Orders on the Hoop

A westbound Conrail freight train is approaching Effingham, Illinois. The train is due to receive orders by way of paper “flimsies,” two of which can be seen in the order hoop.

This line was formerly Penn Central and Pennsylvania Railroad prior to that, as the distinctive signal indicates. The locomotive on point is a unique variation of the SDP45 built for the Erie Lackawanna, which was folded into Conrail on April 1st 1976.

Westbound from Avon

The first image here shows a westbound train ready to depart Avon Yard (in the distance, on the left hand side of the frame). We're on the former Big Four/NYC west of Indianapolis.

Conrail is two months old when these pictures were taken so the power standing off to the side is interesting—three units of the Erie Lackawanna along with a Penn Central unit with a Pennsy logo peeking out. Two of three EL units (SD45-2 and SDP45) were purchased with the idea of having larger fuel capacity for long runs from the east to Chicago without refueling.

The second image has the train down the line about six miles, directly south of Danville, Indiana. We're looking down on the railway from State Road 39.

Run-Through Train

Here is a Burlington Northern run-through train rolling on the Southern Railway near the bottom of Indiana. The train has recently departed Louisville, run up a steep grade (through a tunnel), and is now racing westward with its sights on Centralia, Illinois.

And what a locomotive consist: we have an SD45, followed up by an SDP45, with another SD45 bringing up the rear. We know right away that the passenger-capable engine is former Great Northern as these units were fairly rare with the GN being one of the three railroads who owned them. The lead engine was built for the BN, while the final engine was built for the CB&Q.