Conrail Southern Tier

A look at Conrail activity on the Southern Tier Line from 1990 to 1994. There are a few scenes from previous videos thrown in to complete the coverage, but 95% is new material. Featured are the former ERIE Union Switch & Signal semaphores that initially drew me to cover this line.

[@CRQ5508]

Conrail blue and brassy Leslie RS-3Ls. It's like my childhood all over again; thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@yardmstr]

Long Live the Erie Lackawanna; thanks for shooting and most importantly for posting.

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Best part is the telegraph poles fading into the distance. They gave a sense of space you don’t get anymore.

[@johnuhelski8613]

Most excellent production , I miss the double track , semaphores, telegraph poles and of course the trains ! This line is Dead these days ! At least I have a semaphore blade for my collection .

[@davidvaughn6576]

my dad worked the southern tier on the erie, erie lackawana, then conrail for 42 years as a signal maintainer. started on Deposit, then moved to Binghamton then Hornell

[@b3j8]

At Kingsland Indiana's GS tower, I used to follow the EL Signal Maintainer around as he tested the semaphores and fiddled w/one that always seemed to have issues. He patiently answered my pesky questions. Miss those good times.

[@jimmievetor5008]

I wish rail fans made mention of train location in the videos. Enjoyed watching. I’ve rode many of those locomotive engines over the years.

[@e-train765]

Missing Conrail reeeaallll badly these days, thank you for the video.

[@mountainmann9599]

Love this video. Took me back in time. Ole Conrail blue ran heavy through my neck of the woods. Now aside from NS I see all kinds.

[@RaymondMQuick]

I wish I was old enough to have seen Erie’s 3300 class Berkshire’s on this line. That must have been the big “Show “.

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Love the shots from a distance with the trains covering nearly wide-open spaces.

[@paulquick8806]

ERIE ORIGINAL HIGH AND WIDE🚂🚂🚂👍👍

[@mytrainhobby5318]

Liking me some Conrail lately.

[@switchpointproductions7927]

I miss Conrail so much!

[@solutions2exist556]

Excellent video. Scenery outstanding.

[@walmartmilford682]

Nice to see big blue again thanks for sharing the video

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Sadly never got to check out that line much

[@FPM811]

Miss the Erie (Erie Lackawanna too)!

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

I see semaphores suffer the same curse of approach-lit signal aspects as searchlight signals do.

[@sebastianmichaelis7368]

Rip conrail some are still around happily

[@Tom-xe9iq]

Still had semaphores! Nice!

[@milepostonemedia6868]

those lesies got me

[@fmnut]

The sounds of history

[@geoffreylee5199]

Delightful images. This may be CPRail tracks now.

[@fmnut]

No, this route is NS now.

[@boomy776]

Southern tier is a NS route. Conrail was never in Canada

[@fmnut]

RailFan Connor611 Also Conrail had a line to Montreal thru upstate New York.

[@PatsTrainVideos]

Great stuff!

[@SKYSCRAPERTELEVISION]

COOL FOOTAGE !

[@ErikVince]

Nice catch keep up the good work

[@k5elevencinc0]

5:21 Sounds enormous.

[@atsf4life183]

0:13 0:52 1:30 11:57

[@damonshreves1297]

Functional semaphore signals?! Location and date, please. Anybody?

[@frankjanvari8650]

conrail tried to kill this line and it feel into serious disrepair. you could thank NY Governor Cuomo for it staying open till ns did a full restoration.

[@brianburns7211]

I think the whole deal about selling the line was a rouse. Conrail had a good alternative line to the NYC, yet got NYS to pay for it.

[@jmream2618]

I’ve been in a cab of a Conrail C40-8W

[@stevenikitas8170]

It's a very desolate, sparsely populated region.

[@carlamacdonalded.s514]

Lol 2:53 taxis trunk was open

[@ShawnyNorburn]

So....😂

[@ButThatsShacksTrain]

At 11:10 a peek at a Reading unit.

[@fmnut]

Yes, the 5308. Bad edit, sorry.

[@iheartpepsi2270]

Do you think the southern tier line is as busy as it was back in the day? Might take a visit!

[@fmnut]

IHEARTPEPSI2 2 Couldn't say, I haven't been up there since the Conrail split.

[@thetrainguy1]

No it’s not. NYSW only runs one train a day and no NS trains

[@fmnut]

thetrainguy1 what about west of Binghamton?

[@thetrainguy1]

fmnut west of Binghamton is a different story but East the line See's little traffic

[@cp368productions2]

Now NS runs 1 manifest each way between Buffalo & Binghamton with some auto and international Intermodal stuck on occasionally, Intermodal/Auto each way, Intermodal w/occasional auto each way. The locals in Buffalo, the Buffalo-Silver Springs local, a local in Corning area, one up to Geneva, one to Ithaca, and the Binghamton-Owego local. Most trains run at night usually.

[@DB-vo7qf]

Were those Passenger Trains an executive service or something?

[@fmnut]

Dexter The Mapper It was an Operation Lifesaver trip. It was the last Office Car Special to run on the Tier.

[@americanrails]

Great video...where is that bridge located at 0:53 ?

[@fmnut]

That's Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro PA

[@americanrails]

***** Thanks, it's a great view!

[@NYSW3636]

Where were those semaphores located?

[@fmnut]

Mostly between Addison and Hornell NY with one pair at Tioga Center.

[@CrazyKaboose]

Did conrail go out of business

[@fmnut]

After a prolonged battle for control NS and CSX jointly purchased Conrail and split the assets and routes between them. Conrail still exists as a much smaller entity operating shared assets in New Jersey, Philadelphia and Detroit.

[@Eric-un5ov]

Who bought Conrail?

[@fmnut]

It was split between CSX and Norfolk Southern.

[@Eric-un5ov]

***** ELS bought a conrail engine. Ever heard of ELS

[@fmnut]

+Eric (ericondefense) Yes, I have videos and slides of ELS from many visits.

[@Eric-un5ov]

***** oh. WC would have taken out Seymours line either way because it wasnt making business on that line right

[@fmnut]

+Eric (ericondefense) That's right

[@jeffreysheridan5205]

This line is largely irrelevant now. No online business to speak of.

[@fmnut]

Yes, it was largely irrelevant back in the 90s after the water level route was cleared for double stacks. Not sure why they spent the megabucks for the new Portage bridge.

[@boomy776]

The horn sucks!

[@fmnut]

RailFan Connor611 everyone is entitled to their opinion. I happen to like the RS-3L.