Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

An east bound 2 unit mixed freight moves toward Conrail's Youngstown Branch crossing and the bridge over the Ashtabula River on a cold December day.  CR 6713 (SD50) and CR 6370 (SD40-2).

Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

An east bound Conrail 2 unit mixed freight pulling many auto racks heads toward Ashtabula Station on a wintery December day in late 1990.  CR 6805 (SD 50) and CR 6748 (SD 50).

Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

A Conrail 2 unit "pig train" on Track # 1 heads east bound under the  5th St. Bridge and towards the Youngstown Branch and old Ashtabula Station.                   CR3348 (GP40-2) and CR8258 (GP38-2).

Dunkirk, OH 12/01/1990

A south bound Conrail mixed freight with 114 cars on the old New York Central Toledo Branch heads towards Kenton, Marysville and then Columbus.  The train is about to cross the east-west tracks of the former Pennsylvania Rail Road Crestline to Lima Branch.                 CR6830 (SD50) in the lead.

more Conrail in Marion, OH

11/17/90  A morning east bound 3 unit "pig train", TV-4 rolls past former Erie-Lackawana AC Tower, also a landmark in Marion on Conrail, Norfolk & Western and earlier the Pennsylvania Rail Road.  Today AC Tower serves the CSX and N-S railroads, and is a nationally recognized railfan "hot-spot".                                CR5074 (B40-8), CR3355 (GP40-2) & CR5035 (B36-7).

Conrail in Marion, OH

8/26/90  A Conrail 2 local freight with 20 cars backing slowly into Marion Yard (ex Erie Lackawana).  CR8164 (GP38-2) and CR8160 (GP38-2).

Consolidated Rail Corporation

12/27/1990  Conrail 5071 (B40-8) leads a three unit "pig train" east and about to cross Conrail's Youngstown Branch  in Ashtabula, Ohio on the former New York Central Cleveland-Buffalo mainline (the "water level route").  Conrail was a creation of Congress and offically came into being in 1974 and started operations on April 1, 1976.  Its purpose was to provide rail service to the Northeast and Midwestern portions of the United States on lines previously owned and operated by the Penn-Central Transportation Company (the merged Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads), and the former Erie-Lackawana and several other smaller lines, all of whom were either bankrupt or in very serious financial trouble.   Conrail successfully and profitably operated until its stockholders agreed to sell and split the railroad with 58% going to the Norfolk Southern and 42% going to CSX which started operations on Conrail trackage on June 1, 1999.