Specifically I was able to take some pictures at Laughlin Junction which was where the old B&O line to the downtown Pittsburgh station branched off of the overland main line to Chicago. This was rebuilt in the early 1980's to support the PATrain commuter service and for a while supported the only B&O CPL with a full central target and all 6 orbitals. Later I was able to make a walking circuit of the former PRR Pennsylvania Station complex in downtown Pittsburgh.
Anyway, enough with the jibber jabber. You can view the entire set of photos by clicking here and you can find a closer analysis of LAUGHLIN JCT Interlocking on my other blog.
I won't bother you all with another slew of photos from EAST SCHENLEY, but the grid patterned building in the background of this pic of the westbound CPL bracket signal shows CMU's Collaborative Innovation Center where my workshoppe was hosted. As you can see it was railfan adjacent.
Laughlin Junction is located on the banks of the Monongahela River at the point where the former CSX P&W sub cuts inland from the line to the old downtown station. Here I am standing in the former right of way of the downtown line which has since been converted into a parking lot. Behind me the line is now a popular rail trail used by cycle commuters to get downtown.
At this point is might be worthwhile to link to a before and after shot of Laughlin Jct showing the old single track PATrain line downtown and the complete B&O CPL on the bracket mast. Laughlin Jct was located adjacent to GLENNWOOD interlocking which contained a slow speed route. This and a connection to unsignaled track at Laughlin Jct required the track 2 signal on the eastbound to be able to display both the Restricting and the Medium Approach Slow, which generally are the two hardest bits a CPL needs to collect to get complete status.
When GLENNWOOD tower was closed in 2005 the interlocking it controlled went with it as traffic in and out of Glennwood yard had long ago ceased justifying the need for any sort of power operated signaling. This then made all of the extra orbitals at LAUGHLIN JCT unnecessary and they were removed. This change coincided with CSX's lease of the P&W Sub to the Allegheny Valley Railroad, which ripped out all of the signaling between Pittsburgh and New Castle. This small segment between Pittsburgh and Braddock was reduced to a single signaled track for the benefit of Amtrak's Capitol Limted.
Anyway, while photographing the CPLs, I was extremely fortunate to catch an AVR movement through Laughlin Jct coming west out of the Glennwood Yard lead. Here we see AVR #2007 (a former Illinois Central GP11 rebuild) passing me by on #2 track out of the Glenwood Yard complex.
There were more engines than cars today as AVR #2007 was followed sister GP11 #2005 pulling a single empty flatcar around the curve that leads into the valley that cuts across the Pittsburgh peninsula.
While the orbitals may have been removed from the bracket signals, CSX has not been exactly fastidious in removing all of the surplus signaling kit from the interlocking. Here we see, hiding behind someTrees of Heaven, a ghost signal governing movements off of the long removed track to downtown Pittsburgh.
