Railfanning with the Bednars, Part 11

Still in the grips of the recession, Conrail was looking for other alternatives to increase revenue and cut costs. With the trip west to find work on other railroads being a bust, Big Mike and the gang return to the land of Blues. Conrail began heavily promoting intermodal operations to increase revenue and further consolidated operations to cut costs.

While Conrail was never really conducive to the D&H’s operations, they tightened their stranglehold on the D&H by siphoning off as much traffic as possible. The combined D&H named trains became shorter and shorter. With very little traffic left and on the edge of bankruptcy, Guilford purchased the D&H in 1983. Their plan was to expand regional operations from New England to the Philadelphia and New York markets. Guilford control did little to improve the D&H operations and the expanded markets would never materialize. The D&H would eventually end up in bankruptcy.

In Volume 11 we return to the Lehigh Valley with Mike and the gang to railfan the changing operations of Conrail, the Guilford takeover of the D&H and a few excursions out of Jim Thorpe with former CNJ 1554 As usual, Big Mike provides his well known brand of humor. Narrated with commentary by Mike Bednar.