Hi,
Is Lancaster, Pennsylvania on the former PRR main line between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh? If not, how much freight traffic can I expect to see there (I’ll be visiting next week)?
Thanks.
PDickens
It is on the former PRR main between Philadelphia and Pittsburg, yes. But it is also east of Harrisburg which means most of the NS freight traffic easbound goes from Harrisburg to Reading to Allentown to NJ. Amtrak is plentiful at Lancaster, and there is some freight. Just not what the PRR or PC or even CR ever did. I am sure there are those closer to Lancaster to tell more and be more accurate. But you are so close to Strasburg and the Strasburg RR and the PA State RR museum and National Toy Train Museum that watching trains at Lancaster shouldn’t take that much of your time!
Lancaster is mainly an Amtrak show, with Keystone Corridor trains, basically AEM-7s and aAnfleet and a cab-car, push-pull. Plus the one Pittsburgh train each way each day, pull in both directions. . If I remember correctly, around 1PM a Septa MU-train pulls up running light and lays over just so the crew can have lunch. It does not carry passengers to and from Lancaster, because Lancaster is still beyond the end of the SEPTA commuter zone. This may or may not be true today, but the practice did exist for many years. Never had the courage to ask to ride. Freight trains now are few and are local, like on the Northeast Corridor main line. If you wany freight action, go to the ex-Reading Harrisburg-Reading line.
I’m pretty sure SEPTA doesn’t come near Lancaster anymore.
There is a small, but active NS yard in downtown Lancaster with the engine terminal (and unloading trestle for grain cars) right along the sidewalk of Harrisburg Avenue. Might be worth a gander as that part of the yard is slated to be torn out very soon. A new yard is being built a little west of there.
There’s also a pedestrian bridge behind F&M college that goes over the doomed part of the yard. There’s a couple locals around the area, but no heavy freight action.
Thanks for the info! Very helpful. I do definitely plan to take in the Strasburg RR, RR Museum of Pennsylvania and other Strasburg train attractions as well as Horseshoe Curve and the Railroader’s Memorial in Altoona. This will be my second trip to Strasburg and first trip to Altoona - I can hardly wait. I hope the weather is a little cooler in Pennsylvania than it has been here in Georgia!
PDickens
The primary NS freight service is operated over the Columbia Branch, not the Amtrak main line from Harrisburg, and ties up at Dillerville Yard (as already mentioned on Harrisburg Pike). Freight is strong enough to justify a daily turn from Enola. From the Amtrak Station, take Prince Street to south to Harrisburg Pike, make a right, and the NS engine Terminal and yard office will be on the right next to the road. You can view the yard from a parking lot behind Bill’s Fish Store without going on NS propertry. As someone else mentioned, the yard is scheduled to be removed to make expansion room for F&M and the hospital and will be replaced by a new yard just west of the Post Office on Harrisburg Pike after much jumping up and down from the neighbors.
The NS local out of Dillerville that serves some of the Amtrak main line industries usually makes a shove move into the station and waits for Amtrak 642 at 8:32AM to clear before moving west.
Other than that, lots of AEM7s with five amfleet coaches with the exception of #42-43 which is diesel powered and changes power at Philadelphia instead of Harrisburg. Lancaster passenger count exceeds a half million per year - so an important stop. The old PRR station is in the middle of a very expansive - and slow - rehabilitation - worth a walk around - if you can find parking.
To, PDickens:
Permit me to put forward a long time favorite Penna Tourist line : WK&S RR.
@ http://www.kemptontrain.com/ride.htm
You can go to YouTube.com and there are a number of videos for this tourist short line. Since you will be in the vicinity, I think it is a worthwhile side trip. This is not the only one besides Strasburg Railroad, but there are a number of active tourist ops in that Easter Pa area. I’ll hope some of the locals will post some of them.
Ha ve a good trip!
If it’s freight you want, then head northwest to harrisburg on PA/ I-283, next north on I-83, then I-81 south until you cross the Susquehanna River - you’ll see the famous Rockville bridge off to your right - and Enola Yard is on the far/ west side of the River. On the near side is the railfan-friendly Bridgeview B&B and some views of the junction at the east end of the bridge. Harrisburg Station also has a GG1 and the former HARRIS tower with its “model board” is sometimes open on Saturdays. Rutherford Yard on southeast side of H-burg is an NS intermodal terminal.
From there, follow U.S. 11/15 north along the main line until they intersect US 22/ 322, then follow 22 west to Altoona. Lewistown, Mt. Union, and Huntingdon are all good spots ont he way (maybe a detour up 453 to Tyrone and then 220 to Altoona).
Other tourist/ museum RR’s are the Middletown & Hummelstown about midway from Lanc. to H-bg; the Everett RR at hollidaysburg just south of Altoona; and most notably the 3-ft. gauge East Broad Top at Orbisonia, about 10 - 15 miles south of Mt. Union (runs steam a few weekends each year).
Besides Altoona and the HorseShoe Curve, make sure you get to the summit at Gallitzin, the loco base a few miles west at Cresson, and the railfan bridge overlook at Cassandra.
- Paul North.
See the 4 recent videos whose links were posted earleir this morning at this thread here - the title says it all:
Plenty of power on NS West Slope trains…46 engines on 4 trains!
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/193533.aspx
Two are at the places I mentioned above - Cresson and Casssandra. The East Slope is Altoona to Gallitzin (or the engine shop at Cresson, practically); the West Slope is from Gallitzin or Cresson to Conemaugh or Johnstown, roughly.
David J. Williams, who graciously took and posted those, also hosts and owns the Yahoo group website whose URL is under his signature. Although you have to join to view much of anything there, it’s free, and may be worthwhile for general info, esp. if you’ll have a computer or ‘smart phone’ with you - as you’ll see, those guys are into monitoring darn near everything that moves from Harrisburg to Conemaugh !
On your way west, the railfan spot at COVE/ MP 116 a little ways northwest of Harrisburg seems to be a special favorite.
HorseShoe Curve is always worth seeing, but so you’re not disappointed, be advised that the photo opportunities are not likley to be great this time of the year. The vegetation has really grown up in the past 20 years or so, and when it’s fully leafed out as it is now with the wet year we’ve had so far, it’s hard to see much beyond the visitor’s area at the apex/ center of the Curve. That’s still fun, but the long views are now found mostly only in the older books, magazines, videos, and other depictions, etc.
- Paul North.