> "Commuter rail" typically refers to suburban commuter trains, e.g.   
   operations by Metro North and the LIRR, historically operated by a steam   
   railroad.   
      
   There were at least two "blends":  PATH, when it was the Hudson & Manhattan   
   shared with the PRR, looked like a subway, but trains had conductors and it   
   ran on PRR rails.  SIRT, under B&O operation, looked like a subway, too, but   
   it too was as B&O    
   railroad.  Indeed, even after MTA takeover for a while, fares were collected   
   by conductors, and cash fares got a railroad style cash receipt.   
      
   The South Shore looks like a railroad, but has its roots in interurban   
   practice.   
      
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