Consolidated Rail Corporation
Reporting marks	CSAO, formerly CR
Locale	three separate networks, in the Detroit, MI, Philadelphia, PA, and Newark, NJ areas
Dates of operation	April 1, 1976 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Philadelphia, PA

Conrail 6114, a GE Dash 8-40CW, leads a train westbound out of Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Conrail (AAR reporting mark CSAO), officially the Consolidated Rail Corporation, is an American railroad company. It operates three networks - the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia and Detroit Shared Assets Areas, where it serves as a local carrier and switching company for CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. This arrangement is often referred to as Conrail Shared Assets Operations, the basis of the current reporting mark. Image File history File links Conrail Herald Heralds are logos or slogans used by railroad companies and displayed on their equipment. ... The following are reporting marks assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to rail carriers operating in North America and the companies (railroads and rail equipment owners/operators) to which they were assigned. ... This article is actively undergoing a major edit. ... This article refers to the largest city of Pennsylvania. ... Skyline of downtown Newark as seen from the Newark Bay Bridge. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... This article refers to the largest city of Pennsylvania. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x708, 102 KB) Conrail 6114 leads a train westbound out of Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1993. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x708, 102 KB) Conrail 6114 leads a train westbound out of Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1993. ... Conrail 6114, a Dash 8-40CW, leads a train westbound out of Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1993. ... Altoona is a city located in Blair County, Pennsylvania. ... Categories: Organization stubs | Rail transport | Industry trade groups ... The following are reporting marks assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to rail carriers operating in North America and the companies (railroads and rail equipment owners/operators) to which they were assigned. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... The North Jersey Shared Assets Area is one of three railroad networks operated by Conrail on behalf of CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. ... The South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Area is one of three networks operated by Conrail on behalf of CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. ... CSX Transportation (AAR reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by CSX Corporation. ... The Norfolk Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark NS), usually called Norfolk Southern, is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. ...

Conrail (AAR reporting mark CR) was formed on April 1, 1976 as a federally-funded takeover of the major railroad companies in the Northeast, all of which were financially failing. Against all predictions, Conrail managed to turn a profit, and on August 22, 1998 (the Control Date), most of Conrail's track was split between two newly-formed Conrail subsidiary limited liability companies - 42% to New York Central Lines, to be operated by CSX, and 58% to Pennsylvania Lines, to be operated by Norfolk Southern. (The names were chosen because of the former owners of the main lines west from New Jersey/New York City into Ohio, the New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad.) Conrail continued to operate its former system until June 1, 1999 (Day One, the Closing Date or the Split Date). The three shared assets areas were kept to avoid giving one railroad an advantage in those areas. Categories: Organization stubs | Rail transport | Industry trade groups ... The following are reporting marks assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to rail carriers operating in North America and the companies (railroads and rail equipment owners/operators) to which they were assigned. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States of America defined by the US Census Bureau. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A Limited liability company (denoted by L.L.C. or LLC) is a type of legal entity which has only relatively recently been made possible to establish in the United States and many other, mainly anglophone, countries. ... 1900 map The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting mark NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... State nickname: The Garden State Official languages None defined Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Acting, Outgoing Jon Corzine (D) (Governor-Elect) Senators Jon Corzine (D) (Outgoing) Bob Menendez (D) (named as Corzines replacement) Frank Lautenberg (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 47th 22,608 km² 14. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, and the most densely populated major city in North America. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Official languages None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Governor Bob Taft (R) Senators Mike DeWine (R) George V. Voinovich (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 34th 116,096 km² 8. ... 1918 map The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting mark NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Current operations

The three areas still owned by Conrail are known as Conrail Shared Assets Operations, and use the current reporting mark CSAO. The following are reporting marks assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to rail carriers operating in North America and the companies (railroads and rail equipment owners/operators) to which they were assigned. ...

