Regarding the NYC, it is rather mysterious. Certainly modeling the mainline
of the NYC in the steam era would be a daunting task -- with a hundred trains
a day or more, and at least half of them passenger trains! I went to college
right near the Michigan Central tracks (which were PC, and quickly become
Conrail) and found the scenery bucolic, the traffic interesting and varied, the
pace a bit more relaxed that you'd find on the NYC water level route... Is
this wonderful line not modeled, or is it just that those modelers don't write
articles for magazines? I dunno. I do know quite a few Conrail modelers, and
I have done several Conrail models too, and plan to do more. Around here,
we still call it the "B&A" and many people still recall the glory days of steam
and streamliners between Boston & Albany... and my favorite railfanning
spot in this area is Selkirk and the Mohawk River valley. (Have only been
back once since CSXT took over... ugh!)

Tim "closet Conrail fan" O'Connor