Nostalgia & History > Fresh Conrail Blue on ex EL Utica Branch

Conrail GP-7 #5996 is fresh (less than 30 days out - see photo in Morning Sun book "Conrail Central Region 1976 - 1980" by Stephen Timko of the unit at JBS in fresh paint but still wearing EL 1281 number boards on August 9, 1977) from Juniata Back Shop - Altoona, PA as it arrives in Sherburne, NY on September 8, 1977 from Utica on the EL Utica - Binghamton Branch. Ray Kaminski was at the throttle and had ex EL 1283 as a second unit (now CR 5998 but still in EL colors). As far as I know this was the first Conrail blue unit to work the local freight down from Utica, times were changing.

The order board is still standing as is the freighthouse in EL dip red but the agency is now taken care of out of Norwich, 11 miles south. The big building in the background is the I.L. Richer feed mill.
Other than the track the train is on (now NYS&W's Utica Main and out of service), there is nothing left of this scene.

The order board was cut down in 1980, freighthouse was down by Summer of 1982 and the big mill disappeared maybe sometime in the 90's and is now the site of the Sherburne Fire Department.
Ray Kaminski, leaning out of the cab to catch hand signals passed away April 6, 2011.
Alas the two fine old geeps have also gone to their Valhalla with only one remaining example of DL&W GP-7's left (EL 1278, -ex DL&W 959) now on the D-L in Scranton as a GP-8.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/15 07:51 by train1275.

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Morning Sun book "Conrail Central Region 1976 - 1980" by Stephen Timko of the unit at JBS in fresh paint but still wearing EL 1281 number boards on August 9, 1977) from Juniata Back Shop - Altoona, PA"

i have that book and it fails to mention the 1281 number boards ...

as for the book, Mr Timko does a real nice job at showcasing CR during those years ... i was always interested in the Youngstown area around that time and he does a good job of reviewing the area