04-10-24 - CLASSIC PHOTOS: Altoona Day Trip

In 2004 Amtrak was still running two daily trains on the old PRR Main Line making it possible to achieve Sunday-only day trips to Altoona with a couple of hours to hang out and explore the city. My goal in 2004 was to check out the then active ALTO tower where I had an hookup for a inside tour. You can read about that visit in another post, but here I am going to cover the other photos taken on that trip ( mirror ).

Amtrak's Pennsylvanian once ran to Chicago via Cleveland, but due to the termination of Amtrak's main and express freight hauling operation this had had already been cut back to its original New York to Pittsburgh endpoints on the general schedule it still runs today. However because the not-yet-cancelled Three Rivers from Chicago was able to offer Pittsburgh a daily 10am eastbound departure, Amtrak ran a special Sunday only Pennsylvanian Train 44 departing Pittsburgh at 130pm instead of the normal 715am. This created a 3 hour layover at Altoona where one could arrive on Train 45 at 1:11pm and depart on Train 44 at 3:59pm. Here we see P42DC #122 at the Altoona Transportation Centre heading up Train #45. It is about to depart westbound over a Medium Clear indication displayed by ALTO's 38L signal onto Pittsburgh Line main track #3. Note the Conrail painted SD40-2 laying over in the helper pocket. 

After Train #45's departure, an eastbound NS coal train rolled down the hill with NS C44-9W #9522 leading and a former Conrail C40-8W behind. The pedestal signals, part of ALTO interlocking, replaced Penn Central era mast signals during Conrail's 1986 Pittsburgh Line re-signaling project.

Built in 1915, ALTO tower was still an active interlocking station 89 years later. The nearby 17th St bridge provided a superb photo location and naturally became a railfan hotspot. As of 2026 the tower is still standing with goals to preserve it at the nearby Railroad's Museum, however its structural condition is poor making any movement difficult.

Looking eastward, this signal bridge dates from the Penn Central era and was installed as part of a 1974 rationalization scheme that upgraded ALTO from a slow speed (15mph) interlocking to one that supported through movements at main line speeds. NS SD40-2 helper #3342 sits in the pocket track coupled to a Conrail painted unit. At this time trains needing assistance up the east slope and the famous Horseshoe Curve would pull past ALTO then stop for the helpers to roll out of the pocket and tie on. Later NS would realize it was more efficient to stop trains on the main track near Rose yard where helpers could be attached during a re-crew process.

The star attraction at the Pennsylvania Railroader's Museum is PRR GG1 #4913, which at the time was open for self-serve cab tours.

Pennsylvanian Train #44 making an on-time arrival at Altoona behind P42DC #55. If you look closely you can see smoke from the brake pads that had literally caught fire during the descent down the Horseshoe Curve and east slope. My rail industry friend who had arranged the tower tour was unfortunately left behind as he went forth to grab an additional photo of #55. He was also unfortunately carrying my dinner leaving me to the mercy of AmCafe pricing. After attempting to get a ride back on an NS freight (none were scheduled) he was forced to pay for a cab ride back to Harrisburg.

Speaking of Harrisburg the last photo of the day is of P42DC #55 at the Harrisburg station high level platform after sunset. Today this late running Sunday Pennsylvanian is a thing of the past and the modern Train 42 arrives Harrisburg around noon daily.

That's all for my 2004 Altoona trip photos. If you'd like more information about ALTO tower you can find it here.

25-04-10 PHOTOS: Dallas Streetcar

Spring means that it is once again time for my annual trip to Dallas and after my failed attempt to use the Denton A-Train in 2024, I set a much more modest goal of riding the Dallas Streetcar between Union Station and the Bishop Arts District. This service has been operating since 2015, but I had yet to ever ride it despite having been in close proximity to the northern terminus on several occasions. In addition to the streetcar I caught quite a bit of freight action on the adjacent Dallas Subdivision as well as that day's southbound Texas Eagle arrival. 

As usual I caught DART in from Dallas Love Field with Super LRV #225 at the Love Field transfer station and a wrapped #192 at Pearl Arts District. Despite being in the South, Dallas has no fewer than 3 arts and entertainment districts. 

