Norfolk Southern is honoring its predecessor railroads during 2012, its 30th anniversary year, by painting 19 new locomotives in commemorative schemes that reflect the heritage of those predecessors.

Since the 1820s, hundreds of railroad companies were built, merged, reorganized, and consolidated into what eventually became Norfolk Southern, itself created from the consolidation of Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway in 1982. In 1999, Norfolk Southern expanded the scope of its heritage with its acquisition of a portion of Conrail. The heritage locomotives will represent most of the railroads that played significant roles in Norfolk Southern’s history. The first units will be delivered in March, and all units are expected to be riding the rails by June 1, Norfolk Southern’s 30th anniversary date. 

“The heritage locomotives reflect the pride we take in our long and colorful history,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “As they travel through our system, these state-of-the-art units in vintage livery will serve as reminders to our customers, employees, and communities that the modern rail network that keeps America competitive today and into the future has deep roots in the nation’s past.”

Each paint scheme will be modified to fit contemporary locomotives while staying as true as possible to the original designs. Norfolk Southern employees in Altoona, Pa., and Chattanooga, Tenn., will paint GE ES44AC locomotives, while the EMD SD70ACe units will be painted at Progress Rail Services’ facility in Muncie, Ind. The heritage locomotives will be used to haul freight across Norfolk Southern’s 20,000-mile, 22-state network.

Conrail (CR) was created by the U.S. government in 1976 from the bankrupt Penn Central, Lehigh & Hudson River, Erie Lackawanna, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh Valley, Reading and Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, becoming the largest railroad at the time, with 34,000 route miles.

In this set are:

Set of 11 Norfolk Southern Heritage Engines (Fallen Flags) Includes:

282-71151 Savannah & Atlantic (S&A) # 1065

282-71152 New York Central (NYC) # 1066

282-71153 Reading Lines (RDG) # 1067

282-71154 Erie # 1068

282-71155 Virginian (VGN) # 1069

282-71156 Wabash (WAB) # 1070

282-71157 Central RR of New Jersey (CNJ) # 1071

282-71158 Illinois Terminal (ILLT) # 1072

282-71159 Penn Central  (PC) # 1073

282-71160 Lackawanna # 1074

282-711661 Norfolk Southern # 1030 - 30 year logo

FEATURES:

• Crisp Shell Detail
• Several Cab variations
• Separate MU hoses and cut levers
• Optional wire grabs
• Optional etched sunshades and wipers
• Standard drive design
• Easy to DCC - 6 pin plug
• Isolated cab with high headlight
• Proper antenna array
• Rear ditch lights