No, this is not about television.

It was late afternoon on a Sunday in May 1984. I’d spent the day with Bob Buck & co., photographing Conrail on the old Boston & Albany.

As the day progressed we worked our way west. Bright sun gave way to dull overcast light.

Conrail was a busy railroad in those days. At Stateline Tunnel near Canaan, N.Y., we caught TV9 (TrailVan 9, Boston-Chicago), which operated on a much later schedule on Sunday’s than on weekdays.

As the train roared by with a new B36-7 in the lead, I made these photos with my old Leica IIIA and f2.0 50mm Summitar Lens.

Owing to the history of the line, Conrail operated a divided alignment at this location. A little more than four years later, Conrail abandoned the old westward main track, leaving just the former eastward main for movements in both directions. The old tunnel portal survives as vestige of the old line.

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