What went wrong? Could it have survived into the 21st century? Was it a viable springboard into greater nationalization of railroads outside of the Northeast?

Imagine if Conrail had acquired struggling shortlines across America during the 1970s-1990s instead of letting dozens of them be abandoned. Or imagine Conrail taking over the Rock Island in 1980. Or the Milwaukee's Pacific Extension in the same year. It would have become a transcontinental operator. It could have even been a transcontinental electrified route.