Although our trip started at the Camden E-Center station I am not exactly sure how we *reached* said station from the PATCO connection at Broadway. I suspect that either the pull-out move from the yard was picking up passengers, but we may have just walked or just driven (unlikely). Because smart phones with their advanced low light camera functionality was still a decade away here is a somewhat soft photo of #3511 waiting the first revenue departure northbound.
Due to the high inside light to outside light ratio on the northbound trip the next photo I took was of #3511 shortly after its arrival in Trenton.
With the 30 minute headways there was no reason not to head down to the Trenton Station platform for some heavy rail action. Amtrak's FAIR interlocking had recently been outfitted with drop-in LED signal modules, one of the earliest examples on Amtrak.
SEPTA Silverliner IV #429 is seen here ready to depart track #5. Although the R7 local provided a slightly faster trip to Philly, the price of $7-8 was far higher than the RiverLINE's #1.35.
Getting back to the RiverLINE station we find #3514 along with #3511 with #3514 being the next to depart. The opening day balloons were a nice touch.
The RiverLINE utilizes the former PRR Bordentown Branch that used to host the famous Nelly Bly New York to Atlantic City express train. An active route for carload freight, NJT had to go out of its way to maintain all the old connectivity like this crossover that would allow freights to access the soon-to-be-defunct industrial track that ran through downtown Trenton along the Delaware and Raritan canal
At Bordentown the line joins with the old Camden and Amboy alignment at CP-270. One of the first railroads chartered in the United States, the C&A connected the ports of Camden and Perth Amboy, NJ. Today the C&A is cut between Heightstown and Jamesburg, but the southern section has a number of freight customers served by this connection. Note all of the hand-throw switch flags mounted on the M23 electric switch machines. Before the signal system was activated the freight crews were operating all the derails and turnouts in manual mode.
Our southbound run encountered the next northbound with DMU LRV #3513 entering the Florence station. The position of the double track segments were chosen to line up with 15 minute headways.
The FRA's faux-safety kick was in full swing and the RiverLINE had to agree to full temporal separation between main line rail and its own operations. Burlington, NJ had a large concentration of carload customers served by a small yard. This yard could be isolated to a daytime crew could work the customers and build up a train to send to Pavonia yard in Camden after the 9am freight period started. That Sunday Conrail painted CSX GP38-2 #4403 was tied down in the Burlington Yard.
Burlington, NJ featured a bit of pseudo street running that remains a hallmark of the line. The 1950's era PRR passenger station constructed south of town is not a police station.
The next northbound run was met near Delanco with LRV #3509. The RiverLINE has a fleet of 20 Stadler GTW 2/6 DMU's that serve in a mainline rail capacity in other countries.
This steel arch bridge replaced a the PRR era drawbridge over the Rancocas Creek.
A northbound two car train led by #3519 was encountered near Pennsauken.
At Cove Road we encountered ND SD70 #2511 at the head of a manifest freight ready to depart for points west on the NS system. NS's standard cab SD70's were later rebuilt into SD70ACC's.
South Jersey freight services are under the auspices of Conrail Shared Assets and the Pavonia engine terminal had a "four men in a geep" type mix of CSX YN2, Southern high hood and Conrail painted GP38's and GP40's.
Alighting at the Ayn Rand Transportation Center we encountered our final northbound run with LRV's #3503 and #3517.
At this point the RiverLINE journey was over, but I would then go on across the Delaware to hang out in PAOLI tower for a few hours. However that is a story for a different time.
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