GE C32-8

Built in 1984 as the first -8 series of locomotives from GE, all ten of this model only saw service initially on Conrail. Numbered 6610 to 6619, they were orphans in both the railroad world and on CR. Rated at 3,150 horsepower and carrying 3,900 gallons of fuel, they spent most of their careers in the Boston-Selkirk world on the former B&A until 1997 when all ten were painted into gray and black Ballast Express paint for dedicated ballast trains. Of note are the following: 6612 was involved in an accident in Philadelphia in 1988 and emerged from Juniata with the cab and nose from former GE B40-8 demo #808; 6615 and 6616 both wore Quality paint before being painted gray in 1997; and gray 6619 was involved in a wreck in 1998 or 1999 and emerged wearing fresh Quality blue immediately before being transferred to NS. Upon the split in 1999, six went to NS (8543-8548) and four to CSX (7476-7479). After the lease expired, CSX chose not to lease then again but NS picked up all ten for a brief period and renumbered them all (8460:1-8469). When NS retired them, one unit (6616) was leased by RMDI (BDLX) to Junction City Mining in Talbottom, GA while the others sat in RMDI's lot rusting away. The former 6616 managed to escape the US and at last report (9/2006) was in green and yellow as Ferronorte 9339 in Brazil.

CR 6558 (3) at Becket, MA. on 4/18/87.

C32-8 6619 has the trail position in SEMB passing MP 129 in Becket, MA. on April 18, 1987.

CR 6585 at Huntington, MA. on 10/10/98. (2)

Damaged C32-8 6615, note missing coupler and plow, brings up the rear of SHP301 near MP 121 in Huntington, MA. on Oct. 10, 1998.

CR 6591 at Bancroft, MA. on 10/13/84.

C30-7A 6591 is at the head end of SEBO-B as it rolls downgrade through Bancroft, MA. on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 1984.

CR 6610 at Chester, MA. on 10/9/86.

SEFR rolls along the west branch of the Westfield River near MP 122 in Chester, MA. on a misty morning of Oct. 9, 1986.

CR 6610 at East Brookfield, MA. on 2/21/87.

C32-8 "class unit" 6610 leads TV-6 past the stonemasonry depot in East Brookfield, MA. on Feb. 21, 1987. The rear of the train is passing through CP 64, the west end of a controlled passing siding which extends eastward to CP 57 in Charlton.

CR 6610 at Hinsdale, MA. on 1/24/87.

Class unit C32-8 6610 leads TV9 approaching the Rt. 8 overhead in Hinsdale, MA. on Jan. 24, 1987.

CR 6610 at Hinsdale, MA. on 3/7/87.

The 6610 has SEPW in tow passing the summit of Washington hill in Hinsdale, MA. on March 7, 1987.

CR 6610 at Middlefield, MA

Conrail C32-8 6610 leads this eastbound TV at Middlefield, MA on the Boston Line at 1145 hrs on 5 October 1990.

CR 6610 C32-8 GE Builders Photo

Conrail 6610 C32-8 GE Builders Photo

CR 6610 in Becket, MA. on 4/5/85.

The 6610 leads a trio of C32-8's with BOEL near MP 129 in Becket, MA. on April 5, 1985. A rock slide and derailed engine in Washington cut resulted in BOEL and other westbounds running left-handed on track 2 for the day.

CR 6610 on ELPR-2 at Burdick, IN 10/1998

Chicago Line - Burdick, Indiana, USA
October 22, 1998
C32-8 6610 on ELPR-2
Rolling westward in her final autumn, a Conrail Ballast Express GE leads a pair of Espee motors and a leaser towards a UP connection at Proviso. Conrail never made it to October of the next year, and this trackage is now under the ownership of NS.
Photo by Don Kalkman III

CR 6611 Allentown, Pa 4-1995

Conrail 6611 is on the point of a coal train to Bethlehem Steel at CP BURN in Allentown, Pa 4/1995.

CR 6611 at Bancroft, MA. on 11/23/84.

Barely more than a month old, CR 6611 on a SEBO-B at Bancroft, MA. on November 23, 1984.

CR 6611 at Charlton, MA. on 4/17/87.

C32-8 6611 bores through the fog with SEFR at CP 57 in Charlton, MA. on April 17, 1987.

CR 6611 at Huntington, MA. on 2/12/88. (1)

C32-8 6611 leads MBSE through Huntington, MA. on Feb. 12, 1988.

CR 6611 at Huntington, MA. on 2/12/88. (2)

CR 6617 trails in MBSE at Huntington, MA. on Feb. 12, 1988.

CR 6611 C32-8 Cresson 10-97

An all gray train on Big Blue, this westbound ballast train has stopped west of MO to cut off the helpers. C32-8 6611 and 6616 will continue west shortly. 6611 will become Norfolk Southern 8543, then be renumbered again to NS 8461. 6616 would become NS 8547 then 8466, and both would be retired shortly after that. 6611 has been scrapped, the 6616 may survive overseas.

CR 6611 in Middlefield, MA. on 1/12/85.

Only a few months old at the time, a trio of "Camels" led by the 6611, bring NHSE around the horseshoe between MP 128 and 129. In just a moment the head end of the train will be entering Becket, while the first half is in Middlefield and the rear half is still in Chester. Of note, is that most of what is pictured here no longer exists, except for the railroad itself. The C32-8's are a memory, block signal 129.02, it's relay cabinet, and the code line disappeared in the late '80's when the B&A was single-tracked. Gone also are the dragger, flange lubricator, and the conical concrete signal base which was one of many installed by the Penn Central in an aborted plan to re-signal the B&A.

CR 6611 leads SEMA at Canaan Center, NY on 5/5/91

At 0830 hrs on 5 May 1991 C32-8 6611 and three other GE units brought SEMA east through State Line tunnel near Canaan Center, NY.

CR 6611 near Bancroft in Middlefield, MA. on 11/29/85.

C32-8 6611 leads another set of light engines westward near Bancroft (Middlefield station) on Nov. 29, 1985. Signal 130.42 is the next signal west of signal 129.02 seen in the photo of light/engines 6567 west.

CR 6612 at Bancroft, MA. on 10/9/87.

If it's TV80W, then it must be Friday, as Camel 6612 leads the "pocket-piggybacker" through Bancroft, MA. on Oct. 9, 1987.

CR 6612 at Becket, MA. on 9/14/85.

A month shy of it's first birthday, C32-8 6612 leads BOEL into Becket from Middlefield, MA. near MP 129 on the morning of Sept. 14, 1985.

CR 6612 at Chester, MA. on 10/10/88.

Face-lifted C32-8 6612 leads an SEPW-X past the coal tower in the old helper terminal at Chester, MA. on Oct. 10, 1988.

CR 6612 at Cornwall, NY. on 8/20/88.

Sporting it's new facelift/repair, CR 6612 leads SEPY through Cornwall, NY. on Aug. 20, 1988. Returned to GE for repair after a collision near Philadelphia in late 1987, the 6612 got the same cab, with flat roof, and nose as the standard cab C40-8's. GE had disposed of the dies needed for replacing the round cab and origional nose.

CR 6612 at Fox Ridge, NY

Conrail C32-8 6612 is seen leading a westbound UPS train across Montezuma Swamp near Fox Ridge, NY in the early 1990s. Note the 2 different numberboard styles.