Yep, the
NSR is a startup shortline, formed after a Class Action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern. The government stepped in and decided that they had an unfair advantage in several markets and ordered the selling of some of the lines.
NSR was formed from one of the two lines that run from Atlanta to Macon, GA and incorporates some of the abandoned spurs from that line as well. Right now the inventory consists of anything they can buy or rent. Since they can not afford any extra downtime,
NSR has not done a total repaint of the road units. Usually they paint out the old name and paint their name or initials in, along with their Bonnie Blue Flag standard. This has already resulted in some train spotters nicknaming
NSR the "Rainbow Railroad". However, the railway is earning respect for keeping older equipment running instead of scrapping it for the newest just because it is new.
This allows me to run pretty much any piece of equipment that catches my fancy (and I can afford!
). I will eventually get a airbrush and learn how to use it, so as time goes by the units will eventually settle into a green color scheme, but by this time tradition will require the older units to keep their colors. Should make for an interesting looking fleet. Especially since every train will have a caboose instead of a F.R.E.D. I think they should have kept them around just for tradition. Even if all they did was use them to transport less than carload shipments. Trains are just not the same since they were discontinued here.
Anyway, that is enough for now I guess....
Michael
