In 1978, you could still find a lot of predecessor paint on the road and yard locomotives around the CR system. In addition, electric freight service was still a factor for CR, with the ex-PRR/NH Northeast Corridor the dominant concentration of this service, along with the heavy-industry traffic handled on the former Niagara Junction line. The first big influx of new locomotives had come in 1977, when 171 new units joined the roster. This flow continued into 1978, which would see a further 299 new or rebuilt locomotives acquired by CR. This made the timing of this trip ideal for catching a lot of the unusual power that would quickly be targeted for replacement. The images below appear in chronological order.

The next morning, we headed southwest of Toledo and caught a CR train working its way north on the ex-NYC line from Findlay to Stanley Yard. Lead unit, CR U28B 2822, was another rarity in the CR roster. Only two U28Bs found their way into the CR fold, both from the NYC side of the PC. The U28B was decidedly a transition model for GE, as only 148 were built between January and December of 1966. You can spot the radiator bulge at the rear of the 2822, which marks this as a later U28B build. These two units were retired by CR in March of 1983.

Bridge Street, Selkirk is less than ½-mile east of the throat of the massive Selkirk Yard. The original facility at this location dated to 1924, and was improved/expanded by the PC during 1968. Lead unit GP40 3178 was also a 1968 capital improvements, having a November 1968 build date. The locomotive remained active for CR until 1983 and was one of 12 ex-CR GP40s acquired by the KCS in January 1984. Rebuilt and upgraded by MK in December 1991, the locomotive was renumbered several times on the KCS. It was sold to the Buckingham Branch Railroad, where it remains active.

Reading was the only CR component company to roster SW1001s, with this example having been built in November 1973 as Reading 2620. The unit was photographed in Darby Creek, essentially due west of Philadelphia. Assignment to suburban Philadelphia was not uncommon ground for this locomotive, it had held a similar assignment while on the Reading roster..

Built in May 1952 as NYC 8332, this RS3 had been steam generator equipped, allowing it to serve on either passenger or freight operations. Renumbered to 5332, it carried this number through PC days and into the CR roster. One of 179 RS3s on the CR roster as of April 1, 1976 (nearly half of these having come from the PC), the 5332 was one of the last 10 active RS3s, and finished out its days in Youngstown during 1978.