A MAJOR list!

[Santa Fe buff]

No worries about straying off topic, this is very interesting, and:

Yep, I just figured he had known the larger roads like CN, CP, BNSF, UP, KCS, CSX, NS

Yup, I do. Here's my current list: Oh, I'm also doing famous trains as well, sorry, I forgot to mention.
ATSF
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
BNSF
Southern Pacific Railroad
Daylight
Super Chief
Green Diamond
Black Diamond
City of New Orleans
Empire Builder
Silver Streak
Southwest Chief
Sunset Limited
20th Century Limited
Delaware & Hudson
Charleston & Hamburg Railroad
Buffalo &  Albany Railroad
Mohawk & Hudson Railroad
Beaver Meadow Railroad
Chicago &  North Western Railroad
Germanstown & Norristown Railroad
Camden & Amboy Railroad
Erie Railroad
Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad
South Carolina Railroad
Georgia Railroad
Central Railroad of Georgia
Monroe Railroad
Lynchburg & New River Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad
Northern Cross Railroad
Southern Cross Railroad
Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad
Louisville, Cincinnati, & Charleston Railroad
Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad
Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Frisco Railroad
New York Central Railroad
Penn Central Railroad
Conrail
CSX
Amtrak
Metra
Metrolink
GO
Canada
Canadian National Railroad
Carnal
Road Runner
Union Pacific
Chicago Short Line
Norfolk & Southern
Norfolk & Western
Great Northern
Grand Trunk
Grand Trunk Western
Hudson River Railroad
Utica & Schenectady Railroad
New York & Harlem
New Haven
Canadian Pacific
Alaska Railroad
New York & Erie Railroad
Rock Island Railroad
Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy
Chicago & Rock Island Railroad
Chicago & Galena Railroad
Mississippi & Missouri Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
Reading Railroad
Virginia & Truckee Railroad
Nickel Plate Railroad
New England Central
Central New England
Connecticut Central
Mass Central
New Hampshire & Vermont
New Hampshire Central
Providence & Worcester
Old Colony & Newport
Suncook Valley
Boston & Maine
Maine Central
Portland Terminal
Wolfeboro
Conway Scenic
Maine Coast
Maine Eastern
Morristown & Erie
Grafton & Upton
Bay Colony
Mass Coastal
Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington
Claremont & Concord
Clarendon & Pittsford
Green Mountain
Washington County
Montreal Maine & Atlantic
St Lawrence & Atlantic
Lamoille Valley
St Johnsbury & Lamoille County
Fonda Johnstown & Gloversville
Boston Railway Terminal
Delaware-Otsego
Delaware & Hudson
Lehigh Valley
Lehigh & New England
Lehigh & Hudson River
Branford Steam Railway
New Hope & Ivyland
Strasburg
Central Vermont
Suncook Valley
Vermont Railway
Texas & Pacific
Gulf & Santa Fe
Panhandle & Santa Fe
Fort Worth & Denver City
Fort Worth & Western
M-K-T
Dallas Garland & Northeastern
Texas northeastern
Texas city terminal
Skineatles Shortline
Florida East Coast
Seminole Gulf
Spokane Portland & Seattle
Delaware-Lackawanna
Lowville & Beaver River
Depew Lancaster & Western
Green Bay & Western
Wisconsin Central
Wisconsin Southern
Toledo Peora & Western
Ohio Central
New England Southern
New Hampshire NorthCoast
Housatonic
Black River & Western
Tidewater Southern
Mid-South
West Jersey
Central Railroad of New York
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Southern Railroad of New Jersey
Delaware Lackawanna & Western
Erie Lackawanna
Pittsburg & Shawmut
Pittsburg Shawmut & Northern
Brookville Mining Equipment
Wanamaker Kempton & Southern
Middlestown & Hummelstown
Fairport Painesville & Eastern
Fingerlakes Railway
Farm Rail
Bath & Hammondsport
Livonia Avon & Lakeville
Western New York & Pennsylvania
Huntsville and Madison County Railroad
Mercury and Chase
International Intermodal Center
Huntsville and Madison County Airport Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
East Broadtop
Virginia Central
Louisiana and Arkansas
Ft. Belvoir Military Railroad
Ft. Eustis Military Railroad (also trading as either MG&B (Main Gate and Back) or LH&B (Lee Hall and Back)
Tennessee Valley Railroad
Reader Railroad
Maryland and Pennsylvania
Kansas City Southern
Rio Grande
Durango & Rio Grande
Durango & Rio Grande Western

I'm don't forget the foreign companies!

