49 Years Old Today. The Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) was created on April 1, 1976 to bring together the passenger and freight service of 7 large railroad companies and their subsidiary corporations, and was ultimately privatized and purchased by CSX and Norfolk Southern in 1999, leaving the dual controlled Conrail Shared Assets to manage the sections kept separate to avoid giving one railroad an advantage in those areas. Celebrating this history is the most recent addition to the NJT Heritage Roster, Conrail Heritage Unit GP40PH-2B NJTR 4208 (ex-CR 3191, née-Penn Central 3191, EMD, GP40, 10/1968). The locomotive sits in the snow in Woodbine Yard in Spring Valley, New York in between runs on the night of January 19, 2025. Conrail operated passenger service for several agencies, including the MTA and NJ DOT (later NJ Transit) on the Pascack Valley Line from 1976-1983, though did not have any units painted in the signature blue color on this line.
Photos of the Pascack Valley Line. This railroad was built as the New Jersey and New York RR, falling under the control of Erie, Erie Lackawanna, Conrail and NJDOT before present passenger operator New Jersey Transit and freight carrier Norfolk Southern.
