Railroads
The 28 railroads depicted in the game correspond to 28 actual real-life railroads that operated in the early 20th century. The table below lists these 28 railroads, their cost within the Rail Baron game, their real-life years of operation and eventual corporate outcome, and their current status as of 2009.
| Railroad | Game Cost | Real-Life Years of Operation | Real-Life Eventual Outcome | Currently¹ Part Of... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Pacific | $42,000 | 1865–1996 | Purchased by Rio Grande Industries but retained Southern Pacific name. Later purchased by Union Pacific | Union Pacific |
| Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe | $40,000 | 1859–1996 | Merged with Burlington Northern to become BNSF | BNSF |
| Union Pacific | $40,000 | 1862–Present | Currently operating | Union Pacific |
| Pennsylvania | $30,000 | 1846–1968 | Merged with New York Central to form Penn Central | Amtrak, Norfolk Southern |
| Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific | $29,000 | 1852–1980 | Liquidated | N/A |
| New York Central | $28,000 | 1831–1968 | Merged with Pennsylvania Railroad to form Penn Central | Amtrak, CSX |
| Baltimore and Ohio | $24,000 | 1830–1986 | Taken over by the Chesapeake and Ohio to become the Chessie System | CSX |
| Missouri Pacific | $21,000 | 1849–1982 | Merged with Union Pacific | Union Pacific |
| Chesapeake and Ohio | $20,000 | 1869–1972 | Renamed to Chessie System | CSX |
| Southern Railway | $20,000 | 1894–1982 | Merged with Norfolk and Western to create Norfolk Southern | Norfolk Southern |
| Chicago, Burlington and Quincy | $20,000 | 1849–1970 | Merged with Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland and Seattle to form Burlington Northern | BNSF |
| St. Louis & San Francisco | $19,000 | 1876–1980 | Acquired by Burlington Northern | BNSF |
| Louisville and Nashville | $18,000 | 1850–1982 | Merged with Seaboard Coast Line to create Seaboard System Railroad | CSX |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific | $18,000 | 1847–1985 | Acquired by the Soo Line Railroad | Canadian Pacific |
| Great Northern | $17,000 | 1890–1970 | Merged with Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland and Seattle to form Burlington Northern | BNSF |
| Seaboard Air Line | $14,000 | 1880–1967 | Merged with Atlantic Coast Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line | CSX |
| Illinois Central | $14,000 | 1851–1999 | Acquired by the Canadian National Railway | Canadian National |
| Chicago and North Western | $14,000 | 1865–1995 | Merged into Union Pacific | Union Pacific |
| Northern Pacific | $14,000 | 1864–1970 | Merged with Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Great Northern and Spokane, Portland and Seattle to form Burlington Northern | BNSF |
| Atlantic Coast Line | $12,000 | 1840–1967 | Merged with Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line | CSX |
| Norfolk and Western | $12,000 | 1838–1982 | Merged with Southern Railway to create Norfolk Southern | Norfolk Southern |
| Gulf, Mobile and Ohio | $12,000 | 1938–1972 | Merged with Illinois Central to form Illinois Central Gulf | Canadian National |
| Texas and Pacific | $10,000 | 1871–1976 | Merged with the Missouri Pacific | Union Pacific |
| Western Pacific | $8,000 | 1903–1983 | Acquired by Union Pacific | Union Pacific |
| Denver and Rio Grande Western | $6,000 | 1870–1988 | Renamed to Southern Pacific after purchasing that railroad | Union Pacific |
| Boston and Maine | $4,000 | 1836–1983 | Purchased by Guilford Transportation Industries (a.k.a. Pan Am Systems) | Pan Am Systems |
| New York, New Haven, and Hartford | $4,000 | 1872–1969 | Merged into Penn Central | Amtrak |
| Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac | $4,000 | 1836–1991 | Now part of CSX | CSX |
¹ = As of September, 2009
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Famous quotes containing the word railroads:
“Shall the railroads govern the country, or shall the people govern the railroads? Shall the interest of railroad kings be chiefly regarded, or shall the interest of the people be paramount?”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“We noticed several other sandy tracts in our voyage; and the course of the Merrimack can be traced from the nearest mountain by its yellow sand-banks, though the river itself is for the most part invisible. Lawsuits, as we hear, have in some cases grown out of these causes. Railroads have been made through certain irritable districts, breaking their sod, and so have set the sand to blowing, till it has converted fertile farms into deserts, and the company has had to pay the damages.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at; as railroads lead to Boston or New York.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)