[Pacific Northern]

CN controlled trackage stated on that site is  50,000 km.

UP trackage primary main line 58,364 km, add second, third, fourth main line and auxiliary brings total to 87,091 km under direct control.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Railroad#Current_trackage

Longest is referring to the length of rail run not accumulative totals

Not sure when the change took place but the longest run used to be claimed by Canadian Pacific.

The changes must be in relation to the accumulation of US railroads being bought by both CN and CPR.

[Woody Elmore]

The lists go on and on. Do one thing - take PC off the list. it wasn't a railroad it was a disaster.

Don't forget to add the Charleston and Western Carolina to your list or the AB&C - Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast.

Here's a trivia question for which I lost the answer (unfortunately.) There was a midwestern short line which I recall may have operated in Iowa. This line used a swastika herald on their freight cars - it was an American Indian good luck sign. When WW2 broke out the swastika herald had to go. What was the railroad? (I read about this in a very old copy of Trains magazine -I am not making it up.)

[Woody Elmore]

Here is the answer to my Swastika question thanks to Wikipedia:" The St. Louis, Rocky Mountain and Pacific Railroad Company operated with cars and locomotives "emblazoned with the red swastika symbol adopted as the road's trademark." The symbol featured right facing arms and was tilted at an angle. The 105-mile "Swastika Line" operated from about 1902 to 1915, with major stops at Raton and Cimarron, New Mexico. The tracks were torn up for scrap during WWII when "Swastika Line iron was used to fight a different kind of swastikas in Europe."

I thought I remembered the line being in Iowa, but then I often can't remember where I put my car keys.

[Yampa Bob]

A few historical Colorado lines, if I duplicate anything just ignore it.

Denver Northwestern & Pacific (Moffat Line, Rollins Pass)
Denver & Salt Lake (Successor to DN&P)
Denver South Park & Pacific
Colorado & Southern
Argentine Central - Silver Plume to Waldorf
Silverton Railroad (1880)
Rio Grande Southern
Denver Rock Island
San Luis Central
Cimarron Valley
Cripple Creek & Victor
Fort Collins Municipal
Manitou & Pikes Peak
Royal Gorge
Denver & Tabernash Ski Train
Aspen Western
Colorado Central
Colorado Midland
Crystal River
Denver & Middle Park
Denver Utah & Pacific
Florence & Cripple Creek
Silverton Northern
Southern San Luis Valley
Great Western
Nebraska Kansas & Colorado
Deseret Western

[Jim Banner]

Looks like the UP owns more track, but as the maps linked to below clearly show, the CN is much longer.  All the way from Atlantic to Pacific and from the arctic to the Gulf of Mexico.  Not at all surprising that a larger country needs a longer railway and a more heavily populated country needs more miles of track.

http://www.cn.ca/images/maps/cn_intermodal_terminals_and_ports_en.jpg

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/graphics/sysmap.gif

P.S.  I though of changing this MAJOR list to a GENERAL topic but was afraid somebody would think I was pulling rank.  (Gentlemen, you may now groan.)

