The times, they are a-changin’ – South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania has undergone quite a bit of change since the late 1970’s, and this image captures the beginning of the change. The Bethlehem Steel complex, which dominated the South Bethlehem skyline for well over a century, is still running, but the glut of cheap foreign steel has taken its toll on production totals. The mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad has been slowly deteriorating due to the deferred maintenance policies of the postwar era. Newly-formed Conrail is now undertaking the task of rebuilding the line, and upgrading it as part of what will become the main New York – Harrisburg corridor. A pair of Alcos of Lehigh and Hudson River and Lehigh Valley heritage lead a local on a siding to bypass the construction work. Within a few years, the Alco’s will also be gone. The 2072 was the only of Conrail’s C420’sto receive Conrail blue paint. Done by the Bethlehem shop forces the paint was applied with a roller. I never heard the actual story, but local rumors suggest that CR management was not pleased with the misappropriation of paint for this project.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
