15-11-27 PHOTOS: WINSLOW

I don't get out to Winslow Junction as much as I should, and by "as much as I should", I mean more than once a decade. WJ used to be my go to place for railfanning in South Jersey, usually on random weekends with my father. However in recent years my general unavailability combined with his decreased activity lead to Winslow Junction being that place we'll get around to visiting "next time". Well, finding myself at a severe loss for content in 2015, I decided to take a little detour from my Black Friday shopping to swing by what used to be one of the busiest rail interlockings in the entire world.

You can find the full set of photos of my trek around the old complex here.

Of course the real stars of the Southern Railroad of New Jersey are the two F7A cab units that used to work the Salem Branch between Salem, NJ and Swedesboro, NJ. They are former B&LE units and numbered 727 and 728. #728 is painted in NYO&W colors because the former SRNJ owner had a bit of a crush on the NYO&W.

#727 is painted in a CNJ heritage scheme, but after years out in the elements, some of the B&LE heritage is showing through.

 

The SRNJ had a couple of old GE 44-toners and NYOW painted #105 is the one that is still around.

This is what happens when you park your locomotive in a bad neighborhood. #1801 is a rare GE U18B U-Boat. 

CMSL Tony doesn't have a monopoly on RDC's in South Jersey. SRNJ #7 used to belong to the NYS&W running a passenger service in Syracuse, NY. When that railroad's eccentric owner died the service was promptly shut down and the RDC's sold.

Former CN MLW M420 #3519 is up on the good kind of blocks, getting its front truck rebuilt.

Traction motor armature. Um...you might want to cover that.

A cut of derelict NJT Comets was sitting on the former C&A (ACL) southbound main track. Not sure who owns them.

WINSLOW tower just turned 80 years old. Closed in 1984 vandals are taking their toll.

The Winslow Jct flyover was built with the 1934 PRSL merger and allowed northbound trains from the former Reading ACRR to transfer to the former PRR Camden and Atlantic line. It was out of service by the late 1960's as the AC Expressway caused passenger traffic to fall off a cliff.

Speaking of falling off a cliff, in a further indignity the flyover earth fill was recently mined for the 1930 vintage sand and cinder :-( I actually remember hiking the old flyover ramp RoW as a little kid.

The former southbound main track was still seeing use storing an NJT ballast tamper. 

On the connecting track between the former Reading Line and PRR line for southbound freight movements I found this old friction bearing equipped flatcar.

NJT PL42 #4011 passing by WINSLOW tower with a Philly bound train.

Well that's it. Next week tune in for the biggest day of the railfan calendar...Amtrak's Thanksgiving Sunday.