All things Harrisburg (Keystone) Line

Same with the 140 series, ConnDOT and MassDOT cover only north of New Haven.

Morning rush hour Keystones between Trenton and NYP were SRO a few months ago. The evening trains have always been less packed and I'm not sure why.

AAaaaand time for track work!

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2024/03/a ... utType=amp

Railroad tracks installed between Harrisburg and Lancaster as early as the 1950s are being replaced as part of a $122 million project to improve ride quality and comfort, Amtrak announced in a Tuesday release.

The project, which started on March 15, will replace 43 miles of rails, representing “nearly 100% of the rail” in the territory, install 113,000 concrete ties – which are used to connect rail tracks – and clean/renew 226,500 feet of gravel ballast.

“Amtrak is making historic infrastructure investments through projects like this one, which will replace obsolete 1950s-era rail infrastructure which is at the end of its useful life,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason.

The wood ties currently used in the region only have an estimated lifespan of 25 years. The new concrete ties are expected to last 60 years, the press release said.

Service advisory: https://www.amtrak.com/alert/keystone-s ... ments.html

* Significant track outages will impact service from April 8 - November 21, 2024. Keystone Service, between Lancaster and Harrisburg, will be replaced by buses from approximately 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Thursday. Schedule adjustments Friday - Sunday, as well as early morning and evening weekday service, will vary. Please check Amtrak.com for the latest schedules.
* Additional trackwork will continue through December 20, 2024.
* The Pennsylvanian trains will operate normally, providing daily midday service through the project area.

Amtrak PR: https://media.amtrak.com/2024/03/amtrak ... k-renewal/

Amtrak Begins Major Harrisburg Line Track Renewal 

PHILADELPHIA – Amtrak is investing $122 million in Pennsylvania to improve tracks on the Harrisburg Line, between Lancaster and Harrisburg. This work will improve ride quality and comfort, increase service reliability and complete necessary work required to keep the tracks in a state of good repair. 

“Amtrak is making historic infrastructure investments through projects like this one, which will replace obsolete 1950s-era rail infrastructure which is at the end of its useful life,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason. “We’re taking a fresh approach and expediting this important project with a combination of single and full track outages that will improve work efficiencies and reduce the duration of customer impacts.” 

Amtrak is accelerating the project to replace this aging rail infrastructure and will complete the work in nearly half the original estimated timeline of two years. To extend the long-term benefits of the project, Amtrak will replace the existing wood ties with concrete ties, which have an expected lifespan of 60 years vs. 25 years for traditional wood ties. 

The project began on March 15 and the work will require a series of significant track outages from April 8 – Nov. 21. During that period, Keystone Service trains between Lancaster (LNC) and Harrisburg, Pa. (HAR) only will be replaced with buses from approximately 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. There will also be various schedule adjustments Friday through Sunday and weekday mornings and evenings. Customers should check Amtrak.com or the Amtrak mobile app for the latest schedules.

Amtrak Pennsylvanian trains that operate between Pittsburgh and New York City will still provide daily midday service through the project area, featuring additional seating capacity. The weekday service cancellations will affect fewer than 450 daily Keystone Service customers and substitute transportation (buses) will be provided to mitigate the impact. Overall project completion is expected in late December, after the significant track outage concludes.

Amtrak is working together with state partners at PennDOT to preserve ridership and help ensure the continued success of the partnership. In addition, Amtrak is working closely with Norfolk Southern and impacted freight shippers to minimize the disruption to their operations during the project.

Project Benefits 

This work will help to improve ride quality, increase service reliability and address necessary track maintenance. Specific details include: 

Installing 43 track miles of rail, replacing nearly 100% of rail in this territory
Installing 113,000 concrete ties, each weighing approximately 900 pounds. That’s nearly 51,000 US tons, or the weight of more than 29,000 small SUVs
Cleaning and refreshing 226,500 feet of gravel track bed, or ballast, to support the track structure and improve drainage
The project will also help support the local economy with more than 250 employees patronizing area businesses, including gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores. The concrete ties used are manufactured in Bear, Del., and the ballast for the track structure will be purchased from a quarry in Birdsboro, Pa. 

Schedule Adjustments 

Beginning April 8 and continuing through Nov. 21, Keystone Service trains will not operate between Harrisburg (HAR) and Lancaster (LNC) from approximately 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday 
Substitute bus service will be provided with four daily round trips
There will be various schedule adjustments Friday through Sunday and weekday mornings and evenings. Customers should check Amtrak.com or the Amtrak mobile app for the latest schedules. 
Bus customers should plan to add approximately 45 minutes to their normal train trip
Pennsylvanian service will not be affected; customers are encouraged to consider this option
Further updates related to parking will be forthcoming between now and the start of the track outages
Service will be adjusted with each phase of the project, please check for schedule changes  
Once the track outage concludes on Nov. 21, customers may notice minor delays through the area until the project is completed
Customers should always check for up to date train schedules online at Amtrak.com or in the Amtrak mobile app
Continued Improvements 

Much of the rail infrastructure Amtrak operates on across the Northeast Corridor (NEC) was last renewed in the 1970s. This infrastructure is now approaching the time for replacement and modernization. Historically, Amtrak has fully renewed approximately 30 miles of track per year. This project will support the company’s accelerated plan of renewing more than 55 miles of track in the coming year, an increase of nearly 85%. 

As Amtrak enters a new era of rail, the company has made unprecedented investments to improve Northeast Corridor infrastructure. Due to the scope and scale of investment demands, Amtrak is implementing new and innovative strategies to promote efficient and productive infrastructure project completion. This includes expanding construction outage schedules in the short term that helps to accelerate work and complete projects faster, while minimizing long-term impacts to customers and train service. 

Timed so that "my crew" can take photos. It's getting to be that time again.

