What if Conrail merged with SP?

[TerryC]

If Conrail and Southern Pacific had been allowed to merge, how would that have affected history?

http://trainiaxindex.cjb.net/ (out of order as of 12/07/04)
HAPPY HANUKKAH
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

[USRailFan]

If Conrail and Southern Pacific had been allowed to merge, how would that have affected history?

http://trainiaxindex.cjb.net/ (out of order as of 12/07/04)
HAPPY HANUKKAH
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

Most likely it'd have led to the outbreak of World War III in 1993, followed by the end of civilization as we know it.

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

hahaha nice one USrailfan

TerryC, who knows what could have happened, instead of CSX being up in Boston, it would still be conrail

[LCJ]

If Conrail and Southern Pacific had been allowed to merge, how would that have affected history?

If Conrail had been allowed to acquire the SP-East, everything would have turned out differently.

Basically, Conrail traffic revenues would have about doubled. This would have made the revenue as a percentage of book assets look much better. Conrail would have proceeded to shed some clusters in the east, while showing a much better "earning the cost of capital" to Wall St investors.

If this acquisition had gone forward as anticipated, Conrail would never have approached CSX about the "merger of equals" (read sell-off plan), and NS could never have imposed themselves on the deal.

Conrail would still be Conrail -- albeit a much larger entity.

And, the great UP meltdown with Houston as its epicenter would not have occurred.

But alas, the point is moot...

[USRailFan]

Conrail would still be Conrail -- albeit a much larger entity.

And the US would've gotten its first coast-to-coast railroad, about 100 years later than Canada

[SRS125]

When Conrail went up for Sale to the public in 1985 the Santa Fe showed the biggest intrest and had the money in hand to buy them. Norfolk Southern cryed foul and wanted there share of the system. The Santa Fe droped there intrest and tryed to go for the Southern Pacific and never got any where eather.

What if such a merger ever happened between the Santa Fe and Conrail??such as a name and a paint sceam?

[LI Loco]

Conrail would still be Conrail -- albeit a much larger entity.

And the US would've gotten its first coast-to-coast railroad, about 100 years later than Canada

IIRC, Conrail only expressed interest in acquiring SP's lines from the Texas/Gulf Coast petrochemical region to the Midwest, i.e. former Cotton Belt. This would have preserved modal competition between the St. Louis gateway and Texas.

[LCJ]

If Conrail had been allowed to acquire SP-East, everything would have turned out differently.

IIRC, Conrail only expressed interest in acquiring SP's lines from the Texas/Gulf Coast petrochemical region to the Midwest, i.e. former Cotton Belt. This would have preserved modal competition between the St. Louis gateway and Texas.

Yes, but STB did not agree with your last sentence. Uncle Pete got things his way again....