The Oscawana Tunnel is several miles north of the Metro North Croton yard that marks the northern limit of electrified service to Grand Central. Half Moon Bay roads provides a view of the northern end of the yard including M3's. M7's and the A-34 traction power substation. We can also see two of the main tracks are being reballasted.
Half Moon Bay Rd leads to Senasqua Park that sits directly adjacent to the former New York Central CD tower, now inhabited by the Metro North signal department.
Even on a reduced port-COVID schedule, there is still plenty of Metro North action with hourly Poughkeepsie diesel trainsets. CDoT owned P32AC-DM #230, seen here wrong railing through CP-36 on track #4 south of the tunnel is still in the New haven livery that has been replace by the Coke Zero scheme on CTRail units. CP-36 provides access to the Croton freight yard from the north and is one of the only instances of a Metro North signal mounted on a high signal mast. On tracks 1 and 2 is the milepost 36.6 automatic cab signal indication point.
Before the pandemic MNRR weekend northbound and southbound Poughkeepsie trains tended to meet in the vicinity of the tunnel and this appears to still be the case with NH #230 and its train meeting a southbound set with MNRR P32AC-DM #201.
Continuing with the whole opposite day thing, Amtrak Train 48, the eastbound Lake Shore Limited, appeared on the normally northbound track #1 with an unidentified private car in tow. Today's New York section of the LSL also consisted of two Amfleet II coaches, two Viewliner sleepers, a Viewliner diner and a Viewliner baggage car.
A pair of Amtrak Empire Service trains were also in the mix with P32AC-DM #702 heading up the northbound and Phase V heritage painted #708 on the northbound.
View of the northbound Oscawana Tunnel portal on the "even" track side.
Metro North also displayed a rainbow in celebration of Pride Month.
While driving around White Plains I caught a glimpse of the famous AT&T Long Lines regional switching center 914-1.
Crossing the Mid-Hidson bridge at Poughkeepsie.
On the way back south I stopped off at the Milburn, NJT station on the former Lackawanna electrified territory. Due to a paltry weekend schedule I was not able to catch any trains, but the station infrastructure was pretty interesting. Originally three tracks, the station was reduced to two when it was desirable to move an interlocking off a curve.
The Milburn autotransformer supplies ~25kv 60hz AC current for traction power from 50kz feeders. Low cost autotransformers are located at the ends of a supply area to boost voltage from supply transformer that draws from the utility grid. The effective transmission voltage is 75kv as the feeder and overhead lines operate 180o out of phase.
MILBURN interlocking is the western end of the former DL&W 3-track main line that starts at the west end of the Bergen Hill tunnels. It is unclear why the D&LW did not extend the 3rd track to the junction with the Gladstone Branch at Summit, but their choice has created a lingering capacity bottleneck.
Well that's the end of my little trip. Next time I'll be heading back to Pittsburgh to check on some disused interlocking towers.
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