LV RS11's in Sayre..in 1978!

Just came across this interesting photo:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 531&nseq=4

If it was late 1976, or maybe even 1977, it wouldnt surprise me much..
but I find it very interesting that there is a solid LV RS11 lashup, (ONLY LV units!) running out of Sayre, on March 19, 1978!
almost 2 full years into Conrail..

These units clearly have not remained only on LV rails the past 2 years..they have wandered all over Conrail..one wears CR blue!
which implies, to me, that it seems highly likely these 4 units were reunited on LV rails on purpose!
it seems very unlikely such a lashup could be pure coincidence..possible I suppose, but unlikely..

Has anyone ever heard of early Conrail units mysteriously gathering on home rails?
was someone "making it happen" perhaps for the sake of nostalgia?
or could there have also been a practical reason?

I know about things like all the Big Alco Centuries gathered together at Mingo Junction..
but this seems different..
I can think of no logical reason for these particular four units to be seen together, at this particular time and place,
other than purposeful human intervention..

thoughts?

curious,
Scot

I believe most CR RS-11's were captive to a specific region.
Rochester, NY had 7600 - 7604 captive to the area locals for the most part.
I believe the ex LV units were used primarily in and around the Allentown area and
would be used on the train that ran from Allentown to Sayre, making the return trip back.

Here is a pic of them at "home"
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 63&nseq=61

BTW - they sure did sound nice.

Mike

Mike is correct. Caught the 7612, 7641, 7644 and 7610 at Sayre laying over on 28 May 1978. Other slides show various ex-LVRR RS11 units at Sayre E-M/1978.

Thanks Mike and TB..
well, even if certain units were assigned to certain areas..
it still seems likely that *these* units were probably assigned to *this* area based solely on the fact they were LV units!
or no?

Conrail had 64 RS11's..only 9 of those from the LV..
thats only 14% of the roster..
so if the assignments were truly random, you would expect maybe only one LV unit and three PC units..
not 4 LV units together!

all im saying is..it seems highly likely that someone's personal sentimentally played a role in getting these 4 LV RS11's together in Sayre in 1978..it *has* to be more than just pure coincidence!

or am I wrong?

Scot

Scott:

I doubt that you are wrong.

Just possibly the fact that the former LVRR mechanical personnel were so very familiar with these units may have had something to do with their assignment Allentown-Sayre.

ConRail Atlantic Region Susquehanna Division Special Bulletin over the signature of the General Foreman, Scranton Diesel Shop dated 20 June 1980 effective 27 June 1980 abolishes the remains of the Sayre mechanical force, citing "change in transportation action".

Am sure that the RS11 units were gone by that time. Can recall only GE and EMD units on ALCG & CGAL and on the Milliken coal trains on into the 1980s, but my coverage of these operations was limited to vacations back east after 09/1978.

Thanks TB..

Sayre shops were still being used for loco maintance in 1978?
I dont think I knew that..
I assumed Sayre was pretty much shut down on 4-1-76..
interesting..

By the time I first started paying attaention trains it was 1983..and the only thing Conrail was still using in Sayre was the sand tower..
maybe some fueling too..but thats it..the shops were abandoned.

Scot

Sayre was always a place to stop whenever I was making a trip to foam around Binghamton.
There were always ex LV "pups" working the yard, and the foot bridge almost always
had power parked below it. I can't recall exactly when all that came to an end, but it was nice while it lasted.
I'll have to look thru some old photo's and see if I can't determine how long it was an operating facility.

Conrail kept locos parked under the footbridge until about 1985..
it was still a minor sanding and fueling facility until then..
could usually find a small string of locos at the "engine terminal"

My first ever train photo, taken in 1983 (I was 14 years old) was of a GP30, still in Reading paint!
sitting at the engine terminal under the walkbridge..(taken with a 110 camera!

Then in 1986-87 the string of EL SDP45's sat on the tracks..no longer used as an operating terminal.
the sand tower was removed..

Then the walkbridge and everything else remaining was cleared out, summer of 1987.
that was the end of the Sayre engine terminal..

