Conrail OCS in Film

A recent find from the lens of Red Moser. A chronological compendium of Conrail OCS scenes around the Reading PA area from 1982 to 1988. This collection nicely compliments my OCS videos which begin in 1988. In these earlier scenes you can trace the timeline from the blue era, to the freshly painted 4022 sans nose logo, to the changes in placement of its Hancock Air Whistle and replacement with a Conrail standard Leslie. Also note that the heavyweight cars are still equipped with their 6 wheel trucks. You can plot the increase in size of the OCS trains as more equipment was added culminating with the dome car, as well as the arrival of the 4020 and later 4021 to handle the larger trains. Also shown is the joint Blue Mountain & Reading/CR trip with PRR E8s and CR Research cars that ran as an OCS to Harrisburg station for the GG1 dedication. Sounds are from my extensive videos of the OCS. Enjoy!

[@tommythomason6187]

The blue was so much nicer. They should've kept that.

[@peterhanahoe4913]

Superb, enjoyed that while having my tea,

[@kevinford69]

That lounge car with the picture window!!!!!!😮

[@ironheart6704]

Strength and beauty 🦾

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

Cool Conrail and a little squeeze of Blue Mountain & Reading Action!

[@Greatdome99]

Because they really are heavy weight, those older heavyweight cars will likely keep their six wheel trucks if only to limit axle loadings on track.

[@fmnut]

No, all of Conrail's heavyweights had their trucks converted to 4 wheelers due to the age of the 6 wheelers requiring replacement. The only exception was the dome car that had trucks of a newer, different design.

[@fmnut]

Also, axle loadings weren't an issue for these cars after the 286K standard was adopted for freight cars. None of these cars exceeded that on 4 axles.

[@robkrasinski6217]

Now there are no F units on CSX's or NS's business trains. CSX replaced theirs with ex-Amtrak F40PH's and an A and B unit from NS is now at the Reading and Northern pulling excursion trains. NS uses freight units like widenose units on the OCS now. So, the former Southern CEO was running Conrail in the 80's? Then Dick Sanborn formerly of Seaboard which was merged with Chessie System to form CSX Corp. in 1980 and CSXT in 1986 took over Conrail but passed away and was replaced by David LeVan who headed Conrail until the 1998-1999 split with NS and CSX. Conrail still survives as Shared Assets in NJ and other places. Sanborn almost started a steam program at Conrail, he was just like a Bob Claytor or Wick Moorman. But, we had plenty of steam on Conrail in the 1980's with the BM&R excursions with 2102, 425 in 1985, fall 1987, and 1988, the Strasburg 1985-1986 1223-7002 excursions which ran on Strasburg, Amtrak and Conrail on the Harrisburg trips and just Strasburg and Amtrak on the Philly trips in 1986. And the 972 excursions in Sept-Oct 1983 out of Reading to Bethlehem, Pottsville, and West Falls near Philly. And PRR 1361 running ferry moves on Conrail in 1987-1988. There wasn't as much steam moves on Conrail in the 90's and basically no steam excursions on Conrail. They got afraid of the liability, of getting sued. NS stopped the old steam program Dec 1994 and CSX stopped allowing steam after 1994 as well. Like on the New River train, Santa Claus Special in Kentucky, etc. on the old Clinchfield, etc.

[@IGuessIDoThings]

Woah this is so cool, I’ve never seen a video of this before

[@fmnut]

Check out my other four OCS videos, Conrail OCS on the road Conrail OCS on board Conrail OCS Reading shops Conrail OCS x 2

[@judyrush3219]

Most of the Power on our N-scale is FM/FMC or E8 in Green and Brown. All have B units. Best Hobby in the World.

[@ikonseesmrno7300]

This is neat! I haven't seen much of Conrail's OCS on the move. Say, at 19:49, there's flat with a rack on it the next track over from the OCS. Is that a tie car? Looks like it's on a MoW train.

[@fmnut]

Yes, that's what we used to call a rack car. Absolute PITA to work with, the tracks and gates were bent from years of abuse and the hooks/chains that held the gates up were broken most of the time. We used to wire them up, but sometimes the wire failed and the gates dropped unexpectedly. Not to mention every surface was coated with black tarry creosote. A joy to work with on a hot summer day!

[@UnionPacificRailroader]

Super catches, forgot conrail had an OCS! Those E8s sound similar to Geeps!

[@fmnut]

Same type of engine, EMD 567, just two 12 cylinder instead of one 16. Conrail's E8s were upgraded with 645 power assemblies giving them 2400 HP each.

[@PeanutsAndSanrioFan]

My grandfather took a picture of that in its Black scheme

[@derrickwong5337]

Conrail OCS history are cool!!!

[@RonnieThePRRLocoAKARPTLMR]

On one of the Steamtown videos, I there was a Nickel Plate Road passenger car and a Conrail passenger car for the Delaware Lackawanna Railroad.

[@fmnut]

I believe that Conrail car on the D-L was ex-CR21, the rail analyzer car that D-L bought at auction after the Conrail split. It was part of the EMD test fleet prior to Conrail's ownership.

[@gailyncookMilwRR]

Great video! Mr. Moser a very grand, THANK YOU! I have two questions for you. Do you know why they changed the blue? Also do you have knowledge if any of this equipment is still around today? If not that's ok, I always wonder about things like that. I think the "E" units are the most Under loved locomotives ever built! I may have said this before that E's & F's are my favorite locomotives. Like #101👍

[@fmnut]

The scheme was changed to Pullman green after L. Stanley Crane took over as CEO. He came from the Southern Ry. and that's what they used. The E8s survive in private ownership. The cars were split between the NS and CSX OCS fleets, with some subsequently sold off to tourist lines.

[@gailyncookMilwRR]

@@fmnut Thank You! for the information. 👍

[@Justfor1day]

Great video thanks for sharing....what year did they repaint from Blue to Brunswick Green?

[@fmnut]

The scene at 5:48 in the video was taken on March 23, 1983. The train is fresh out of the paint shop at that point with the nose lettering still to be applied. This was the train's first outing after repainting.

[@terryboyer1342]

Showing my ignorance but what does OCS stand for?

[@fmnut]

Office Car Special. Other railroads called them business cars.

[@terryboyer1342]

@@fmnut Thanks! Never would have guessed that.

[@upking9080]

You should upload your Arkay railroad sounds records. I know one user has a few but there’s plenty of others that haven’t been uploaded.

[@fmnut]

Not sure if I'd run into copyright issues with that.

[@upking9080]

The other dude has had his up for several years now.