Penn Central F Units in Alliance

Penn Central F7A No. 1772 leads an eastbound passing through Alliance on Feb. 18, 1973. This train is headed for Bayard and then east. It is about to cross the Fort Wayne Line.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

U Boat North of Alliance

Here is an image made north of Alliance. Conrail U23B No. 2710 leads an eastbound on Oct. 15, 1983. The unit was built for Penn Central in August 1972.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Penn Central Helpers in Alliance

Penn Central FP7A No. 4333 and GP9 No. 7337 are helpers on a westbound freight leaving Alliance on July 9, 1972. Helpers were often needed to help trains up the hill from Conway Yard near Pittsburgh to CP Wood and on up to a cut about two miles west of Wood. Many trains could have made this jaunt without help, but helper locomotives kept them moving faster on the busy Fort Wayne Line. The 7337 was built in December 1956 for the New York Central

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Winter Day in Alliance

The 14N (left), 170 and an eastbound intermodal in Alliance.

Train 170 heading west.

Train 64N on the Alliance runner.

Train 6K4 taking the Cleveland single.  It would get a new crew about 7 p.m. then reverse back onto the mainline to continue east.

Last Saturday (Feb. 5) I spent the day in Alliance.

Upon arriving I found an eastbound intermodal sitting on Track No. 1 and another eastbound moving slowly on Track No. 2.

The reason for this soon became apparent as train 14N was sitting on Track 1 blocking every railroad crossing in town. It had broken several air hoses and had gone into emergency. 

Also sitting on Track 2 east of town was the 170 waiting to go west.  The slowly moving EB train was taking the runner track, a long siding for parking trains, to get around the 170.

After about an hour, the 14N was able to get moving and continue east; However it would need a new crew before reaching Conway.

Once the 14N cleared, the 170 was able to continue west. The 170 takes the Fort Wayne line to Canton and 14N was blocking his move.

The 170 crew was also on short time and ended up tying down at Freshley Road west of town.

Other trains had backed up behind the 14N including 64N an oil or ethanol train.

This train then took the Alliance runner previously used by the intermodal and tied down to wait for a  new crew. 

A little later train 6K4, another oil or ethanol, took the Cleveland single and tied down on the Mahoning siding south of town. 

An empty coal train came an hour or so later, which picked up this crew.  The 6K4 had a GP38-3 leading some Canadian National engines, which was interesting.

Another train that I had hoped to get was the 171 which had the Virginian heritage unit.  Alas it sat in Canton all afternoon before getting a new crew and going through Alliance about 5 p.m.  I had left by then. 

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

Coming Through Alliance

It is August 1998 in Alliance. Conrail C40-8W No. 6208 is curving east off the Cleveland Line to head to Conway Yard in Pennsylvania via the Fort Wayne Line. The train is passing two helpers waiting in the small former Pennsylvania Railroad yard in Alliance.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Nose to Nose With a Detroit Edison U30C

Detroit Edison U30C No. 007 is on the Penn Central mainline in Alliance on July 9, 1972. DE locomotives were a common sight in Northeast Ohio into the early 1990s.

DE was one of four utility companies to acquire its own fleet of locomotives to haul coal trains to their power plants.

In the case of DE, it purchased U30C and SD40 locomotives. In all, DE has 22 locomotives, which wore a blue and silver livery.

The fleet lasted for more than 30 years with several of the units acquired by locomotive leasing companies after DE retired them.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

More Conrail in Alliance Action

Conrail B36-7 No. 5019 is rolling a westbound intermodal train through Alliance in June 1986. The unit was built for Conrail in November 1983 and would for a time join the Norfolk Southern motive power roster before finding duties working for two foreign railroads.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Alco, EMD and GE Motive Power in Alliance

How is this for a motive power consist? There are Alco, GE and EMD units pulling this Penn Central westbound train in Alliance in August 1972. The lead unit, PC 6300 is an Alco C628. A  GE U33B is also in the motive power lineup. Of note in the background is a transfer caboose and a Burlington boxcar.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Portrait of a Conrail Geep

CR 8150 is in Alliance on Oct. 14, 1988. The GP38-2 was built in 1973 for Penn Central. It was not among the locomotives rebuilt by Conrail.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Conrail Eastbound in Alliance

Conrail B23-7 No. 1992 leads an eastbound in Alliance on Aug. 22, 1988. The unit was built in July 1979 and later wound up on the roster of the Fore River Transportation Company in eastern Massachusetts.

Photograph by Robert Farkas