The backbone of the Pennsy's fast freight fleet was the group of 301 M1-class 4-8-2's. Only one survived the scrapper's torch, seen here shortly after a cosmetic restoration at Strasburg.

GM’s Everywhere

There are GM automobiles as far as the eye can see in the open racks of a train approaching Tunnelhill, Pennsylvania at Bennington Curve. On the next track, Santa... (more)

One of a Kind…..Two of Them!

EMD’s two demonstration/test bed electric freight locomotives rest outside of Conrail/Amtrak’s engine service facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvani... (more)

Bethlehem Kaleidoscope 3 - During Conrail's early years, many foreign visitors spent time in Bethlehem mingling with the local power. Usually they were leased or run-through units. For a short tim... (more)

Immediately after its formation, Conrail transferred all six-axle Alco Centuries to Ohio for use in iron ore drag freight service. Of course a lot of that ore was destined for the steel mills in t... (more)

In the early days of Conrail, all of the six-axle Alco Centuries were based in Ohio for heavy drag freight service, and the epicenter was Mingo Junction. A long weekend visit yielded less of the b... (more)

It’s a busy time at the Boston & Maine’s small Lawrence, MA yard as a southbound train with three GP40-2’s does its pick-up/set-off work. Meanwhile, a northbound train waits its turn at yard... (more)

A meet occurs just south of the Alexandria, Virginia Amtrak station as a northbound Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac pig train meets a southbound hi-rail truck.

The Rio Grande Zephyr begins its 570-mile westward journey to Salt Lake City promptly at 7:30 on March 19, 1983. Waiting to board on the adjacent track is the Rio Grande Ski Train.

Forty-Five Years Ago On this day in 1976, the Erie-Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, Jersey Central, Lehigh & Hudson River, Reading, Penn-Reading Seashore Lines, Buffalo Creek, Niagara Junction, ... (more)

Sometimes a GP38-2 Isn’t Enough

While I don’t recall the exact problem, the crew of a Conrail local switching a readi-mix concrete plant in Bowie, Maryland encountered an issue... (more)

Lehigh Valley class AF-27, Alco C628, was the backbone of the LV’s latter-day road fleet. After purchasing eight of the six axle beasts new from Alco, the LV jumped on the opportunity to get ni... (more)

Is This Where You Wanted the Grain Delivered?

While on a trip to see C&O 614 pull a trip from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, we had some time to look around the Steel City. At McKees Ro... (more)

Prime Mover Mover

A view of one of the shop tracks at Baltimore & Ohio’s Glenwood Yard reveals Chesapeake & Ohio 8504, the hulk of an F7B used to transport prime movers. Also on ... (more)

There’s a brief lull between passenger trains at Brockville, Ontario, so the dispatcher has let a Montreal-bound freight out of the Brockville yard. This is a heavily travelled passenger corrido... (more)