Nostalgia & History > More Colorful Power - Conrail Split Part 6

At the end 1999 NS had accumulated enough new locomotives that they could return many of the beat-up old power to their owners. There was still plenty of Conrail blue around but between repainted Black Conrail engines and new NS locos that black was becoming more plentiful. CP Rail still ran their 555 and 556 trains from Binghamton, NY to Allentown, where they reversed, to run to and from Philadelphia. So a splash of bright red would make daily appearances. Gone were the CSX trains to Allentown, so there was no more “Bright Future”.

1. Dec. 31, 1999 - Harrisburg Line MP31.1 - Westbound NS 505 empty hopper train appeared just before noon. With plenty of power to pull 90 empty NS, Conrail and even ex-Reading  hoppers was, PRR 6749, NS 8666, an unknown PRR, NS8606, and NS3060.
2. A going away look at the power.
3. A Reading hopper. Erie-Lackawanna hoppers were still in service and occasionally seen.

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4. Early Jan. 2000 - Fort Hill State Park, Fort Washington State Park - On a bleak winter day, an eastbound PIMO (Pittsburgh - Morrisville, PA) led by NS 9367 trailing PRR 8336. The small light on the side of the cab of the 9367 indicates that the “LSL” is activated. LSL was required on the Harrisburg and Morrisville lines. When first installed they would often malfunction and cause the trains to go into the LSL reduced speed mode. Many times I would hear on the radio that the LSL would be cut out and disabled at Abrams on eastbound trains. It was thought that interference from the high voltage PECO “overbuild” power distribution wires were setting off the LSL alarm. You will often see the power lines directly over former Reading tracks. The Reading and PECO partnered up build many of these lines directly onto catenary poles or independent poles seen here and on the Harrisburg Line.
5. A going away look. In front of the NS loco and just over the first gondola you can see shortened catenary poles from when this was the electrified PRR Trenton Cut-off. The catenary was sold to Amtrak who salvaged it for their NEC use. The remaining pole line was sold to PECO.  PECO wasn’t going to use the catenary poles but wanted to maintain the pole line ROW for future use. The PUC has a rule that a pole line with or without wires had to remain in place. PECO sold the tops off the cat poles as high quality steel scrap, maintaining poles at the minimum legal height!
6. Jan.15, 2000 - Royersford, PA - On a sunny winter day, a clean and bright red “Dual Flag Unit” Canadian Pacific 5419 and two other red CP units are making the run from Allentown to Philadelphia. This train was CP Rail 556, its counterpart was the 555. 
 

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