20-06-12 PHOTOS: Old PARK

In 2010 Amtrak's PARK tower in Parkesburg, PA closed as one of the final pieces of PennDoT's Phase 1 110mph Keystone Corridor upgrade. Once serving as a junction between the original Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line and the 1906 Atglen and Susquehanna Low Grade Line, the interlocking plant limped along as an overbuilt crossover after the A&S was shuttered in 1988, shifting to an "as needed" status in 1994 when SEPTA cut back R5 service from Parkesburg to Downingtown/Thoendale. Eventually the 4-track interlocking was replaced by a simpler 2-track crossover about 2 miles to the west and old PARK spent another decade as an automatic block signal location before money became available to extend the new signaling an additional 6 miles to THORN tower in Thorndale. With the COVID related Keystone suspensions as an accelerant, this work was due to wrap up in June of 2020 so I went out to document the remaining automatic signals and the remains of Old PARK interlocking. The full set of photos can be seen here ( mirror ).

On the way out to PARK a brief traffic delay let me snag a picture of one of the new style traveling cranes installed on the Conowingo dam. These cranes are necessary to lift the heavy gates that control the spillways and penstocks on what is one of the largest privately owned hydro-electric dams in the United States. The original 1928 cranes were replaced about 5 years ago, but similar examples are still active on the Safe Harbour dam about 20 miles upstream. 

Unlike most "towers", PARK is a unique single story design although it shares many PRR design features such as brick construction and a bay window. Now used as a base for signal maintainers, features from its old interlocking days, like the manifold style air dryer, remain.

Up through about 2010 old PARK actually sported three main tracks to the east with the center track 2 turning into an industrial track serving some local industry in Atglen on the former A&S right of way. Later that track was cut back to a point just east of the interlocking and today it remains for storage and in case any industrial customers ever return.

I arrived in time to catch a mid-morning eastbound Keystone train with M<etroliner cab car #9632 and ACS-86 #604.

Over at the 25hz Parkesburg Amtrak Substation (#66) I discovered a second 1930's vintage transformer that liked dated to the state of electric service in 1939.

The Parkesburg Substation still serves as a junction between the two 138kv 25hz railroad electrification transmission circuits that follow the Main Line to Lancaster and another pair that follow the A&S right of way to the Safe Harbour Dam where two 25hz turbines provide 66MW of power for Amtrak.

Signal crews were on hand at the Milepost 41 intermediate signals overseeing the cut over to the new Rule 562 bi-directional signaling that will replace the PRR era Rule 251 ABS. At this point track #4 has been converted with the old PRR position light signal being removed from service in favor of a pure cab signal arrangement.

I was there in time to catch an Amtrak hi-rail truck moving westbound to inspect Track #4.

Although main track track #2 had been pulled up between PARK and CALN interlockings over a decade before, the signals remained lit up and in place because there was no need to spend money to modify the signal system and remove them. As one can see, this segment of PRR Main Line had operated in a 2+2 single direction Rule 251 ABS configuration until the 1980's when track #3 was removed and track #2 converted to bi-directional operation for A&S freights. Not the different in the mounting cages.

It was eventually followed by a westbound Keystone train with Metroliner Cab Car #9643 and ACS-86 #630.

Two miles to the east the Coatsville city water supply passes under the Main Line via this interesting brick lined tunnel.

The Milepost 39 automatic signals exhibit the same configuration as those at Milepost 41 with the eastbound signals in their original arrangement and the westbound signals modified to support the bi-directional #2 ghost track.

The westbound track #4 signal also hosted another vanishing element of US railroad signaling in the form of the (G) Grade marker that was once used on steep sections of track to convert a Rule 291 Stop and Proceed signal into a Rule 290 Restricting. These were made redundant when the rail industry moved to the uniform Restricted Proceed indication in place of Stop and Proceed as a fuel saving measure.

That's a wrap for my spring 2020 PRR main Line expeditions. Tune in next time as I travel to Georgia via Amtrak in the middle of a pandemic!