24-12-05 PHOTOS: 21ST ST

Although much reduced in scope, 21ST ST crossing, also known as Alton Junction, was effectively the last interlocking station on the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line between Pittsburgh and Chicago and once trains navigates its complex trackwork, they would enter the ream of Chicago Union Station. That should have been a fairly simple 2x2 diamond crossing of the PRR and the Chicago and Alton was blown up by the four-tracks of the Chicago and Western Indiana, a terminal railroad owned equally between the Erie, Monon, Wabash, Grand Trunk Western and Chicago & Eastern Illinois to reach Chicago's Dearborn Station. This resulted in a staggering 26 diamonds along with a pair of double slip ladders, but with the closure of Dearborn in 1971 the C&WI tracks evaporated leaving empty fields in their place. The good news is that those fields were converted into Ping Tom park, allowing anyone to get an up close view of the passenger action that still flows through the interlocking. The bad news, at least for me, is that Chicago in December gets pretty dang cold. You on the other hand can sit back and enjoy the photos I took ( mirror ) from the comfort of your own house.

After getting up early I put on as many layers as practical because the temperature stood at 8 degrees. 21ST ST is accessible via the CTA Red Line's Cermak-Chinatown station and after a transfer from the Blue Line I was delivered by 5000-series car #5214.

Federal Junction north of the station allows Red Line trains access to the Orange Line and the Loop in case of service disruptions or equipment transfers.

Cermak-Chinatown is also adjacent to the METRA Rock Island District tracks where I caught MP36PH-3C #423 and F40PH-3 #111 coupled ahead of Veterans F40PH-3 #120.

One thing that hasn't changed about 21St St crossing is the South Branch Drawbridge that marks the spiritual end or beginning to several Amtrak long distance routes. In the summer this sees frequent raisings due to the low clearance and high volume of boat traffic on the Chicago River.

The southwest corner of the park provides an unobstructed view of the remaining diamond crossing as well as the connecting tracks for Lincoln Corridor trains and Illinois Central route trains. As a further bonus, the CTA Orange Line passes overhead on the elevated trackway.

Speaking of downstate Illinois, Amtrak Saluki Train 391 was departing on its outbound trip to Carbondale. Due to the lack of a direct connection to the former IC main line, all downstate trains have to make a reverse move out of Chicago Union Station. With the Saint Charles Air Line out of service for reconstruction, these trains were changing direction on the Norfolk Southern Chicago Line south of the station. Today's consist included P42DC #63 and no fewer than 3 deadhead Sightseer Lounge cars needed to make up axle count and car weight minimums on the route.

21St St is also used by METRA Southwest Service and Heritage Corridor trains, although the latter is an extremely limited peak period operation. Here a Southwest Service train with gallery cab car #8579, 1960's vintage Budd gallery coach #784 and F40PHM-3's #190 and #210.

This was followed by an outbound Southwest Service train with F40PH-3 #179 and cab car #8445.

24-12-01 PHOTOS: Severn

While I can typically do other things on Black Wednesday to overcome Amtrak's lack of a Thanksgiving program, Black Sunday is a little different as I only have limited time and space in which to act. In the past this was sufficient to catch the NJT Arrow III sets running in Maryland, but without them it takes a bit more effort to string together an interesting set of photos. In November of 2024 the best I could manage was a stop by the MARC Halethorpe station and the location of the old grade crossing and station in Severn, MD.

The first part of this set actually takes place on Saturday where we see a northbound weekend MARC Penn Line train, shown here taking the diverging route at WINANS interlocking with SC44 #83 in the head. Before Halethorpe was given high level platforms, Most MARC trains would platform across Track A using duckboards, but now they have to takes a time hit for a diverging movement.

Upon departure the outbound train met its opposite just north of the Halethorpe station. Cab car #8051 was on the end of the northbound with K-cab-car #7854 was leading the southbound and MP36PH-3C #30 on the rear.

I did manage to catch some Amtrak action with southbound Amtrak Regional Train #147 with ACS-86 #656 meeting northbound Regional Train #168 with ACS-86 #649. Both trains were traveling around 100mph.

 

24-11-27 PHOTOS: Bristol Indistrial

After several years of camping out at SEPTA's Croydon station for Thanksgiving Wednesday, I began to realize that the location was getting played out and I should look into some new locations. One obvious site was GRUNDY interlocking just north of the Bristol, PA Septa station. Not only does it allow for signal photos, but it has the advantage of having the NJ/PA Turnpike Connector Bridge as a backdrop. What followed was a morning ( mirror ) of not just Amtrak action, but shortline surprises.

If you're wondering what the whole GRUNDY name is about, Joseph Grundy was a local industrialist who built a textile mill complex complex in Bristol adjacent to the PRR's Philly to New York Main Line. His shipping volume evidently reached the reward tier where the PRR named an interlocking after him. Here an eastbound Amtrak Keystone train with Metroliner cab car #9632 passes the old GRUNDY tower, which was built around 1942.

