennsylvania

The Central Railroad of Pennsylvania was an attempt by the Central Railroad of New Jersey to avoid certain New Jersey taxes on their Pennsylvania lines....
, CV
Central Vermont Railway

The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, as well as the Canada province of Quebec....
, CWC, CO
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
, CEI, CIM
Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway

The Illinois and Midland Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Illinois, serving Peoria, Illinois, Springfield, Illinois and Taylorville, Illinois....
, CNW, CBQ
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and throug...
, CGW, CIL or MON, MILW
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986....
, RI, CMO
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway

The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota....
, CNTP
Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway

The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system....
, CRR
Clinchfield Railroad

The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina....
, CS, CW
Colorado and Wyoming Railway

Originally founded in 1899, the Colorado and Wyoming Railway is a subsidiary of the Oregon Steel Mills. It hauls coal, ore and steel products on about five miles of track inside Oregon Steel's Rocky Mountain Steels Mills facility in Pueblo, Colorado, to connect with the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway....
, CAGY
Columbus and Greenville Railway

There have been two uses of Columbus and Greenville Railway, both for the same rail line.The first Columbus and Greenville Railway was formed by the sale of the Southern Railway operated Southern Railway in Mississippi, to local interests....
, DH, DLW
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna River, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken,_New_Jersey , Buffalo, New York and Oswego, New York....
, DRGW
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , generally referred to as the Rio Grande, originally the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, is a former U.S....
, D&SL
Denver and Salt Lake Railway

The Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway was a List of United States railroads incorporated on July 18, 1902 by David Moffat, Walter S. Cheesman, William G....
, DM
Detroit and Mackinac Railway

The Detroit and Mackinac Railway, informally known as the "Turtle Line", was a railroad operating in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Michigan....
, D&TS
Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad

The Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan.The Pleasant Bay Railway was incorporated in Michigan in March 1898 and purchased the Toledo and Ottawa Beach Railway, an Ohio company incorporated in January 1898, in March 1899....
, DTI
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad

The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo, OH between 1905 and 1983....
, DMIR
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway

The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Two Harbors, Minnesota....
, DWP
Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway

The Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway is a subsidiary railroad of Canadian National Railway operating in northern Minnesota, United States....
, DSA
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway

The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an United States railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin....
, EJE
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana....
, ERIE
Erie Railroad

The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, connecting New York City with Lake Erie, and extending west to Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago....
, FEC
Florida East Coast Railway

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the United States state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad....
, FW&D
Fort Worth and Denver Railway

The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was an Rail transport in the United States company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....
, GA, G&F, GS&F, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, GN, GBW
Green Bay and Western Railroad

The Green Bay and Western Railroad served the transportation and freight haulage needs of northern Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993....
, GM&O
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Rail transport carrier in the central United States, with its primary routes from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama and Kansas City, Missouri....
, IC
Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
, ITC
Illinois Terminal Railroad

The Illinois Terminal Railroad was a terminal railroad in Illinois, United States. It operated from 1896 to 1982....
, I-GN
International-Great Northern Railroad

The International-Great Northern Railroad was a Rail transport that operated in the US State of Texas. It was created September 30, 1873, when International Railroad and Houston and Great Northern Railroad merged....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, KOG
Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway

The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway was formed on July 31 1919 from the assets of the bankrupt Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway. The KO&G largely consisted of a single line from Baxter Springs, Kansas, to Denison, Texas, prior to its purchase by Missouri Pacific Railroad's Texas and Pacific Railway in 1964 and merger in 1970....
, LS&I
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad

The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896....
, LHR
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway

The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast-southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Bridge at Maybrook, New York with Easton, Pennsylvania, where it interchanged with various other companies....
, LNE
Lehigh and New England Railroad

The Lehigh and New England Railroad was a connection from northeastern Pennsylvania towards the Poughkeepsie Bridge across the Hudson River. Originally planned as a continuous line east to Boston , plans were later cut back to a section west of the river....
, LV
Lehigh Valley Railroad

File:1884 PRR RDG LVRR.jpgThe Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal....
, LI
Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board....
, L&A
Louisiana and Arkansas Railway

The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a rail transport that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans....
, LN
Louisville and Nashville Railroad

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business....
, MEC
Maine Central Railroad

The Maine Central Railroad was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated between South Portland, Maine, east to the International Boundary with New Brunswick, west to Vermont and north to Quebec....
, MV
Midland Valley Railroad

