After a Conrail Buffalo Line train crept up to a red signal, the dispatcher finally gave it the railroad, and the crew is wasting no time getting up to track speed.

With the rear of its train still on the Rockville Bridge, a Conrail manifest begins its journey over the Buffalo line just north of Rockville, Pennsylvania.

Conrail had a daily run-through manifest between Enola, Pennsylvania and Hagerstown, Maryland with the Chessie System, and later CSX. Here the westbound train has just departed Enola, crossing the... (more)

Conrail train CIR-101, the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit, passes the Seventh Street parking garage in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Passing through Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, the 1992 edition of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit continues westward on its cross-state trip.

After a pre-dawn departure from Philadelphia, the 1992 edition of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit train wakes up Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania.

All Red at Valley Junction

The westbound signals at Valley Junction, Pennsylvania are all displaying a red indication while the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus Red Unit tr... (more)

Two Conrail SD40’s switch the Bethlehem Steel coke works between Bethlehem and Hellertown, Pennsylvania. Across the tracks and to the left was a station known as Didier.

A six-month-old Conrail C39-8 and an SD50 have arrived at Saucon Creek with a train, and are now waiting by the yard office until an outbound train is ready.

Conrail’s Saucon Drill is working in a sea of Bethlehem Steel coke hoppers in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The second unit is one of thirteen ex-New York Central GP20’s on the roster making an unu... (more)

For a time in 1979, several Delaware & Hudson GP39-2’s showed up in Conrail service. A few Conrail B23-7’s were spotted on D&H trains, so I believe that these were loans for evaluation, especi... (more)

Westbound empty hoppers have just left Altoona, Pennsylvania for the coal fields of western Pennsylvania. A Conrail GP40-2/SD40-2 combo is working hard to get to Cresson.

Looking like it’s fresh from the shop, Conrail SD45-2 6666 is paired with an SD40-2 as a helper set drifting to Altoona from Cresson, Pennsylvania. The big EMD soldiers on today as NS 1705.

Better Than Steam

The older residents of Altoona no doubt remember when steam ruled the rails, and the air was constantly filled with coal smoke, and a bitter taste filled their mo... (more)

Single-unit trains on the Conrail main west of Altoona were not a common occurrence. Here a lone SD50 with an empty CWR train drops into Altoona at Slope.