Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe "Santa Fe All the Way"
	Coverage:	Chicago - Topeka - Los Angeles Kansas City - Houston Southern Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma
	History:	Founded in 1860, what is now perhaps the most famous American railroad, the AT&SF wanted to connect the two Kansas towns of Atchison and Topeka. In 1880 it reached Albuquerque and in 1883 Needles, California and Denver. Connecting to Chicago in 1888, it continued building until it had more than 13,500 miles of track. For many years the AT&SF was the longest American railroad, best known for its stylish passenger trains. The most famous of these trains was the Super Chief, which ran from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy "Way of the Zephyrs"
	Coverage:	Chicago - Minneapolis Chicago - Omaha - Southern Montana Chicago - St. Louis - Kansas City - Denver Denver - Galveston
	History:	The CB&Q started out as a twelve mile branch line in 1849, which eventually grew to over 11,000 miles of track. Much of the early CB&Q growth came through acquiring existing lines west of their current territory. Their building concentrated on getting into Chicago, which happened in 1864, and spreading through Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. The CB&Q was bought by the parent company of the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern, but never merged into those lines. CB&Q was the first line to incorporate a diesel engine into their fleet, the Zephyr 9000, thus the entire diesel locomotive revolution can be traced to this line. CB&Q also built the first successful dome car, called the Vista-Dome. With diesel engines and dome cars the CB&Q had a very successful passenger line including the eastern end of the Empire Builder and California Zephyr.
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific "America's Resourceful Railroads"
	Coverage:	Chicago - Milwaukee - Minneapolis - Seattle South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin
	History:	Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1847, the Milwaukee began building west, reaching the Mississippi River in 1850. In 1874 the then M&StP line was renamed the CM&StP to acknowledge it's connection into Chicago. The line was renamed again in 1909 to the CMStP&P when it reached Tacoma and Seattle via Butte, Montana. In 1935 the Hiawatha passenger line was introduced with service between Chicago, Milwaukee and the twin cities. This proved so successful that the Milwaukee introduced a whole series of passenger lines named Hiawatha.
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific "Route of the Rockets"
	Coverage:	Chicago - Omaha - Kansas - New Mexico - Los Angeles Omaha - Denver Minneapolis - Kansas City
	History:	Founded in the 1840's, the Rock Island connected from Chicago to Joliet (40 miles west) in 1852. The Rock Island's first successes were as a passenger line that outran the competition - canal boats. The Rock Island was the first line to build a bridge across the Mississippi River, and the first to have a direct line from Chicago to the farmlands of Iowa. The Rock Island suffered from competition by wealthier lines like the Santa Fe and Union Pacific, and was never a tremendous commercial success. It entered bankruptcy for the third and final time in 1975. Although most well known for its passenger lines called the Rockets (the Kansas City Rocket, the Peoria Rocket and the Rocky Mountain Rocket among others) the longest run was from Chicago to Los Angeles aboard either the Imperial or the Golden State.
Great Northern "Great for Travel, Great for Freight"
	Coverage:	Chicago - Minneapolis - Grand Forks - Seattle Minneapolis - Duluth - Grand Forks
	History:	The Great Northern was formed by the "Empire Builder" James J. Hill in 1889 from the former St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba line. James Hill formed the Great Northern as a mechanism to build west from Havre Montana through the Rocky Mountains, and to the Pacific. The trick was accomplished by building through the obscure Marias pass, in what is today Glacier National Park. The Great Northern played a critical role in developing the park, and was for years the only means of getting into the park. In 1893 the Great Northern stretched from Minneapolis to Spokane. In 1929 the eight mile long Cascade Tunnel opened, and eliminated many severe inclines as engines no longer had to haul rail cars over the mountains. Also in 1929 the Great Northern introduced the passenger line "Empire Builder" named after its founder. This line, which offers service from Chicago to Seattle, was so successful that AMTRAK still offers this service today.
Pennsylvania Railroad "The Standard Railroad of the World"
	Coverage:	New York - Washington D.C. Baltimore - Buffalo New York - Pittsburgh - Chicago Pittsburgh - Indianapolis - St. Louis
	History:	At it's peak, the "Pennsy" had 28,000 miles of track, and serviced half of the US population. In terms of assets, ongoing revenue, and cash flow the Pennsy was richer than some countries. The Pennsy started in 1834 as a combination canal boat, rail line between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Much of the Pennsy's growth was achieved by purchasing smaller lines throughout the northeast. A key purchase of the Long Island Railroad gave the Pennsy access to New York City. The pride of the Pennsy line was the Broadway Limited with service from New York to Chicago. In the late 1930's it was equipped with sleeper cars, private rooms, modern lounges and dining cars. It even sported a barbershop and valet on-board.
Southern Pacific "The Friendly Southern Pacific"
	Coverage:	Los Angeles - San Francisco San Jose - Portland, Oregon Los Angeles - Phoenix - New Orleans El Paso - Kansas City St. Louis - Dallas/Ft. Worth Oakland - Promontory, Utah
	History:	End to end, the Espee (from SP) is the longest old-line railroad in the U.S. In 1955 it was possible to travel from Portland, Oregon, through San Francisco, Los Angeles, El Paso and reach New Orleans without ever leaving Espee track. The Espee started in Sacramento, building east into the Rocky Mountains. The Espee meet up with the Union Pacific near Ogden Utah. These two railroads created the first transcontinental rail route and were joined by the famous golden spike in Promontory Utah, May 10, 1869. The line continued to grow, through new construction and acquisition, along the Pacific coast and eastward to Kansas City and New Orleans, Two of the best known passenger lines include the Sunset Limited from San Francisco to New Orleans, and the Shasta Daylight from Oakland to Portland, Oregon.
Union Pacific "Be Specific, Ship Union Pacific"
	Coverage:	Kansas City - Denver Omaha - Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon - Spokane Omaha - Ogden, Utah
	History:	The birth of the Union Pacific Railroad was motivated by the Civil War, and the desire to keep California in the Union. With the Southern Pacific, the two lines formed the first transcontinental rail line, joining at Promontory Utah (near Ogden, Utah). The UP main line runs almost straight west from Omaha to Ogden. The eastern connection for the UP was either the Chicago and North Western, or later the Milwaukee, each giving the UP access to Chicago and points east. Some of the more famous passenger lines included the City of Los Angeles (Chicago to Los Angeles), the City of Portland (Chicago to Portland, Oregon), and the City of San Francisco (Chicago to San Francisco).

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