Conrail's Safety on Rails Theatre train was widely publicized by the railroad. Here it is shown in a promotional postcard produced by Conrail. Photo by Dominic Bonanno.
	The OLI train is parked and open for visitors at Oak Island Yard on Matt Snell’s HO scale layout. The train is displayed in conjunction with a full-size OLI safety literature display.
	NS 9250 was one of a small group of locomotives to carry the special Operation Lifesaver 25th anniversary logo.
	CSXT caboose 903837 shows a variation of the Operation Lifesaver graphics, complete with bold eye-catching stripes.
	Conrail's Safety on Rails Theater boxcar was a project of the Labor Management program, headed up by John Sobotka as well as other Philadelphia Division employees. Reprinted from Conrail People Magazine
	In addition to the S.O.R.T. trainset, Conrail also used an exhibit tractor trailer in it's OL program, shown here as modeled in HO scale by Matt Snell.
	Upon the breakup of Conrail, the Mobile Exhibit trailer was sold & is now on long term lease to the Georgia OL program where it continues to educate the public. Photo by Georgia OL
	Conrail Operation Lifesaver special OCS-601 (“OCS” for “Office Car Special”) operates from Crestline to Lima, Ohio in 1997. The Sheriff’s cruiser in the foreground was one of the units assigned to apprehend grade crossing law violators.The lead locomotive was equipped with a video camera transmitting to the on-board theatre so invited guests could see what the railroad looks like from the engineer’s point of view.
	Conrail Operation Lifesaver specials operated throughout the system. CR 4020 is seen pulling OCS-101 from Philadelphia to Harrisburg in 1997. Life-Like Proto2000 sold E-8’s in HO scale decorated as Conrail 4020 some years ago, and Microscale makes a decal set for Conrail Office Cars (#mc-4066) in HO as well.
	CR 21256, the caboose assigned to the “Safety on Rails Theater” was on hand for this open house at Oak Island Yard in Newark, NJ in 1997.
	The specially decorated OLI caboose is a factory-painted Athearn model. This caboose will be a stand-in model until Matt has time to create a more accurate car.
	A micro slide switch controls the power to the flashing circuit.
	A close-up of the flasher circuit for the SORT car.
	The flasher circuit to power the crossbuck in the SORT car.
	The floor of the SORT theatre car, ready for the shell to be press-fit to it.
	The interior of the SORT car is modeled after the real thing, with safety displayed modeled by scaling down photos of the real thing with a copier.
	The completed SORT theatre car in the OLI train posed in Oak Island Yard in Newark, NJ.
	Coach 47004 is on display with the rest of the OLI cars at Oak Island Yard in Newark, NJ.
	The full-size offering of OLI literature makes the connection from the modeled train to the real world for visitors of Matt’s HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division.
	A close-up of the safety literature on display.

By Matt Snell/Photos by the Author except where noted.

I model Conrail, a railroad that was very active in the Operation Lifesaver program. My HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division features examples of specially constructed and decorated equipment for the Operation Lifesaver Program (OLI). I’m often asked by other model railroaders, “What exactly is Operation Lifesaver?” While many are familiar with the name they have a minimal understanding of the program, its mission, and why railroad equipment is emblazoned with the crossbuck logo.

Railroad tracks are a dangerous place where loss of life to a motorist or pedestrian can be instantaneous, thus the OLI motto: LOOK, LISTEN, AND LIVE. Operation Lifesaver is a national non-profit organization whose primary mission is to reduce rail-highway and rail-pedestrian accidents. The program began in 1972 in Idaho as a joint venture between the Union Pacific Railroad, the Idaho Peace Officers Association and the office of Governor Cecil Andrews. At the time of the program’s inception there was a national average of 12,000 highway-rail collisions a year. Within the first year of the program Idaho saw a 43 percent decrease in collisions, leading to interest in the program by several other states. In the following years the OLI program was rolled out in Nebraska, Kansas, and Georgia.

As the program gained popularity it was administered by the National Safety Council from 1978-1986, with all 49 continental states beginning their own independent programs. In 1986 Operation Lifesaver became its own independent entity as a national non-profit organization dedicated to public education. The most recent statistics released by Operation Lifesaver show a 74 percent decrease in highway-rail accidents since the program’s start up in 1972.

The basis of the Operation Lifesaver program is the Three E’s: Education, Enforcement, and Engineering. These are promoted in many ways such as public service announcements, training for law enforcement officers, publications, and presentations. Model railroaders are already familiar with the large Operation Lifesaver logos displayed on railroad equipment. Let’s talk more about some of these special exhibit cars and support vehicles.

How Railroads Promote Operation Lifesaver

Now that we’ve covered the basics of the OL program we’ll take a look at some of the ways that railroads have promoted the program. In addition to adorning equipment with the OL logo and message, railroads have gone to great lengths to get the message out, often running special trains or converting equipment for public display.

