If I had a billion dollars....

With $1 billion, I think I'd go with a modified SD45T-2 having higher horsepower (say 4,000) instead of the 3,600 it came with. A walk way like the SD40-2 around the outside of the unit. A "cascade green" paint scheme and DRGW style speed lettering .

With a billion, I'd buy a damn airplane. And some friends.

I'd rescue MEC 407 (GE U18B), restore it to like-new condition inside and out, and either donate it to a museum/tourist road, or lease it to a shortline.

I'd give the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad a ton of money so they could expand their line, fix up their facilities, rebuild/restore all of their equipment, etc.

I'd go to EMD, or GMDD, or whatever they're called today, and have them develop a new moderate-horsepower, four-axle roadswitcher. It would have an 8-cylinder turbocharged 710 engine, probably rated around 2000HP or thereabouts. It would basically be a modern, Tier II-compliant version of the GP15T. It would be comparable to a GP38-2 in terms of pulling ability, reliability, etc., but more environmentally friendly and more fuel efficient. There would also be a 3000HP version powered by a 12-cylinder turbo 710... comparable to a GP40-2 but, again, better fuel efficiency and whatnot.

Give it to Amtrak to get all the Wreck Repairs out.

i'd give it to the seashore trolley musuem because they really need the money. they have a lot of things that are no longer recognizable.

seriously, they have 6 PCCs but only two restored, one of which is sitting in front, wasting its restoration job by rusting.

If I had a billion dollars..

1. I would retire as a network administrator
2. I would buy an ailing tourist line, track and locomotives
3. I would start my new job as the guy in charge of this new tourist line
4. I would restore all of the locomotives and rolling stock / passenger cars to their original splendor
5. I would enjoy seeing the smiles it brings on peoples faces to ride the excursion rides
6. I would complete the Lackawanna Cutoff and restore service to scranton
7. If there's enough leftover, I'd throw some money at the RVRR to help rebuild the line
8. If there's still money leftover, it would remain there to keep the tourist line running..
9. I'd build one heck of an O guage layout!!!!

definitely rebuild or refurbish the poughkeepsie bridge, re connect the lines southward (l&hr to allentown)

I'd rehabilitiate a few abandoned and or under-utilized lines, and attempt to re-establish an intermediate-distance service offering siding-to-siding on-demand delivery, similar to Reading's attempted Bee-Line service of forty years ago. It would have to be non-union to succeed for obvious reasons. A good place to start might be between Metro New York and the Great Lakes Region via the former CNJ to Haucks, Penna, then RDG's Catawissa line to Lewisburg, PRR to Bellefonte (HQ in Happy Valley ), NYC to Youngstown, with a spur from DuBois to Pittsburgh via the PRR's "Low Grade" line.

If trucker Arthur Imperatore of A-P-A fame can revive the New York harbor ferries, why not this?

If the money would be enough to buy enough stock to get a seat on the board of a Class I, I would do that, then get some nice rides in business cars and engines. If that's not enough, I'd buy the Reading & Northern. Then I could run the steam engines they have, including that Reading T1 4-8-4.

For my list:

1. Find any drawings for RDG K-1, and G1-3's and build
one copy of each.

2. Even though I am a RDG fan, find drawings and build
a PRR T-1, complete with ATC/ACSES and make a run
at the all time speed record for steam powered trains
between Trenton and New Brunswick on the NEC. Those
locos were meant to go well over 100mph.

3. Run a few tracks back into Jersey City Treminal (CNJ) and
run some excursions with the above locos.

An E-8 Definately, and maybe a 5 car matching trainset. Probably rebuild MCS, and then operate my train as a commuter......

Restore EMD to #1

......Bring Alco back as a locomotive builder. Build M420TE end cab units as replacements of ALL EMD endcab Switchers.

not to sure what i'de do. a billion is alot of money. You could do nearly anything with that much.

I'de probably either 1. find and completely rebuild a former UP bigboy 4-8-8-4 or 2. have a new one built from the ground up with all the latest technology, but better and faster. And i'de add a fleet of heavy weight coaches to match. Not to sure what i'de paint it though.

If i went modern, who knows. New sd70ACe's but with more HP and regeared for top speed. Then to add to that modern style heavy weight coaches witih matching paint schemes.

And then in order to run either of these, i'de rent the NEC from boston to DC on the weekends to run my trains

... I'd buy Railroad.net and delete this thread.