Finance rides the Conrail OCS train

Conrail OCSRailroad Office Cars
Written By Wes Reminder

For many, Conrail was a bright outlook to a failed Penn Central, with steel wheels on rails displayed largely on blue locomotives and Conrail business cars. But beyond the shiny Conrail OCS train, it’s easy for those trackside to lose sight of the fact that Conrail was a for-profit business with a large corporate staff. In the 1990s, Conrail experimented with Continuous Quality Improvement and it soon adorned the locomotive and freight car fleet. The Conrail business cars escaped the quality logo on the outside, but the full length dome, Conrail 55, received the quality logo on the lower bar. Conrail’s Finance Department was no exception to the reaches of the CQI initiative, implementing mechanical billing methods and adjusting work hours.

An important (but often overlooked) function in any corporation is the Finance Department. Conrail’s Finance Department consisted of several teams, each with a specialized focus. The department was large enough to have its own newsletter, “The Finance Connection”.

One specialized team was the Non-Revenue Billing Department which was moved from Philadelphia to Bethlehem right after the Conrail formation in 1976. The department was made up of several sub-teams including I&C, Joint Facilities, State Participation, Billing Systems, and Administration.

The Joint Facilities Section was responsible for billing other railroads for the use of Conrail facilities, property, trackage rights, and switching agreements.

The State Participation Department handled large projects throughout the Conrail system, like the Pennsylvania Clearance Project (for double stack clearance across the Pittsburgh Line) and the Conrail Buckeye Crossbuck project (an effective, but now illegal grade crossing protection method in Ohio).

Annamarie Jordan was a member of Conrail’s Non-Revenue Billing Department and played an important role, ensuring that accurate statistics on all billing methods were maintained. She speaks fondly of her employment with Conrail and of her coworkers (like many others I have spoken to). Annamarie was also the journalist on the Conrail OCS train on September 24, 1992, named the “Finance Department Recognition Train Trip”.

Annamarie’s recap of the Conrail OCS that day is below:

“September 24, 1992 was a splendid day to travel. So the Finance Department took 144 employees on a wonderful train trip to recognize their various accompaniments within the corporation.

As the train pulled out from 30th Street in Philadelphia, the passengers settled in for what was to be, for most, a brand new experience. The train itself was comprised of various cars that offered excellent viewing of the landscape. A sumptuous luncheon buffet was served by a staff of gracious and accommodating gentlemen.

The route extended from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, across the Rockville Bridge and on to Enola Yard. Coming back the train winded its way through Perryville, Maryland and returned to Philadelphia late in the afternoon.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the trip was the educational value included. While it was interesting to experience a train ride first hand, the employees of the various departments of Finance learned about each other and how they share many of the same pleasures and frustrations in their jobs.

Certainly congratulations are in order for everyone who made this quality day possible.”

I’m fortunate to have the Conrail OCS artifacts given to her and the late David Stone (who also worked in the Conrail Non-Revenue Billing Department) on that day. Included in the packet were Conrail special equipment diagrams and histories, train sponsors, trip itinerary with milepost by milepost descriptions of the towns travelled through, and a trip map.

Some other OCS artifacts from the trip include boarding passes, pens, and a wooden whistle. Annamarie also provided me with napkins and swizzle sticks with the Conrail logo that came straight from the Conrail OCS train that day.

The “Finance Department Recognition Train Trip” was another excellent example of the way Conrail used their office car equipment. By the sounds of it, the trip was a great success and provided an important Conrail team the chance to ride the rails and collaborate with team members.

The Conrail office car equipment had to be expensive to maintain, but having the ability to tour the system was priceless.

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 Finance Recognition Trip documentation, The Finance Connection, Annamarie Jordan. Special thanks to Rod Miller for allowing me to use his photo and to Annamarie Jordan for the Conrail OCS artifacts from her trip and insight into her career.

All images are © copyright 1978-2020 Wes Reminder and Rod Miller and may not be used in print, web or any other use without permission. Conrail “The Finance Connection” and the Conrail logo are registered trademarks of Conrail.

Wes Reminder

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

Three ways Conrail used their Office Car Special
Next

Conrail OCS 3 - 800323 - Model