User:Rhallanger

Who am I
I worked as an Administrator for a contractor that builds railroad tracks and light rail systems throughout the Western U.S. This gave me an in-depth knowledge of the inner workings railroad construction methods, locations of lines, and railroad operations.

Since a teen I've been involved in railroad organizations. I was a "Student" member of the East Bay Model Engineers Society in the mid-1980's Bay Area. I also belonged to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Club Fairfield, California. I have also taken virtually every Amtrak Route west of the Mississippi River and was involved in TRAC "Train Riders Association of California".

I have an extensive collection of railroad reference books, including dozens of Official Railway Guides spanning from the late 1800's to Amtrak Era, all of the available SPV Railroad Atlas', a dozen Handy Railroad Atlas', Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History and History of Arizona Railroads, Journey to Amtrak. Plus things I've acquired over the years from being around the railroad, Division Timetables, etc.

How I became a Wikipedian
I came to Wikipedia recently as a result of a "hit" on google for a train I was searching for information on. I was impressed with the information found on Wikipedia, and none of the other google links seemed to have info on my topic. When I started looking within Wikipedia, I saw that they welcomed additions, improvements, corrections and I just made some small contributions. Since then, I've seen a real need to put my experience to use by filling-in stubs and expanding articles and lists.

Trains and railroads
My interest lies in providing historical backgrounds and profiles of U.S. Railroads, both current and fallen flags. I am also interested in Amtrak and passenger trains. I also know a bit about light rail and commuter rail systems. Currently, my father's railroad construction company has the contract to construct the "Sprinter" line near San Diego, California as well as Phase I of the Phoenix Light Rail. Our company has also done work for Metrolink, the Peninsula Corridor CalTrain, MUNI, Sacramento Light Rail, Sacramento Southern Railroad (California State Railroad Museum), and the Santa Clara Light Rail - Tasman Corridor.

I'm still learning the protocols of how to do things and the programming language, Slambo already fixed the "&" that I was using on Railroad Names. I mainly cut and past formats that look good, then modify the text. But with experience, I'll be getting more creative.

Current Projects
Comprehensive lists of railroads, particularly Western U.S.  California is 80% completed, NV almost 100%, UT almost 100%, AZ almost 100%. I got articles on all the active shortlines in CA finished, currently working on the active AZ/NV/UT/CA shortlines. Then I will go back and start working on the Defunct railroads - there are hundreds of them! Also, working on the Amtrak passenger train list and equipment. I started working extensively on Alabama railroads. I will also like to get a comprehensive list of different rail transit systems updated, including proposed systems, Light Rail, Heavy Rail/Metro, and Commuter Rail. I would eventually like to do articles about all the various Amtrak depots within California, including their history. I would eventually like to get pictures for Amtrak article and the shortlines. I am also working on the List of Class I Railroads and List of Amtrak Routes.