The Midland Valley Railroad was incorporated in 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hoye, Arkansas, through Muskogee, Oklahoma and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas....
, MSTL
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway

The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an United States Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
, SOO, MSC
Mississippi Central Railroad

Mississippi Central Railroad is the historical designation used by several railroads operating in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Tennessee during different eras....
, M-I, MKT
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, MP
Missouri Pacific Railroad

The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. The company came under control of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982....
, MGA
Monongahela Railway

The Monongahela Railway was a coal-hauling short line railroad in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the United States. It was jointly controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and subsequently by their joint successor Penn Central Transportati...
, MTR
Montour Railroad

Montour Railroad is a former short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in southwestern Pennsylvania....
, NC
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway

The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating the in the southern United States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia ....
, NYC
New York Central Railroad

The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States....
, NKP
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad

The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois....
, NYCN
New York Connecting Railroad

The New York Connecting Railroad or NYCR is a rail line in the borough of Queens in New York City. It links New York City and Long Island by rail directly to the North American mainland....
, NH
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968. Commonly referred to as the New Haven, the railroad served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts....
, OW
New York, Ontario and Western Railway

The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidation by a US bankruptcy judge....
, NYSW
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class III railroad American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the Northeastern United States states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey....
, NW
Norfolk and Western Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway (former)

The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad running from Norfolk, Virginia southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974....
, NP
Northern Pacific Railway

The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin....
, NWP
Northwestern Pacific Railroad

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad was a regional railroad serving the Redwood Empire of Northern California. The railroad ran from the North Bay at Tiburon, California to Eureka, California, primarily near the U.S....
, OCAA
Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway

The Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway was formed from trackage from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Atoka, Oklahoma via Shawnee, Oklahoma and Ada, Oklahoma, that was not included in the 1923 reorganization of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad....
, OE
Oregon Electric Railway

The Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban streetcar railroad line in the northwestern United States that linked Portland, Oregon, to Eugene, Oregon....
, PRR
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, PRSL
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines

Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad in southern New Jersey. Both railroads had built rail networks in the region, but the Great Depression cut into profits and the two companies joined their southern New Jersey lines into one company, which the PRR had a 2/3 ownership in...
, PM
Pere Marquette Railway

The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario....
, PLE
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
, PS
Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad

The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad , also known as the Shawmut Line, was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in central and southwestern Pennsylvania....
, P&WV
Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway

The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a railroad in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wheeling, West Virginia areas. Originally built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of George J....
, RDG
Reading Company

The Reading Company, usually called the Reading Railroad , and officially known as the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states....
, RFP
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, DC. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....
, R
Rutland Railroad

The Rutland Railway , was a small railroad in the Northeast United States United States, primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York....
, SN
Sacramento Northern Railway

The Sacramento Northern Railway began as a electric interurban railway system linking the California state capitol Sacramento, California with the city of Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco, California, operating under that name between 1918 and 1983 ....
, SLSF
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway

The St. Louis?San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, is a List of defunct United States railroads. It operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S....
, SSW
St. Louis Southwestern Railway

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1877 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri....
, SAL
Seaboard Air Line Railroad

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an United States railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
, SP, SOU
Southern Railway (US)

The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894....
, SI
Spokane International Railroad

The Spokane International Railroad was a short line railroad between Spokane, Washington and the Canadian Pacific Railway at Kingsgate, British Columbia....
, SPS
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
, SIR, TC
Tennessee Central Railway

The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the Middle Tennessee, a service which many businessmen felt was not being adequately provided by the existing railro...
, TN
Texas and Northern Railway

The Texas and Northern Railway is an eight-mile railroad connecting Lone Star, Texas, to the former Louisiana and Arkansas Railway, now a line of the Kansas City Southern Railway, between Daingerfield and Hughes Springs ....
, TP
Texas and Pacific Railway

The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
, TM
Texas Mexican Railway

The Texas Mexican Railway is a Class II railroad that operates as a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway....
, TPW, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, UTAH
Utah Railway

The Utah Railway is a class III railroad operating in Utah and Colorado....
, VGN
Virginian Railway

The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads....
, WAB, WA
Western Railway of Alabama

The Western Railway of Alabama was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1860....
, WM
Western Maryland Railway

The Western Maryland Railway was an United States Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.History ...
, WP
Western Pacific Railroad