Later arriving at Dallas Union Station I was in time to catch an eastbound BNSF manifest freight with C44-9W #4360 leading and ES44C4 #7125 behind.

This aligned with the arrival of an eastbound 3-car TRE train from Fort Worth with Bomber cab car #1004 leading and F59PH #124 on the rear. This train pulled in on track #3, next to F59PHI #569 which was already tied down on track #4.

Before I could leave for the streetcar, a westbound Union Pacific intermodal train featuring 5 road units up front including SD70ACe #8910, C44ACMs #6923 and #6542, ES44AC #2538 and AC4400 #6145.

SThe Dallas Streetcar is one of the several examples of "new urban streetcars" that popped up in the 2010's in cities as diverse as Seattle, Atlanta, Washington DC and Kansas City. The Dallas Streetcar makes use of the Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcar for rolling stock. Here we see Dallas Streercar #303 laying over at the Union Station terminal with the Reunion Center Whig Sphere in the background.

25-04-06 PHOTOS: Franklin Square

Philadelphia has had an on again, off again, on again, off again, on again, off again, on again relationship with transit access to Franklin Square. Opened as part of the 1936 Bridge Line between Center City and Camden, NJ, the Franklin Square station was built under Franklin Square at the east end of the 1926 Delaware River Bridge Ben Franklin Bridge. Closed in 1939 due to low ridership the station was briefly re-opened in 1952 when ferry service to Camden was concluded, only to close that same year. With the proximity to the new Independence Mall complex, the bicentennial celebration of 1976 triggered another re-opening, but after the celebration ridership plummeted again and the station was closed for the third time in 1979. Fifty years later, changing residential patterns along the Philadelphia waterfront prompted the Delaware River Port Authority to give Franklin Square another chance and after a protracted renovation project the station re-re-re opened on April 3rd, 2025. Of course I was going show up to get some photos of the new facility.

My plan had been to turn out for whatever opening day festivities that were going to take place, assuming of course that the station would open on a weekend, Friday or Monday. Unfortunately the opening was ultimately scheduled for the middle of a Thursday, making my attendance impractical from a scheduling point of view. Therefore I pushed my trip to the following Sunday. Here is PATCO car #1032 at Haddonfield, which would take me into the city.

Although far from perfect, PATCO has done a pretty good job preserving the 1930's tilework in its stations with Franklin Square leaning into this since it has more wall area than the other downtown stations that use island platforms.

The initial concept for Franklin Square was to pair the station to a major streetcar terminal similar to Essex Street in New York City where streetcars would cross the bridge then link riders with Philly's high speed rapid transit system. Unfortunately the South Jersey streetcar network collapsed not long after the completion of the bridge, but the space for it still exists between the current PATCO tracks just east of Franklin Square.

A concourse passageway connects both platforms to the central headhouse via stairs and escalators.

The new glass headhouse took up the bulk of the $29 million restoration budget. It contrasts sharply with the other downtown stations which rely on compact stairways descending from the sidewalk.

The headhouse was built with all the modern features such as bird friendly glass and a green roof. It presents an interesting contrast with SEPTA's 1970's brutalist headhouse serving the Broad Ridge Spur's Chinatown station just a block away.

The split platforms are an outcome of not only the bridge approach, but also how the old Bridge Line featured a hidden flying junction with today's Broad Ridge Spur west of Franklin Square.  PATCO even maintained an interlocked connection with the Ridge up unto the 1990s. The signals for that connection still remain and are visible from the west end of the eastbound platform.

One unfortunate anti-feature was the conversion of the eastern platform exits into emergency exits. The station itself is not very deep and the well vents let daylight down into the tunnel spaces.

 

25-03-23 PHOTOS: Shirley (You Can't Be Serious)

The last time I went to Lowell, MA was during the height of COVID and I only had enough time to walk the length of BY interlocking where the MBTA Lowell line briefly merges with the old Guilford Rail System Freight Main Line. With all of the re-signaling that is currently taking place along that route, I returned with a friend for a day of craft beer appreciation and searchlight signal photos. This post will detail the more interesting parts of the trip along with my return to the Mid-Atlantic via Acela express.

