I was recently looking at bing.com maps on Bird’s Eye view mode. At one point I zoomed in on UN interlocking at Gallitzin, PA. I set the angle to look at towards the north east (you have to change the view to see it.) I looked like some of the hill side was cut away between Chestnut St. and the loop track that leads to AR Tower. I looked like enough was cut away to install two more tracks or one more & a access road, or is there some local work being done? I don’t remember seeing it before.
Can anyone explain to me what this is? Is this some recent work done or has it always been there and just an eye trick?
Good eye, and a good catch !
I’ve not noticed that earthwork before, and have not heard or read about it anyplace - but I might not have, anyway. It might make some operational sense to have an added track right there, such as to remove helpers from one end or the other of a train so that they can then go around the loop track to return - but with only 2 tracks through the tunnel just to the east and further to the west, I don’t see how it would help.
Historically, I believe that there were at least 2 loop tracks from UN to AR, back in the day.
What it really looks like to me is that NS is ‘benching’ the southeastern side of that cut. That’s like putting ‘stair-step’ in it, so that the rock face is not so vertical in a single direct slope. The rock is that area is notoriously weak, and that would be the shadowed area in the winter freeze-thaw cycles, so it’s more likely to break up and fall onto the trackbed area. Notice how that area is about 10 feet higher than the track - but still about 30 feet or so below the top of the rock face - and slopes down at each end. Also notice how some of the ‘spoils’ - the removed rock - appears to have bee