Conrail back in the 80's

[rswinnerton]

Conrail actually ordered more SD80MACs right before the deal was struck with NS and CSX. That order was changed to DC drive SD70s for NS and AC drive units for CSX. Conrail was quite happy with the MACs and they were to be the next big thing.

[lock4244]

I'm lucky enough, as a Canuk, to have shot the SD80MAC's, SD70's, and SD70MAC's on the West Slope and the WLR before the end of Big Blue.

FWIW, the SD50's and B36-7's will always be my favorite CR units. Saw them often, and even here in Toronto.

[Leggy]

Just to hijack the thread further.....

Conrail wanted more SD60Is (30x), this order was soon changed to GP60Ms to allow Conrail to purchase 28x GP60Ms, and 4x SD70MACs and 4x AC4400CWs for test. This was soon changed to the 28x SD80MACs. Conrail was impressed so went back for 108x SD80MACs, reduced to 28x then that became the SD70/SD70MAC order.

[lock4244]

I knew about the GP60M's, and always thought they'd have gone great with the B36-7's and B40-8's on the TV trains. Did not know they were going to get 108 more SD80's before reducing it.

[One of One-Sixty]

I remember railfanning from my front porch, watching them rumble by on the High Line, walk down to 29th & JFK and watch the River Line, High Line as well as SEPTA Regional Rail (love the push pull sets) and Amtrak.  If I was lucky enough I could spy shots of NJT pulling in and out of 30th St Station.  Man I miss those days.   

[davefoxx]

FWIW, the SD50's and B36-7's will always be my favorite CR units.

They're up there for me, too.  Those models were also the latest and greatest on the Seaboard System in 1986.

DFF

[randgust]

I can't claim to be a CR modeler, but I lived beside the Southern Tier West  (ex-EL) for nine years 1983-1992.

That became very much of an SD50-powered railroad in that era; if they were considered a POS somewhere else, it sure wasn't there.  Seems like just about everything ran with a pair of relatively new and clean SD50's on the last 'real train' left, the ELOI/OIEL.   We also were one of the last spots running cabooses on CR, and one of the last manned interlocking towers until it went 'dark'.    I loved my few school years watching EL, but I had nine good years watching CR out of my kitchen window as well.

If 1970's EL was best characterized by a pair of SD45's, then 1980's CR was the pair of SD50's.

Sigh.  http://thecrhs.org/image/view/18730/_original

[R L Smith]

Randgust, thanks for the insight into the dominance of the SD50's on the ex-EL Tier.  My "model accumulation process" has been focused on the pre-Conrail era, but lately I've been getting the itch for Big Blue and the Susie-Q stack trains of the late 80's.  (Since Mr. Wallet can't afford to re-equip the roster, this isn't a real threat just yet.  However, that black and yellow B40-8 that followed me home from a train show has been a bit hard to explain...)

Ron

[randgust]

The oddest thing about the mid 80's NYSW stackers is the route they took WEST of Buffalo, which was down the CSXT/B&O (BR&P) through Salamanca.   I remember one particularly miserable February day where I was driving up Rt. 219 and spotted a headlight, and nearly fell over when it was a solid container train with three ex-BN F45's on it headed north - still in green paint, and I have the grubby prints to prove it.   About the same time the ex-ATSF SD26's were being routed over to Guilford over the same route and showing up in that train under tow as well.

This was the Walter Rich era on NYSW where outmanuvering Conrail to NYC had become a spectator sport.    If you want to model and include both CR SD50's and NYSW stackers in the same shot, look at Salamanca, NY where they ran parallel to Killbuck.   Today it is WNYP and B&P, but the tracks are still there.

Another 'fond' memory of that spot is in October of 1975 when I was trainwatching in Killbuck between EL and CSX; that's in the middle of the Seneca Indian reservation.  The 'public road' I was parked on went between (and still does today) the two parallel main lines that cross overhead about a mile south.   Parked between tracks, I was 'encouraged' to move on at loaded gunpoint (with a guard dog for extra speed)  by one of the tribe; the only time I've looked down a loaded rifle barrel pointed at my face in my entire life.

[lock4244]

Oh, thats a fun story Randy. I shot a few WPNY trains there in October 2011, however did not get to meet any locals.