Conrail The Early Years: Stories From the Front

by Stephen Frasher

Overview

The U. S. Congress legislated Conrail into existence on April 1, 1976. The goal of that legislation was to replace six failed railroads with one viable railroad to service the freight transportation needs of the Northeastern United States.
This book is my firsthand account of the challenges faced by "everyday" employees during those early, critical, years of Conrail's existence. I worked for Conrail between 1976 and 1984 in the operating department under the leadership of Dick Hasselman, Vice-President of Operations and Don Swanson, Vice-President of Transportation.
During my eight years at Conrail, I was assigned various positions at Selkirk NY, New Haven CT, Detroit, MI, Harrisburg, PA and Indianapolis, IN.
For those who like to dig into the "gritty" details of Conrail's management structure, its train and yard operations, and its physical plant, I have done my best to accurately report those details for each location I was assigned to.
But my main goal in writing this book is to provide anecdotal stories about the challenges faced by the men and women of all ranks throughout Conrail. I am hoping these stories are both informative and entertaining for those who have wondered about the trials and tribulations of the people on the front line who helped transform six bankrupt railroads into a top-notch Class I railroad.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940186009948
Publisher:	Stephen Frasher
Publication date:	07/10/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	131,430
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Stephen Frasher is retired and currently resides in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
During his professional career he worked in the railroad industry, the barging and shipbuilding industries, and the forest products industry. As his career progressed, he and his family moved 16 times, residing in cities on the East Coast, the Midwest, and the West Coast of the U. S. Before retiring he also lived and worked in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He started at Conrail in August of 1976 as a Trainmaster at Selkirk Yard. During the eight years he spent with Conrail, he held six different positions in five different locations. His last position was Division Superintendent of the Southwest Division on Conrail’s Southern Region, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.
After leaving Conrail in 1984, he moved to Cincinnati, OH to work for Midland Enterprises, the second largest inland river barge line in the U.S. at that time.
Beginning in 1998, he accepted a succession of CEO assignments at four companies that were being challenged by various types of “distress”: Tidewater Barge Lines in Vancouver, WA, American Commercial Lines in Jeffersonville, IN, the Washington Marine Group (now known as Seaspan) and finally Western Forest Products, both headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.
All those companies recovered from their “distress” and are still in existence today.
He credits his experience at Conrail as fundamental in preparing him for the challenges he faced throughout his career.