Grew up in Linden, NJ, a stop on the PRR mainline, I also remember watching the RFK funeral train pass by .... as a boy with my Mom and many other people. The GG-1 became my first favorite engine.
Very sad the accident in Elizabeth, NJ, which borders my hometown.
A favorite photo of mine also shows an accident in Elizabeth. A PC GG-1 pulling a train over a CNJ wreck scene. The north bound passenger station was completely wiped out. The freight train was on the wrong track, did not clear the bridge, and derailed into the station.
No deaths, pretty sure no injuries, because the station was empty. If it had been commuter rush hour, it would have been a disaster.
I became seriously interested in railroads and railroading just as Conrail was being formed, so that was where my interest was. But, I'm no "hater," lol .... the PC is a fascinating story and part of American railroading.
Jim