Any Conrail modelers here?
- Thread starter rgeiter
- Start date
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
I'm not a big fan of Bachmann either, but i did have their E33 and the locomotive ran fine. I was thinking about kitbashing it into an E44, but decided to part with it. Their E33s are solid, heavy and have excellent detail. The only minus with them are botched paint jobs. Sharp eye will notice the trucks further from ends than where they're supposed to be (coupler clearance?). Conrail paint is the worst, who came up with logo being backwards instead of coming from the cab beats me. Because the logo is in the wrong place, CONRAIL sign is where the logo is supposed to be. Penn Central units have the PC Worms way to large on the noses and no worms on the rear nose, as both ends had the worms present in real units. I didn't investigate their New Haven scheme, NW, or Virginian. All models sport green clasification lights up front, i don't know what happened there as no freight locomotives to my knowledge ever had green clasification lights.
rgeiter
Conrail Quality
That’s why I like to paint my own locos. I have an Atlas NS C30-7 #8006 (I think) that just didn’t look right. I stripped it and repainted it. I added the correct horns and antennas. Kept the same numbers because decalling numberboards suck.
Produce trains of many flavors would run in multiple sections, and of course the lead sections would display green flags or lights. With the advent of more powerful diesels and more favorable labor agreements, allowing for longer, heavier trains, most “second section” freights became obsolete.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Whether there were any pure freight units with green lights i don't know. I've never seen any. Do you have any pictures? I do know for a fact that when EL-C (E33)were build for Virginian, still basically in steam age, they had white lenses on all corners. It was on Conrail when they were getting red lenses. Generally on Conrail i think all heritage locomotives had red clasification lights given, or from a factory, unless they were going to retire soon. Conrail unlike NS would use red lights as markers on pushers for example.
rgeiter
Conrail Quality
Maybe something is in here. Didn’t really search. Lots of pics.
conrailphotos.thecrhs.org
E33 Electrics on The CRHS's Conrail Photo Archive
Conrail acquired 10 PC class E33 electrics numbered 4600-4610 in 1976. The GE model EL-C electrics led a very storied career before they made it to Conrail rails, having been born in 1956 and 1957 as 130-141 for the Virginian Railway. Originally built with dynamic braking and the latest...
conrailphotos.thecrhs.org
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Pictures of lenses on early CR freight are tough, because the units were generally extremely dirty. I sneaked in to the jard in Old Saybrook when they still had the E33 sitting on the property. Was therefore able to see everything up close. To my surprise actually the corner lenses were red, because i was expecting to see white. E44 had red lenses out of factory. GG1s are very tough. In Strasburg the restored 4935 has nicely lit red lenses up front and amber on the sides. But i'm not sure if they came like that from factory.
Maybe something is in here. Didn’t really search. Lots of pics.
E33 Electrics on The CRHS's Conrail Photo Archive
Conrail acquired 10 PC class E33 electrics numbered 4600-4610 in 1976. The GE model EL-C electrics led a very storied career before they made it to Conrail rails, having been born in 1956 and 1957 as 130-141 for the Virginian Railway. Originally built with dynamic braking and the latest...
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Sweet, look at that
i guess it was a little different on the Southern.
rgeiter
Conrail Quality
Yeah. They ran their engines backwards.Sweet, look at that
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
They sure did.Yeah. They ran their engines backwards.
Boris
Beach Bum
I'm an Ex Con, and I model Penn Central, (and Reading). I have an SW 1500 and a GP-15 painted Conrail, just for old times sake...(I also have an SDP40F and a P42 to remember my 11 years with Amrak). Conrail is a cool railroad to model. It was cool to work on also, as I got to work on the RDG, CNJ, EL, and LV, in addition to the former PRR/PC.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Those SW/GP combinations were to be seen on locals out of Harrisburg, well after NS took over that part of Conrail. Would like to see some of your work since Penn Central boasted incredible array of power during its existence, probably well over 90 different types.
otiscnj
Well-Known Member
In my model reality, Conrail is mainly only a stripped down PC, based on a map of what was proposed in the early 1970's, after the bankruptcy, in TRAINS magazine, +/- few other branches that other's didn't want. Most other roads, EL, RDG/CNJ, remained out of Conrail, or were merged into other systems......
Like the SD80/90MAC's, (with the white stripe around the cab). I wish Conrail as it was, was still around....
Like the SD80/90MAC's, (with the white stripe around the cab). I wish Conrail as it was, was still around....
rgeiter
Conrail Quality
Agreed!
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Same, but in my world the electrification of former Pennsy mainline would have been done as proposed to Pittsburgh. And all the way to Chicago with rebuild E44, GM10B and GM6C electrics on the mainline, as well as some possibly new designs more modern than even those.
