Nostalgia & History > Conrail's Executive Train at the Rescue Mission

I don't remember the product name right now, but in the late 1980s, Kodak introduced a new super duper high speed black and white negative film, which I bought a few rolls of for use on crappy days.  Anybody remember that stuff?

It was not a happy experiment.  I got two rolls of very, very thin negatives.  Despite my (at that time) considerable darkroom skills, I never managed to make a decent print out of any of the 72 images.

Well, I found the negs a few weeks ago, popped them into the duplicator, and then took the resulting digital image into Photoshop Elements.  Not too bad, especially considering what crap I had to start with.

So without further ado, the Conrail Business Train crossing the French's Mill Bridge in Guilderland, NY.  Circa 1987 of so.

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Any idea what the baggage car was doing cars three back in the train?

No clue. 

Thanks for for pointing that out. I hadn't noticed, and probably didn't notice at the time, either. That was a sneak in, bang off a frame, and get out of Dodge kinda photo. 

I would guess that that the arrangement of the consist is evidence that this was a deadhead move. 

I like the picture.  Especially the additional bracing on the bridge in the foreground.

Was it Kodak T-Max 3200?
 

Films like that were designed for indoors - sports, etc.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

All the right elements are there for B&W, the bridge work, the stone foundation and the bare trees.  Nice shot!

Love the photo! Question: how does one get to that vantage point? Is there a trail? Thanks.

Present day access is not a good idea.  The shot requires a hike to the outlet structure (ie a dam) for a public water supply reservoir.  Post 9/11, it has been placed under video surveillance and the underworked panic police are quite active in the area.

One of the cool things to examine:  note that the closer bridge is a single track, laid on a double track stone abutment.  The newer, distant bridge dates to the 1920s-era reconstruction of the West Shore which removed NYC mainline freight traffic from the steep grade on West Albany Hill.  My understanding is that the original double track bridge was replaced with a single track span at that time.

The difference in elevations between the two lines results from a lengthy flyover arrangement, where trains leaving Selkirk westbound climb up and cross over the original mainline.  This also dates from the 1920s rebuild.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/16 11:16 by march_hare.

davew833 Wrote:
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> Was it Kodak T-Max 3200?
>  

Yup.  Thanks, couldn't think of the name.

Just my opinion, but I don't know why some of you like this paint scheme on the E units. It's got to be one of the most somber paint schemes (the color is horrible) and the chincy logos don't look that great on the units either with the RR name on the front. Flame away.

​Victor A. Baird
​http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/16 09:46 by wabash2800.

Weren't the Conrail E units painted in Conrail blue for the first decade?

Posted from Android

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just my opinion, but I don't know why some of you
> like this paint scheme on the E units. It's got to
> be one of the most somber paint schemes (the color
> is horrible) and the chincy logos don't look that
> great on the units either with the RR name on the
> front. Flame away.
>
> ​Victor A. Baird
> ​http://www.erstwhilepublications.com


Hear, hear! It's only slightly better than PC black.
>  

Any port in a storm.

By 1987, these were the only E units in town most of the time.

Yes, they would have looked better in EL maroon and gray, and with the original portholes intact.  And  yes, Pullman green is (IMO) even worse than black as a color.  But you take what you can find.

WP-M2051 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wabash2800 Wrote:

> Hear, hear! It's only slightly better than PC
> black.
> >  

Just a question. Why does everyone BASH PC so much? Esp the B&W Pnt scheme?  If ya look around today, one of the 2 major players in the Eastern US has the same 2 colors. Black & White. In my eye, no difference. And PC had a whole bunch of older models on which to paint their B&W on than the ones todays NS does. More variety Just never understood why everyone "hates" PC like they do. It is still one of my favorite roads, regardless of their situation.  Ya look at schemes such as the CSX All Gray with dark blue lettering, but no one complains on how bad that one was. Yeah they had problems, not like many a road back then in the east. But it was still a RR for those of us who take photo's of these machines.  Ben

ns2557 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WP-M2051 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > wabash2800 Wrote:
>
> > Hear, hear! It's only slightly better than PC
> > black.
> > >  
>
> Just a question. Why does everyone BASH PC so
> much? Esp the B&W Pnt scheme?  If ya look around
> today, one of the 2 major players in the Eastern
> US has the same 2 colors. Black & White. In my
> eye, no difference. And PC had a whole bunch of
> older models on which to paint their B&W on than
> the ones todays NS does. More variety Just never
> understood why everyone "hates" PC like they do.
> It is still one of my favorite roads, regardless
> of their situation.  Ya look at schemes such as
> the CSX All Gray with dark blue lettering, but no
> one complains on how bad that one was. Yeah they
> had problems, not like many a road back then in
> the east. But it was still a RR for those of us
> who take photo's of these machines.  Ben


My guess is that PennCentral represented the death of two deeply loved railroads. New York Central and Pennsylvania.  Just like the employees fought, the management fought, the fans also fought.  In places like Niles MI and Elkhart IN, entire towns felt the pain of the merger.

PCs paint job was just a "dip job". NS has some white trim etc. I did like the PC logo though and the locos didn't look bad when they had just been painted, but they weathered very badly. And often the old PRR and NYC logos started showing through too.

Victor A. Baird
​http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

ns2557 Wrote:
> Just a question. Why does everyone BASH PC so
> much? Esp the B&W Pnt scheme?  If ya look around
> today, one of the 2 major players in the Eastern
> US has the same 2 colors. Black & White. In my
> eye, no difference.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/16 15:30 by wabash2800.