The CSX Conrail Heritage Locomotive leads CSX I026 northbound past the RJ Corman engine house on July 18th, 2024, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision as they make their daily run to Chicago, Illinois. Next to the engine house is RJC Genset 2698.
According to a CSX Press Release: July 22, 2023 – CSX has unveiled the fourth locomotive in its series of custom paint designs that honor its heritage railroads. The latest in the series commemorates the Consolidated Rail Corporation, or Conrail, and bears the number 1976, the year the railroad was founded.
CSX and Norfolk Southern acquired and divided most of the Conrail network in 1997. Today, the company continues to exist as a terminal and switching railroad for CSX and NS customers in North Jersey-New York City metro area.
The Conrail paint scheme of a double-lined C inside a large, bold Q was a fixture for many years across the Northeast where the majority of the railroad’s operations were centered. The heritage locomotive design conceived and executed at CSX’s locomotive shop in Waycross, Georgia, recreates the iconic “Conrail Quality” logo and features Conrail blue on the rear two-thirds of the engine, then transitions to the current CSX colors and design on the cab portion of the unit.
CSX 1976 and other locomotives in the heritage series will be placed into revenue service and travel CSX’s 20,000 rail network, reinforcing employee pride in the history of the railroad that continues to move the nation’s economy with safe, reliable and sustainable rail-based transportation services.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 100.