History

Pre-history: 1973-1976

In the years leading to 1973, the freight railroad system of the U.S. was collapsing. Even after the government-funded Amtrak took over intercity passenger service in 1971, railroad companies continued to lose money. The giant Penn Central Transportation, formed in 1968 by the merger of the New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad (and supplemented in 1969 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad), went bankrupt in 1970. Under Judge John P. Fullam, the bankrupt company threatened in mid-1973 to end all operations by the end of the year if they did not receive government aid by October 1, as otherwise it would have to liquidate. Congress quickly came up with a bill to nationalize the bankrupt railroads. The Association of American Railroads, which opposed nationalization, submitted an alternate proposal for a government-funded private company. Fullam kept the company operating into 1974, when, on January 2, after threatening a veto, President Nixon signed the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 into law. The 3R Act, as it was called, provided interim funding to the bankrupt railroads and defined a new Consolidated Rail Corporation under the AAR's plan. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Amtrak, is the trademark name of the intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971 in the United States. ... Inter-city rail services are train services which cover larger distances than commuter trains. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... The Penn Central Transportation Company, normally called Penn Central, was an American railroad company, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and formed by the merger on February 1, 1968 of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad; the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was added to the merger... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1918 map The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting mark NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (AAR reporting mark NH) was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... Liquidation, or winding up, refers to a business whose assets are converted to money in order to pay off debt. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... Categories: Organization stubs | Rail transport | Industry trade groups ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The word veto comes from Latin and literally means I forbid. ... Order: 37th President Vice President: Spiro Agnew (1969–1973), Gerald R. Ford (1973–1974) Term of office: January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974 Preceded by: Lyndon B. Johnson Succeeded by: Gerald R. Ford Date of birth: January 9, 1913 Place of birth: Yorba Linda, California Date of death: April 22... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

The 3R Act also formed the United States Railway Association, another government corporation, taking over the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission with respect to allowing the bankrupt railroads to abandon unprofitable lines. The USRA was incorporated February 1, 1974, and Edward G. Jordan, an insurance executive from California, was named president on March 18 by Nixon. Arthur D. Lewis of Eastern Airlines was appointed chairman April 30, and the rest of the board was named May 30 and sworn in July 11. A government corporation or government-owned corporation is a legal entity created by a government to exercise some of the powers of the government. ... The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC; 1887 - 1995) was a government regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of potential financial loss. ... State nickname: The Golden State Official languages English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 4. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... For the Chinese airline, see China Eastern Airlines. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ...

Under the 3R Act, the USRA was to create a Final System Plan to decide which lines should be included in the new Consolidated Rail Corporation. Unlike most railroad consolidations, only the designated lines were to be taken over; the others were to remain with the old companies along with non-rail related properties. The plan was unveiled July 26, 1975, consisting of lines from Penn Central and six other companies - the Ann Arbor Railroad {bankrupt 1973), Erie Lackawanna Railway (1972), Lehigh Valley Railroad (1970), Reading Company (1971), Central Railroad of New Jersey (1967) and Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (1972). Controlled railroads and jointly owned railroads such as Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines were also included (see list of railroads transferred to Conrail for a full list). It was approved by Congress on November 9, and on February 5, 1976 President Ford signed the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, which included this Final System Plan, into law. July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The Ann Arbor Railroad (AAR reporting mark AA) is an American railroad that operates between Ann Arbor, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Erie Lackawanna Railroad (AAR reporting mark EL) was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1884 map of the Pennsylvania, Reading and Lehigh Valley Railroads The Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company (AAR reporting mark LV) was incorporated April 21, 1846 in Pennsylvania. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1923 map The Reading Company (AAR reporting mark RDG), usually called the Reading Railroad, and officially known as the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... alternate logo The Central Railroad Company of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines, or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeast. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR) was the smallest of the six component railroads that were merged into Conrail. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL) was a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad in southern New Jersey. ... The Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) was formed on April 1, 1976 not by a standard merger, but as a new government corporation that took over only designated lines and other rail-related assets from the existing bankrupt companies. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. ... The United States Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Act of 1976, funded the reorganized bankrupt Northeast and Midwest railroads that formed Conrail in 1975. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The 1975 Final System Plan left major parts of the Erie Lackawanna Railway and Reading Company out of Conrail.

The Erie Lackawanna had been formed in 1960 as a merger of the Erie Railroad and Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. It too was bankrupt, but was somewhat stronger financially than the others. It was ruled reorganizable under Chapter 77 on April 30, 1974 (as had the Boston and Maine Railroad), but on January 9, 1975, with no end to its losses in sight, its trustees reconsidered and asked for inclusion. The Final System Plan assigned a major section of the EL, from northern New Jersey west to northeast Ohio, to be sold to the Chessie System, which would help spur competition in Conrail's territory. Chessie however could not reach an agreement with EL labor unions, and in February 1976 announced that it would not be buying the EL section. The USRA hurriedly assigned large amounts of trackage rights to the Delaware and Hudson Railway, allowing it to compete to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC markets. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1923x1440, 308 KB) The plan for Conrail from the 1975 Conrail Final System Plan. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1923x1440, 308 KB) The plan for Conrail from the 1975 Conrail Final System Plan. ... The Erie Lackawanna Railroad (AAR reporting mark EL) was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. ... 1923 map The Reading Company (AAR reporting mark RDG), usually called the Reading Railroad, and officially known as the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Erie Railroad (AAR reporting mark ERIE) was a railroad that operated in New York State, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, connecting New York City with Lake Erie, and extending west to Cleveland, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. ... The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company (DL&W or Lackawanna) (AAR reporting mark DLW) was a railroad connecting Pennsylvanias Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to New York City, Buffalo and Oswego, New York. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... The Boston & Maine (B&M) was the dominant railroad of the northern United States for a century. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... State nickname: The Garden State Official languages None defined Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Acting, Outgoing Jon Corzine (D) (Governor-Elect) Senators Jon Corzine (D) (Outgoing) Bob Menendez (D) (named as Corzines replacement) Frank Lautenberg (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 47th 22,608 km² 14. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Official languages None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Governor Bob Taft (R) Senators Mike DeWine (R) George V. Voinovich (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 34th 116,096 km² 8. ... The Chessie System was a holding company that operated three American railroads, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), and the Western Maryland Railway (WM), from 1972 until 1987, when the B&O and C&O were merged into CSX Transportation. ... Competition is the act of striving against another force for the purpose of achieving dominance or attaining a reward or goal, or out of a biological imperative such as survival. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... A union station or union terminal is a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them. ... ... Independence Hall, as it appears today. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

