Nostalgia & History > Before The Iron Ore Went the Long Way

Not long after Conrail took over the Reading it decided to route iron ore trains between Philadelphia and Bethlehem the long was by going out the main line to Reading and then over the East Penn Branch to Allentown then to Bethlehem. The route was roughly twice the distance of going up the Bethlehem Branch but avoided commuter trains and steep grades. When SEPTA ended passenger service beyond Lansdale in 1981 it made less sense to maintain the track. So here we have thee scenes of iron ore trains shortly before their demise.
First photo northbound at Central Ave in Souderton
Second southbound empties at Souderton Station
Third photo northbound at the north end of the Telford Middle Track as a SEPTA RDC passes.

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Nice set of photo's Dale. The power is very interesting.

Love this early Conrail stuff! That beat up, patched up ex-Erie Lackawanna GE is Awesome!

I don't remember any RDC's running wrong main. Interesting. Thanks.
Gonut