The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad railroad in the United States. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad . It was the second railroad company to use this name....
, WLE
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1916-1988)

The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway was a Class I railroad mostly within the U.S. state of Ohio. It was leased to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad in 1949, and merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1988....
, WC
Wisconsin Central Railway

The original Wisconsin Central Railroad Company was established by an act of the Wisconsin State Legislature and incorporated in February 1871. It built track throughout Wisconsin, connecting to neighboring states, before being leased to Northern Pacific Railway between 1889?1893....
,		 
1953   ACY
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad

The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad was a railroad that existed between 1907 and 1982, running from Mogadore, Ohio west to Delphos, Ohio, United States....
, AGS
Alabama Great Southern Railroad

The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia , Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , running southwest from Chattanooga, TN to New Orleans, LA through Birmingham, AL and Meridian, MS....
, AA
Ann Arbor Railroad

The Ann Arbor Railroad , historically, was an United States railroad that operated between Toledo, Ohio, and Elberta, Michigan and Frankfort, Michigan with carferry operations across Lake Michigan....
, ATSF
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger List of United States railroads. The company was first chartered in February 1859....
, ASAB, AWP
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road

The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia , forming the east portion of the Atlanta, GA-Selma, AL West Point Route....
, AD, ACL
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an United States railroad that existed between 1898 and July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
, BO
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to Sandy Hook, Maryland....
, BAR
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad

The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad is a defunct United States railroad company, that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine. Brightly painted BAR boxcar attracted national attention in the 1950s....
, BSLW
Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railway

The Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railway is a railroad that heads at Beaumont, Texas and the terminus is at the Gulf Coast Junction in Houston, Texas....
, BLE
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad

The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a historic class II railroad that operated in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.The railroad's main route ran from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio to North Bessemer, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a distance of 139 miles....
, BM
Boston and Maine Railroad

The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century....
, CI
Cambria and Indiana Railroad

The Cambria and Indiana Railroad is a railway company that is located in the southeastern part of Indiana County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
, CN, CP
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
, CG, CNJ
Central Railroad of New Jersey

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States....
, CRP
Central Railroad of Pennsylvania

The Central Railroad of Pennsylvania was an attempt by the Central Railroad of New Jersey to avoid certain New Jersey taxes on their Pennsylvania lines....
, CV
Central Vermont Railway

The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, as well as the Canada province of Quebec....
, CWC, CO
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
, CO (PM)
Pere Marquette Railway

The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario....
, CEI, CIM
Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway

The Illinois and Midland Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Illinois, serving Peoria, Illinois, Springfield, Illinois and Taylorville, Illinois....
, CNW, CBQ
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and throug...
, CGW, CIL, MILW
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986....
, RI, CMO
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway

The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota....
, CNTP
Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway

The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system....
, CRR
Clinchfield Railroad

The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina....
, CS, CW
Colorado and Wyoming Railway

Originally founded in 1899, the Colorado and Wyoming Railway is a subsidiary of the Oregon Steel Mills. It hauls coal, ore and steel products on about five miles of track inside Oregon Steel's Rocky Mountain Steels Mills facility in Pueblo, Colorado, to connect with the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway....
, CAGY
Columbus and Greenville Railway

There have been two uses of Columbus and Greenville Railway, both for the same rail line.The first Columbus and Greenville Railway was formed by the sale of the Southern Railway operated Southern Railway in Mississippi, to local interests....
, DH, DLW
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna River, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken,_New_Jersey , Buffalo, New York and Oswego, New York....
, DRGW
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , generally referred to as the Rio Grande, originally the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, is a former U.S....
, DM
Detroit and Mackinac Railway

The Detroit and Mackinac Railway, informally known as the "Turtle Line", was a railroad operating in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Michigan....
, D&TS
Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad

The Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan.The Pleasant Bay Railway was incorporated in Michigan in March 1898 and purchased the Toledo and Ottawa Beach Railway, an Ohio company incorporated in January 1898, in March 1899....
, DTI
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad

The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo, OH between 1905 and 1983....
, DMIR
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway

The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Two Harbors, Minnesota....
, DSA
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway

The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an United States railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin....
, DWP
Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway

The Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway is a subsidiary railroad of Canadian National Railway operating in northern Minnesota, United States....
, EJE
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana....
, ERIE
Erie Railroad

The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, connecting New York City with Lake Erie, and extending west to Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago....
, FEC
Florida East Coast Railway