On the other hand, the State of Michigan decided to keep the full Ann Arbor Railroad, of which Conrail would only run the southernmost portion, operational. Michigan bought it and the whole line was operated by Conrail for several years until it was sold to a short line. State nickname: The Wolverine State, The Great Lakes State Other U.S. States Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) Senators Carl Levin (D) Debbie Stabenow (D) Official languages English de-facto Area 250,941 km² (11th)  - Land 147,255 km²  - Water 103,687 km² (41. ... The Ann Arbor Railroad (AAR reporting mark AA) is an American railroad that operates between Ann Arbor, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. ... A short line is an independent railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance. ...

A large system becomes profitable: 1976-1997

Conrail was incorporated in Delaware on October 25, 1974, and operations began April 1, 1976. The theory was that if the service was improved through increased capital investment, the economic basis of the railroad would be improved. Although Conrail's government-funded rebuilding of the heavily run-down railroad infrastructure and rolling stock it inherited from its six bankrupt predecessors succeeded by the end of the 1970s in improving the physical condition of tracks, locomotives and freight cars, the fundamental economic regulatory issues remained, and Conrail continued to post losses of as much as $1 million a day. Conrail management, recognizing the need for more regulatory freedoms to address the economic issues, were among the parties lobbying for what became the Staggers Act of 1980, which significantly loosened the Interstate Commerce Commission's rigid economic control of the rail industry. This allowed Conrail and other carriers the opportunity to become profitable and strengthen their finances, primarily by increasing rates and abandoning unprofitable lines. Conrail began turning a profit by 1981, the result of the Staggers Act freedoms and its own managerial improvements. The Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 relieved Conrail of its requirement to provide commuter service on the Northeast Corridor, further improving its finances. A Delaware corporation is a corporation chartered in the state of Delaware in the United States. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Definition Investment or investing is a term with several closely-related meanings in finance and economics. ... A railroad car (or, more briefly, car), also known as an item of rolling stock in British parlance, is a vehicle on a railroad or railway that is not a locomotive - one that provides another purpose than purely haulage, although some types of car are powered. ... The 1970s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1970 and 1979. ... A locomotive (from lat. ... A railroad car (or, more briefly, car), also known as an item of rolling stock in British parlance, is a vehicle on a railroad or railway that is not a locomotive - one that provides another purpose than purely haulage, although some types of car are powered. ... The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 deregulated the railroad industry to a significant extent, replacing the regulatory structure that existed since the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC; 1887 - 1995) was a government regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... Most of the NEC is owned by Amtrak (those sections shown in red). ...

Conrail caboose 18065 brings up the rear of a local freight passing Porter, Indiana, in the early 1990s.

After considerable debate in Congress, the Conrail Privatization Act of 1986 was signed into law by President Reagan on October 21, 1986. The largest initial public offering in US history came on March 26, 1987 when Conrail's stock, worth $1.9 billion, was sold to private investors. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1146x598, 101 KB)Conrail transfer caboose 18065 passing through Porter, Indiana. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1146x598, 101 KB)Conrail transfer caboose 18065 passing through Porter, Indiana. ... Two cupola cabooses, a transfer caboose and a bay window caboose in Ohio. ... Porter is a town located in Porter County, Indiana. ... The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Order: 40th President Term of Office: January 20, 1981–January 20, 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: February 6, 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: June 5, 2004 Place of death: Los Angeles, California First Lady: Nancy Reagan Political... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In financial markets, an initial public offering (IPO) is the first sale of a companys common shares to public investors. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Breakup and shared assets: 1997-present

