We will be riding the Pennsylvanian next week from Philly to Pittsburgh.
Will there be a locomotive change in Harrisburg, or will we just have a diesel all the way? If the first leg is electric, will the train be in push mode?
Used to be diesel out of 30th St. Philadelphia to Pittsburgh with no engine change, if I recall correctly.
Correct. Since the train reverses at 30th St., expedient to change power there.
Same was done for the Broadway, befire it was descointinued.
I rode the train from NYC to Pittsburgh in 2019. We rode backwards from Penn Station to 30th Street. From 30th Street to Pittsburgh we rode forward. The train, which had five cars, was pulled from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh by a P42.
The train had three coaches, a dinette, and a business class car. I recommend business class if one can swing it.
Thanks all. I think we got business class tickets.
When a lot of diesels run under catenary, does the exhaust have a negative effect on the cables?
None that I have ever heard of.
Someone figure out what is in the exhaust. I can think of soot, water vapor, co2, CO, maybe a little bit of acid? , What about DEF residual? , Any impurities that will combine into what.? Then you have to figure out what those items do to copper ? Will rain / snow clear most off the wires ?
One more piece of advice. Sit on the left hand side of the car, especially after leaving Altoona. That will give you the best position to see the Horseshoe Curve.
I would expect the friction from the pantograph to clear off any buildup as fast as it accumulates, especially on lines like the NEC where a small minority of trains are diesel powered.
The later years of the Milwaukee Road would probably be a good test case to examine if any data can be found, as they had more diesels than electrics during that time and are also not exactly known for their high maintenance standards.
Do the carbon shoes on trolley poles leave any buildup on the wire?
That’s been my plan from the start!! Absolutely. But you’ve got me wondering if I can choose seats in advance. I have never done that on a train before.
Apparently, one cannot reserve a particular seat on the Pennsylvanian.
“Reserved seating is available on Acela and in Business Class on Northeast Regional, Carolinian, Palmetto, and Vermonter.”
When we get on this train in Philly, will the left side (based upon the engine being in the front) in Philly also be the left side once we’re out on the road?
Yes; I believe the train still goes back up to North Philadelphia (of course it doesn’t stop!) and turns for Harrisburg there, with engine leading, so ‘left’ would be with regard to ‘engine front’.
This dates me… but the last time I stayed in Harrisburg, some of the Amfleet Keystone consists were still being turned on the wye.
As I recall, one of the points at 30th St. was to keep all the diesel power (both for Harrisburg and west and for the New Jersey stuff coming across the Delair Bridge) on that end of the station. You can work through the ‘permutations’ of where a cab car would have to be to maintain the stop-and-back-up needed to put Philadelphia as a stop between New York and Harrisburg.
I don’t think there is any simpler alternative that doesn’t involve dual-modes or a reversion to making the Philadelphia ‘station’ be North Philadelphia – neither of which is a particularly attractive option.
According to the schedule, as well as my experience, No. 43 does not stop at North Philadelphia. It departs NYC at 10:52 am, with stops at Newark and Trenton before a 12:15 pm arrival at 30th Street Station. It is scheduled to departs 30th Street at 12:42 pm. The electric locomotive is changed out for the P42 at 30th Street.
When I lived in Altoona, which was more years ago than I care to remember, most of the PRR’s east/west fleet stopped at North Philadelphia. With the exception of one or two trains, they did not go to 30th Street Station. Also, most of the New York to Washington trains stopped at North Philadelphia as well as 30th Street.
Today, few if any trains stop at North Philadelphia. It is surrounded by a high crime area, which I suspect is the underlying reason for eliminating North Philadelphia as a stop for most through trains.
Departing 30th Street the locomotive will be at the front of the train. The business class car was the last car on the train when I rode it in 2019. When you get on the train the seats will be facing the locomotive. Just grab what ever seats are available on the left-hand side facing forward. If there are no seats on the left-hand side, with the possible exception of a weekend or holiday, there probably will be after Harrisburg and most certainly will be after Altoona.
Diesels running under catenary is an old situation, and steam even older.
For a while, Amtrak did have one NY - Harrisburg (not Pittsburgh) round trip that did stop at N. Philly and use the “NY-Pittsburgh Subway” at Zoo Interlocking to bypass 30th Street. I was discontiniued years ago.
For a few years after start-up 1971, Anmtrak did run the Broadway that way also.
And the National Limited NY Section
Carbonic acid? (H2CO3) Would the solid carbon residue be conductive?
The track that Pennsylvania RR westbound trains used to use to bypass 30th Street going from N. Phila. to Paoli behind the “Zoo” interlocking is long gone, I would say 40 years. I can’t imagine “Broadway Limited” patrons of yesterday getting on at N. Phila. today anyway! My son and I are going west from Harrisburg on the 17th so I hope you & us have a safe trip. By the way, food in the cafe car starts getting less plentiful as you get further west, say past Altoona. Keep that in mind if you want “dinner in the diner.”
If they re-electrified the ex-PRR Trenton Cutoff between Morrisville and Woodbourne to connect the NEC with the ex-Reading SEPTA West Trenton line, the Keystone Service could run thru the downtown Phily connection, and emerge on the NEC at 30th Street Station pointed in the right direction for Harrisburg.