All, this book is really well done by Rush Loving, Jr. It gives detailed analysis how the New York Central-Pennsylvania RR created the Penn Central, PC operations, their ultimate bankruptcy and the creation of Conrail. Loving also describes the breakup for Conrail into Norfolk Southern and CSXT. On pp 330 and 331 though, during the discussion to break up Conrail, he discusses forming a plan for CP Rail to take a piece of Conrail with the remainder of the system going to NS and leaving CSXT out of Conrail. Does anyone know what lines would have gone to NS and what would have been CP?
My guess would be the Southern Tier, and the PRR across OH, and IN, and maybe some line into MI. This would be a good fit, and get CP to where it wanted to go. The PRR may have not gone, since it would give one more player to that market. I think that just the Tier, and a line in MI would keep CP out of NS's hair, but let CP effectively connect Canadian operations with the SOO and D&H. It would have given the CPR a competitive answer to CN's GTW.
I mentioned the PRR (and there may be other lines too) to keep the government out of calling this a monopoly. Once again the D&H could have been the token competition.