I've been Penn-Centralized!

[wm3798]

Somewhere in my big stack of stuff I have photos of those baggage cars at Lancaster.  I guess I shot them sometime in the mid to late 80's.  The one had a full door at one end, and I was told that this was an NYC car specially equipped to handle Broadway show scenery when the show hit the road.  I'll have to see if I can dig them up.
Lee

[ai5629]

You mention that you are willing to share slides you have of PC/CR equipment.  Well, I would be most appreciative if you could share any photos you have of Conrail BE60C boxcars and Conrail X73 boxcars.  The BE60C's are (Atlas) 60' single door ACF cars and the X73's are (Atlas) 50' FGE boxcars.  Numbers (I'm not at home to consult my OER) for the BE60C's should be in the series: 216206 to 216283 and the X73's in ~369000 to 369399.  If you can help, I would be most grateful.  Thanks.

[ljudice]

Wow! I remember that Plymouth ad as a wee tot!!!!

Those were the days we'd go to Penn Station and catch the NY&LB trains to the Jersey Shore to visit my grandparents. It was the "new" Penn Station, which was little more than an underground bus station, but it didn't matter to me. I remember going into the office under the glass both where the announcements were made and asking for a copy of the "Penn Central Post".

Lou

[ns3352]

I saw this on Atlas .. it fits right in .. where is the tunnel / bridge combo?

Looks like it was filmed just south of Kingston, NY on what is now CSX's River Sub. Thanks for linking that! I've always loved those open autoracks, though I never actually saw one.

[bsoplinger]

On the other hand, my main attraction to PC freight cars is how awesome the rust looks on that faded sheep-sh*t green color.

Never heard it called that before, around here ( eastern update NY ) and where I grew up ( eastern PA ) always heard it called puke green.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Randy, I'd LOVE to see your shots.

Early CR stuff too. In fact, there's a place I'd really like to showcase them:
http://thecrhs.com/?q=Equipment

[Bob Bufkin]

All the remarks on the crummy, weed infested right-of-way are right on the money.  Only thing keeping the track together was the weeds.   I remember another thing that I'll never forget.  In 1965, the PRR set off one of their gons in the small yard in Shippensburg, PA.  It was loaded with scrap and gravel.  I entered the navy that year and was away from home for about 4 years.  When I came back if was now PC and that same gon was still in the yard.  There were full grown trees growing out of it.  Wish I was taking photos back then.  It would have made a great conversation piece.

[FrankCampagna]

Yeah, that video is great!  Who knows where that was shot?  There's plenty enough clues there.

I think it is the bridge over the Roundout Creek at Kingston on the West Shore line. Was there many times in the '70's. Great video, thanks.

Frank

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh man, that Video was awesome. I wonder how many times they had to shoot that to get the engines running clean, ESPECIALLY that U25b!

But wow, what an awesome ad.

CSX is doing some good new ones too:

[wm3798]

How did CSX find 5 boxcars with no graffiti on them?!?!
"If it's in your life, it probably has spray paint on one end of it..."

Lee

[Dave V]

For the full effect of late PC/early CR, I need lots of dummy locos!  Figure one dummy per powered loco for that 50% road failure rate!

An exciting dimension to ops...  One bad order card for every five car cards or two loco cards!

Plus I'll have to tease the rails out of the spike heads a bit on the sidings for that occasional "standing derailment!"

[Dave V]

One additional thought here...

Standing derailments, washouts, engine failures, patchy paint jobs, poor service, decaying track, service delays, carload tariffs, unprofitable passenger service, etc...

When it's Penn Central, people condemn it is an awful prototype.

When it's the Rio Grande Southern, people rush to make a model of every car, loco, Galloping Goose, and structure on the line.

Just food for thought...!  FWIW, I once modeled the RGS in HOn3.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

See, PC gets little love because it was a horrible business, but I think that's a lot of what gives it it's charm. It's EXACTLY like Dave's said.

It's dilapidated, depressed, and full of charm. I mean, the biggest downside is that you have to find lots of lounging crew figures to fill up those featherbeds in cabs and cabin cars!

[FrankCampagna]

I kind of liked the PC. Who can argue with a railroad that owned almost every locomotive made? One of the reasons everyone hates it is the perception that when it fell, it dragged everyone else in the region with it. Of course, the CNJ, NH already bankrupt, the L&NE and O&W gone, and others already hurting, but we forget.

Frank

[Dave V]

Granted, from a "big picture" perspective, my example was a bit like apples and oranges.

The RGS died from external causes (mines playing out, repeal of the Silver Purchase Act, the mass exidus of people out of the region, the mountain weather, etc.).  In fact, smart leaderhip on the part of RGS management (especially receiver Victor Miller) kept the RGS running into 1951 when it should have been abandoned in 1929 after the Ames slide severed the line.

OTOH, Penn Central, though suffering from the dual effects of highway/airline competition and the de-industrialization of the Northeast, mainly died of internal injuries suffered by poor management and zero teamwork.

Nevertheless, we don't model management directly; we model the effects.  So from a modeler's perspective, both the RGS and PC are similar subjects full of decay, half-a$$ed temporary fixes, and lots of fun!

I've often heard people lambast modelers who chose a prototype that was managed poorly (i.e., PC), but until we start including things like public relations, sales reps, etc. to our operating schemes, that's not really a factor.  Late PC/early Conrail was my childhood.  As a kid, hearing from my dad and grandfather how great the late PRR was, I regreted growing up in the Big Blue and Amtrak era.  But now, with NS and CSX as the only Class Is in the Northeast, I see that I didn't have it so bad!