Conrail Business & Research Trains: The Special Equipment Fleet

Conrail Business & Research Trains: The Special Equipment Fleet by Brock Kerchner and Wes Reminder

For all 23 years of Conrail’s tenure (1976-1999), the railroad maintained a fleet of specialized railcars and locomotives equipped to “test the condition of [its] track, allow Conrail’s management to inspect the right of way and facilities at the ground level, and show customers and potential customers exactly how their freight [would] move.” The specialized railcars in this fleet were split between Conrail’s business train (often called the Office Car Special, or OCS) and the railroad’s research and track department. Researchers Brock Kerchner and Wes Reminder have teamed up to author this hardcover book, anticipated to reach 400 pages. It will include the authors’ three decades of combined research, making it the definitive work on Conrail’s special equipment fleet.

The book is 416 pages, hardcover.