My dad was rail gang from around 76 to 95, conrail, he left conrail for CSX to become a conductor/engineer and he did it, was proud of him. But I always felt like despite becoming a engineer for CSX, he was most proud of his work as a rail gang member for Conrail, he kept a book with pictures of all the track they tore up and the new track they laid down. He would tell me how bad the rails had become before conrail and told me about all the guys that would get hurt, but their job was to try and fix all of that and he was very proud. When he was sick he left me a note and it pulls at my heart to this day but he got cancer and he put, the best day of my week was coming home to you kids on a Thursday or Friday but my worst was going back on the road on Sunday, he said it killed him being away from us when we were little but he didn't understand that I was super proud of him and still am to this day.

@@The_PaleHorseman Absolutely the rail gang was a very very hard job without those guys I couldn't turn wheels. Becoming a locomotive engineer is a lot of work... You have to know what you're doing and keep your head about yourself. It was a sad day when Norfolk Southern and CSX broke up Conrail. I will admit that it was the most fun job I ever had my entire life. CSX has changed quite a bit not for the good. Still a lot of hard-working people there but management this that and the other you know how it is. Some of my greatest stories and experiences were with Conrail and CSX. I do miss it.

@@308hit yes sir, he worked for em from 75ish to 2006 when he retired to the farm in Kentucky. I miss talkin to him about the rail road. I use to tell him when I was little I wanted to be like him and he would reply with "No son, I want you to go to school and be something better than what I do because I don't want you to get hurt." I am a jet engine mechanic now. A part of me I won't lie wants to just go and do it. I'm 36, no children of my own and it's just me. I love the road. I know you live by the phone with the crew callers calling at all hours and the 8 hour turn arounds, I know the signaling, I know it's hard ass work, but I wanna do it because he did. I had many that knew my dad call me crazy if I do it but I'm set to retire in a few more years and I would like to just do it just because. I had many tell me my dad would be heart broken to see what it has become. My dad was out of Ohio and Kentucky. Ohio with conrail, and Louisville with CSX.

I still have his old conrail quality hard hat

@@The_PaleHorseman When I left Conrail I started collecting everything and anything that was Conrail because believe it or not they had a place called The Conrail store. I had quite a vast collection I sold about half of it though I still got a bunch of stuff.

I have one of those hard hats from my pap. Rail gang as well.

My father started working for Southern Pacific out of Vietnam. He learned teletype after he got hurt and wanted to do another tour .He did teletype for SP until 84 then started running ahead of the train opening 3 trestles on the Oregon coast . he retired from up in 08 and was gone in 09 so the bloody nose was a big part of my childhood. I got to ride in engines and a caboose a few times the fact that they always started or ended there contact with my dad at the coos bay depot made it easy for Mr to convince him to ask if I could ride the train

Conrail was privately owned most of it's existence, nationalization would have been a disaster long term.

Dick Hasselman (RIP) was great too. He's sitting with Swanson

wrong

It actually did better after being privatized, so good that NS and CSX both fought to buy Conrail, eventually splitting it up. It survives still in New Jersey and in Michigan as a very busy switching operation.

They did it to their selfs,no moving with the times updating equipment and rails ,it was all on them,then they when crying to the government and got bailout on our money,like gm,Chrysler did during the recession, your billion dollar company's take care of your own companys,not on my dollar,