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the United States state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad....
, FW&D
Fort Worth and Denver Railway

The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was an Rail transport in the United States company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....
, GA, G&F, GS&F, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, GN, GBW
Green Bay and Western Railroad

The Green Bay and Western Railroad served the transportation and freight haulage needs of northern Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993....
, GM&O
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Rail transport carrier in the central United States, with its primary routes from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama and Kansas City, Missouri....
, IC
Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
, ITC
Illinois Terminal Railroad

The Illinois Terminal Railroad was a terminal railroad in Illinois, United States. It operated from 1896 to 1982....
, I-GN
International-Great Northern Railroad

The International-Great Northern Railroad was a Rail transport that operated in the US State of Texas. It was created September 30, 1873, when International Railroad and Houston and Great Northern Railroad merged....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, KOG
Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway

The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway was formed on July 31 1919 from the assets of the bankrupt Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway. The KO&G largely consisted of a single line from Baxter Springs, Kansas, to Denison, Texas, prior to its purchase by Missouri Pacific Railroad's Texas and Pacific Railway in 1964 and merger in 1970....
, LS&I
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad

The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896....
, LHR
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway

The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast-southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Bridge at Maybrook, New York with Easton, Pennsylvania, where it interchanged with various other companies....
, LNE
Lehigh and New England Railroad

The Lehigh and New England Railroad was a connection from northeastern Pennsylvania towards the Poughkeepsie Bridge across the Hudson River. Originally planned as a continuous line east to Boston , plans were later cut back to a section west of the river....
, LV
Lehigh Valley Railroad

File:1884 PRR RDG LVRR.jpgThe Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal....
, LI
Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board....
, L&A
Louisiana and Arkansas Railway

The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a rail transport that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans....
, LN
Louisville and Nashville Railroad

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business....
, MEC
Maine Central Railroad

The Maine Central Railroad was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated between South Portland, Maine, east to the International Boundary with New Brunswick, west to Vermont and north to Quebec....
, MV
Midland Valley Railroad

The Midland Valley Railroad was incorporated in 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hoye, Arkansas, through Muskogee, Oklahoma and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas....
, MSTL
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway

The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an United States Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
, SOO, MSC
Mississippi Central Railroad

Mississippi Central Railroad is the historical designation used by several railroads operating in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Tennessee during different eras....
, M-I, MKT, MKTT
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, MP
Missouri Pacific Railroad

The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. The company came under control of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982....
, MGA
Monongahela Railway

The Monongahela Railway was a coal-hauling short line railroad in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the United States. It was jointly controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and subsequently by their joint successor Penn Central Transportati...
, M
Montour Railroad

Montour Railroad is a former short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in southwestern Pennsylvania....
, NC
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway

The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating the in the southern United States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia ....
, NO&NE, NOT&M, NYC
New York Central Railroad

The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States....
, NKP
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad

The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois....
, NH
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968. Commonly referred to as the New Haven, the railroad served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts....
, OW
New York, Ontario and Western Railway

The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidation by a US bankruptcy judge....
, NYSW
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class III railroad American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the Northeastern United States states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey....
, NW
Norfolk and Western Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway (former)

The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad running from Norfolk, Virginia southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974....
, NP
Northern Pacific Railway

The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin....
, NWP
Northwestern Pacific Railroad

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad was a regional railroad serving the Redwood Empire of Northern California. The railroad ran from the North Bay at Tiburon, California to Eureka, California, primarily near the U.S....
, OCAA
Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway

The Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway was formed from trackage from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Atoka, Oklahoma via Shawnee, Oklahoma and Ada, Oklahoma, that was not included in the 1923 reorganization of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad....
, P&SF
Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway

The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway is a now-defunct rail company that was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.It operated in Texas until the Interstate Commerce Commission overrode Article X of the Texas Constitution, which required railroads operating in Texas to have headquarters inside the state, whereby the company...
, PRR
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, PRSL
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines

Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad in southern New Jersey. Both railroads had built rail networks in the region, but the Great Depression cut into profits and the two companies joined their southern New Jersey lines into one company, which the PRR had a 2/3 ownership in...
, PS
Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad

The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad , also known as the Shawmut Line, was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in central and southwestern Pennsylvania....
, PLE
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
, P&WV
Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway

The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a railroad in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wheeling, West Virginia areas. Originally built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of George J....
, RDG
Reading Company

