A    D A Y    W I T H    C O N R A I L    E 8    4 0 2 2


Click on the underlined words for accompanying pictures

When I discovered that the rumor of Conrail E8 4022 had been sold I went directly to the top, Eric and Bennett Levin. To my disbelief, both confirmed that the only surviving Conrail Office Car Special locomotive remaining in full Conrail dress was soon to become another memory. I quickly arranged for a visit and within hours I was standing next to what I will always consider the most beautiful locomotive ever.

It is amazing what effects the elements and time can have on a piece of equipment. Fortunately, even after sitting silent for over five years this beauty is as charming as the last day she pulled the Executive fleet. When you get up close and personal with her, it is easy to see the pride she still has in the name she bears.

I wanted to share this experience with as many people as I could, however only a few could join me. Naturally, a beautiful girl and a beautiful engine go hand in hand so I had to bring April along to share the experience! I was also accompanied by two good friends; fellow CRHS member, and OCS nut Brock Kerchner and Ryan Emrick

After gathering up the courage and composure to finally climb aboard, I took some shots from the cab while Brock and Ryan imagined themselves on the main!

It still really didn't set in that I was finally with my beloved engine until I noticed the "4022 E-8" decal on the cab wall! A few more interior cab shots were taken, various controls can be seen, along with the air horn rope and throttle, along with this nifty shot of the 4022 in the 4022.

The view from in the nose is quite impressive. The massive headlight housing dwarfs the lights used to illuminate the numberboards! One more look out the cab and then we discovered the original Non-Complying Locomotive Slip filled out upon departure from CSX in 2001.

I was excited to see this locomotive from an angle few will ever have the opportunity to see it from so, camera in hand, I was headed for the heart of this beauty! The sight and smell inside this classic EMD I will never forget. There was so much to see inside! Water and Fuel relay panel, and there was more electrical cabinets towards the rear of the engine.

Imagine a consist under power hammering a set of crossovers at track speed while you're trying to relieve yourself! And how about this? A spare horn in case one is lost mid-trip??

When this picture was taken, it became clearly visible that ALOT of Conrail Blue remains clearly visible on the 4022! It's amazing to stand and look at something that quite simply hasn't been for 25 years! What is even more dramatic is looking at all of the, yep you guessed it, Erie Lackawanna paint that bears through! More Blue paint is visible on the rear door. Now granted, the OCS fleet was indeed pampered by Conrail however some areas of damage do exist unfortunately.

I thought this shot was rather intriguing! Through the Executive green, you can also see Conrail Blue, add to that a PRR reflection and it's hard to tell this unit has Erie heritage.

I was blessed to have unlimited access to the unit, and if I could I just would have spent the night in the cab. That excursion is coming up though! Between the four of us, I believe we covered every angle, including the roof! Brock was like a kid in a candy store, we just couldn't get him off the roof. You could tell from the look on his face though, he was on top of the world.

Eric took us around back to look at the one single piece of equipment that weighed so heavily on their decision to part with the 4022. This is ex-Amtrak turned B&O museum, now JTFS 36. This unit will serve as a parts source for the former Conrail 4020 and 4021 should it be needed.

Even though we didn't want to leave, we said our "see you next times" and climbed back aboard our Executive power. The ride home was filled with smiles and stories! We only had one stop signal as we departed Juniata Terminal, the rest of the way was nothing but green highballs.

Thanks to the great friends who shared this trip with me, and the friends that made it possible. I'll never forget the one on one time I was fortunate enough to have shared with the 4022.

So long good friend... I'll see you on the return trip


M Y    L A S T    D A Y    W I T H    C O N R A I L    E 8    4 0 2 2

On March 28, 2007 at about 10:30pm I was informed that the 4022 would be shipped out of Camden, NJ for her new owner in less than 24 hours. I loaded up my belongings, made a few very quick phone calls and the following morning stood one last time before Conrail E8 4022. Only this time, as opposed to my last visit three months earlier some things had changed.

The 4022 was definately a unique looking locomotive this time around. Complete with new numberboards and decals the 833 was ready for departure from the Pavonia Diesel shop in Camden, NJ.

Looking at the unit head on, you can see the "CONRAIL" lettering on the nose has been "removed" if you will. Attempts to cover the markings on the sides of the locomotive have also been made. Fortunately, a can of hastily applied green spray paint cannot cover the heritage of this beauty very long! I was thankful that the new owner just ran out of paint by the time he reached here!

Joining me on this spur of the moment trip were fellow CRHS members Sean McDonnell and Brock Kerchner. Take note of the 4022's logo reflecting off of his safety glasses! Between the three of us, we managed to lens close to 1,000 photos of the unit.

Amazingly, during our cab time we witnessed something that wasn't discovered during our last trip in December! The original road number decals were still located inside the cab in four different locations! Conrail shop forces simply painted over 833 when the locomotive was acquired by Conrail in 1976!

We enjoyed a few hours of cab time. You could tell there were no complaints from Sean in the seat or while inspecting the beast from inside! I managed to capture this neat shot from inside the 4022 looking out. Would have been neat if a Blue unit was looking at us!

Another unique story to be told about our trip was the AEI tag given to the new 833 as it departed Pavonia. These tags are recycled and re-used all the time. Conrail 4022 departed Pavonia as the new NYGL 833 under the former tags of Conrail 8146.

It was hard to reallize this would most likely be the last time I would visit with the 'ol girl in her Conrail dress, so I spent a few minutes making sure I burnt the images from this day into my heart and mind. It was a few minutes later that found myself smiling, hoping that someday, she would find her way back home to Conrail Country.

All photographs taken on March 29, 2007 were taken with full written permission while on Conrail property. I owe a special thank you to Eric Levin for allowing us to visit the facilities in Philadelphia and Camden as well as allowing me to photograph, and share those images with you here.
All images Copyright © December 2006 and March 2007 Kristopher M. Klemick




Contact Me                         Back to the home page