This route was a PRR and CONRAIL route that was electrified and once had direct Washington - Harrisburg passenger service. The Catenary was removed but the last time I saw it the high voltage lines were in place and I assume that AMTRAK still uses the lines for power routing. My questions are exactly where is the landslide, did it take out the high tension lines (if they were beside the ROW in that area) and if the lines were damaged is it causing AMTRAK any power problems??
Does anyone know exactly where the slide occurred? I live not far there.
From Yesterdays NS Service Alerts. Don’t know if it affected the High Voltage Lines
or not.
Norfolk Southern Service Alert
06/04/08 - Landslide
Landslide between Enola, PA and Perryville, MD – Force Majeure in Effect
At approximately 6:00am, June 4, 2008, a rock slide occurred on the Port Road
Branch between Enola, PA and Perryville, MD. Both main lines are blocked. Due to
the instability of the slide, time estimates to clear the area remain uncertain.
Updates will be provided as further information becomes available. Please expect
delays on all traffic moving through this area.
Note to customers with committed service agreements: Norfolk Southern is
invoking Force Majeure effective 6:00am, June 4, 2008.
NS is being very tight liped abou the exact location. My contact at NS told me that the slid occured tn Pennsylvania. He would not provide any furthur details as to location.
What are the contingency plans for NS to get freight from Harrisburg (Enola) to Baltimore ? Can this cargo be moved eastward to Allentown, Reading and Phila. to the NEC to reconnect at at Perry ? How about to Philly and then the CSX to Baltimore ?
Anotherpossiblity is south through Hagerstown to Front Roual and then East to DC, Then north to Baltimore. See the atteched NS system map.
NS has implemented a reroute plan with CSX using both Hagerstown and Baltimore.
Looks like at least some of the traffic being diverted to CSX is using the CSX “Old Main” from Point of Rocks to Baltimore.
Poppyl
Still no information of the location???
Not likely from Enola to the Susquehanna’s east bank at Shocks Mill. Going south from there, the road is mainly on a more or less slim shelf between cliffs to the east (left) and the river to the west (right). Single track w/sidings and slide detection gear where needed. The river and rails snake in and out, and in many places you can see a train coming 3 promontories away, disappear twice and suddenly arrive in your face. Loud-muted-loud sound effects. Great stuff!!!
I’d guess the slide to be between Columbia and Peach Bottom.
Rix
Since no information on the slide has been forthcoming on the location and severity maybe NS does not want the adverse publicity that UP received from a overly optomistic repair date of the Cascade slide. Looking at my topo maps of the area I can imagine that pictures from the area might be hard to take. Has anyone done a satellite picture search??
Or maybe it is because that trains are already running again (which they are)…
NS has not updated their website as of 1900 EDT Today Mon the 9th. I suspect that the route is not fixed yet. Anyone know different.
just got call from some one I know saying road still closed (secondhand) but couldn’t pinpoint location. Can anyone confirm or deny?? NS site still has it out.
Unless they re-closed it… they were calling trains for it the other night.
Source said something aboout a shoo-fly but not sure. Could be why Force Majeure still in effect. (Limited capacity or severely limited lengths. Still anyone any info at all???
My guess (and that’s all it is) is near Holtwood dam or Wildcat Tunnel.
From my NS Service Alerts for Today.
Norfolk Southern Service Alert
06/12/08 - Landslide
Landslide between Enola, PA and Perryville, MD - Force Majeure removed
Norfolk Southern trains have resumed using the route between Enola, PA and
Perryville, MD disrupted by the rock slide that occurred June 4th on the Port
Road Branch between Enola, PA and Perryville, MD. Both main lines have been
repaired and normal operations have resumed.
Note to customers with committed service agreements: Norfolk Southern is
removing Force Majeure effective 8:00am, June 12, 2008.