The Reading Company, usually called the Reading Railroad , and officially known as the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states....
, RFP
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, DC. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....
, R
Rutland Railroad

The Rutland Railway , was a small railroad in the Northeast United States United States, primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York....
, SN
Sacramento Northern Railway

The Sacramento Northern Railway began as a electric interurban railway system linking the California state capitol Sacramento, California with the city of Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco, California, operating under that name between 1918 and 1983 ....
, SLB&M, SLSF, SLSFT
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway

The St. Louis?San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, is a List of defunct United States railroads. It operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S....
, SSW, SSWT
St. Louis Southwestern Railway

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1877 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri....
, SAUG, SAL
Seaboard Air Line Railroad

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an United States railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
, SP, SOU
Southern Railway (US)

The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894....
, SI
Spokane International Railroad

The Spokane International Railroad was a short line railroad between Spokane, Washington and the Canadian Pacific Railway at Kingsgate, British Columbia....
, SPS
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
, SIR, TC
Tennessee Central Railway

The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the Middle Tennessee, a service which many businessmen felt was not being adequately provided by the existing railro...
, T&NO
Texas and New Orleans Railroad

The Texas and New Orleans Railroad is a former railroad in Texas and Louisiana. At one point the company was the largest railroad in Texas, with of trackage in 1934, but by 1961 there were only remaining when it was merged with parent company Southern Pacific Railroad....
 TN
Texas and Northern Railway

The Texas and Northern Railway is an eight-mile railroad connecting Lone Star, Texas, to the former Louisiana and Arkansas Railway, now a line of the Kansas City Southern Railway, between Daingerfield and Hughes Springs ....
, T&P
Texas and Pacific Railway

The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
, TM
Texas Mexican Railway

The Texas Mexican Railway is a Class II railroad that operates as a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway....
, TPW, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, UTAH
Utah Railway

The Utah Railway is a class III railroad operating in Utah and Colorado....
, VGN
Virginian Railway

The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads....
, WAB, WA
Western Railway of Alabama

The Western Railway of Alabama was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1860....
, WM
Western Maryland Railway

The Western Maryland Railway was an United States Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.History ...
, WP
Western Pacific Railroad

The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad railroad in the United States. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad . It was the second railroad company to use this name....
 
1963   ACY
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad

The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad was a railroad that existed between 1907 and 1982, running from Mogadore, Ohio west to Delphos, Ohio, United States....
, AGS
Alabama Great Southern Railroad

The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia , Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , running southwest from Chattanooga, TN to New Orleans, LA through Birmingham, AL and Meridian, MS....
, ATN
Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad

The Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad was a short line railroad operating within the state of Alabama. It was founded in 1897 as the Carrollton Short Line Railway to link the city of Carrollton, Alabama with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad at Reform, Alabama....
, ALQS
Aliquippa and Southern Railroad

The Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad is a short line railroad in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States, controlled by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. through its ownership of the Ohio Central Railroad System....
*, ALS
Alton and Southern Railroad

The Alton and Southern Railway is a railroad in Illinois.The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad that operates a switching railroad in the St....
*, AA
Ann Arbor Railroad

The Ann Arbor Railroad , historically, was an United States railroad that operated between Toledo, Ohio, and Elberta, Michigan and Frankfort, Michigan with carferry operations across Lake Michigan....
, ATSF
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger List of United States railroads. The company was first chartered in February 1859....
, ASAB, AWP
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road

The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia , forming the east portion of the Atlanta, GA-Selma, AL West Point Route....
, ACL
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an United States railroad that existed between 1898 and July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
, BOCT
Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad is a terminal railroad in the Chicago area, formerly giving various other companies access to Grand Central Station ....
*, BO
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to Sandy Hook, Maryland....
, BAR
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad

The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad is a defunct United States railroad company, that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine. Brightly painted BAR boxcar attracted national attention in the 1950s....
, BRC
Belt Railway of Chicago

The Belt Railway of Chicago , headquartered in Chicago, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by six Class I railroads — BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific Railroad — each of which uses the swi...
*, BLE
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad

The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a historic class II railroad that operated in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.The railroad's main route ran from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio to North Bessemer, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a distance of 139 miles....
, BS
Birmingham Southern Railroad

Birmingham Southern Railroad is a subsidiary of Transtar , operator of several short-line railroad companies. The BS operates on 84 miles of track, providing switching services in the Birmingham, Alabama area....
*, BM
Boston and Maine Railroad