Now NS just keeps their standard string of three widecab dash-9's sitting out on the main tracks..
they still use the small crew office, next to the station.

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychao ... alkbridge/

(sorry a few of the photo links are dead..its because imageshack sucks..I am gradually moving all my photos over to smugmug..
I will update the walkbridge page eventually..)

I virtually LIVED at the Sayre station between 1984 and 1989..good times..
I still need to get better dates for all my photos..
all the dates exist in my original photo albums..which are currntly at the Sayre station..
I need to go through them and write a bunch of stuff down next time I am down that way..
thats why I only have years on my photos, and not exact dates..
(I have all my negatives..I scanned them..but no exact dates with the negs..)

Scot

The Sayre shops were closed effective 01 April 1976. The only activity remaining there was cleanup work, dismantling the various machines and packing items up for sale. The shop complex and everything in the structures remained the property of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Estate so far as I know. My uncle worked in the storehouse prior to CR and stayed on for a few months working for the estate packing material for shipment. The estate hired a private security firm to patrol the shop complex for several months after CR. Eventually, most of the buildings were leased out by the estate to various firms. Most of these had folded by the mid-1980s, however with the exception of the main rail car repair firm(s).

The mechanical people mentioned in the SB above were service track personnel.

For a time Sayre remained almost as usual after CR. The local down to Skinners Eddy even stayed on for several months (this usually had a ex-LVRR RS2/3 or a RS11 as power). The Milliken coal/salt train, SI-7/IS-8 still had a Sayre crew, too. In time, however, all crews went to Gang Mills if memory serves correctly.

Ottto: Drifted off subject but at least some of the info is relevant. Kindly excuse.

PJT

TB Diamond wrote:ConRail Atlantic Region Susquehanna Division Special Bulletin over the signature of the General Foreman, Scranton Diesel Shop dated 20 June 1980 effective 27 June 1980 abolishes the remains of the Sayre mechanical force, citing "change in transportation action".

Am sure that the RS11 units were gone by that time. Can recall only GE and EMD units on ALCG & CGAL and on the Milliken coal trains on into the 1980s, but my coverage of these operations was limited to vacations back east after 09/1978.

Yes, the RS11s were gone by 1980. Four were cut down to slugs in 1979 and the rest were scrapped.

Matt Langworthy wrote:
Yes, the RS11s were gone by 1980. Four were cut down to slugs in 1979 and the rest were scrapped.

Its been quite awhile since we have done a LV slug update..probably 6 years at least!

http://www.trainweb.org/gggrs/LVslug.html

Its the Five high-hood LV RS11's that were converted to slugs, the PRR units:

LV 7640 - CR MT4 slug 1023
LV 7641 - CR MT4 slug 1016
LV 7642 - CR MT4 slug 1015
LV 7643 - CR MT4 slug 1017
LV 7648 - CR MT4 slug 1013

We know 1023 still exisited in 1997, on the Ohio Central..
no signs of the others..

(Scot returns from about 15 minutes of googling)

I found 1023! (LV 7640)
It is now Juniata Terminal 8625.
http://www.trainweb.org/railpix/juniata2.html
photo from 2003..but odds are good that its still around..

I can find NO evidence for the others..probably all scrapped..

(I dont care that this thread is drifting..its perfectly fine..Otto, please dont split it or anything..)

thanks,
Scot

Taking this concept further..
Not only do we have four Ex-LV RS11's in Sayre in 1978..
how about a perfect string of Four unpainted ex-EL GP7's in Hornell in 1978!

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 64&nseq=30

coincidence? I dont think so!

Scot

Scott,

I also put up another photo of those RS-11's taken in front of the Sayre station.

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=2015895

Mike Stellpflug wrote:Scott,

I also put up another photo of those RS-11's taken in front of the Sayre station.

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=2015895

Thanks Mike, great shot!

man..I cant believe I missed scenes like that by only 5 years..
when you took that photo I was 9 years old and 3 miles away..
I took many many photos from that parking lot, and from the fire escape on the sayre station, walkbridge, etc..
but not until 1983..

oh well..

Scot