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Customer Reviews of Conrail in New England

A quirky but interesting look at CR in eastern NY and MA
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1999 07:25:56 -0700
This show concentrates on Conrail's former Boston & Albany line from Selkirk, New York to Springfield, Massachusetts. A historical background is given, showing old photos of steam-powered freights and passenger trains with first- generation diesels, all from Conrail's ancestor railroads. And there's quite a list: Pennsylvania, New York Central, Penn Central, New York New Haven & Hartford, Erie Lackawanna, Central of New Jersey, Lehigh Valley, Lehigh & Hudson Valley, and of course, Boston & Albany. Maps of the whole line and sections thereof are shown at appropriate times. Modern locomotives featured include General Electric B23-7s and C30-7s, and EMD SD80MACs (so far unique to Conrail) with a brief explanation of their AC traction technology. The 80MACs are usually run in pairs. There are also Amtrak trains powered by older F40PH and newer P40-8 (Genesis) units.

* The eastbound trip begins at Selkirk Yard, with an SD38 and a slug unit pushing a lot of cars. Then ...
* SK interlocking, where the Water Level route branches off toward New York City.
* Post Road interlocking (CP 187) where the Post Road branch (owned by Amtrak) diverges. The Lakeshore Limited with 2 Genesis units passes. A rail defect detector car makes its rounds.
* The Castleton cutoff with an old truss bridge.
* Chatham NY with its old downtown and B&A depot being restored for use as a bank branch. An autorack train and a TOFC train pass right through town.
* Near Canaan NY, there is a nice curve where several trains, including a long mixed freight with a few bright blue boxcars pass. C30-7s are the principal motive power.
* State Line Tunnel, on the New York- Massachusetts border. This was once double- track but was made single- track some years ago. One doublestack and two TOFC trains pass. The last train is viewed from the tunnel bores; nice shot.
* A TOFC with 4 GE units passes the stretch through the Taconic Range.
* At Pittsfield MA, two Housatonic Railroad GP35s are shown. At CP 150, a CR freight with two SD80MACs waits for an Amtrak.
* At Hinsdale MA, the trains "dry up" for several hours. During the wait, closeups of rails, ties, and ballast are shown. Finally, a mixed intermodal with two SD80MACs thunders by.
* The summit of Washington Hill in the Berkshire Mountains. An Amtrak passes a CR freight with two SD80MACs, three GEs, and a very out-of-place Union Pacific SD40-2. A mixed freight with 80MACs smoking up a storm upgrade. An autorack train and another Amtrak.
* Chester MA, with its old roundhouse, helper station, and coaling tower. One freight and four SD60Ms pass.
* Finally, West Springfield MA, with B23-7s in local service. Guilford GP35 #200, an ex-Norfolk & Western high-nosed unit. Some old photos of steam engines, New Haven FL9s, and a Budd RDC. An eastbound train is shown with the setting sun at the left side of the screen. The implication is that the sun is setting on Conrail. Alas, this is true; CSX is slowly taking over this stretch of line. Unfortunately there is so much glare from the sun with the camera pointed right at it so as to obscure most of the view.

The end of the show features a recap of some previous scenes to the tune of a song called "Is It Already Too Late?" Meaning, is it too late to witness Conrail trains with all-Conrail lashups? At this point, no. Those Big Blue diesels will be around for a while longer, though increasingly mixed in with CSX and/or Norfolk Southern units, and they'll be starting to roam far from their original home rails. So if you like Conrail and live near it, go out and watch it while it's still here and you have a chance. Anyone who photographs or videotapes a railroad soon to become a "fallen flag" usually does a good service to railfans. TOL is to be commended for making a contribution to this service with "Conrail in New England."

=== Paul H! in AtasCal