The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century....
, CN, CP
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
, CTN
Canton Railroad

The Canton Railroad is an industrial switching railroad operating in eastern Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland. The railroad serves the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore and local shipping companies, and has Class I railroad connections to the CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railways....
*, CRN CG, CNJ
Central Railroad of New Jersey

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States....
, CV
Central Vermont Railway

The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, as well as the Canada province of Quebec....
, CWC, CO
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
, CO (PM)
Pere Marquette Railway

The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario....
, CEI, CIM
Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway

The Illinois and Midland Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Illinois, serving Peoria, Illinois, Springfield, Illinois and Taylorville, Illinois....
, CNW, CWI
Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad

The Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad was the owner of Dearborn Station in Chicago and the trackage leading to it. It was owned equally by five of the railroads using it to reach the terminal, and kept those companies from needing their own lines into the city....
*, CBQ
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and throug...
, CGW, CIL or MON, MILW
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986....
, CRI*, RI, CNTP
Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway

The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system....
, CRR
Clinchfield Railroad

The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina....
, CS, CW
Colorado and Wyoming Railway

Originally founded in 1899, the Colorado and Wyoming Railway is a subsidiary of the Oregon Steel Mills. It hauls coal, ore and steel products on about five miles of track inside Oregon Steel's Rocky Mountain Steels Mills facility in Pueblo, Colorado, to connect with the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway....
, CBL*, CUVA*, DH, DRGW
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , generally referred to as the Rio Grande, originally the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, is a former U.S....
, D&TS
Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad

The Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan.The Pleasant Bay Railway was incorporated in Michigan in March 1898 and purchased the Toledo and Ottawa Beach Railway, an Ohio company incorporated in January 1898, in March 1899....
, DTI
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad

The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo, OH between 1905 and 1983....
, DMIR
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway

The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Two Harbors, Minnesota....
, DWP
Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway

The Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway is a subsidiary railroad of Canadian National Railway operating in northern Minnesota, United States....
, EJE
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana....
, EL, FEC
Florida East Coast Railway

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the United States state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad....
, FW&D
Fort Worth and Denver Railway

The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was an Rail transport in the United States company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....
, GWF*, G&F, GA, GS&F, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, GN, GBW
Green Bay and Western Railroad

The Green Bay and Western Railroad served the transportation and freight haulage needs of northern Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993....
, GM&O
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Rail transport carrier in the central United States, with its primary routes from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama and Kansas City, Missouri....
, HBT*, IC
Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
, ITC
Illinois Terminal Railroad

The Illinois Terminal Railroad was a terminal railroad in Illinois, United States. It operated from 1896 to 1982....
, IHB
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad

The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is a Class III railroad in the United States. The line comprises of track—30 miles of single mainline track, of double-main track and of additional yard and side track—starting northwest of Chicago, Illinois in Franklin Park, Illinois, traveling southeast around the city to its headquarters in...
*, IU*, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, KCT
Kansas City Terminal Railway

The Kansas City Terminal Railway is a Class III railroad terminal railroad that serves as joint operation of the trunk railroads that serve the Kansas City metropolitan area, the country's second largest rail hub....
* KOG
Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway

The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway was formed on July 31 1919 from the assets of the bankrupt Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway. The KO&G largely consisted of a single line from Baxter Springs, Kansas, to Denison, Texas, prior to its purchase by Missouri Pacific Railroad's Texas and Pacific Railway in 1964 and merger in 1970....
, KIT*, LEE*, LS&I
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad

The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896....
, LT* LHR
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway

The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast-southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Bridge at Maybrook, New York with Easton, Pennsylvania, where it interchanged with various other companies....
, LV
Lehigh Valley Railroad

File:1884 PRR RDG LVRR.jpgThe Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal....
, LI
Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board....
, L&A
Louisiana and Arkansas Railway

The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a rail transport that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans....
, LN
Louisville and Nashville Railroad

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business....
, MEC
Maine Central Railroad

The Maine Central Railroad was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated between South Portland, Maine, east to the International Boundary with New Brunswick, west to Vermont and north to Quebec....
, MNS
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway

The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway was an long United States of America short line railroad railroad connecting Minneapolis, Minnesota and Northfield, Minnesota, Minnesota....
, MI, MKT
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, MP
Missouri Pacific Railroad

The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. The company came under control of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982....
, MGAC
Monongahela Connecting Railroad