With Conrail's increasing success, two eastern rail competitors of Conrail engaged in a takeover battle to control the railroad and expand their systems. In 1997, however, the two railroads, CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway, struck a compromise agreement to jointly acquire Conrail and split most of its assets between them. The buyout was approved by the Surface Transportation Board (successor agency to the Interstate Commerce Commission) and took place on August 22, 1998. The lines were transferred to two newly-formed limited liability companies, to be subsidiaries of Conrail but leased to CSX and NS, respectively New York Central Lines (NYC) and Pennsylvania Lines (PRR). The NYC and PRR reporting marks, which had passed to Conrail, were also transferred to the new companies, and NS also acquired the CR reporting mark. Operations under CSX and NS began June 1, 1999. 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CSX Transportation (AAR reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by CSX Corporation. ... The Norfolk Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark NS), usually called Norfolk Southern, is a major Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Surface Transportation Board (STB) was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was destroyed. ... The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC; 1887 - 1995) was a government regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A Limited liability company (denoted by L.L.C. or LLC) is a type of legal entity which has only relatively recently been made possible to establish in the United States and many other, mainly anglophone, countries. ... 1900 map The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting mark NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... The following are reporting marks assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to rail carriers operating in North America and the companies (railroads and rail equipment owners/operators) to which they were assigned. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

As the names indicated, NYC acquired the former New York Central Railroad main line from New York City and Boston, Massachusetts to Cleveland, Ohio, and the former Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (NYC Big Four) line to Indianapolis, Indiana (continuing west to East St. Louis, Illinois on a former Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (PRR Panhandle Route) line), while PRR got the former Pennsylvania Railroad main line and Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad from Jersey City, New Jersey to Cleveland, and the rest of the former NYC main line west to Chicago, Illinois. Thus the Conrail "X" was neatly split in two, CSX getting one diagonal from Boston to St. Louis and NS the other from New York to Chicago. The two lines cross at a bridge southeast of downtown Cleveland (41.447° N 81.627° W), where the former Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad crosses over the NYC's former Cleveland Short Line Railway around the south side of Cleveland. 1918 map The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting mark NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, and the most densely populated major city in North America. ... For other uses of Boston, see Boston (disambiguation) Boston is the capital and largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. ... City nickname: The Forest City Location Location in Cuyahoga County, Ohio Government County Cuyahoga Mayor Jane L. Campbell; Frank G. Jackson (mayor-elect) Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 213. ... The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. ... City nickname: Circle City, Indy, Naptown Location Location in the state of Indiana Government County Marion Mayor Bart Peterson Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 953. ... East St. ... The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... Jersey City is a city located in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. ... ... The Cleveland Short Line Railway was a freight bypass around southern Cleveland, Ohio on the New York Central Railroads Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway system. ...

In three major metropolitan areas - North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia and Detroit - Conrail continues to serve as a terminal operating company for CSX and NS. This smaller Conrail today serves rail freight customers in these markets on behalf of its two owners. A fourth area, the former Monongahela Railway in southwest Pennsylvania, was originally owned jointly by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad and Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. Conrail absorbed the company in 1993, and assigned trackage rights to CSX, the successor to the B&O and P&LE. With the Conrail breakup, those lines are owned by NS, but the CSX trackage rights are still in place. The North Jersey Shared Assets Area is one of three railroad networks operated by Conrail on behalf of CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. ... The South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Area is one of three networks operated by Conrail on behalf of CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. ... The Monongahela Railway (AAR reporting mark MGA) was a coal-hauling short line railroad in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the United States. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Official languages None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Senators Arlen Specter (R) Rick Santorum (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 33rd 119,283 km² 2. ... 1876 map The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) is one of the oldest railroads in the United States, with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland west to the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia and Parkersburg, West Virginia. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) ( AAR reporting mark PLE), also known as the Little Giant, was formed on May 11, 1875. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... A union station or union terminal is a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them. ...

External links

• Consolidated Rail Corporation
• Conrail Cyclopedia (The largest and oldest website devoted to Conrail modeling and prototype information. 1000s of photos online.)
• Conrail Historical Society
• Decision FD-33388 (Surface Transportation Board final decision about the Conrail split)
• Various Conrail Stuff - Maps of Conrail Breakup

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was destroyed. ...

References

• Timothy Jacobs, The History of the Pennsylvania Railroad, ISBN 0517633515
• PRR Chronology
• H. Roger Grant, Life and death of Erie Lackawanna, Trains February 1992
• Bill Stephens and Craig Sanders, Cleveland: center of controversy, Trains July 1998

Trains is a monthly magazine dedicated to trains and railroading and is the flagship publication of Kalmbach Publishing. ... Trains is a monthly magazine dedicated to trains and railroading and is the flagship publication of Kalmbach Publishing. ...