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Post by roadkill on Mar 31, 2016 15:50:11 GMT -8
Forty years ago tonight? I do... I was a 13 year old railfan, sitting on a battery box at the Front Street grade crossing of Penn Central's ex-NYC Lakefront main line in Berea, Ohio, watching PC freights pass by and contemplating the changes that would happen in just a few short hours. Much to my father's dismay (my paternal grandfather was a New York Central retiree) I loved Penn Central, and I was sad that it was going away. Sure, the track was less than perfect and the diesels were rather dirty, but the Penn Central was my favorite and I was going to miss it. I grew to detest Conrail at first, but after some time I made peace with Big Blue and really started to like it, and then go figure, it disappeared too. Now, not only is Conrail gone, but so is that battery box and the Front Street grade crossing, having been replaced with an overpass a several years ago. Funny, the diesels passing through are black again, go figure, but they're NS diesels now, not my beloved Penn Central's. Except, of course, for NS's Penn Central heritage unit which I've seen going through town on several occasions. But it just isn't the same...
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Mar 31, 2016 16:19:28 GMT -8
I was a sophomore in high school. The double track mainline of the Grand Trunk Western ran right past my school. A couple of blocks west of school was the Missouri Pacific/Louisville & Nashville (ex-Chicago & Eastern Illinois) double track into Dolton yard.
On the far eastern side of my town was the former Pennsylvania, now Penn Central double track Panhandle route. Lots and lots of PC trains ran on that line. When Conrail came into existence the trains sharply diminished and eventually one of the tracks was removed. Later the entire line was ripped up. There is SO MUCH track in the south suburbs of Chicago and northwest Indiana which disappeared in the 1980's. The Erie Lackawanna main is no more, the Chesapeake and Ohio line which tied into the EL at Griffith, Indiana is no more except for a small stub just off Griffith Junction to an industrial plant. Conrail abandoned the Michigan City to Joliet line which also went through Griffith Junction. The EJ&E line to Michigan City which branched off from the J mainline to Gary just east of Griffith Junction, is completely gone.
Dolton Junction which used to host PC, IHB, B&O(Chessie is a shadow of its former bustling past.
Lots of track disappeared with CR, but nearly all the mergers have left a lot of track being ripped up.
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Post by oldmuley on Mar 31, 2016 17:53:41 GMT -8
40 years ago? Well, I was 9 years old and probably in 3rd grade. That means I was probably working on my multiplication facts with my aunt.
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Post by The Ferro Kid on Mar 31, 2016 20:06:37 GMT -8
I was in college and still living in the Buffalo, NY area and just sick that, having already lost the Pennsy and NYC, we were now going to lose the Erie Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley. Was Conrail ultimately in the public interest? Largely, yes -- it was a recognition of the reality that its constituent roads were largely redundant and never going to make it on their own. I think the one cosmic mistake was not keeping the Erie Lackawanna as a separate East Coast to Buffalo and Chicago route, both for competitive and traffic purposes.
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Post by jaygee on Apr 1, 2016 1:57:03 GMT -8
....Was a low time time for any chooch activities for yours truly !
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Post by peoriaman on Apr 1, 2016 4:08:11 GMT -8
1976? I was probably out with the future Mrs. Peoriaman somewhere. Dolton Junction which used to host PC, IHB, B&O(Chessie is a shadow of its former bustling past. Yeah, Dolton is weird now; used to be the IHB was the busiest with lots of PC/Conrail trains, and the Chessie was the least busy. Now its flip-flopped; the CSX is busiest and the others, not so much. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 1, 2016 6:02:14 GMT -8
Junior in High School in Davis just west of Sacramento CA across the causeway (hwy 80 and SP double track mainline). I only learned in recent years that was called the Cal P - never heard it called that when I lived there but I was just a dumb teenager who liked to watch trains.
