Renumbered and repainted into Conrail Leasing, CRL 600 began as CR 6344 SD40 (former Penn Central 6344, nee-Pennsylvania Railroad 6191 built in 1966). Conrail Leasing retired the unit in July 1993, selling it to Helm Leasing where it became HLCX 5015. As the photo shows and the SD40 roster notes on the following web page, the SD40's Conrail sold to Helm Leasing remained on Conrail property until late-1994. It's interesting to note that Conrail Leasing quickly dropped the "L" from the CRL reporting marks and locomotive heralds because Chicago Rail Link already owned the CRL reporting marks.
Location: Blandon, PA
Photo Date: 9-94
Photographer: Robert Waller     Added: January 28, 2022

CR 601 is back on its home rails. It was part of the SD40's Conrail sold to Helm Leasing and then leased back to Conrail, as explained on the Prototype page.
Location: Buffalo, NY
Photo Date: 9-3-95
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: June 3, 1999

CR 6248 is lead unit on a coal drag over the famous Horseshoe Curve. 6248 was eventually placed into leasing and renumbered CR 805. It was retired in 1996.
Location: Altoona, PA (Horseshoe Curve)
Photo Date: 9-16-81
Photographer: Glen Beans     Added: August 6, 2001

Former PC 6254 in CR stencils sits along with fellow CR 6286 SD40, awaiting an assignment.
Location: Meadville, PA
Photo Date: 8-7-78
Photographer: Arnie Morsher     Added: June 11, 2000

It is 1980 and CR 6282 (former PC 6282) looks like a Penn Central SD40 because the black used to paint out the Penn Central heralds has completely worn off, leaving behind only the CR stencils. CR 3066 GP40 (former PC 3066) along with CR 6282 lead an ML ('multi-level' autorack) train at Jersey Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ.
Location: New Brunswick, NJ
Photo Date: 4-23-80
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: February 26, 2020

Rarely do we get the other side of a locomotive leading a freight train on the same day, but Joe got lucky because CR 6282 was stopped at Jersey Avenue that day. The black paint on the engineer's side of the long hood is worn off even more than on the conductor's side in the photo above.
Location: New Brunswick, NJ
Photo Date: 4-23-80
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: February 26, 2020

CR SD40's 6282 and 6283 make their way through downtown Altoona.
Location: Altoona, PA
Photo Date: 9-88
Photographer: Bill Waller     Added: November 15, 2019

The cab vent added to the side of the cab forced the road number to be oddly spaced. CR 6284 SD40 (former PC 6284) was retired in August 1994.
Location: South Plainfield, NJ
Photo Date: 6-82
Photographer: Reed Estabrook     Added: February 19, 2005

CR 6290 SD40 is working the curve in this 1987 shot. Originally built in 1967 for the Baltimore & Ohio, CR 6290 eventually entered service as Central Railroad of New Jersey 3066. In 1999, Conrail rebuilt it into CR 6999 SD40-2R, which was the last rebuilt SD40. The brake cylinder configuration on the CNJ SD40's that Conrail inherited: the front left and right rear cylinders were high mounted, while the other six cylinders were low mounted. This was done when engines started to be equipped with hand brakes for parking. It wasn't practical, and might not be possible, to attach a handbrake to an underslung brake cylinder. The reason you might see them on both trucks is that when the trucks were overhauled they were universal; they could be used either front or back. Most Conrail engines were equipped with top mount cylinders, but it was expensive to convert to top-mount cylinders. Therefore, the underslungs were left in place until they wore beyond service limits. To do the conversion, a lot of brake linkage air piping and hoses had to be replaced. Underslungs were less complex, but they got abuse down low. The hoses and piping were also especially susceptible to damage.
Location: Altoona, PA (Horseshoe Curve)
Photo Date: 5-8-87
Photographer: Glen Beans     Added: August 6, 2001

This was the only large Central Railroad of New Jersey engine to get the red scheme. For obvious reasons, fans nicknamed this engine The Red Baron. It survived in its red for a while before being painted blue. Here it's coupled with CR 2180 GP30 (former RDG 3612) and an unknown former Penn Central GP35, both in CR stencils.
Location: Akron, OH
Photo Date: 3-77
Photographer: Roger Durfee     Added: August 16, 2002

