My local NRHS Chapter does a good job organizing a wide range of informal events throughout the year, giving associates the ability to get out of the hose and socialize. Unfortunately my busy schedule prevents me from attending many of these, however in July 2024 I jumped at the chance to take the New Jersey Coast Line down to Long Branch from Pennsauken via Rahway. I had only ever ridden the NJCL once back in 2006, and that was only to Red Bank. This trip would also provide and opportunity to take NEC and UNION interlocking photos at Rahway and eventually connect to an Amtrak train back to Baltimore via New York Penn Station. You can find the full set of photos here ( mirror ).
The trip would start out from the Pennsauken Transportation Center, taking the NJT RiverLINE to Trenton, then an NEC train to Rahway. I got to the Pennsauken TC early enough to catch a Philly bound Atlantic City Line train make its station stop with GP40PH-2B #4215. It's not uncommon for ACRL trains to "meet" RiverLINE DMU's on the ground level Bordentown Secondary track, but this time southbound NJT #3502 didn't quite make it before #4215 and Comet V cab car #6018 pulled away.
My group's DMU would be #3506, seen here arriving at the Pennsauken TC.
After purchasing tickets we got down to the eastbound platform to catch an arriving southbound Regional train with ACS-86 #650 on Track #4, while the FAIR interlocking 1AE signal displayed a Limited Clear for a northbound Amtrak Regional.
The Regional was followed on Track #4 by a westbound NJT Corridor Line train with ALP-46 #6001 while the northbound Regional with ACS-86 #660, arrived on Track #1. During their dwell, the pair was split by a southbound Acela Express trainset with power cars #2024 and #2021, on Track #3 before #660 ultimately departed past the Limited Clear signal indication to cross over to Track #2.
Our train to Rahway would arrive on the eastbound high level track with split level cab car #7017. At Rahway the power was revealed to be ALP-46 #4604.
Controlled by a staffed tower until 2009, UNION interlocking is the junction of the NEC and North Jersey Coast Line, aka the New York and Long Branch. It features a trio of flying connecting tracks with one dropping down and vanishing in the middle of the main NEC tracks.
NJT seems to have a thing for scheduling "non-connections" and in the case of the NJCL, the arriving eastbound NEC train is scheduled into Rahway a minute before the departure of the westbound NJCL train, forcing anybody heading from points west to the shore to add a pointless extra hour to their trip time. There did exist a convenient connection to head back to Trenton however with ALP-45 #4515 powering a westbound local.
While lingering on the Track A platform, a northbound Acela Express trainset with power cars #2036 and #2014 blasted through the statin at high speed.
Another iconic feature of Rahway and UNION interlocking is the combination signal bridge/cantilever at the west end of the island platform. Here is a video showing a southbound Acela on track #2 with power cars #2015 and #2010 and the resulting aspect progression on UNION's 2W signal. Due to the high speed of the Acela and the short signal blocks between Rahway and Metropark you can see it change front Stop and Proceed to Approach then to Advance Approach.
Finding new rail things to do for my annual trips to Georgia has become a real struggle as rear placed baggage cars prevent generating content en-route and I have also covered most rail locations of interest within casual driving distance of my friend. For the 2024 visit I used what might have been an otherwise inconvenient knitting group meeting to perform a walking tour of the old Seaboard Coast Line station in Athens, GA. Combined with the typical Washington, DC power changes, Greensboro, NC layover and waiting three hours at Gainesville, GA for the midnight train going Anywhere (station code ANY?), I managed to collect enough content ( mirror ) for an engaging post.
Because Amtrak Carolinian Train 79 does not stop at BWI, I must start my trips with a short hop on MARC to Washington Union Station. Today my mid-morning train seemed to be a B&O set with single level cab car #7761 eventually leading the consist into Washington track #7, the non-electrified, lowest numbered station track typically reserved for Camden and Brunswick line trains. Split level Bombardier cab cars #8047 and #8053 were on the adjacent tracks 8 and 9.
Train 79 arrived behind ACS-86 #664, which was swapped out for P42DC #94.
The next I saw of #94 was during the smoking stop at Richmond Virginia RF&P Station. These engines might be going on 25 years old, but they are currently more reliable than their Siemens Charger replacements.
CSX SD40-2 #8232, SD40-2 #8253 and GP38-2 #2645 were hanging out in Richmond's Acca Yard that day.
Arriving roughly on time at Greensboro I managed to exit the station and run up to the Elm St grade crossing before #94 and T79 departed.
The former Sothern Railway 1899 Greensboro Depot and later Eastern Division HQ appears to have been sold by NS for redevelopment. Meanwhile, Train 79 was being shown an uncommon R/R/G Diverging Clear signal indication for a slower, but not necessary slow speed, secondary route through ELM interlocking.