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Post by peoriaman on Apr 1, 2016 8:55:01 GMT -8
Junior in High School in Davis just west of Sacramento CA across the causeway (hwy 80 and SP double track mainline). I only learned in recent years that was called the Cal P .... Just be sure not to call it the Cotton Belt! |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 1, 2016 9:13:46 GMT -8
No problem there; I saw the occasional Cotton Belt lettered diesel but otherwise it was all Southern Pacific. RIP SP.
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Apr 1, 2016 9:32:03 GMT -8
Well, 40 years ago I was only about 16 months old. Just think; it only took another 23 years to undo the "biggest failure in American business history" (according to the Altoona Railroader's Museum) that was PC.  |
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Post by Spikre on Apr 1, 2016 10:33:22 GMT -8
 was some sort of hope that they would decide to keep EL out, B&M and D&H stayed out,and USRA/CR didn't want AA for unknown reasons. but EL was Assimulated,kept for awhile for several reasons,lines were used while close ex-PC lines were rebuilt,then hacked up. EL had very good GE Technitions,something PC lacked,so they were moved from Marion to Beech Grove or Selkirk to keep the abused PC GE fleet running. overall it was a very SAD Day. Spikre    
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Post by calzephyr on Apr 1, 2016 13:52:34 GMT -8
Forty years ago tonight? I do... I was a 13 year old railfan, sitting on a battery box at the Front Street grade crossing of Penn Central's ex-NYC Lakefront main line in Berea, Ohio, watching PC freights pass by and contemplating the changes that would happen in just a few short hours. Much to my father's dismay (my paternal grandfather was a New York Central retiree) I loved Penn Central, and I was sad that it was going away. Sure, the track was less than perfect and the diesels were rather dirty, but the Penn Central was my favorite and I was going to miss it. I grew to detest Conrail at first, but after some time I made peace with Big Blue and really started to like it, and then go figure, it disappeared too. Now, not only is Conrail gone, but so is that battery box and the Front Street grade crossing, having been replaced with an overpass a several years ago. Funny, the diesels passing through are black again, go figure, but they're NS diesels now, not my beloved Penn Central's. Except, of course, for NS's Penn Central heritage unit which I've seen going through town on several occasions. But it just isn't the same... True, it is not the same. Most of our railroads are now making money, but favorites for many of us are gone forever. In 1976, my work was taking me all over the country and most of my train watching was viewing the Southern Pacific around Los Angeles. Larry |
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Post by grahamline on Apr 1, 2016 13:57:56 GMT -8
Wasn't into trains so much then, but knew a lot of UP employees. Was probably in the garage, prepping an F/Prod MG Midget for the upcoming season.
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Post by mrsocal on Apr 1, 2016 16:02:19 GMT -8
I was in the 6th grade and getting all my railroad fixes camping with dad in the Cajon Pass on just about every weekend. Santa Fe and U.P. on the lower and the S.P. on the upper. My grandfather was the Bridge Inspector for the Boston & Maine working out of the East Deerfield Yard.
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Post by talltim on Apr 12, 2016 2:35:18 GMT -8
I was about 7 months old. So no!
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Post by Brakie on Apr 14, 2016 5:56:50 GMT -8
Yes,I was still wearing Army fatigues in Germany and counting down the days to my ETS-probably around 5 months.
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jhuteman
New Member
Whut cho doin there Bo?
Posts: 46 
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Post by jhuteman on Apr 20, 2016 6:40:04 GMT -8
It was the year before I went into the Army and I was working on a farm having a great time that year. The next year (87) was not as much fun, but close, I got sent to S. Korea and the Olympics came in 1988 THAT was a time. I was in the stadium to see Ben WHUP Carl's behind! Did some 'Armed hiking' along the border there, went about three feet into N.K. by 'accident' one time! Bullets going thru the three tops make a distinctive sound I can assure you.
I am planning to 'model' the area where the tracks yousta go north thru the D.M.Z., we patrolled the old roadbed quite a bit in there.
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