[SteamGene]

What is the Wisconsin road with the reporting marks KGB? I want a car from it!
BTW, the 45th Division (Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado[?]) had a swastika insignia prior to ca 1934 and then changed it to the Thunderbird.  As a kid, I had one of those shoulder patches.  Lost.  How much money did I also loose?  I wonder.
Gene

[#94]

Once apon a time in Allegan, Mi. in Allegan Twp, in Allegan Co. there were these:
           Kellogg and Sawyer Railroad - (Horse drawn on wooden rails to haul lumber and registered as an official R.R.)
           Lake Shore & Michigan Southern (NYC)
           Pere Marquette
           Allegan & Southeastern (Steam then Electric)
           Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad (Steam then Electric)
           Allegan & Lake Shore Railroad (Shay powered logging road)
At one time Allegan Co. had more miles of rail than any county in Michigan

[Jhanecker2]

I would like to add the following Railroads from the Chicago Area:




Aurora Elgin & Fox River Electric    Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal
Belt Railway of Chicago                 Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Chicago & Illinis Western              Chicago Great Western
Chicago & Western Indiana          Chicago Aurora & Elgin
Chicago Heights Terminal Transfer   Chicago Short Line
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee    Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago West Pullman & Southern   Elgin Joliet & Eastern
Gulf Mobil & Ohio                              Grand Trunk Western
Indian Hill & Iron Range                    Indiana Harbor Belt
Illinois Northern                                Manufacturers' Junction
Monon                                               Soo Lines

Please Forgive any Duplications. Tried to weed out the larger Lines 

John II

[Santa Fe buff]

The Current list:

ATSF
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
BNSF
Southern Pacific Railroad
Daylight
Super Chief
Green Diamond
Black Diamond
City of New Orleans
Empire Builder
Silver Streak
Southwest Chief
Sunset Limited
20th Century Limited
Delaware & Hudson
Charleston & Hamburg Railroad
Buffalo &  Albany Railroad
Mohawk & Hudson Railroad
Beaver Meadow Railroad
Chicago &  North Western Railroad
Germanstown & Norristown Railroad
Camden & Amboy Railroad
Erie Railroad
Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad
South Carolina Railroad
Georgia Railroad
Central Railroad of Georgia
Monroe Railroad
Lynchburg & New River Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad
Northern Cross Railroad
Southern Cross Railroad
Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad
Louisville, Cincinnati, & Charleston Railroad
Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railroad
Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Frisco Railroad
New York Central Railroad
Penn Central Railroad
Conrail
CSX
Amtrak
Metra
Metrolink
GO
Canada
Canadian National Railroad
Carnal
Road Runner
Union Pacific
Chicago Short Line
Norfolk & Southern
Norfolk & Western
Great Northern
Grand Trunk
Grand Trunk Western
Hudson River Railroad
Utica & Schenectady Railroad
New York & Harlem
New Haven
Canadian Pacific
Alaska Railroad
New York & Erie Railroad
Rock Island Railroad
Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy
Chicago & Rock Island Railroad
Chicago & Galena Railroad
Mississippi & Missouri Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
Reading Railroad
Virginia & Truckee Railroad
Nickel Plate Railroad
New England Central
Central New England
Connecticut Central
Mass Central
New Hampshire & Vermont
New Hampshire Central
Providence & Worcester
Old Colony & Newport
Suncook Valley
Boston & Maine
Maine Central
Portland Terminal
Wolfeboro
Conway Scenic
Maine Coast
Maine Eastern
Morristown & Erie
Grafton & Upton
Bay Colony
Mass Coastal
Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington
Claremont & Concord
Clarendon & Pittsford
Green Mountain
Washington County
Montreal Maine & Atlantic
St Lawrence & Atlantic
Lamoille Valley
St Johnsbury & Lamoille County
Fonda Johnstown & Gloversville
Boston Railway Terminal
Delaware-Otsego
Delaware & Hudson
Lehigh Valley
Lehigh & New England
Lehigh & Hudson River
Branford Steam Railway
New Hope & Ivyland
Strasburg
