Nostalgia & History > A Conrail Birthday today

It started 45 years ago already ?
I certainly wasn't crazy about it at the beginning but it grew on you as the years went by.
Here are a couple from 1978 (posted before).

(1)
The only F unit Conrail inherited that was painted blue.
1648 was an ex-NYC unit and was at the ex-NYC Collinwood Yard in Cleveland - Dec 78.

Thanks to Allen (km152) for the info that this was not the only F unit painted blue by Conrail.
1792 was also painted blue.

Another update - EL833 (Roger) says the 1648 and 1792 were the same engine (see post below) so only one F unit painted blue by Conrail.
Thanks to both Roger and Allen for the info on this unique but confusing unit.

(2)
Ex-PRR SD40 6356 is on old home rails at Mansfield,Ohio (Ft.Wayne line).
Dec 78

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/21 01:45 by gcm.

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Photo two is a first-class image. How sad it is to see all that was lost.
Bob

Thanks for the very nice CR birthday photo posting.
#1648 was a super real catch.
Mansfield action scene is superb.
ALLEN

Wasn't one of the blue F7s a former EL unit?

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

Love that Mansfield photo Gary ! And sorry, you are going to have to edit your edit lol- Conrail 1648 was the only freight F to get blue paint. The 1792 was the renumbered 1648, ie the same unit. Conrail renumbered 6 F7As that remained in the 1600 series ino the 1792-1799 block (around the 1796 and 1797) for the new GP-15s. It's a common mistake, and I've had editors change my caption on photos they used of 1792 thinking there were two. Here is the renumber list :
1648 to 1792
1650 to 1793
1677 to 1794
1678 to 1795
1796 (kept original number)
1797 (kept original number)
1683 to 1798
1693 to 1799

As info, I don't believe the 1792 ever ran with it's new number.

> (1)
> The only F unit Conrail inherited that was painted
> blue.
> 1648 was an ex-NYC unit and was at the ex-NYC
> Collinwood Yard in Cleveland - Dec 78.
>
> Thanks to Allen (km152) for the info that this was
> not the only F unit painted blue by Conrail.
> 1792 was also painted blue.
> Thanks Allen !
 

Roger Durfee
Akron, OH



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/21 16:16 by EL833.

Love #2 showing big time action, and an SD45 in Blue!

JG

gcm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Thanks to Allen (km152) for the info that this was
> not the only F unit painted blue by Conrail.
> 1792 was also painted blue.
> Thanks Allen !
>
Interesting.  Until now, I also thought that only one Conrail F unit got painted blue.

My apologies for causing confusion.
Your posted photo taken in Dec 1978 was pretty much at the end of #1648's woriking career; that makes the catch even better in my book.
Two months later, in Feb 1979, Roger took a photo of the same unit renumbered to #1792 and headsing to the scrapper, a final view.
Actually, for years, I had mistakingly thought that two units were painted blue.
Will improve my research in the future.
Thanks for all of your excellent posts.
ALLEN

 

Great pair!

I find the passenger pilot intersting. I don't recall seeing that on NYC F-7 freight units. I did read all of the information but think I saw a reference (that there was more than one unit painted blue and one was an EL unit)  in a railfan publication.

Edit: In looking at photos I find that some NYC freight F7s did have passenger pilots.

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wasn't one of the blue F7s a former EL unit?
>
> Victor A. Baird
> http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/21 09:45 by wabash2800.