Classic Trains – Spring 2026 – Classic Trains

However, like Sanborn before him, Hagen recognized that grow- ing revenue strength rather than cost-cut- ting was the way to fortify Conrail. Both men directed programs in strategic plan- ning, customer service, new business ex- ploration, and safety. A student of history, Hagen broke molds, evoked change, and formed un- usual alliances to get the job done.

He in- cluded every employee, provided them opportunities, and sought input from all departments. His approach was com- pletely different from my early railroad experiences. As a result, the dissension within the ranks eventually crumbled. Hagen understood the men and ma- chines of railroading. He had worked for the Missouri Pacific, known for its orga- nization and training.

He then moved to the marketing department at Southern Railway. In 1974, he held a key but unen- viable position at the Federal Railroad Administration, where his job was to identify unprofitable lines and then man- age the resistance to their abandonment. Meanwhile, Claude Brinegar, then U.S. secretary of transportation, needed a rail- road operation and planning man to run the United States Railway Association, which had been charged with creating what would become Conrail.

Hagen was appointed. The USRA functioned as an investment bank, and it determined which lines would be shut down or merged in the wake of Penn Central. Hagen later served as Conrail’s senior vice president of marketing and sales and was also president and CEO of CSX’s Distribution Services unit. He knew how railroads work and what would make them profitable. As Hagen began to solve Conrail’s problems, his actions caught my atten- tion, instilling a commitment in me for safety.

“If you can’t do it safe, don’t do it,” was Conrail’s mantra. It was very unusual for a railroad chairman to endorse such a slogan, but he respected our ability to think and gave us voice. It was not an ex- cuse to stop working; it was empower- ment to succeed. It wasn’t dictated; it was negotiated with others one came to trust. Hagen trusted us to do our work as well as he was doing his.

He earned our respect by providing a platform to hear, share, and challenge ideas.

Head End A potpourri of railroad history 14 Book Reviews What’s new in publications 16 True Color Roosevelt Road in ‘73 64 Passenger Perspective Roomettes 66 Th e Way It Was CN suburban tank engines 70 Classics Today Finding Conrail history 75 Looking Back No. 81’s last regular run 30 If you can’t do it safe, don’t do it BY PETER DOLAN A personal perspective on the history of Conrail’s safety policy 38 Conrail April 1, 1976 A system map of the railroad’s predecessors on the fi rst day of its existence 40 The many pieces of Conrail BY BRIAN SCHMIDT Strengthening Northeast Railroading by combining competitor’s lines 48 F units, Centennials, and a stick shift BY STEVE GLISCHINSKI A 1980 trip west fi lled with more adventure than two railfans had in mind 56 A Pennsy steam memory BY JACK SWANBERG An unsung L1 2-8-2 gets its due thanks to a supportive dad 58 The Wreck of Cana- dian National No. 5 BY KEN CHRYSLER More than 80 years later, this 1945 mystery is still unsolved On our cover Conrail 6386 on train OIPI-6, rounds Horse- shoe Curve on a fall day in 1995 Scott A.

Hartley Classic Trains (ISSN 1527-0718, USPS 019-502) is published quarterly in January (Spring), April (Summer), July (Fall) and October (Winter) by Firecrown Media Inc., 405 Cherry Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Periodicals postage paid at Chattanooga, TN and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Classic Trains, PO Box 850, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. 4 CLASSIC TRAINS SPRING 2026 Welcome From the editor Spring is considered the season of re- newal and rebirth, which seems particular- ly appropriate for acknowledging the 50th anniversary of Conrail.

Launched in 1976 and now gone longer than it lasted, Conrail was created by the Federal government in an attempt to rescue railroading in the Northeast. It was a rebirth for a group of once mighty railroads that had struggled fi – nancially for decades due to the collapse of regional manufacturing, overbuilt net- works, and an uneven playing fi eld when competing with the trucking in- dustry.

Brian Solomon touches upon the signifi cance of this event and its lasting mark on railroad history in his article on page 18, and former edi- tor, Brian Schmidt, provides a glimpse of just how far the mighty had fallen before Conrail in his photo essay on predecessor lines on page 40.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Title: –
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• ISBN: 9204377623, 5094885936, 4107522490
• Pages: 77
• Language: English (en)

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