This was followed by an eastbound SEPTA R7 local on track #1 composed of 2 Silverliner IV pairs including cars #450 and #177. GRUNDY interlocking was built as a full 4-track crossover, but after a rationalization in the 80's was been reduced to a facing point ladder that primarily serves freight industrial tracks.

After the SEPTA local the next train was a westbound Keystone with ACE-86 #639 and Metroliner Cab car #9638.

Immediately following the SEPTA was Northbound Amtrak Roanoke Regional Train 174 led by ACS-86 #610.



My first big surprise of the day was a southbound push-pull regional with Veterans ACS-86 #642 leading and #637 pushing.

Following on track #3 was a southbound Acela with power cars #2033 and #2027.

While taking my Amtrak photos I heard a rather strange horn and caught a glimpse of something moving behind the trees. A quick Google consultation informed me of the presence of the East Penn Railroad's Bristol Industrial track and I left the Amtrak action to try and catch the freight movement returning to home base at the Bristol Industrial Park. This is where I had my second big surprise of the day, Penn Eastern Rail Lines NW2 switcher #81 dating from 1948.

My third surprise of the day was that the locomotive I had first seen behind the trees was East Penn Railroad (a Disney company) #1800, a very rare EMD GP18 from ~1960. One of the first EMD road switchers built with a low hood, #1800 retains its original front "picture window", a feature that was quickly cut due to high replacement costs.

The Bristol industrial park was built on the footprint of 3M Airport, which was the home base of the Keystone Aircraft Corporation, later Kaiser-Fleetwings.

Since the Dog and Bull pub at the SEPTA Croydon station had finally re-opened after a long renovation I had to stop by for lunch. Of course I wasn't about to forgo another photo op so up first is a video of a southbound Acela with power cars #2025 and #2023.



This was followed by westbound Pennsylvanian Train 43 with ACE-86 #651 and northbound Regional Train #114 with ACS-86 #625.

I then caught an inbound R7 local returning from Trenton with Silverliners IV #290 and #330 on the ends.

My next surprise of the day was yet another push-pull Regional train overtaking an outbound SEPTA R7 local right at Croydon station. ACS-86's #646 and #657 were on the Regional and the 5-car R7 featured Silverliners IV #440 and #117.

The hits kept on coming as I also caught the R7 meet with southbound Regional train #119 with ACS-86 #664.

The push-pull Regionals were thick as flies today with Train 125 following behind #119 with ACE-86 #629 and #662.

Heading back to the Betsy Ross Bridge, I made a quick stop at Cornwells Heights where I encountered Regional Train #84 with ACS-86 #660 and a southbound Acela with power cars #2026 and #2029.

Well that's all for 2024's Thanksgiving Wednesday, check back in shortly for photos from Thanksgiving Sunday!

24-11-24 PHOTOS: LAUREL RUN

In recent years I have been using the Thanksgiving travel season to document more of the signaling on the Reading and Northern main line which now runs between Reading and Scranton on former Reading, CNJ and Lehigh Valley trackage. These trips provide me the chance to catch some action on the old PRR Main Line near Harrisburg as well as the RBMN's Scranton to Mach Chunk excursion service in the Poconos. 2024 was no different and I came away with ( mirror ) an informal train chase between CP-ROCKVILLE and CP-CANNON as well as RBMN photos at CP-LAUREL RUN.

My first goal was to catch Amtrak's westbound Pennsylvanian Train 43. Arriving at a highway overpass at the eastern end of CP-ROCKVILLE, I saw NS AC44C6M locomotives #4314 and #4256 moving slowly towards a Restricting signal indication ahead on track #2 of a manifest freight consist. A Clear signal on track #1 was presumably for the Pennsylvanian.

My assessment proved accurate when Train 43 arrived on the scene with P42DC #119 and pulled past the NS freight.



While I knew there was no way I could catch up with the Pennsylvanian, the NS freight was still moving at a crawl so I jumped in my car and hightailed it across the Susquehanna River to CP-BANKS.

Since it was still moving pretty slowly I figured I could get ahead of it again at the old Cove, PA signal location. Sure enough when I got there I saw an approaching headlight, but to my surprise instead of the pair of AC44C6M's and trash cubes, I saw NS SD70ACe #1149 and AC44C6M #4190 ahead of a different manifest freight on track #1. This train was likely running ahead of the one I had previously seen, which explained the Restricting signal indication, and then crossed over to Track #1 at CP-BANKS.

As it slowly moved passed, likely still on signals for Train 43 ahead of it, #4314 and #4256 appeared again, still on track #2 and making up ground on the train in track #1.