The Monongahela Connecting Railroad or Mon Conn was a small industrial railroad in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now part of the Allegheny Valley Railroad....
, MGA
Monongahela Railway

The Monongahela Railway was a coal-hauling short line railroad in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the United States. It was jointly controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and subsequently by their joint successor Penn Central Transportati...
, NSS*, NONE, NOPB
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad is a non-profit terminal switching railroad, owned by the City of New Orleans. It connects with six Class I railroads serving the city, and provides switching and haulage service....
*, NOT*, NYC
New York Central Railroad

The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States....
, NKP
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad

The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois....
, NH
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968. Commonly referred to as the New Haven, the railroad served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts....
, NYSW
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also known as the Susie-Q, or simply the Susquehanna, is a Class III railroad American freight railway operating over 500 miles of track in the Northeastern United States states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey....
, NW
Norfolk and Western Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway (former)

The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad running from Norfolk, Virginia southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974....
, NP
Northern Pacific Railway

The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin....
, NWP
Northwestern Pacific Railroad

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad was a regional railroad serving the Redwood Empire of Northern California. The railroad ran from the North Bay at Tiburon, California to Eureka, California, primarily near the U.S....
, PE
Pacific Electric Railway

The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses....
, PBR*, PRR
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, PRSL
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines

Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad in southern New Jersey. Both railroads had built rail networks in the region, but the Great Depression cut into profits and the two companies joined their southern New Jersey lines into one company, which the PRR had a 2/3 ownership in...
, PPU
Peoria and Pekin Union Railway

The Peoria and Pekin Union Railway is a switching and terminal railroad in Illinois that began operating in 1881 and was leased to the Tazewell and Peoria Railroad in 2004....
*, PBNE*, PN
Piedmont and Northern Railway

The Piedmont and Northern Railway was a heavy electric interurban company operating over two disconnected divisions in North Carolina and South Carolina, respectively....
, PLE
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
, P&WV
Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway

The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a railroad in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wheeling, West Virginia areas. Originally built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of George J....
, PTM
Portland Terminal Company

The Portland Terminal Company was a terminal railroad notable for its control of switching activity for the Maine Central Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad in the Maine cities of Portland, Maine, South Portland, Maine, and Westbrook, Maine....
*, QAP, RDG
Reading Company

The Reading Company, usually called the Reading Railroad , and officially known as the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states....
, RFP
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, DC. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....
, RT*, R, SLSFT, SLSF
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway

The St. Louis?San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, is a List of defunct United States railroads. It operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S....
, SSW
St. Louis Southwestern Railway

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1877 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri....
, SDAE
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway

The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line United States railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway by "sugar heir", developer, and entrepreneur John D....
, SA, SAL
Seaboard Air Line Railroad

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an United States railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad....
, SOO
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, SB
South Buffalo Railway

The South Buffalo Railway operates more than fifty miles of railway lines along the southeast shore of Lake Erie. South Buffalo connects to CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific, and Canadian National Railway....
*, SP, SOU
Southern Railway (US)

The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894....
, SI
Spokane International Railroad

The Spokane International Railroad was a short line railroad between Spokane, Washington and the Canadian Pacific Railway at Kingsgate, British Columbia....
, SPS
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
, SIR, TC
Tennessee Central Railway

The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the Middle Tennessee, a service which many businessmen felt was not being adequately provided by the existing railro...
, TRRA
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis

The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is a terminal railroad owned by railroads in St. Louis, Missouri which handles traffic through its metropolitan area....
*, TP
Texas and Pacific Railway

The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
, TM
Texas Mexican Railway

The Texas Mexican Railway is a Class II railroad that operates as a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway....
, TPMP*, TPW, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, URR
Union Railroad (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

The Union Railroad is a Class III railroad located in Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania. The company is owned by Transtar, Inc., which is itself a subsidiary of USS Corp, more popularly known as United States Steel....
*, WAB
Wabash Railroad

The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario....
, WM
Western Maryland Railway

The Western Maryland Railway was an United States Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.History ...
, WP
Western Pacific Railroad

The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad railroad in the United States. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad . It was the second railroad company to use this name....
, WA
Western Railway of Alabama

The Western Railway of Alabama was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1860....
,		 * Switching and Terminal Companies
1984  AGS
Alabama Great Southern Railroad

