19-04-20 PHOTOS: Reybold Branch

Branching off at Amtrak's DAVIS interlocking, the former Conrail DelMarVa Secondary was been a rather sleepy backwater with the most significant traffic being unit chicken feed trains en-route to the extensive poultry operations in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  Once envisioned as a high speed route between New York and points south, the Chesapeake Bay ferry crossing at Norfolk never allowed the line to be anything more than a dead end both Conrail and NS have done what they can to progressively spin off more and more of the trackage to shortline operators or abandonment.

Then in the mid-2010's, the rise of unconventional oil drilling boomed in places without pipeline capacity resulting a an spike in unit oil trains running to east coast refineries.  One such refinery, the Valero plant in Delaware City, was getting near daily shipments that overwhelmed the existing infrastructure.  As a result, in 2015 NS re-installed the diamond at Porter, DE, installed CTC signaling between DAVIS and the Valero plant and renamed the result the Reybold Branch, a significant upgrade from the old secondary and industrial track status.

In 2019 I finally had the opportunity to document the upgrades along with the backlot at Amtrak's Bear, DE maintenance facility.  You can see all of the photos here (mirror).  Also for reference, an official summary of all the Reybold Branch signal changes can be found here.

Until the signaling project, the segment of the DelMarVa secondary connecting DAVIS (Newark, DE) to PORTER, the only signal on the line had been the distant to the slow speed dwarf signal at DAVIS.  After the project, the PRR pedestal signal adjacent to the Delaware Route 4 crossing was replaced by a bi-directional Darth Vader mast adjacent to the Delaware Route 72 crossing, 2 miles to the south.  It's "best" signal northbound indication is Y/Y Approach Slow for the tight turnout at DAVIS.  Southbound trains to the refinery can get a Clear, but all turnouts at CP-PORTER are slow speed also requiring a Y/Y Approach Slow.

Zoom view of the new southbound cantilever signal at the new CP-PORTER.  The siding track serves the Amtrak facility and is only interlocked on the south end.

The Amtrak backlot at Bear has seen a lot of interesting stored equipment over the years from Metroliners to Turboliners.  When I visited there were a number retired of AEM-7's, including #941.  Some or all of these would later be transported to a mysterious buyer in Rhode Island.

Also present were a number of retired Amtrak F40PH diesel locomotives.   Those that were visible, #402, #404, #408, #409 and the back end of #401, were late models rebuilt from SDP40s in the early 1980's.  #404, #409 and #401 were still in Phase IV livery applied in the 1990's.  All of these were later sold as part of Anderson's housecleaning operation.

At the far end of the deadline was #10001 the Beech Grove and #10021, the Pacific Cape, both in Phase III paint.  Not sure what they were up to, but I have a feeling Anderson doesn't have much use for them.

These heritage baggage cars had become a canvas for local rattle can artists. 

Prior to the rebuild the diamond, PORTER had long since been removed with traffic from DAVIS heading down to the Peninsula with traffic from Edgemoor Yard in Wilmington being the only one with a direct switch to the Reybold Industrial Track to the refinery.  When oil traffic became a thing trains would need to make a backup movement up the New Castle Secondary to get to the Reybold Industrial Track switch.  NS not only restored the diamond, but also interlocked the whole kit and caboodle as CP-PORTER.

Here we can see the southbound DelMarVa Secondary off to the right and the continuing Reybold Branch to the left.  The diamond is a traditional type that can support "full speed" operation on either route.

Here we see the northbound New Castle Secondary heading off to the right and the northbound Reybold Branch heading off to the left.

Looking southbound along the DelMarVa we see milepost 14 (from Edgemore) and the connection from the southbound Reybold Branch.  DCS territory starts immediately past the signal and while traditionally a Restricting indication is used for trains entering DCS territory, here they get either Clear (G/R/R) or Slow Clear (R/R/G) perhaps due to the placement of movement rule signs at the end of interlocking limits.

 Here we see the southbound Reybold branch with the connection from the southbound New Castle Secondary.

A foxy little friend darted across the tracks as I was out doing my thing. 

 

Here we see the northbound Reybold Branch with the connection from the northbound DelMarVa secondary and the south end of the Amtrak Bear shoppes siding. 

Finally here is the northbound New Castle Sub.  Most traffic off the peninsula flowed to the Amtrak connection at DAVIS as not only is there a yard there, but the traffic would then travel to Enola Yard via the Port Road Branch.  After the NEC stopped being a route for through freight, the New Castle Sub became a local route connecting Edgemoor yard in Wilmington.

While the DelMarVa Secondary was always operated under Form D (aka DCS aka Track Warrant) rules, it had a number of movable bridges protected by absolute signals and, until surprisingly recently, vintage interlocking machines.  One of these movable bridges, over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, was located about 4 miles south of CP-PORTER and when CP-PORTER was placed in service NS installed a bi-directional, active distant signal adjacent to the crossing with Delaware Route 71.  Unlike a fixed distant, trains can receive advance indication of a clear block signal at the next interlocking, however the distant does not convey track occupancy information up to the next interlocking.

 The last new signal installed on the Reybold Branch was the northward entrance to CTC territory labeled CP-PLANT.  Unlike CP-PORTER, CP-PLANT was provided with a Southern green station sign instead of a Conrail blue sign.

Shifting back to Baltimore, I made a visit back to my old neighborhood and caught an eastbound train heading up the grade from the inner harbor with CSX AC4400 #5115 in the lead and CSX SD70MAC #4582.

 Another train had CSX C40-10W #5365 on the front and ES44AH #971 helping on the rear.

 At some point in the same time period a ballast regulator showed up to try and attempt to do something about the serious mud pumping problem in the Baltimore Belt Line cut.

While my new digs don't have as much in the way of rail action, I am seeing significantly more wildlife.   Here the local deer herd is out browsing my back yard while they shed their winter coats.

And a vixen stands guard while her kit plays around just outside the mouth of the den she dug under my garden shed. 

Next week I move on to cover both ends of the Avalon Siding on the former B&O Old Main Line along with some other DC and WMATA action.