THE HISTORY OF PENN CENTRAL AND CONRAIL-1976-1997
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ม.ค. 2024
- This NEVER BEFORE SEEN 34-minute video is one chapter of a 2-hour and 20-minute DVD historic documentary of the forming of Conrail that made a success out of the chaos of eastern railroading in a troubled time. Scenes were shot by Tom Luckey, Jack Kuiphoff and Tim Hosey in this project.
This is the 1976 to 1997 story of the Consolidated Rail Corporation, widely known as Conrail. It was created from the bankrupt Penn Central and a number of other bankrupt northeastern roads in 1976. We bring the early years of rebuilding, and the later years of a successful operation, that surprised nearly everyone. Everyone that is except the committed employees and the leadership Conrail had during its four phases of existence. This was like a four-act play -- with every element needed to make a great story that will be studied by business analysts and rail historians for years to come. The four principal phases of Conrail's existence each had a CEO from a different business background that helped forge Conrail into a valuable operation.
These are all visions you can no longer see along the rails of today. Conrail has since been divided and integrated into the Norfolk Southern and the CSX systems. Learn the plan that could have bolstered Conrail's future as a separate, large system -- but for a twist of fate. Our presentation includes many maps made especially for video to keep the viewer informed and to help paint the big picture. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
These are scenes from our full 2 1/2 hour movie "Conrail Hall of Fame" available at www.cspmovies.com
Started my career in January of 1973 with Penn Central becoming a freight and passenger conductor. Retired in 2014 as a yardmaster with the local commuter rail service in Philadelphia and tri-state area. During my freight years, we mostly operated on the Northeast Corridor with electric power. This included GG1's that were geared for freight. If we ever got diesel power, we considered it a luxury, since they were more comfortable than electric power.
One of my wildest rides was deadheading back to Philly , from Newark N.J. on the caboose of Mail No.3. They even had postal employees on that train in cars, sorting mail enroute.
The good old days and was certainly blessed to survive my whole career. Would I do it again if I could go back? Absolutely !!
It’s hard to pass up the importance of Conrail in saving the North Eastern Railroad scene from collapse. The “Big Blue “ helped to restore faith in rail…
Absolutely, with out Conrail the NE would have been a huge mess for the whole USA!
The gooberment subsidized airports and the gooberment subsidized the highways -- both with our taxpayer funds. The railroads were self pay and they had to put up with the oversight and regulations -- ironic now with Amtrak and the gooberment wanting host railroads to bow and give amtrak priority trackage rights -- sorry, we've bumped crews by lengthing our trains to snub the unions and fatten our dividends and bonuses, and the lengthened trains can't give way due to siding length.
Karma
@@charlessmileyvideo Sure, may have saved the "north east",,,,,but OHIO and Indiana (not north east states) were DEVISTATED with torn up rails. CR didn't want the competition.
I saw this first hand. Lot's of bicycle paths in these two states. For instance Xenia , OHIO has paths going north, south, east, and west. Xenia (once a very busy RR town) has NO rail service. If you are into biking Xenia is your place.
Did I shed a tear when CR bit the dust? NOT AT ALL. (btw, my first train I ever photoed was PC)
I worked for PennCentral in 1973 and 74. I can remember derailing trains going 2 or 3mph thru the yards. The track would just open and you were on the ground. I also remember very generous pay checks.
Wow, johnhauser thanks for the classic memories! At least the pay checks were good in a tough time.
I still miss big blue to this day!
Did I miss the mention of the New Haven Railroad that was part of the Penn Central Merger? The Penn Central was originally created by the New York Central and the Pennsylvania but they were required to take on the New Haven which was on life support at the time..
having hired out with PC 4-1-74 I got to live it and breath it ! , 47 years later I finally retired !
Which RR did you go to, NS or CSX?
PC . Conrail >Shortline, my last 12 years with GVT@@roberthagberg5482
The history of Penn Central can be summed up in one emoji ... 🥺
Educating. I see the odd Conrail rolling stock periodically but now I know its story. I also didn't know that electric locomotives were being used for freight. Very cool..
