Nostalgia & History > Connellsville, Pa scene, 1980 (B&O)

A special ran from Pittsburgh to Connellsville, Pa on March 23rd, 1980 along the B&O. I don't remember the occasion, maybe a Maple Sugar Festival train ? Passenger GP9s 6604 and 6605 are stopped at the station alongside the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville. Nice mix of PAT cars and others. Today the station, CPL signals, probably the GP9s and most of the cars, are gone....as is the Chessie. 

Roger Durfee
Akron, OH

---

Another great scene of the B&O.  Just to let you know, the passenger GP-9 #6604 is alive and well down on the South Branch Valley Railroad and is used on the Potomac Eagle Passenger Trains.  Without seeing the numbers of those two B&O painted coaches in the train, they were most likely from the group Railroad Passenger Cars (RRP) of Baltimore and if so, the one 3587 is in the B&O Railroad Museum collection in Baltimore, though it has been left to collect rust as are the other B&O Passenger Cars.  That one passenger car in the Chessie Steam Special Colors most likely is a former B&O Food Bar Coach, judging from the windows, and if so, this was Food Bar Coach #3004 which had been owned by RRP, but was sold to the proprietor who did the food service on the Chessie Steam Safety Express Train.  I have no idea where that car went.  Thanks for sharing your photo, great memory from the good-ole-days.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Thanks for the additional info John !

Roger Durfee
Akron, OH

The Pennsy bridge you were standing on is long-gone, too.

Well-crafted scene.
Bob

In March 1980, I rode a B&O/Chessie excursion from Pittsburgh to Meyersdale where a Maple Sugar Festival was being held.  I regret my lack of interest in stations at the time as I did not make note of Connellsville's large depot.  Otherwise, I had a great time on that trip!   

Perhaps there was one more one excursion operated that month or maybe the excursion was stopped in Connellsville on the way to Meyersdale. 

An excellent composition.  Note the smoke coming from the chimneys of two homes.
ALLEN