One of the four surviving black-and-white 'snowbird' C-628's, Lehigh Valley 262 still in its original Lehigh Valley paint scheme leads a freight shortly after the formation of Conrail. Though I was partial to Cornell red, this was my favorite Lehigh Valley paint scheme. Around 1980, this scheme was not available pre-painted on HO locomotive, so I undertook custom painting my own. Back in the day, I used to run a nice little business custom painting HO models to sell at swap meets and local hobby shops. This unit always was requested. After applying grey primer, I spray painted the entire locomotive shell white. Next, I masked off the areas that would remain white. It was a tricky job, with nothing more than basic masking tape in my tool chest. When done, I airbrushed on the black. Scalecoat II was my favorite airbrush paint back then. After letting the paint dry, I removed the tape. Everything was perfect...until I got to the front stair wells. The black paint had bled through all over the place. Rats! Okay, I removed the tape, stripped the shell, and tried again. Same results! The paint in the stairwells was surprisingly complex, along with a few other spots. It took four tries until I got the paint scheme perfect. Since I was used to painting Lehigh Valley locomotives, applying the large decals was a breeze. With all the work that unit took to paint, I decided to keep it for myself and never painted another Snowbird. I can tell you this--I used to run it proudly at my model train club! It survived well into the 1990's, until my young son, was around five at the time, got his hands on it and accidently dropped it. The Snowbird was dead.
Location: Clinton, OH
Photo Date: 4-76
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: August 19, 2002

Two-and-a-half years after the formation of Conrail, former LV 626 has been repainted from the Lehigh Valley Snowbird scheme into Conrail blue. Here CR 6722 leads a freight over the Cuyahoga River on Bridge Number One.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 10-17-78
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: May 12, 1999

LV 627 sits under the iconic sand towers.
Location: Youngstown, OH
Photo Date: 8/29/76
Photographer: Dave Hamilton     Added: July 23, 2025

Early on, Conrail sent much of their Alco fleet to Mingo Junction. Here we see CR 6723 (former Lehigh Valley 627) in a fairly fresh coat of blue.
Location: Mingo Junction, OH
Photo Date: 10-4-77
Photographer: Dave Hamilton     Added: Jul 23, 2025

You can still see the outline of the old Lehigh Valley flag on the long hood of this CR-stenciled unit, the former Lehigh Valley 630. By the time Conrail was formed in 1976, the Lehigh Valley had already repainted all but four of their C-628's from the units' original black-and-white snowbird scheme into Cornell red.
Location: Croxton, NJ
Photo Date: 2-6-77
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: December 4, 1999

With all the black paint and CR stencils obliterating the original Lehigh Valley heralds on the sides and nose of Conrail #6728, one could mistake this as a former Penn Central unit instead of former Lehigh Valley #632.
Location: Unknown
Photo Date: Unknown
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: August 16, 2002

The repaint crews were a bit more select when painting out the logos of former Lehigh Valley #634, now Conrail #6730. Compare this to the stenciled version of Conrail #6728 above.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 2-78
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: August 16, 2002

After being moved from the east to the Midwest shortly after the creation of Conrail, the former Lehigh Valley C-628's saw a variety of service. Here one of the repainted Cornell red units, now Conrail 6735, leading a freight on the former Erie Lackawanna line through Ohio.
Location: Akron, OH
Photo Date: 4-77
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: August 16, 2002

Working in the heart of Conrail's ALCo country, Conrail 6736 (former Lehigh Valley 640) repainted with CR stencils sits amidst a variety of locomotive power at the sanding tower in Youngstown, Ohio. This was a typical scene during the early years of Conrail.
Location: Youngstown, OH
Photo Date: 3-77
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: February 26, 2020

Another shot of 6736.
Location: Mingo Junction, OH
Photo Date: 10-4-77
Photographer: Dave Hamilton     Added: July 23, 2025

It is 1979 and Conrail #6736 (former Lehigh Valley #640) has been repainted from its Lehigh Valley Cornell red into Conrail blue.
Location: Belmont, PA
Photo Date: 6-79
Photographer: John Prock     Added: August 16, 2002

The black paint that had been brushed over the old Lehigh Valley numbers and heralds have just about worn off. This happened because the locomotives were still filthy when the black was brush on.
Location: Youngstown, OH
Photo Date: 9/30/77
Photographer: Dave Hamilton     Added: July 23, 2025

Three Alco C-628's--one former-Penn Central unit and two yet-to-be renumbered Lehigh Valley units--wait for a new crew at the Hudson, Ohio, station.
Location: Hudson, OH
Photo Date: 11-76
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: May 5, 2004

Conrail #6743 (former Penn Central #6305) is sitting in the deadline. Conrail shop crews have salvaged her quite a bit to keep her sister C-628's running until they, too, would be retired in the near future.
Location: Unknown
Photo Date: 7-7-79
Photographer: John Prock     Added: August 16, 2002

Here we have a badly repainted Conrail #6748 (former Penn Central #6310, nee-Pennsylvania #6310) in Ohio. While the Lehigh Valley mounted the airhorns on the cab roof of their C-628's, the Pennsylvania Railroad and later the Penn Central mounted the airhorns on brackets above the headlights. This was one spotting feature between the C-628's of the two railroads once the locomotives were repainted blue.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 8-2-78
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: June 18, 1998

Another shot of Conrail #6748 from a different angle.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 8-2-78
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: November 26, 1998

Shot of the nose and cab of Conrail #6748.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 8-22-78
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: May 12, 1999

Steve didn't have the date recorded when he shot Conrail #6748 in its blue paint, but by the newer look of the blue paint, it probably is safe to assume it was take prior to the photos Arnie Morscher shot of Conrail #6748 above.
Location: Unknown
Photo Date: Unknown
Photographer: Steve Geisler     Added: February 18, 2000

Conrail #6749 (former Penn Central #6311 in CR stencils) is waiting for a new crew in Hudson.
Location: Hudson, OH
Photo Date: 11-77
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: January 8, 2008

Conrail #6751 (former Penn Central #6313) is at the sanding towers in Croxton. Notice the stenciled Erie Lackawanna units and the Penn Central trailer on the intermodal train in the background.
Location: Secaucus, NJ
Photo Date: 3-18-78
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: February 26, 2020

Conrail #6751, still in its stencils and black paint, leads a freight with Conrail C-630 #6781.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 11-78
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: March 9, 2004