Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS H2A west by Whitford Station on SEPTA

Here's a photo of the Friday (04/05/02) H2A run out of Abrams Yard (King of Prussia, PA).

H2A makes the trip out to Bthlehem-Lukens Steel in Coatesville and return via an interesting routing.

Upon leaving Abrams (in reverse!), the H2A backs through Norris Interlocking on the Harrisburg Line (ex-RDG), across the Schuylkill River onto SEPTA'a R6 Norristown Line (ex-RDG). The train, with SEPTA permission, runs backward (with a cabin on the rear) from Kalb to Ford on SEPTA where it diverges onto the NS Morrisville Connecting Track. The MCT runs uphill to CP-King where it meets with the Morrisville Line (ex-PRR Trenton Cut-off, east end) and Dale Secondary (ex-PRR Trenton Cut-off, west end). The entire back-up is about 3 miles long.

After passing through CP-King, the H2A calls the NS Main Line DS for a Form D from CP-King to Dale(Frazer/Thorndale area, PA) where the line connects to Amtrak's Philly-Harrisburg Main (ex-PRR).

Once onto Amtrak, the train runs to Coatesville where it enters the steep downgrade connection to the Brandywine Valley RR (steel plant shortline).

Does anyone know the history of the abandoned bridge/flyover pictured here at Whitford Station on the old Pennsy main? I have a photo of the marble block in the abutment stating the bridge was built in 1904.

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Ben,

Neat picture, seen the run at Ford and King but never further West.

You have asked before but I didn't have time to answer. H2A is a relatively random assignment. The symbols H3A and H5A are sometimes used on that run. H2A last week was making the Devault run. If Abrams Yard has a method of assigning these "H" symbols a pattern has not emerged.

The steel bridge at Whitford in your photo carried the two track Trenton Cut-off parallel to the 4 track Mainline. All six tracks connected at a "Pennsy Flyover" junction at Glen Loch which is the present day "Glen" interlocking between the NS Dale Secondary the Amtrak Harrisburg Line. Note; Septa's Fraser Shop is in the crotch of the two lines. From that point the Trenton Cut-off continued roughly parallel at a higher elevation crossing the on Whitford span to the South side. There is a very impressive abandoned steel trestle further west south of Coatesville. The Trenton Cut-off merged once again with the Main at another flying junction just East of Thorndale Tower and Yard complex. The junction remains today but the two former Trenton Cut-off tracks terminate as stubs.
Penn Central operated this as a one track, train order dispatched freight line until the lack of maintenance caused a total breakdown of the cab signal systems and PC or early Conrail abandoned operations over this portion of the Cut-off. Conrail operated the Cut-off from Glen to Morrisville as their New York Main until 1979 when they lifted one track. By that time traffic had been diverted off the Amtrak system as much as possible and placed on the Lehigh and Harrisburg Lines.

Gonut

Gonut,

Abrams is really becoming less and less understandable. For a little while, the H2A symbol was being used only for Dale Secondary trains, H3A only for Phoenixville IT trains, and H5A only for Falls Yard trains. Now, as you mentioned, this system is being corrupted. I, too, have been hearing the symbols mixed up. I have decided I will drive myself crazy trying to figure out the "pattern". If only it were "the good ol' days" I so often hear people speak of. I would just go ask the YM or one of the yard crew people the question. I my 10 years of railfanning, I have never done this. I think I know one tower op, two conductors and have spoken to a maintainer once about something I saw. We need to find someone who works at Abrams and butter him up some good food. Then we'll get the mystery solved!

As far as SEPTA's Frazer Yard...I actualy turned around in the driveway of the yard before I got to Whitford. You cannot see the yard from the road. It is quite tucked away.

Ah, yes...I forgot the original Trenton Cut-off started farther west than Frazer area. This makes total sense now. If I had my reference material at work, I wouldn't have asked that silly question. Thanks for the in depth answer, though!

Ben R.


gonut wrote:

> Ben,
>
> Neat picture, seen the run at Ford and King but never further
> West.
>
> You have asked before but I didn\\'t have time to answer. H2A
> is a relatively random assignment. The symbols H3A and H5A are
> sometimes used on that run. H2A last week was making the
> Devault run. If Abrams Yard has a method of assigning these
> \\"H\\" symbols a pattern has not emerged.
>
> The steel bridge at Whitford in your photo carried the two
> track Trenton Cut-off parallel to the 4 track Mainline. All six
> tracks connected at a \\"Pennsy Flyover\\" junction at Glen Loch
> which is the present day \\"Glen\\" interlocking between the NS
> Dale Secondary the Amtrak Harrisburg Line. Note; Septa\\'s
> Fraser Shop is in the crotch of the two lines. From that point
> the Trenton Cut-off continued roughly parallel at a higher
> elevation crossing the on Whitford span to the South side.
> There is a very impressive abandoned steel trestle further west
> south of Coatesville. The Trenton Cut-off merged once again
> with the Main at another flying junction just East of Thorndale
> Tower and Yard complex. The junction remains today but the two
> former Trenton Cut-off tracks terminate as stubs.
> Penn Central operated this as a one track, train order
> dispatched freight line until the lack of maintenance caused a
> total breakdown of the cab signal systems and PC or early
> Conrail abandoned operations over this portion of the Cut-off.
> Conrail operated the Cut-off from Glen to Morrisville as their
> New York Main until 1979 when they lifted one track. By that
> time traffic had been diverted off the Amtrak system as much as
> possible and placed on the Lehigh and Harrisburg Lines.
>
> Gonut
>
> [%sig%]

There is a basic "assignment" to these trains indeed. H25 is actually the West Falls/Venice train. H5A should be the South Philly job which brings the CSXT cars down from Abrams (off 14G and 48G). H3A as you said Ben, should be the Swedeland/Devault local nowadays, since neither the UMP or Phnvl. IT need daily service anymore. H2A of course leaves him to do the work on the Dale Secondary. All these jobs have designated assignments and are advertised as such. For example, the crew of the H25 isn't required to be qualified over to Devault (unless advertised). So they don't just use the H25 to run the H3A that day b/c someone needs service. If the crew is qualified, they probably will run that way under certain circumstances.

Will get the job assignments at Abrams and post them.

I've been there several times; my siser lives about a mile from there. That bridge is a most impressive structure and it's sad that it has fallen into total disrepair. Some day it wil have to cocme down.
I remember seeing a Grif Teller painting called Main Line, Freight and Passenger. It shows a PRR J-1a pulling a coal drag on that bridge with a GG1 led passenger train underneath. The perspective is not totally correct but still captures everything that was the Pennsy. NG

Ben,

These have been nteresting additional comments. Did I mention an H2A that ran from Swededland directly to Devault? It occurred a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised to hear it.

Gonut

A couple of clarifications on the H2A thread. When NS first took over this CR line, this train was symboled H83. I don't know what happened to that sumbol. As someone pointed out, the junction of the Trenton Branch and Amtrak main line is at Glen, not Dale. Dale is where the now-abandoned P & T joined the Trenton Cutoff. Dale is in Frazer, not the Frazer/Thorndale area. Thorndale is 10 miles to the west. The point in Coatesville where the branch drops down to the valley floor to interchange with the Brandywine Valley is at the west end of the Coatesville viaduct and is called W & N Jct. The abandoned steel viaduct on the P & T is in Downingtown, not Coatesville.