Page Updated
Aug 25, 2023





Date date on these slides says early June 1980, but it might be earlier in the year. I am 17 years old. CR 4022 E8A and its business train had been painted blue for two years by this time. My buddy and I got news that the OCS was going to be heading out on a trip from its base in Reading Yard, so we made sure to catch it being assembled. Since we knew nearly everyone in the yard from the Trainmaster to all the tower operators to everyone else, we pretty much could go anywhere we wanted to go. Those were the days! Here we see CR 4022 in reverse, coupling up to the business cars.
A Word About These Photos & Film
I know these are lower quality images, but they are part of my teenage years. Let me explain a bit. On this day, I was shooting with my father's old late-1960's Rangefinder 35mm camera he had bought in West Berlin. (My dad passed away in 2011.) On this day in 1980, my seventeen-year-old brain decided to try shooting a roll of Ektachrome slides--I have no idea why I didn't use Kodachrome. The Ektachrome frames were oddly square and began fading as soon as it was developed. Of course, I shot all 24 frames, with these photos part of that roll. I shot what would become very rare equipment and scenes, only to be disappointed. Plus, the only color shots I took of the blue OCS were on this roll! All my other blue OCS shots had been on cruddy ASA 400 B&W film. Sigh. I was a typical, stupid teenager. To make things worse, I stored all my old slides in binder sheets. When I got married 10+ years later, my box of slides and photos accidentally went into the basement, which was very humid. Since I had been out of the hobby for years, I didn't think about it. Well, the sheets damaged the slides. I've tried to remove that damage, but a lot remains. Please remember this when downloading these 1980 images.
TLDR: Me a stupid teenager, cruddy film, and a binder of slides tossed in a moldy basement during the 1980's.
Location: Reading, PA (Reading Yard)
Photo Date: 6-80
Photographer: Robert Waller     Added: August 12, 2022

CR 4022 almost is coupled onto the business train, which sat behind a string of cabooses. Of course, I had the focus slightly wrong due to the Rangefinder. Sigh. I'm not sure if I can post many other shots from this day.
Location: Reading, PA (Reading Yard)
Photo Date: 6-80
Photographer: Robert Waller     Added: August 12, 2022

With the OCS departed, I switched to shooting everything else. CR 9923 RS-3M was working the yard. Sure, I shot the blue engine but ignored the Wabash covered hopper. I wish I had a time machine and digital camera!
Location: Reading, PA (Rearing Yard)
Photo Date: 6-80
Photographer: Robert Waller     Added: August 12, 2022