CR 6300 was shot before she was a "star," or had stars on her flanks at least. Just another drab former Penn Central SD40, CR 6300 leads TV-9 (Worcester, MA - Chicago-Englewood, IL) through the station at Middlefield, MA. In another year or two, she would shine when Conrail applied the well-known "Buy and Hold Savings Bonds" paint scheme to her non-descript scheme.
Location: Middlefield Station, MA
Photo Date: 12-31-81
Photographer: Carl Weber     Added: December 17, 2007

In the early 1980's, Conrail repainted this unit into a special "Buy and Hold Savings Bonds" scheme.
Location: Gang Mills, NY
Photo Date: 3-8-85
Photographer: Kevin DeGroff     Added: July 8, 2002

A rolling pan shot of cr 6300 on westbound NHSE (Northborough, MA [Cedar Hill] - Selkirk, NY).
Location: Chester, MA
Photo Date: 1-26-89
Photographer: Carl Weber     Added: December 17, 2007

Another pan shot of CR 6300 on NHSE (Northborough, MA [Cedar Hill] - Selkirk, NY).
Location: Chester, MA
Photo Date: 1-26-89
Photographer: Carl Weber     Added: December 17, 2007

I wish this were lit better, but we're in the shadow of a ridge line in the early morning. Conrail "Savings Bond" SD40 6300 is on SEFR (Selkirk, NY - Framingham, MA), which was a manifest freight and later in the 1990's also carried double stacks.
Location: Russell, MA
Photo Date: 10-21-89
Photographer: Carl Weber     Added: October 7, 2007

Yet another CR-stenciled locomotive (former PC 6051) leads Penn Central 2664 U25B and CR 3645 GP35 on a mixed freight.
Location: Southern Tier, NY
Photo Date: 6-14-77
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: May 12, 1999

PC 6054 leads a freight around The Curve. PC 6054 survived on roster as CR 6307, and then was sold to Helm Leasing.
Location: Altoona, PA
Photo Date: Unknown
Photographer: Steve Geisler     Added: February 6, 2000

Looking beaten and worn in 1990, CR 6310 would be retired in 1994 and put into Conrail's lease program as CRL 605.
Location: Cleveland, OH (Collinwood Yard)
Photo Date: 10-5-90
Photographer: Dave Trenn     Added: March 4, 2005

Former Penn Central 6071 was built in 1966 for the Pennsylvania Railroad and eventually retired in 1994 as CR 6324. Note the Penn Central yellow safety paint showing through on the handrails. Often, Conrail didn't strip the predecessor's paint off the locos prior to repainting them blue.
Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 3-16-79
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: May 12, 1999

Location: Cleveland, OH
Photo Date: 3-16-79
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: September 1, 1999

CR 6330 (former PC 6077, nee-PRR 6077).
Location: Meadville, PA
Photo Date: 8-5-78
Photographer: Arnie Morscher     Added: June 11, 2000

CR 6332 (former PC 6069) and a CR-stenciled Penn Central Geep are pulling a freight under the wires.
Location: Linden, NJ
Photo Date: 9-24-80
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: February 26, 2020

CR 6332 sits in line with a host of other SD40's.
Location: Enola, PA
Photo Date: 5-86
Photographer: Ralph Molesworth     Added: April 22, 2015

CR 6348 (former PC 6095) in CR stencils is at the old Central Railroad on New Jersey Elizabethport terminal, along with several other former CNJ and PC locomotives.
Location: Elizabethport, NJ
Photo Date: 8-6-77
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: February 26, 2020

A closer view of CR 6348.
Location: Elizabethport, NJ
Photo Date: 8-6-77
Photographer: Joe Testagrose     Added: February 26, 2020

Originally, PRR 6198 and then PC 6098, CR 6351 would be retired in 1993 and be rebuilt as Conrail SD40-2R 6988.
Location: Cleveland, OH (Collinwood Yard)
Photo Date: 10-5-90
Photographer: Dave Trenn     Added: March 4, 2005

CR 6356 (former PC 6103) was retired in April 1994 and sold of to EMD's leasing arm, where it became EMD 6405.
Location: Unknown
Photo Date: Unknown
Photographer: Steve Geisler     Added: February 18, 2000

CR 6357 (former PC 6104) was the final SD40 in the series. It would be off the roster in two years.
Location: Youngstown, OH
Photo Date: 5-20-92
Photographer: Dave Trenn     Added: July 15, 2021