Conrail 4020 EMD E8A

Conrail OCSConrail E8AConrail 4020
Written By Wes Reminder

Conrail OCS 4020 E8A - Conrail Business Train Power

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Conrail 4020, an E8A, was built in January of 1951 by the EMD for the Pennsylvania Railroad as PRR EP-22 5809A. According to Conrail documentation, the engine became Penn Central 4309 in 1968. In 1974, Amtrak purchased #4309 and renumbered it to 315. In 1976, Amtrak removed the steam generators and installed head end power (HEP), renumbering the unit to #498.

Conrail, needing more horsepower for their growing business car fleet, acquired the unit in 1983 after agreeing to trade Conrail SW8s 8623, 8625, and 8689 plus SW8M 8681 in exchange for Amtrak E8As 498 and 499.

When Amtrak 498 arrived at the Juniata Locomotive Shop wearing Amtrak paint, it was sporting grates over the windows and a Nathan Airchime horn. The shop overhauled the locomotive, preparing it for service pulling their office cars. Amtrak 498 emerged from the Juniata Shop as Conrail 4020, painted in full Conrail Pullman Green paint. The trucks and underbody were also painted green. The gold logo decals and paint matched the appearance of the business cars.

After their completion, the 4020 and sister 4021 were kept at Enola. After the 4021 rebuild was completed, the 4022 was bumped to reside at the Reading Passenger Shops, as all three units wouldn’t fit in the covered building near the locomotive shop.

A brief history of Conrail 4020:

Juniata Terminal Pennsylvania Railroad 5809 - (6/00)

NS 1000 - (6/99)

Conrail 4020 - (1983)

Amtrak 498 - (1976)

Amtrak 315 - (1974)

Penn Central 4309 - (1968)

Pennsylvania Railroad 5809A - (1951)

In 1991, after the Reading Shops closed down, the special equipment fleet was moved to its new home at the Miscellaneous Shop 2 located on the grounds of the Juniata Locomotive Shop complex in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The move allowed all of the OCS equipment to be housed under a single roof, including the E8As.

The 1990s also saw the introduction of ditch lights on the entire Conrail locomotive fleet, the E8As included. In April of 1994, Conrail E8A 4021 entered Bay 2B at the Juniata Locomotive Shop for installation of the lights. Three days later, after the hard work of Archie Smith, Don Summerfield, and Bob Vena, the 4021 emerged sporting its new ditch lights. Conrail 4020 and 4022 also had ditch lights added around the same time.

The 4020 was often the leader on the Conrail Office Car Specials and could be found all over the Conrail system (and off of the system in places like Montreal). All three E8As served Conrail until the takeover in June of 1999.

After the Conrail takeover, the 4020 was quickly renumbered Norfolk Southern 1000, but remained in Conrail Pullman Green paint. Norfolk Southern auctioned it off on June 20, 2000. Bennett Levin and his son, Eric, ended up winning the auction and brought the locomotive to Philadelphia. Restoration of the locomotive began immediately, and included having portholes installed back on the sides, trainline antenna added to the roof, horn removed from the center of the windshield, along with many other modifications to bring the unit back to its 1950’s appearance. The work progressed quickly, and by October the restoration process was complete. The Conrail 4020 was reborn in full broad stripe Pennsylvania Railroad paint with its original number 5809.

Since their restoration to PRR colors, the former Conrail 4020 and 4021 have attended many events, including the 2014 Streamliners at Spencer, which reunited all three of the ex-Conrail E8As. Their future however, remains unclear, as they are not equipped with the necessary Positive Train Control (PTC) equipment now required for operation on most main line railroads.

*Portions of this articles are excerpts from my book “Conrail Business & Research Trains: The Special Equipment Fleet”. Additional details about Conrail 4020 are provided in the book.

Former Conrail E8A 4020, restored as Pennsylvania Railroad 5809, owned by the Juniata Terminal Railroad

Conrail was proud of their business train and featured the E8As on company promotional items, like this Juniata Locomotive Shop Safety Council mug with Conrail 4020.

Collection of Wes Reminder

If you are interested in Conrail passenger operations, read about how Conrail operated their OCS train, including stories from those with first hand knowledge. Check back soon for other Conrail Office Car articles by Wes Reminder.

- sources: Conrail trip booklets, Conrail Diagrams of Office and Research Cars. Special thanks to Charles Murphy, Jr., Chip Syme, and Rich Frey for allowing me to use their photos.

All images are © copyright 1983-2022 Wes Reminder, Charles Murphy, Jr., Chip Syme, and Rich Frey and may not be used in print, web or any other use without permission.

Wes Reminder

https://www.the-boring-the-adoring.com/
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