Re: PC: What if

["Christopher J. May" <csa4ever@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> What I am trying to find out is if there is anybody who is first and >foremost a PC fan.

	Hmmm...first and foremost I am a RAIL fan. The PRR, the NYC, and the PC
were all fascinating railroads. However, look to the West. There was the
Burlington, the Great Northern, the Uncle Pete, the DRG&W, the SP, the
C&NW, the Milwaukee Road, and more! Out East there was the LV, the RDG,
the N&W, the SOU, the Virginian, the SAL, the ACL,the B&O, the C&O, and
much more! Then there were the mergers. I mean just think of every
merger that has ever occured. There's short lines, regionals,
industrials, etc. Each has a history of its own and can be extremely
fascinating. The PC to me was an incredible experiment that, though it
failed, taught us a thing or two about regulation. And look at the
mega-mergers that followed. The BN, for example. A railroad I grew up
with here in Aurora (incidently the birthplace of the "Q"). I remember
my dad taking me out by the tracks when I was about six. The
tiger-striped GP-50's were my favorite (and still are a favorite scheme
of mine today). Then, think about railroads like the GN. James Hill
built a railroad to the Pacific without one free acre of land from the
government. It was the only one to ever do it. Think of the B&O, and
that fateful day when steam was pitted against a horse. Albeit the horse
won, but the face of America was forever changed. Think of the
electrification program of the CMSTP&P. It showed that electric lines
were viable options, long distance. Look what happened when the PRR saw
how viable it really was! The bi-polars on the Milwaukee road were the
forebearer to the GG-1's on the PRR, PC, Conrail, and Amtrak. 
	What fascinates me the most is the grand history of the railroad.
Learning about roads that never existed in my lifetime (the PC for
example) captivates me  like nothing else. And it's not just trains.
Pretty much anything man-made that moves (and some things that don't)
fascinate me. Planes, cars, boats all have tremendous histories behind
them, too.
	I am a railfan first and foremost. The PC is part of that, so I'd have
to say that they are right at the top. Along with the PRR, NYC, GN,
CB&Q, CMStP&P, C&O, B&O, N&W, FEC, UP, and others (I won't rant and rave
too much longer. But I do have a confession to make, I do have a little
preference towards the BN, growing up with it, and having the GN colors
resurrected has helped BNSF out.)
	Well I guess that was more of my .03 rather than .02, so I hope I
didn't offend too many people.

Have fun!

Chris May
csa4ever -AT- ameritech.net
Aurora,IL