I live outside of Asheville North Carolina and have gone to the yard to watch Norfolk Southern move in and out of the yard. I was under the impression that after CSX and Norfolk Southern split up Conrail that NS would be using the reporting marks PRR for Conrail locomotives and rolling stock. The locomotives I have seen in pictures have these reporting marks. But the locomotives that I believe to be repainted Conrail locomotives according to rosters that I have looked at don’t have PRR as reporting marks they have NS as reporting marks. Some of these locomotives are older GP’s which I figured would have PRR reporting marks. I can understand some of the newer models having NS reporting marks. Can anyone tell me if they are still using the PRR reporting marks, and why the locomotives I believe to be ex-Conrail don’t have the PRR repoting marks? Iam sorry but I don’t have locomotive numbers to list. Thank you!!
NS & CSX used the PRR & NYC reporting marks to identify the equipment each would recieve out of the ConRail transaction prior to the actual effective date of the transaction. Once the tranaction closed, as the PRR or NYC equipment comes due for major shop attention or repainting the equipment is being given it ‘home road’ assigned numbers, NS for NS equipment and CSXT for CSX equipment. I suspect we will be seeing some cars with PRR and NYC reporting marks for several more years. I believe all locomotives from both carriers have been given their proper home road number at this point in time, while some locomotives may still retain their ConRail blue paint.
I remember seeing a very old, beat-up looking but still serviceable gon with yellow “NYC” markings at the Folkston (GA) Funnel, which is CSX.
But that’s just a matter of convenience, right? I mean, after filtering through nearly 30 years of Penn Central and Conrail, why should an NS engine be required to show “PRR”? Or a CSX loco “NYC”?
It isn’t a requirement, is it? Earlier on it was a convenience because the two systems that amalgamated (notice I don’t say ‘joined’) to form Penn Central had some different characteristics grandfathered in between one line to another: One example: I think the Central’s engines had cab signalling, or so I was told.
Besides, who couldn’t distinguish the occasional Jeep from NS’ obsession with DASH-series engines? You already know enough to impress your friends. If you believe the “PRR” or “NYC” s
NS got all the CR marks except NYC. All the frt cars going to CSX were restencilled “NYC”. The cars going to NS were left alone.
The locomotives, once they were “patched” and renumbered into NS and CSX system, were reported as NS and CSX.
There were PRR and NYC holding companies created to hold the ex-CR assets, but these have since been done away with and the assets folded into the parent company. This has nothing to do with reporting marks, however.
Tank you very much for the information that you provided for me. It was very helpful.