Eastern Railroad Discussion > NKP 765 Trips in Harrisburg Heads-up!!!!

For those of you coming to the Harrisburg area this weekend to enjoy and record the sights and sounds of NKP 765 and the NS Employee Appreciation Specials, just thought I'd pass this info on to you. Some of the most scenic and photogenic vantage points on the Harrisburg side of the river - Rockville Bridge and the Front St area near the bridge, the Linglestown Rd. / Rt. 39 overpass, the Lucknow St. and 6th St area - all lie within Susquehanna Township. The Susquehanna Twp. Police Department are aware of the festivities this weekend, and will be doing extra patrolling in those areas. (Note that NS's Harrisburg Division HQ is about 1 mile east of the overpass on Linglestown Rd, and the STPD HQ is a couple blocks east of there.) This is not to ruin anyone's enjoyment of the weekend, but with expected crowds in those areas and limited parking at some locales, they want to ensure the safety of everyone, railfan and public. So I would just caution everyone to obey speed limits, etc, and be safe, smart, and not be over-zealous in your driving while enjoying the weekend activities.

Due to the short nature of the run, probably not a "chasing" trip anyway -- pick a spot and hope for the best!

John R -- CP Spring
Carlisle, PA

Thanks Sam. also I heard that Susquehanna Township Police will tow any vehicles along route 22/322 shoulder. If anyone is thinking about going to Roberts Valley Road and access Rockville, the NS and Susquehanna Twp police will be there to greet you. Also Amtrak police will be on high alert along their property as well.

Not being familar with the area, is there ample free parking/access at the Amtrak station? Is it a quick drive from there to the Marysville side of the river to catch the train crossing the Rockville bridge?

5-String Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not being familiar with the area, is there ample
> free parking/access at the Amtrak station? Is it
> a quick drive from there to the Marysville side of
> the river to catch the train crossing the
> Rockville bridge?


There is 'some' parking in the vicinity of the Amtrak Station. HARRIS tower is also in that area (and it will be open by the local NRHS group on Saturday with restrictions on the numbers allowed in at one time), and the State Street Bridge just west of the station and HARRIS tower is another good vantage point. You'll have to go through the city (about 6 blocks) to the Market or Harvey Taylor Bridges to cross over the river and drive up 11/15 to get up to the Enola/Marysville area....a good 10-15 minute drive.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/12 10:05 by sscannella.

I wonder if the Coast Guard or Navy will patrol the river, too...

John R -- CP Spring
Carlisle, PA

You won't find me standing up for RR security folks very often, but I have to side with the local cops on this one. Even on a good day, side of the road parking in the vicinity of the Rockville bridge is a safety problem. There's room for maybe 2 or 3 cars before you start to impact traffic on this heavily travelled road, which has limited sight lines and an unlimited supply of aggressive drivers.

Bravo to the cops for getting the word out in advance.

During the trips around Pittsburgh, the NS Police (and the presence of other employees along the way) presence was visible, but they seemed content to let everyone enjoy viewing the train as long as people were reasonable. As others had stated, chasing was just about impossible due to the short trip lengths and those that were content to set up and wait gut MUCH better shots. I only witness one really bad episode of fan behavior and that was a car driving along PA route 65 with a guy hanging halfway out of the passenger side window videoing the train...all it would have taken was one bump in the road and he would have been roadkill.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/12 12:04 by PittsburghMike.

This all should be a no brainer, I know the area well, it's not an easy place to shoot, impossible to chase just about. Like someone mentioned set up and hope for the best, that's going to be my approach. I'm going to attempt it, I just want to see it since I'm not sure it will happen again. I really expect the worst out of some people, I know that going in, hopefully I will be proved wrong. I'm not going to get up set if someone is in my shot ect, getting mad takes the fun out of it. Good luck to all.

Just hearing and feeling this locomotive running will be awesome in itself, so good luck to everyone, and let's all have a fun & safe time !!