Conrail EMD FP7 - Indiana Harbor Belt Blue Island Yard - Riverdale, Illinois, October 12, 1976 - The ex-PC/PRR EMD FP7's that made it to the Conrail locomotive roster spent the earliest part of their careers working as dual purpose units. During the Penn Central era they became strictly freight locomotives, and eventually had their steam generators and water tanks removed.
Penn Central GE U25B - Indiana Harbor Belt Blue Island Yard - Riverdale, Illinois, September 06, 1976 - A Penn Central motive power study would not be complete without an image of a GE U25B. Former PRR 2646 has almost got the Rock Island beat for the "Homeliest U-Boat Award." It was one of sixty (2600-2659) U25B's on the old Pennsylvania Railroad.
Penn Central EMD F7(B) - Conrail (ex-PC) 59th Street Yard - Chicago, Illinois, May 21, 1976 - Where there were A's, there were usually B's, but in later years, they often did not run together in matched sets. Penn Central F7(B) 3479 came secondhand from the Rio Grande. It was formerly the D&RGW 5733, and was later numbered Conrail 3873 after 1976.
Penn Central GE U25C - Indiana Harbor Belt Blue Island Yard - Riverdale, Illinois, February 24, 1976 - Less than two months before the startup of Conrail, former Pennsy GE U25C 6501 was at the IHB's Blue Island Yard. "The Harbor" once handled Penn Central (and later Conrail) trains and motive power at this large Chicago area facility.
Penn Central EMD SD35 - Indiana Harbor Belt Blue Island Diesel Facility - Riverdale, Illinois, September 07, 1976 - Back during the 1970's, this teenage photographer was bored with filthy and black, Penn Central diesels. Film and processing was expensive, and I did not want to "waste" frames on such ugly beasts. Of course, now thirty years later, I am glad I did get some PC images. PC 6002 was one of forty ex-PRR EMD SD35's conveyed to Conrail in 1976.
LINK: Text and Photographes by Kevin Piper - See more of Kevin's photography on Railpictures.Net
