Posted by J. C. Smith, Jr. on April 22, 2008 
Don't let the blue paint on that SW1200 influence you, as the only Contrail SW1200s on Flexicoil trucks came from the New Haven, via Penn Central, but those had roller bearing trucks, while this one has friction bearings. While Conrail did upgrade lots of its older EMD switchers with roller bearings, it is very unlikely they would do the opposite with the New Haven units. Also, the New Haven units had m.u. connections, which gave them a different handrail setup on the end platforms, so as to accommodate the elevated drop step EMD applied. Since the other units mentioned in the caption retain their original road numbers, 1686 may be a strong clue the switcher's origins.
Posted by Donnie Strickland on May 1, 2008 
See this photo: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=18068. This is indeed a former CR unit, having had its trucks swapped previously.
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