Fallen Flags in the 90s, Volume 9

The 1990s saw multiple changes in railroad operations that were to take place in the next decade. Most of the regional railroads were acquired by the larger conglomerates. You’ll see the Southern Pacific Construction Services prepare the road bed for fiber-optic cable along Conrail tracks near Springfield Ohio. See a work train led by two former Illinois Central Paducah rebuilt GP 10s with frog eye headlights.

The Grand Trunk (former Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad) was in the process of being taken over by the Canadian National. Later, the Indiana and Ohio took over a major portion of the spun off Grand Trunk trackage in Ohio. Amtrak made a public relations trip from Cleveland to Cincinnati along the 3-C Corridor, see this special roll through Springfield Ohio.

This program shows clean and well kept locomotives and cars without Graffiti, this will all change in the next decade. See a short slide show of the DT&I’s Bi-Centennial red, white and blue painted locomotive. Even though it started its career as DT&I power, it was never painted in the familiar Orange and Black paint scheme, it was repainted into the stock Grand Trunk blue and red and white GT noodle livery and re-numbered #228. Later as more orange DT&I units were absorbed into the Grand Trunk, the number “6” was added to the front of all DT&I 3 digit engine numbers, so that #228 became #6228. After the GT repaint, you’ll see a Modern Railroading DT&I decal affixed to the flanks of this locomotive. The decal fell off when the engine was washed, then a white lettered DT&I was painted in its place. Later, the GT wet noodle replaced the DT&I lettering.