After last call I caught the tail end of a southbound NS intermodal train at the same Elm St crossing.
That nights southbound Crescent Train 19 was roughly on time with a pair of new ALC-42 Chargers, #343 and #321.
After somehow managing to avoid a Charger breakdown, Train 19 dropped me at Gainesville and proceeded through MIDLAND interlocking on a Diverging Clear signal indication.
The Seaboard Coast Line's Athens Georgia station currently serves as a CSX MoW base for the Abbeville Sub. Athens is home to the University of Georgia and the station probably had more than its fair share of passenger traffic back in the day.
Some nice touches include "Seaboard" cast into the concrete of the road underpass and "Athens" spelled out in white painted concrete letters.
There was a Southern RR station right nearby with some of the track still in place, but I'll have to visit that next time.
Fast forward to Sunday night and I was back at the Amtrak/Southern/NS Gainesville station waiting for the midnight departure. The train used to arrive a bit after 9pm, but three hours of padding was added to the schedule south of Atlanta to help improve on time performance. As was typical a pair of engines, ET44 #3654 and SD40-2 #3379, were tied down at the station for switching the New Holland yard.
As with past years a cut of road power was also present, likely having delivered a regional manifest freight to the local yard from the Atlanta hub. These included ET44 #3661, ES44AC #8128 and ES44 #8007.
Before my northbound Crescent Train 20 arrived with P42DC's #144 and #45, I was treated to a northbound manifest freight with SD60E's #6999 and #6932 and a southbound manifest with a pair of AC44C6M's taking a Diverging Clear signal at MIDLAND interlocking for a move from track 1 to track 2.
Train 20 and engine #144 getting a re-crew at Charlottesville.
After arriving at Washington DC I headed up to watch the power change. A RailVac unit was sitting on the still unfinished Track 22.
While waiting for #144 and #45 to come off T20, Capitol Limited Train 30 arrived with a somewhat shabby P40DC #817. When the passengers were off, the short Train 30 set was shoved towards Ivy City Yard by #817, before Train 20's P42DC's #144 and #45 are pulled off to be replaced by ACS-86 #668. Just after #668 coupled, an afternoon VRE trainset arrives from the yard with MP36PH-3C # V64 leading and gallery cab car #V723 on the rear.
After that concluded a light engine move including Amtrak P42DC's #128 and #79 coupled ahead of MARCC MP36PH-3C #19 and #17, and SC44 #85.
Also on the MARC front, MP36PH-3C #31 was pulling out with a Penn Line train while #15 sat ready to go all while VRE MP36PH-3C #V59 was pulling into a low level berth.
Well that's all for my 2024 Georgia trip, I'll be back next time with a West Jersey Chapter NRHS sponsored trip to Long Branch, NJ via Rahway.
I have friends in Pittsburgh that allow me to engage in regular railfan activities both while traveling to and while staying around the city. For 2024 my plan was try and get back out on the 47L to Library, after having previously explored both South Hills Village and South Hills Junction (no relation). Unfortunately the 47L route requires about 3 hours to make a full round trip and I just wasn't able to book that block of time. My contingency plan was to get photos ( mirror ) of both of Pittsburgh's westbound Amtrak arrivals in the form of Pennsylvanian Train 43 and Capitol Limited Train 29 in addition to whatever was passing by on the former Conrail Pittsburgh Line.
Although arguably equipped with 5 usable station tracks across two island and one side platform, Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Station only make regular use of 2 tracks and 1 island platform. If current plans are to be believed, the old Pitt siding track or some new track will be installed to facilitate increased passenger service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
Power for that day's Train 43 was Amtrak Phase 2 heritage P42DC #130, which I had spotted at Amtrak's Race Street engine facility just a few days before.
Since the station headhouse was converted into apartments in the 1980's, the passenger experience has been rather underwhelming. It's unclear what could be done short of converting the apartment building ground floors back into a station.
Fast forward to midnight and westbound Capitol Limited Train 29 arrives with Amtrak P42DC #4. The Cap was still running as a 5 car stub train, which allowed for the use of a single diesel.
On the adjacent station track, the Pennsylvanian trainset awaits the next morning's 730am departure. This arguably "short haul" train utilizes Amfleet II long distance single level cars. Amfleet II's like #25036 here can be distinguished from an Amfleet I by the larger windows and a entry door at only one end.
Every morning the Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR) performs an interchange move to Norfolk Southern's Island Avenue Yard on the north bank of the Ohio River. In recent years this move has been making use of former Conrail SD60M's #6001 and #6002, which are marked for the AVR's parent company, Carload Express.
I even had poor luck catching NS movements through town with the only one being a garbage move just after sunset. Power was an almost brand new AC44C6M #4751 and SD70ACe #1137.
Well that's all I have for this set. Next week it will be time for my typical summer Crescent trip to Georgia.
