Big, black, busy... And bankrupt.
No, these were not the glory years

The much anticipated and long delayed merger of the Pennsylvania and New York Central in 1968, with the addition of the New Haven in 1969, was not to be a panacea for northeastern railroading. Instead, America's largest bankruptcy resulted in 1970, and soon Penn Central was losing $2 million every three days. The eight year saga came to a merciful end with Conrail's creation in 1976.

In 1968 there were eight daily trains from Pittsburgh to Philly and New York; commuter trains operated as far as Chatham NY, and heavy freights paraded along the mains behind an assortment of modern and vintage diesel and electric power. Locations visited range from the GG-1 washer at Sunnyside yard to Federal Street in Pittsburgh (120 freights daily); Syracuse to Oak Harbor; Chicago to Columbus and many more. Films of a half dozen photographers help us look back to an important transition period -one filled with more variety and excitement than we perhaps remember.