<p>On April 1, 1976, seven major Northeastern railroads ceased to exist. Penn Central, Erie Lackawanna,Reading, Lehigh Valley, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, and Lehigh &amp; Hudson River-- plus several of their terminal and shortline subsidiaries-- all were merged into a new railroad, the Consolidated Rail Corporation. Conrail, as the new system came to be known, was created by Congress to convert the bankrupt component railroads into a profitable operation. Many doubted that this goal was attainable, but Conrail would prove them wrong. However, it would take more than six years and seven billion dollars in federal money to make the new railroad a viable entity.This book, the first of a two-volume set, focuses on the events leading up to the creation of Conrail, and the company's first six years of uncertain existence. This was a period when many railroad enthusiasts ignored Conrail. For many, Conrail simply meant the disappearance of their favorite railroads. Not only were the multitude of attractive color schemes of CR's smaller components vanishing, but many previously-busy main lines were relegated to branch status, and many picturesque branches were abandoned. It was a sad period for those who had been fans of the EL, RDG, LV, CNJ, PRSL, and L&amp;HR.Conrail's early years were a period of great change and excitement. Here was a system of freight and passenger operations of 16,000 route miles covering 16 states, two Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia. On its first day, Conrail rostered 80 different models of diesel and electric locomotives wearing a rainbow of paint schemes.Luckily, many fans chose not to neglect the activity which was occurring over the far-flung Conrail system. CONRAIL Volume 1: 1976-1982 draws upon the talents of more than forty of America's and Canada's best railroad photographers. An incredible selection of color views portraying the new railroad in its early years illustrates this volume.</p>

Conrail Volume 1: 1976-1982

Engineering & Transportation

Hartley, Scott

Transportation

Railpace Company Inc.

<p>After several years as a recipient of federal subsidies, Conrail began to ake a profit in the early 1980's. Although the giant government-owned railroad was earning money for the treasury, the Reagan administration nevertheless was anxious to sell Conrail-- whole, or piecemeal. This book follows the efforts of CR executives and employees in their fight against the government's attempt to sell the railroad to Norfolk Southern, and continues through the 1987 stock sale that made Conrail a publicly-held corporation. This was a period of simultaneous expansion and rationalization. Conrail was the nation's largest intermodal rail carrier, and this business continued to grow. At the same time, the railroad was abandoning and selling off marginal main and branch lines. Employment continued to drop, as unions agreed to perform their duties with smaller crews. Under the capable leadership of chairman L. Stanley Crane, Conrail kept afloat during the severe recession of the early Eighties. The railroad's initial fleet of elderly locomotives was upgraded with modern diesels from General Electric and Electro-Motive. New technology, in the form of platform cars carrying doublestacked containers increased Conrail's intermodal traffic, and the company became the eastern link for several coast-to-coast "land bridge" stackpack container routes. New routings with southern and western connections resulted in locomotive runthrough agreements, adding color to Conrail's bright blue power consists. CONRAIL Vol 2: 1983-1990 shows today's Conrail. Many of America's and Canada's leading rail photographers have contributed their work to this volume, resulting in an outstanding array of brilliant color pictures which illustrate Conrail from east to west and north to south. You will witness the drama of 70 mph piggyback trains behind high-horsepower diesels on perfectly-maintained main lines. You will be trackside to see the rural charm of Conrail's scenic, yet profitable, branches.</p>

Conrail Volume 2: 1983-1990

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Books by Railpace Company Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Railpace Company Inc. publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Conrail Volume 1: 1976-1982

Conrail Volume 2: 1983-1990