The NT&O/T&GN Story - 2
Story Variables
Having defined my vision the next step is to define the railroad by looking at a place and time and deciding which variables to keep and which ones to, er..."tweak" a little! This is the fun part. For many things I tend to work backwards. I start with the end result and then figure out how to get there. This is no different. I know what I want this railroad to look like, now how do I explain it? The answer is to change a few minor "what if" variables and rewrite history--my way.
The time period for this model railroad setting is 1996. This year is significant as it was the last year that North American railroading had variety. It is the year the Southern Pacific was folded into Union Pacific. Though 1996 is the year after the BNSF was formed ending the classic legacies of the Santa Fe and the Burlington Northern, the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern identities were still in place. The Santa Fe Warbonnet fleet was at its height. There was still a Conrail.
The railroad would be the prototype territory of the former MidSouth Railroad's Shreveport, LA to Meridian, MS main line. The adherence to strict prototype emulation ends there. Below will be a list of the key variable adjustments that set the stage for this Meridian Speedway to be created.
The time period for this model railroad setting is 1996. This year is significant as it was the last year that North American railroading had variety. It is the year the Southern Pacific was folded into Union Pacific. Though 1996 is the year after the BNSF was formed ending the classic legacies of the Santa Fe and the Burlington Northern, the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern identities were still in place. The Santa Fe Warbonnet fleet was at its height. There was still a Conrail.
The railroad would be the prototype territory of the former MidSouth Railroad's Shreveport, LA to Meridian, MS main line. The adherence to strict prototype emulation ends there. Below will be a list of the key variable adjustments that set the stage for this Meridian Speedway to be created.
Changed Variables
Variable No. 1 – Deregulation – In the real world Congress was a bit sluggish in responding to the detrimental effect of regulation which was crippling the U.S. railroad industry in the 1960’s. Deregulation began with the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 and bolstered by the Staggers Rail Act of 1980.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – Congress was quicker to recognize and correct the paralysis that regulation had on the U.S. Rail Industry. The first variable adjustment in my Meridian Speedway script is to move up these events by 10 years – with the Railroad Revitalization and Reform Act being passed in 1966 and the Staggers Rail Act being passed in 1970.
Variable No. 2 – The Illinois Central and the Gulf Mobile and Ohio Railroads merged on August 10, 1972 to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. While some redundant GM&O trackage was eliminated it was not until the 1980’s that a number of feeder lines were spun off to form regional railroads Chicago Central and Pacific, Iowa Interstate, Paducah and Louisville, Midsouth Rail, and the Gulf and Mississippi. In 1988 the railroad restructured and rebranded itself again as simply the Illinois Central.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – The line rationalization of the 1980’s was actually a concurrent event that occurred with the formation of the Illinois Central Gulf on August 10, 1972.
Variable No. 3 - In the real world the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) acquired MidSouth Rail on January 1, 1994 and began operating trains over it on January 11, 1994.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - This never happened.
Variable No. 4 - Georgia Pacific, experienced in short line railroad operations, began the process of getting out of the railroad business by selling off and abandoning its properties.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - Georgia Pacific recognized the importance of a healthy, connective railroad network in the timber rich regions of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and decided it was time to get into the railroad business.
Variable No. 5 - As part of the BNSF Merger duplicate Texas to Oklahoma trackage was kept - specifically the Creek, Medill, DFW, Houston, Conroe, and Longview Subdivisions.
“What If“ Variable Adjustment – The Santa Fe and the Burlington Northern railroads separately took advantage of the advanced deregulation timeline and shed the above named subdivisions which were bought by the newly formed Texas and Great Northern Railroad.
Variable No. 6 - There was no railroad operating between Chattanooga, TN and Vicksburg, MS called the Natchez Trace Railroad.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - The Natchez Trace Railroad did exist.
Variable No. 7 - Ethanol production and associated rail shipments exploded between the years 2002 and 2011.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - The timeline for ethanol shipments by rail occurred fifteen years earlier with 2011 volumes seen in 1996.
Variable No. 8 - By 1996 much of the Illinois Central trackage in Mississippi once part of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, Mississippi Central, and Gulf & Ship Island railroads had been abandoned. The Illinois Central in Mississippi had been reduced drastically to just the mainline from New Orleans, LA to Chicago, IL via Jackson, MS as well as the line from Jackson, MS to Mobile, AL.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - Though in disrepair, the extensive network of trackage in Mississippi mentioned above was intact and spun off with the formation of the Illinois Central Gulf in 1972 as newly organized regional railroads Mississippi Central and Yazoo & Mississippi Valley. Both railroads would be players in the Vicksburg arena.
