Re: PC: Goodby Conrail

["NEW HAVEN U25B" <ERIE-LACKAWANNA@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Conwreck may be gone, but the damage they did can be seen all over with
track-less rights of ways where trains ran endlessly. And it is Conwreck who
damaged the Maybrook Line ripping up the entire line west of the
Poughkeepsie Bridge. Conwreck was a backwards thinking railroad who always
throughr they could run trains better with less lines, something that failed
and needed the bailing out of CSX and NS to keep the remaining 1100 mile
system going before they go bankrupt. CSX very well turn out be an extension
of CR and start ripping up where CR left off. CSX may become CSX=ConSal for
Consolidated Salvage Corporation

----- Original Message -----
From: <NYC4600 -AT- aol.com>
To: <penn-central -AT- smellycat.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 1999 5:30 PM
Subject: Re: PC: Goodby Conrail


> Well, it's finally gone - yes, after 23 years, 2 months and enough
> abandonments that will never be forgotten - Conrail's operation of the
> ex-PRR, NYC, EL, LV, NH and other northeastern railroads, is over.
>
> I for one, am glad that Conrail is finally gone.  I'm a New York Central
fan,
> and welcome CSX, as if it were the NYC.  Of course CSX, Conrail, PC or any
> other railroad that ran, runs, or will run ex-New York Central lines, can
> never be as great as the old NYC was, CSX has a chance to get close to it.
> In fact, I regret that CSX is not getting more of the old NYC than they
are.
> It would be great to see an even split with NS getting the entire old PRR
and
> CSX getting the entire old NYC, but it aint happening that way as we all
know.
>
> Regarding the line abandonments, it is obvious now that CR was going WAY
over
> the line.  Prior to serious talks about the split of CR, Conrail had
planned
> on selling the Syracuse, NY - Montreal "Montreal Secondary."  CR's line
> abandonments had gotten severely outrageous.  I have heard nothing about
CSX
> having any plans on selling the line thankfully, so at least that much of
the
> old NYC will stay under one umbrella.  After all, CSX is probably glad
they
> have the line - from a railroad that didnt even extend into New York
State,
> to a route directly to Montreal.  Northern New York State once had quite a
> bit of New York Central lines, and as of yesterday Conrail only owned and
> operated the old Water Level Route and the Montreal Secondary which is
mainly
> made up of the ex-NYC St. Lawrence Division.  I mean, it's one thing to
> abandon or sell off a small branchline here and there that serves barely
any
> businesses, and costs more to operate than the line makes, but the
Montreal
> Secondary - I dont think so.
>
> I have quite a bit of memories of CR of my own, but I'm glad it's gone.
Some
> may say "but CR saved the old Water Level Route", and to that I say one
> thing.  In doing so, to obviously acheive the goal of a single New
> York-Chicago line, they destroyed more of the northeastern rail system
than
> PC did.  Now let's wait and see what CSX and NS hold for the lines that
once
> carried the proud trains of the New York Central, Pennsylvania, Erie,
> Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, Lehigh Valley, New Haven Railroads, and
all
> the other beloved railroads that are now but memories.
>
> Good bye Conrail, and I hope your ending means more trains and better
service
> for a region that has been without railroad competition for too long.
>
> John W.
>