Conrail utilized all of these methods over the years, often using its business car train to provide law enforcement officers and local officials with a first hand look at the problem. Cameras mounted on the lead locomotive would send a video feed back to the passenger coaches so the observers could get an engineer’s perspective and see exactly what the engineer was seeing. A police officer, (either Conrail Police or State Police) rode in the cab with the crew and could radio ground units to apprehend offenders observed along the right of way.

Other ways railroads have promoted the OL program & spread the word is through the use of specialty equipment and displays. Conrail rostered two pieces of their own, one was for the road and one for rail. A tractor trailer was specially constructed and outfitted with safety displays, as well as a locomotive simulator. Both the tractor and trailer were lettered with large OLI lettering and logo, as well as the slogan “Don’t Meet Us On The Crossing” to drive the point home. This flexibility of this rig allowed it to be driven to any location and set up quickly. The crew would only have to install the temporary steps to allow visitors to enter and exit, and the OLI traveling classroom was ready to educate the public on grade crossing safety.

As part of the Philadelphia Division’s Labor/Management program, a boxcar was taken out of revenue service, refurbished, and converted into Conrail’s “Safety On Rails Theatre” Car. The S.O.R.T. car was equipped with a 25 seat movie theater in one half, while the other half featured safety and public information displays explaining programs such as “Trooper on a Train” and the “School Safety Program.”

As an addition to the S.O.R.T. car, a caboose was painted in standard Conrail blue caboose livery and given an eye catching display of stripes in addition to the standard OL logo and “LOOK,LISTEN… AND LIVE” message. Together the pair toured the Philadelphia Division attending various festivals and functions educating the public while also providing the railroad with a good opportunity to interact and connect with the communities it served.

Modeling Operation Lifesaver On Your Layout

As a model railroader and railfan, I understand that safety around full-size railroad equipment is paramount. Often I encounter both veteran modelers and newcomers to the hobby who are unfamiliar or incognizant of the dangers posed by trespassing on railroad property, as well as the general dangers at grade crossings. We often invite groups to tour the HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division during our many open houses, this presents an excellent opportunity to do a small part to share the OLI message with them. While some older visitors may ignore the message, kids love trains, and anything to do with trains. Equipment painted in the bold OL scheme captures their attention, and gives us a chance to present the safety message.

At the suggestion of a railroad police officer (also a state OL trainer), several years ago we looked at the Conrail program and planned a way to present it on my model railroad. It was suggested that whenever we held an open house that the OL equipment should be displayed and some OLI materials be present for visitors to take home. Since I am not a trained OL presenter I didn’t feel comfortable talking about the program, so it was decided that a display of safety materials and goodie bag could be given to each visitor. The take-home goodie bag would contain both safety pamphlets as well as a few fun items, such as pens, coloring books, and key chains. The program would become self-explanatory and all I would have to answer were the basic questions of what the program is all about, then direct the visitor to the display board.

Since I was going to base this around Conrail’s S.O.R.T. trainset, Athearn provided me with the first and easiest step. Shortly before I began construction of the S.O.R.T. boxcar, Athearn released a caboose in its R-T-R line with the correct markings and number for the caboose assigned to the trainset. Although the bay window is not correct, it gave me a low cost stand-in until I could construct the proper model.

The S.O.R.T. car would not prove to be so easy. It was decided that in keeping with the design of the actual display that an operating crossbuck would be installed in the car so it could be seen through the open plug door, thus giving some animation to the car. This would require a small flasher unit, a power source, and a cross buck which could be shortened to fit the interior clearance of the car. Busch’s #5934 Crossing Signals contain both a small flasher unit and the crossbucks complete with plastic pole. The plastic can be shortened easily without damaging the wiring inside. The unit uses a low voltage so it could be powered from a battery concealed in the boxcar. Working from photos of the prototype it was decided that the crossbuck should be mounted to the right of the open plug door. Due to the interior layout of the car the electronics would have to be concealed in the left side of the car.

Beginning with an Accurail plug door boxcar, I assembled the floor and underframe without the weight, cutting off the pins which stuck up through the floor so they would be flush. The car floor was then painted a light gray. I wanted to be able to turn the flashers off when not in use, so I installed a micro slide on/off switch. I cut an opening for the slide directly behind the truck and along the center sill of the car. Since the slide is black and it does not protrude greatly from the underside, it blends in with the center sill. The switch was mounted in place from the topside of the floor with two small screws.

Power for the unit would have to be from a small battery. A 6-volt battery would provide enough power for the flasher unit and also would be small enough to place next to the switch. Finding a battery holder for this specific battery proved to be difficult, so a “AA” battery holder was cut down, then screwed into the floor next to the switch.