Variable No. 9 - The Louisiana Eastern story in which entrepreneur Paulsen Spence amassed a collection of steam locomotives to operate a bridge railroad bypassing New Orleans ended tragically with his death in 1961. All but four of his steam locomotives were cut up for scrap shortly thereafter.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - This story occurred 10 years later with Paulsen Spence collecting Alco and older GE locomotives instead of steam locomotives to run his railroad. His death in 1971 left his fleet available and cheap for the newly formed Mississippi Central to employ.
Variable No. 10 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law during the Clinton Administration on January 1, 1994.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – Instead of being signed in 1994, NAFTA was signed at the end of a previous Democratic presidency. We will adjust the date of the signing of NAFTA to November 1, 1980 under President Jimmy Carter.\
Variable No. 11 – The Mexican Congress passed legislation in 1995 to modify the Constitution allowing the privatization of the Mexican railroad system as concessions.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – The privatization of railroads was made Constitutional in 1972 instead of 1995.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – Congress was quicker to recognize and correct the paralysis that regulation had on the U.S. Rail Industry. The first variable adjustment in my Meridian Speedway script is to move up these events by 10 years – with the Railroad Revitalization and Reform Act being passed in 1966 and the Staggers Rail Act being passed in 1970.
Variable No. 2 – The Illinois Central and the Gulf Mobile and Ohio Railroads merged on August 10, 1972 to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. While some redundant GM&O trackage was eliminated it was not until the 1980’s that a number of feeder lines were spun off to form regional railroads Chicago Central and Pacific, Iowa Interstate, Paducah and Louisville, Midsouth Rail, and the Gulf and Mississippi. In 1988 the railroad restructured and rebranded itself again as simply the Illinois Central.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – The line rationalization of the 1980’s was actually a concurrent event that occurred with the formation of the Illinois Central Gulf on August 10, 1972.
Variable No. 3 - In the real world the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) acquired MidSouth Rail on January 1, 1994 and began operating trains over it on January 11, 1994.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - This never happened.
Variable No. 4 - Georgia Pacific, experienced in short line railroad operations, began the process of getting out of the railroad business by selling off and abandoning its properties.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - Georgia Pacific recognized the importance of a healthy, connective railroad network in the timber rich regions of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and decided it was time to get into the railroad business.
Variable No. 5 - As part of the BNSF Merger duplicate Texas to Oklahoma trackage was kept - specifically the Creek, Medill, DFW, Houston, Conroe, and Longview Subdivisions.
“What If“ Variable Adjustment – The Santa Fe and the Burlington Northern railroads separately took advantage of the advanced deregulation timeline and shed the above named subdivisions which were bought by the newly formed Texas and Great Northern Railroad.
Variable No. 6 - There was no railroad operating between Chattanooga, TN and Vicksburg, MS called the Natchez Trace Railroad.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - The Natchez Trace Railroad did exist.
Variable No. 7 - Ethanol production and associated rail shipments exploded between the years 2002 and 2011.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - The timeline for ethanol shipments by rail occurred fifteen years earlier with 2011 volumes seen in 1996.
Variable No. 8 - By 1996 much of the Illinois Central trackage in Mississippi once part of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, Mississippi Central, and Gulf & Ship Island railroads had been abandoned. The Illinois Central in Mississippi had been reduced drastically to just the mainline from New Orleans, LA to Chicago, IL via Jackson, MS as well as the line from Jackson, MS to Mobile, AL.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - Though in disrepair, the extensive network of trackage in Mississippi mentioned above was intact and spun off with the formation of the Illinois Central Gulf in 1972 as newly organized regional railroads Mississippi Central and Yazoo & Mississippi Valley. Both railroads would be players in the Vicksburg arena.
Variable No. 9 - The Louisiana Eastern story in which entrepreneur Paulsen Spence amassed a collection of steam locomotives to operate a bridge railroad bypassing New Orleans ended tragically with his death in 1961. All but four of his steam locomotives were cut up for scrap shortly thereafter.
“What If” Variable Adjustment - This story occurred 10 years later with Paulsen Spence collecting Alco and older GE locomotives instead of steam locomotives to run his railroad. His death in 1971 left his fleet available and cheap for the newly formed Mississippi Central to employ.
Variable No. 10 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law during the Clinton Administration on January 1, 1994.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – Instead of being signed in 1994, NAFTA was signed at the end of a previous Democratic presidency. We will adjust the date of the signing of NAFTA to November 1, 1980 under President Jimmy Carter.\
Variable No. 11 – The Mexican Congress passed legislation in 1995 to modify the Constitution allowing the privatization of the Mexican railroad system as concessions.
“What If” Variable Adjustment – The privatization of railroads was made Constitutional in 1972 instead of 1995.
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