Central Vermont
Suncook Valley
Vermont Railway
Texas & Pacific
Gulf & Santa Fe
Panhandle & Santa Fe
Fort Worth & Denver City
Fort Worth & Western
M-K-T
Dallas Garland & Northeastern
Texas northeastern
Texas city terminal
Skineatles Shortline
Florida East Coast
Seminole Gulf
Spokane Portland & Seattle
Delaware-Lackawanna
Lowville & Beaver River
Depew Lancaster & Western
Green Bay & Western
Wisconsin Central
Wisconsin Southern
Toledo Peora & Western
Ohio Central
New England Southern
New Hampshire NorthCoast
Housatonic
Black River & Western
Tidewater Southern
Mid-South
West Jersey
Central Railroad of New York
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Southern Railroad of New Jersey
Delaware Lackawanna & Western
Erie Lackawanna
Pittsburg & Shawmut
Pittsburg Shawmut & Northern
Brookville Mining Equipment
Wanamaker Kempton & Southern
Middlestown & Hummelstown
Fairport Painesville & Eastern
Fingerlakes Railway
Farm Rail
Bath & Hammondsport
Livonia Avon & Lakeville
Western New York & Pennsylvania
Huntsville and Madison County Railroad
Mercury and Chase
International Intermodal Center
Huntsville and Madison County Airport Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
East Broadtop
Virginia Central
Louisiana and Arkansas
Ft. Belvoir Military Railroad
Ft. Eustis Military Railroad (also trading as either MG&B (Main Gate and Back) or LH&B (Lee Hall and Back)
Tennessee Valley Railroad
Reader Railroad
Maryland and Pennsylvania
Kansas City Southern
Denver Northwestern & Pacific (Moffat Line, Rollins Pass)
Denver & Salt Lake (Successor to DN&P)
Denver South Park & Pacific
Colorado & Southern
Argentine Central - Silver Plume to Waldorf
Silverton Railroad (1880)
Rio Grande Southern
Denver Rock Island
San Luis Central
Cimarron Valley
Cripple Creek & Victor
Fort Collins Municipal
Manitou & Pikes Peak
Royal Gorge
Denver & Tabernash Ski Train
Aspen Western
Colorado Central
Colorado Midland
Crystal River
Denver & Middle Park
Denver Utah & Pacific
Florence & Cripple Creek
Silverton Northern
Southern San Luis Valley
Great Western
Nebraska Kansas & Colorado
Deseret Western
Allegan & Lake Shore Railroad
Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad
Pere Marquette
Allegan & Southeastern
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Kellogg and Sawyer Railroad
Aurora Elgin & Fox River Electric
Belt Railway of Chicago
Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal
Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Chicago & Illinois Western   
Chicago Great Western
Chicago & Western Indiana    Chicago Aurora & Elgin
Chicago Heights Terminal Transfer   
Chicago Short Line
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee   
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago West Pullman & Southern   
Elgin Joliet & Eastern
Gulf Mobil & Ohio   
Grand Trunk Western
Indian Hill & Iron Range   
Indiana Harbor Belt
Illinois Northern           
Manufacturers' Junction
Monon
Soo Lines
The Mark Twain Zephyr
The Nebraska Zephyr
Texas Eagle
Hiawatha
I.C.E
TGV
M10000
Aero-Train

I still need some freign companies and some trains, like something Zehpyr. But so far, I think I'm near 1/1000th done.

[Guilford Guy]

Flying Yankee
New Hampshire Central
South Branch Valley
City of Prineville
Bath & Hammonsport
Falls Road
New York Ontario & Western
Unadilla Valley
Lackawaxen & Stourbridge
Chicago & Illinois Midland
Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Iowa Chicago & Eastern
Dakota Minnesota & Eastern
Iowa Traction
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee
Chicago South Shore & South Bend
Alton & Southern
Manufacturers Railway

[Santa Fe buff]

Flying Yankee
New Hampshire Central
South Branch Valley
City of Prineville
Bath & Hammonsport
Falls Road
New York Ontario & Western
Unadilla Valley
Lackawaxen & Stourbridge
Chicago & Illinois Midland
Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Iowa Chicago & Eastern
Dakota Minnesota & Eastern
Iowa Traction
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee
Chicago South Shore & South Bend
Alton & Southern
Manufacturers Railway

GG,
Is the Flying Yankee a train?

[Guilford Guy]

Yes, its similar to the Pioneer Zephyr...

[Santa Fe buff]

Oh, okay, I added them both.

[Dusten Barefoot]

I have not seen the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad mentioned.