Using the boxcar shell as guide, the location for the cross buck was marked and then a hole was drilled into the floor. The interior height was measured, then the crossbuck pole was scored and snapped off at the score marks and inserted into the hole in the floor. The wiring extending from the crossbuck was run through holes drilled in the center sill and through the car floor using another hole next to the battery.

To wire the unit, the Busch flasher unit was removed from its black plastic case. The negative power lead from the battery was connected to the negative lead from the flasher unit. The positive leads from the battery and the flasher unit were wired to the switch. The leads from the crossbuck were then connected to the flasher unit and tested. Once everything was working properly all the connections were soldered and insulated with tape. Securing the flasher module to the car was done using scrap styrene shapes, such as rectangular tubing, building them up then screwing the module into them.

With the electronics in place construction of the carbody began. Concealing the electronics would require a wall to be built across the car. Using thick sheet styrene, a section was cut to fit across the car. The styrene was trimmed so the height would stretch from the floor to the slanted roof edge along the car sides. Leaving a small gap at the top would be largely unnoticeable and allow some airflow to the electronics. The rear plug door was then cemented in place, along with the standard car details. The front plug door was set aside for the time being and would be installed in the open position after the entire car was painted.

The boxcar interior was painted white, then once dry the open plug door area was masked and the boxcar exterior and plug door were painted Conrail’s oxide red. Decals were applied to match the prototype’s Conrail markings, complete with the addition of the small “Operation Lifesaver” panels culled from a New England Central diesel set. The boxcar features the Philadelphia Division logo mounted on a metal sheet on the side of the car. Photos were reduced, then mounted to sheet styrene cut to size and applied to the side of the car.

The car’s interior was substantially more challenging as it featured various wall displays and a theatre at one end. Seats were painted black and mounted in rows at the end of the car opposite the electronics. A “screen” was made from a reduced photo and mounted to the interior end wall. Wall displays were fashioned from photos of actual displays in the car reduced and pasted together, then mounted to the car’s interior, wrapping around the false wall concealing the electronics. Various Conrail safety slogans, cross bucks and Conrail safety logos finished off the interior.

Final assembly of the car was mounting the open plug door, mounting the carbody to the underframe, and constructing steps to access the car. The Accurail carbody press-fits together nicely and gluing was not desired since eventually there will be a need to change the battery. Steps for the car were made from Plastruct stairs and railings, as well as flat styrene strip. A banner was made from a photograph scaled to size and mounted to cardstock with hooks made from wire attached to the rear of the cardstock.

Completing the trainset was coach 47004. Previously assigned to the Conrail Police Department, this coach found it’s way in to Conrail’s OL program. Although this car never served as part of the S.O.R.T. trainset, I found it appealing and a simple candidate for modeling. Beginning with a Walthers Budd Diner, the reader board and number board markings were removed then covered over with Conrail blue trim film. Additional rectangles of trim film were applied to each end and once dry N scale OPERATION LIFESAVER logos were applied over the trim film. Lettering on the reader boards and number boards was applied over the trim film using a gothic lettering set.

Weathering was applied lightly to the trainset. As this is display equipment for the railroad, they are kept cleaner than everyday revenue service cars. A little grime is natural, but the equipment was maintained well and had an overall clean appearance.

In order to finish off the display train, a display board was constructed from tri-fold cardboard. The board featured the history of the S.O.R.T. car copied from a Conrail publication as well as various OL material from the Operation Lifesaver national office to round out the explanation of the program.

The Display

Prior to the open house, crews moved the display train into position at the Oak Island engine facility and coupled up a freshly painted locomotive. The display train was then “roped off” using drums and yellow tape. The display board was placed on a small table in front of the train, complete with all of the handouts. Several of our operators (some of which are also railroad employees) were on hand as well to answer questions.

Although not a railroader himself, the author works in the transportation industry and recognizes the safety concerns around transportation operations. As part of an operating group comprised of both railroaders and railfans he has received advisement on this subject from those "in the seat.” He also has provided material used by the CSXT Police Department in their program in Maryland.

The addition of the OLI train has added another dimension of reality to my model railroad, and also promotes a safety message at the same time. For the minimal cost involved, this has brought smiles to the faces of adults and children alike while enlightening them. If the message gets through to even one visitor it’s truly the best hobby money ever spent!

About the Author
Matt Snell , 37, was born and raised in northern New Jersey, which became the basis for his HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division. Matt is a dockworker currently residing in Milford, Ohio. Matt also writes for the Conrail Historical Society newsmagazine and will soon appear in Railmodel Journal. His HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division has been featured in Great Model Railroads 2006, and will be featured in an upcoming video from Allen Keller. Matt has been a model railroader and a railfan since age 12 and is currently married, "with goldfish and trains."