On weekends service to Lowell is pretty awful with trains running on a 1-2 hour headway. Today was no different and the only thing I was able to catch at Lowell's transportation was an empty high-low island platform. Lowell has an interesting layout as the two tracks on the left are used for MBTA service to Boston, while the three on the right are part of the former Guilford Rail System "Freight Main Line" that at one point stretched 714 miles from central Maine to Sunbury, PA.

A few years ago what remained of the Guilford was purchased by CSX which has wasted no time assimilating the line with new chaining, signals and, in this case, bridge art.

Due to the presence of hydro power, Lowell had become an early industrial hub, mostly specializing in textile production. The advent of electricity and modern logistics allowed this industry to move to more suitable locations turning Lowell into the stereotypical "gritty old mill town". In 1978 Federal money was obtained to create the Lowell National Historic Park as an urban renewal. One component of this was a heritage streetcar operation coined the "National Streetcar Museum", which I was able to visit and ride back in 2006. On this march day 20 years later the vintage streetcars weren't running, so I made do with a photo of Boston and Main 0-6-0 switcher #410, which is displayed on the streetcar platform.

Since 2006 Lowell has undergone an impressive recovery as the cost of housing in the core Boston area has exploded. Helped by the presence of UMass Lowell and MBTA service, the city is full of new development with many of the old mill buildings converted into artist lofts or new housing. This vintage service station sign was located across the street from the National Streetcar Museum.

Heading out of town my host suggested seeing the old B&M station at North Chelmsford. The trackside structure is being relocated for preservation with the wooden building already gone and the foundation marked up for disassembly. This project is likely one of CSX's "good will" gestures after taking control of neglected Guilford assets.

The MBTA Fitchburg Line station Shirley might look like something out of the 19th century, but it was actually constructed in 1993 after the station itself was reactivated in 1981 after over a decade of Fitchburg Line extensions and retrenchments. Although the minimal infrastructure gives the station a vibe similar to some of MARC's least used stations, Shirley currently serves a respectable 100+ passengers a day.

Because I had been out all day getting photos of 1940's and 50's vintage railroad signaling I hadn't really noticed that it was almost sunset when I had encountered an actual train movement in the form of a Norfolk Southern run-through freight with a former Guilford C40-8 leading a trio of NS units including SC70ACC #1807, AC44C6M #4857 and C44-9W #9928. In the 2010's NS had invested in a joint venture with the Guilford to run freight from Harrisburg to Ayer in conjunction with NS's of the former Delaware and Hudson route between Sunbury and Schenectady.

25-03-22 PHOTOS: Guilford Autos

With the Vermonter route now completely re-signaled the next chapter in my big New Englande adventure is pivoting to the former Boston and Main Western Route Main Line which is currently under assimilation by CSX. Having made friends with a local signal enthusiast who also happens to have a car I was able to round trip myself up on the Acela for a weekend of signal shenanigans. The first half of the trip involved seeing what could be documented on Amtrak's Downeaster route between the Massachusetts border and Saco, Maine.  The photos will cover the trip up and a couple of Downeaster catches on the WRML. 

Like so many of my recent journeys my trip started off at the BWI Airport Rail Station where I managed to catch an uncommon MARC diesel doubleheader with MP36PH-3C #34 and GP39H-2 #75 with a northbound Penn Line train. 

Because BWI only twos 2-3 Acela departures each weekday I was having to first backtrack to Washington Union Station. Arriving near the start of the evening peak I caught the lineup of MARC cab cars at the Union Station buffer stops before waiting for my 6pm Acela departure. My train that day would be Acela set #11 with power car #2017 on the south end.

The 6pm Acela out of Washington is a Friday only run to Boston that completes its journey at 110am. Here is ACS-86 #639 at Penn Station and ACS-86 #618 across the platform from Acela power car #2036 at Boston South Station.

The new hotel that sacrificed about 2 car lengths of South Station platform length was nearing completion with the arched pedestal forming a somewhat open air concourse in front of the existing South Station train hall. Because the last Red Line had already departed shortly before 1am, I was forced to take a much more expensive Uber to my friend's house. 

Heading out the next day my first catch was Downeaster Train #694 with Amtrak Phase III Heritage painted F40PH cabbage car #90406 with P42DC #95 pushing on the rear passing under the B&M signal bridge at CPF-241 near Rollinsford. The new CSX signals are waiting to be put in service.