Weird things in the world's railway that just don't make any sense - thread 3. (North America)
This is gonna be a fun and wild ride for sure.

1. We all love to dogpile on the broken passenger rail system of US, but tend to forget they once had the world's best intercity passenger rail system.
PRR was the first to run a 160 km/h, electric, cab-signalled, frequently patterned intercity timetable.

And BN's articulated, passive-tilting, IRW bogied rail carriage PREDATES TALGO.
It is, the one true pioneer of intercity passenger rail, and the birthplace of many more modern rail technology, including EP-Straight air brake with continuity wire, Budd Stainless carbody, etc.

People shit talk about US Pax rail in general, a lot, but seldom ask the question of,
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK happened that reduce the first to the dust, from PRR to PC to CON Rail, to Amtrak.
If we don't ask questions and avoid already-made mistakes, they can haunt us later.

2. But, people also tend to forget that, US has one of the best freight rail in the world. And during the last 40 years most innovation on heavy bulk freight rail traffic, intermodal freight traffic, double stack container, improvements on three-piece bogie, was done in the US

Let alone their first trial of EP brakes on long freight trains, powerful and robust diesel locos, etc. They do still, in some areas, take the world in lead.

3. Some regulation of FCC, later FRA just don't make sense.
Their crashworthiness standard is the hardest to fullfill in the world, but not so interested in NOT derail in the first place.
Their bogies must pass a "static falling test" to confirm it's wheel unloading ratio.

I can understand some of these intentions, since train hitting a big rig is a fairly common scene in America.
Amtrak's Acela loco is also 30% heavier than the light weight constructed TGV locos.

But it prevents the prevail of light weight, high speed, rail operation, and the development of all those necessities to make it happen. Metroliner still used a bogie with equalising beam and axle box guidance horn when introduced.
To which my reaction was,
"Seriosly, WTF."

The strangest regulation is that,
Train running at and above 80 mph should be equipped with cab signal.
Train running lower than 80 mph need no signal intervention system.
There is no middle ground like the DB PZB or BR TPWS.
So railway company just run trains at 79 mph ...

without installing any signal intervention system, making the system significantly less safe than regions under other regulators, and completely going against the original intention of the setting of such rule.

4. US Government has no intention to save any of the legendary rolling stock manufacturer, like Budd, who is the pioneer of stainless steel body construction, and influenced a generation of French, Portuguese and Japanese trains.
But they got loads of cash for GM, Ford and Boeing

5. NYC MTA subway IS UNDER-RATED (when running properly)
People tend to focus on rats on tracks, failing air-cons, but the bold vision to build a four track mainline underground, and a complex but working express - local timetable is something no other city could ever achieve.

6. America could have electrified their railway with a much more efficient and simpler system - 50kV 60Hz, by routing
middle-voltage distribution power lines directly onto the OHL without lineside transformers, making the system much cheaper than 25kV 60Hz.
But it never happened

This thread still remains to be completed, but I'm gonna @wtyppod here.