“You would think that after 8 years, PC would have had time to plan a smooth merger”. What a great comment, and those same words would apply decades later when Conrail was split. Leading up to day one, supposed extensive studies had been done to guarantee seamless changeover at NS, and much promotion was done declaring that it would be a quick, hiccup-less process. Day one came, the switch was thrown, and instantly the computers crashed! And not in a small way either! Waybills disappeared, entire trains disappeared etc. (electronically speaking of course) and NS’s mainlines, including their part of big blue, turned into linear parking lots! The situation was so dire that NS quickly initiated an incentive program encouraging employees to delay vacations, and rewarding attendance during that period with healthy payments into what they called a twist account, similar to an IRA. It took months to straighten out the mess, and as much as a year later, we’d get cars through the rip track for repair that showed empty in the computer, but had actually been running around loaded for a year or more! Who’s load was it, and where did it come from? Good question, but nobody had any answers because the records vaporized!
They just didn't have it together, doomed from the start really!
Honestly doesn’t surprise me. A friend of mine who started with N&W and recently retired from NS has told me before “merging with Southern was the worst thing that ever happened to the N&W. The whole operation went from hero to zero overnight because of how unintelligent Southern’s operations and management was”. There may have been a little bit of bias there, but NS certainly didn’t operate as smoothly as N&W did.
@@Engine33Truck I can verify that there was a great bias between Sou and NW people, management in particular, and that bias was still very much in play when the Conrail split happened! SR and NW were each masters of the business they did, and although they both were steel wheel on rail companies, they each had a unique customer base. And what worked for one didn’t necessarily work for the other. I started my career with SR, and will always be Southern man, but I have no bias against N&W or their people. As an addendum to that, when Conrail staff started mixing with Norfolk Southern staff, they weren’t, and never became, fans of NW, Sou. or NS! It’s just the nature of the beast!
25:56 2501 was the second loco painted blue.
I remember seeing 3091 in May 1976 in blue. 3091 was the first painted blue.
CR made an attempt and planned to have all locos renumbered and CR'd by the 1 year anniversary in 1977.
In June 1977, I photoed my last pure pre CR (non PC) loco. A EL GP35 on the point ready to leave Sharonville , OHIO.
PC locos would turn up still pure PC into 1980.
I was born (September 1975) at the end of Penn Central/beginning of Conrail. I barely remember seeing PC rolling stocking, but remember quite well growing up with Conrail.
Excellent DVD.
Glad you enjoyed it! More at our website www.cspmovies.com
Scrapping the E44 electrics wasn’t a smart decision.
16:50: One of two experimental EMD GM6C/GM6B electrics that never made it into production.
You are right, extremely rare birds!
Did I miss the mention of the New Haven Railroad that was part of the Penn Central Merger? The Penn Central was originally created by the New York Central and the Pennsylvania but they were required to take on the New Haven which was on life support at the time as well. The New Haven was an integral and very important part of Penn Central...
You missed the chart and voiceover at 7:58.
@@charlessmileyvideoYou are correct. I have no idea how I missed that. Thank you for the clarification.
Good history
Thanks that is our "Jam"! Love to cook up the railroad history
I do love my alcos
We love Alco's too! Wait until you see our next upload next week!
@@charlessmileyvideo thanks I'll be looking 4 it
Can we all agree that selling the last 4 PA locos to MEXICO was about the most stupid decision in all American railroading history?
No ..........
Erie lawawanna is my favorite, then the Milwaukee road,Rock island is next ,I still think conrail had the right name,con ,because that's all it was a big con,just like g.m. and Chrysler going broke and the government bailing then out,your problems not mine.,great video
Hi, Kelvintorrence your list of railroads in epic! We like those guys too!
"A reform school for bad railroads" 😂😂😂
The sad part, they should have just let it go bankrupt. Would have saved the taxpayers a boatload of money.
The "Mass extinction Event" the narrator claims in the beginning just wouldn't have happened. Penn Central could have re-organized with core trunk lines, and many of the secondaries sold to neighboring railroads to expand their reach.
All they did was delay the inevitable conclusion to those lines (partioning between NS and CSX) using tax payers money.
Thanks, we agree with you!