One of the staples of Allentown-area train operations before Conrail was Reading train HB8. Operating from Harrisburg (Rutherford) to Bethlehem (actually, Saucon Yard), the train and its return counterpart, BH15, were known locally as the Morning Star and the Afternoon Star, respectively. The symbols and the nicknames lasted a few years into the Conrail era, but the power, of course, did change almost immediately. Reading’s U30C’s did occasionally show up on HB8 and BH15, but they were the exception rather than the rule. Conrail’s roster included U33C’s and U36C’s from the Erie-Lackawanna, and one of each is seen here pulling a 121-car Morning Star across the Lehigh River at Allentown.