The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia , Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , running southwest from Chattanooga, TN to New Orleans, LA through Birmingham, AL and Meridian, MS....
, AMTK
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
, ATSF
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger List of United States railroads. The company was first chartered in February 1859....
, BLE
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad

The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a historic class II railroad that operated in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.The railroad's main route ran from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio to North Bessemer, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a distance of 139 miles....
, BM, BN
Burlington Northern Railroad

The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company operating between 1970 and 1996....
, BO
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to Sandy Hook, Maryland....
, CG, CN
Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway is a Canada Class I railroad operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
, CNTP, CNW, CO
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
, CP
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
, CR
Consolidated Rail Corporation

Consolidated Rail Corporation, also known as Conrail , began operations on April 1, 1976 as a federally funded takeover of the major railroad companies in the Northeast U.S....
, DH, DMIR
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway

The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Two Harbors, Minnesota....
, EJE
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana....
, FEC
Florida East Coast Railway

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the United States state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad....
, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, ICG, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, MILW
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986....
, MKT
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, MP
Missouri Pacific Railroad

The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. The company came under control of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982....
, NW
Norfolk and Western Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
, PLE
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
, SBD
Seaboard System Railroad

The Seaboard System Railroad was a railroad subsidiary of the CSX Corporation, created as an intermediate step in the mergers that would form CSX Transportation....
, SOO
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, SOU
Southern Railway (US)

The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894....
, SP, SSW
St. Louis Southwestern Railway

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1877 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri....
, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, WP
Western Pacific Railroad

The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad railroad in the United States. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad . It was the second railroad company to use this name....
 
1995  ATSF
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger List of United States railroads. The company was first chartered in February 1859....
, BN
Burlington Northern Railroad

The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company operating between 1970 and 1996....
, CR
Consolidated Rail Corporation

Consolidated Rail Corporation, also known as Conrail , began operations on April 1, 1976 as a federally funded takeover of the major railroad companies in the Northeast U.S....
, CSXT
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, IC
Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
, SOO
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, SP, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
 
1996$255.9 million BNSF
BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway , often referred to as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America....
, CR
Consolidated Rail Corporation

Consolidated Rail Corporation, also known as Conrail , began operations on April 1, 1976 as a federally funded takeover of the major railroad companies in the Northeast U.S....
, CSXT
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, IC
Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
, SOO
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
 
2000$256.4 millionBNSF
BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway , often referred to as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America....
, CSXT
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
, GTW
Grand Trunk Western Railroad

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway .It currently operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois, as well as serving Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio....
, IC
Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
, SOO
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
 CN took over IC (IC continued to report as a separate company in 2000 and 2001);
CR was split between CSX and NS
2002$266.7 million BNSF
BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway , often referred to as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America....
, CN
Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway is a Canada Class I railroad operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
, CP
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
, CSXT
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
, FXE
Ferromex

Ferromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railroad in Mexico....
, GTW
Grand Trunk Corporation

The Grand Trunk Corporation is the subsidiary holding company for the Canadian National Railway's properties in the United States. It is named for the former Grand Trunk Railway, which CN absorbed in the early 1920s....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
, SOO
Soo Line Railroad

The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S....
, TFM
Grupo Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana

Kansas City Southern de M?xico , formerly Transportaci?n Ferroviaria Mexicana , is the name of a company dedicated to cargo transportation using Rail transport in the North Eastern part of Mexico....
, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
 
2004$277.7 million BNSF
BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway , often referred to as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America....
, CN
Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway is a Canada Class I railroad operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
, CP
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
, CSXT
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
, FXE
Ferromex

Ferromex is a private rail consortium that operates the largest railroad in Mexico....
, KCS
Kansas City Southern Railway

The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation....
, NS
Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada....
, KCSM, UP
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
 


See also

  • List of U.S. Class I railroads
    List of U.S. Class I railroads

    This is a list of current and former Class I railroads in North America.*Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad*Alabama and Vicksburg Railway*Alabama Great Southern Railroad...
  • Timeline of U.S. Class I railroads
  • Rail transport in the United States
    Rail transport in the United States

    Today, most rail transport in the United States is based in freight train shipments. Changing U.S. economic needs and the rise of automobile, bus, and air transport led to repeated convulsions in the U.S....
  • Rail transport in Canada
    Rail transport in Canada

    Canada has a large and well-developed railway system that today transports primarily freight. There are two major privately owned transcontinental freight railway systems, the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....