Over the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday I took some time to explore the somewhat overlooked portion of the Philadelphia Main Line between Paoli and Glen Loch, PA. This expedition was motivated by the larger THORN tower re-signaling effort and I wanted to get some photos of the legacy signals before they were replaced. naturally this came with SEPTA R5 and Amtrak Kestone service pics as well.
In 1994 massive PCB contamination forced the closure of the Paoli MU shoopes and the associated yard which had served as the defacto terminus of the electrified Main Line since 1915. A new yard facility was built about 4 miles to the west at Frazer, PA which had the side effect of extending the core SEPTA R5 service from Paoli to Malvern. While a new interlocking was bult to access the yard, the modifications were done on a budget and nothing was done to change the single direction double track ABS nature of the line. However in conjunction with the Paoli Station replacement project the line segment between Paoli and Frazer was upgraded to bi-directional operation on both tracks with new signals being installed at the existing milepost 2l location. Now trains bound for Frazer yard can get an Approach Slow instead of a straight Approach.
Here we see a yard-bound SEPRA R5 Malvern train passing under the modified signal bridge. Cars are Silverliners V #834 and #833.
This was soon followed by westbound Pennsylvanian Train #43 with P42DC #129.
My next stop was the east end of PAOLI interlocking located about halfway between the Paoli and Daylesford station. Here is an eastbound R5 local with Silverliners IV #335 and #334.
A westbound R5 then passed by with two single unit Silverliners V including #735 in the lead.
After the R5 cleared the station, westbound Keystone Train #615 with ACS-86 #661 leading and #643 on the rear rolled through on track #4 to make a stop at the rebuilt Paoli station. Although Keystones are express trains that should benefit from the Main Line's center express tracks, the infrequent weekend SEPTA service allows them to use the outer local tracks without incurring any delay.
Declining reliability of the former Metroliner cab cars has resulted in this "top and tail" locomotive arrangement.
This video shows the above train arriving and departing Paoli station, but also the progression on both the 12L and 22L signals, all of which are controlled from the relays and US&S Model 14 interlocking machine inside PAOLI tower. First as the train exits the interlocking the operator is able to display the signal and get a Restricting indication. As this later upgrades to Approach when the Keystone passes the Milepost 21.9 automatic signals, you can also see the 22L immediately change to Clear.
Until 2019 the Paoli Station consisted of two side platforms serving tracks 1 and 4 with the center tracks only seeing occasional use by work trains or deadhead moves to and from Frazer yard. Penn DoT determined that the best way to provide ADA access was to cut the center tracks 2 and 3 and replace them with a high level island platform. Of course if passenger traffic increases to the point where 3 or 4 tracks are necessary to a point west of Paoli, this will create a significant bottleneck. Note, as of this photos PAOLI tower is still opened, although its pneumatic switches have been replaced by electric and the 12L signal has been replaced by a modern position color light.
On Thanksgiving morning I went out the GLEN interlocking in Glen Loch, PA. Unfortunately I was just a few second too late to get a good photo of Metroliner Cab Car #9637 in new Phase 7 paint.
I was also caught unawares by a light engine move consisting of ACS-86 #660. Not sure why it was necessary to pay someone holiday rate to run a light engine, but I suspect someone on the extra board needed a few bucks to cover Black Friday sales.
ACS-86 #655 with an eastbound Keystone train.
The former PRR Glen Loch station now repurposed into a private residence.
GLEN interlocking was paired with DALE interlocking on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Low Grade freight route between Trenton and Thorndale. Originally built in 1882, the Trenton Cutoff ran from Morrisville to this point on the Main Line so that East-West through freight could bypass the congested Philadelphia terminal and the stiff grades on the suburban Main Line route. Later around 1906 the separate freight line was extended another 10 miles to Thorndale, PA as the Philadelphia and Thorndale branch. In 1935 this territory was put under CTC control from THORN tower as part of the PRR's Harrisburg electrification effort. here we see the 1935 vintage concrete relay hut for DALE interlocking, which was a two track flat junction on the Trenton Cutoff/P&T that allowed freight trains to transfer over to the Main Line via a flying junction at GLEN.
Here we see the flying junction that allowed slow freight trains access to the center Main Line tracks at GLEN interlocking. As Conrail shifted both New York and Philly through freight to its newly combined Reading/Lehigh Valley/CNJ lines, the P&T became surplus to requirements after Conrail ended electric freight operations in 1981 and was abandoned. The west end of the former Trenton Cutoff was downgraded to the Dale Secondary used by local freights. Today the Dale Secondary uses the rightmost trackway (as seen in this photo ducking under Main Line track #4) while SEPTA uses the leftmost track to access the west end of Frazer yard.
The Dale Secondary still plays an active role in Amtrak's traction power network as the PRR avoided the political fight of putting 60 foot tall 138kv transmission lines through posh Main Line communities by routing them up the Schuylkill river then along the Trenton Cutoff. This is the point where the transmission lines get back to Amtrak owned property at the Frazer Substation. While the DALE flat junction was removed in 1981, the location continued on as a controlled holdout signal and glorified derail until about 1994 when everything was straight railed to GLEN. The 100hz signal power transformer for DALE interlocking is still present and bares the yellow sticker of shame.
In addition to my PRR Main Line activities, I also popped into Philly via PATCO with rebuilt car #1063 at Haddonfield and rebuilt single car 1117 at 15th/16th. 24 of 25 1969 PATCO single units were rebuilt as married pairs in the mid-2010's and remain an uncommon sight in service.
That's all for my PRR Main Line escapades. Tune in next time as I head up to Bristol, PA to check out Amtrak's Northeast Corridor on Thanksgiving Wednesday.
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