Doing some research for my layout…Was the Harrisburg to Baltimore line via Havre De Grace, Maryland ever electrified? If so when was it removed? also, what’s NS’ volume of traffic on this line and what else runs that route besides coal? Thanx
Acelachaser: If you are speaking of the line from Harrisburg to Baltimore following some of the lower Susquahanna River…Yes, it was and I have a picture of it from about 1944…It is in a “TRAINS” book number 8 from Kalmbaugh…Shows it to be a double track line at that time and the pic shows an aerial view of a steam powered freight train under the electrified wire…
The line you refer to iscalled the “Port Road” which ran from Royalton, PA, next to Middleton, PA, to Perryville on the Northeast Corridor. A wye at Perryville allowed trains to head for either Wilmington or Baltimore.
The “Port Road” was electrified up until the early 80’s when Conrail removed the catenary, however, the support towers are still in place.
For Modelcar’s benefit the “Port Road” is actually a single track line with several passing sidings.
The Port Road’s freight trains hual many different commodoties including coal, automobiles, and double stacks.
Thank You Rudy, very informative…I’m never lucky enough to catch freight on the corridor …even more difficult now since Amtrak put restrictions on corridor freight. But NS’ 2005 calender ( www.nscorp.com )has a nice shot of Dash 9’s coming across the Susquehanna river bridge with a coal drag headed for the Baltimore ports so it got my interest in the line to Enola. I’m a little more familiar with the Philly -Harrisburg run.
Now you really got my curiosity if NS is squeezing double stacks under the catenary! That must be a tight squeeze!
That used to be my regular run…It’s the Port Road Branch from Perryville to Creswell, then it became the Susquhehana Branch that would split at Shocks (pronounced Shucks) to the Royalton Branch that would run by Three Mile Island and to the Harrisburg to Philly Mainline. The Susquehana Branch at Shocks would continue to Enola Yard accross the River from Harrisburg. Rudy’s calender shot is likely coming accross the Shocks bridge. I still have my old maps and timetables from when I made those runs under Conrail and Penn Central. Conrail did remove the catenary wires in the early eighties. I used to like taking the GG-1’s, E-44’s, and E-33’s up the road.[;)]
The NS calendar shot is on the Amtrak bridge at Perryville.
The traffic on the Port Road these days consists of an intermodal trains for Baltimore, a merch. trains for Baltimore, a merch train for the Eastern Shore (Harrington), and an autoparts/rack train for Newark and Port Wilminton, (and their return), plus some coal for export at Baltimore.
Completion of work on the Shelpot Br in Wilmington means more traffic is flow over the Port Road these days.
I don’t believe there are any stacks on the Port road to Baltimore today. I know that NS train 24M is single level east of Pittsburgh after it sets off on Sat & Sun,(24K works Pittsburgh Mon to Fri, picking up eastbounds and terminating in Harrisburg). 24M only changes crews in Harrisburg before proceeding to Baltimore. Good luck and stay safe.
That is Newark, Delaware, not Newark, NJ?!?
I presume you mean