I will be interested to see how much longer the Pennsylvanian services end up needing to be. Could they eventually get long enough that two Genesis locos will be needed for them to keep time?

After learning about the track construction between Lancaster & Harrisburg from STRedWolf & Jeff Smith. I decided to take a trip to Lancaster on its "opening day" on April 8, 2024 to see it in action.

Check out my YouTube video on it here ->

I wish I had the ability to embed on this forum (I can't use the media BBcode), so anchor text will have to suffice.

The full description is in the video, I'll give a slightly abridged version here. Or alternate really.

From April 8, 2024 - November 21, 2024 between the hours of 8am-4pm Monday-Thursday Keystone Service between Lancaster & Harrisburg is being provided by busses. Only the Pennsylvanian trains are running on that segment during that time. I struck up a conversation with a passenger who bussed from Harrisburg to Lancaster & he told me it took over an hour. Wow.

Also, the Lancaster Station itself is undergoing reconstruction, and there is progress on Track 1, as evidenced by new platform foundations in place at its extremities. I captured a handful of Amtrak trains, the construction, and even a Norfolk Southern freight made a cameo appearance.

Some Keystones were cut, and others were turned into other trains. The two I noticed were 643 turning for 650 & 645 turning for 652. I didn't capture the latter on film because I had somewhere to be. I suppose this is what would've happened if the trains completed their runs to Harrisburg, but I don't know for sure.

One interesting thing to note, is that Keystones turning at Lancaster, received an Approach Signal indication at CORK Interlocking instead of a Stop Signal. One of the engineers I spoke with told me it may be done in order to platform the entire train smoothly, as PTC wouldn't allow for it. I'm not too privy to how it works, but I have witnessed trains having to approach at restricting speed and at times stop multiple car lengths away from the signal.

I spent more time than I would've liked, due to Amtrak Pennsylvanian 42 being over an hour late. To my understanding, it had to do with signal issues west of Harrisburg, on the Norfolk Southern owned portion. Amtrak blew up my phone with text notifications & even a phone call.

As a result, when Amtrak Keystone 645 arrived, it disembarked all passengers then moved to just east of CONESTOGA Interlocking to make way for Amtrak Pennsylvanian 42. In any case, I tend to make the best of it. I captured a good amount of train action on a rather nice day. Enjoy.

(Note to self, don't book Pennsylvanian 42 if you have somewhere to be)

NortheastTrainMan wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 8:25 pm One interesting thing to note, is that Keystones turning at Lancaster, received an Approach Signal indication at CORK Interlocking instead of a Stop Signal. One of the engineers I spoke with told me it may be done in order to platform the entire train smoothly, as PTC wouldn't allow for it. I'm not too privy to how it works, but I have witnessed trains having to approach at restricting speed and at times stop multiple car lengths away from the signal.

My understanding of how the ACSES system works is incomplete, but my belief is that an absolute Stop signal requires the engineer to stop the train a certain distance in rear of the signal, and that after the signal "steps up" to Slow Approach the train would have to restart from that stopping mark, only to immediately start braking again for the platform berth. This could be challenging to do smoothly if there's a falling gradient east of the interlocking, for example.

If the dispatcher shows a Slow Approach at CORK on Track 1 (?) instead, the ACSES system will use the pulse code indications from all of the preceding track circuits to bring the westbound train's speed down to a suitable value, so that the engineer can cross the interlocking and brake for the platform without having to stop and restart, which in turn clears the track and the interlocking faster and allows the eastbound routing to be set up by the dispatcher more rapidly.

Were you able to see any of the Approach signals on the westbound gantry at CORK? I'm watching the video now but it looks like you mostly filmed from or near the platform.

waits for Railjunkie et al. to show up...

Is the TLM being used on the Lancaster-Harrisburg M/W project?
Andy

NortheastTrainMan wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 8:25 pm After learning about the track construction between Lancaster & Harrisburg from STRedWolf & Jeff Smith. I decided to take a trip to Lancaster on its "opening day" on April 8, 2024 to see it in action.

Check out my YouTube video on it here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-yGlzrMzY

Okay, from what I see, only track 4 is the only track in service, track 1 and A are OOS due to the platform construction, and anything west of the station is off-limits to Keystones. Which makes operations be in a state of "much suckage."

So yeah... I'm on the Pennsy around the July 4th holiday weekend...

@TheOneKEA

IIRC correctly, the wayside / gantry immediately east of Lancaster at CONESTOGA interlocking had a clear aspect.
Also, IIRC the signal(s) immediately west, right next to the platform(s) at Lancaster is part of CORK interlocking.
Or do I have it mixed up?
I'll be blunt, PTC and ACSES are like Calculus to me. I kinda get it, but I'll have to sit down to understand it through & through . That said your point about grades and

There weren't any Keystones operating west of Lancaster, I don't think any even entered CORK interlocking during the 8am-4pm time.
Aside from the situation where 645 had to "reverse" to CONESTOGA because 42 was late, I think all Keystones (westbound, turning to eastbound of course) changed ends on the platform. There weren't any Keystones coming in from the west.

@STrRedWolf I'm a little confused, did you mean Track 2 is the only one in service? I'm not sure what they were numbered / named back when there were 4 tracks running through the station. Where's Track A? Is that the Northside Industrial Track that Norfolk Southern uses? The one behind the Track 2 platform? I think the track behind the Track 1 platform is Track 7, used primarily by NS.

NortheastTrainMan wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 5:07 pm @STrRedWolf I'm a little confused, did you mean Track 2 is the only one in service? I'm not sure what they were numbered / named back when there were 4 tracks running through the station. Where's Track A? Is that the Northside Industrial Track that Norfolk Southern uses? The one behind the Track 2 platform? I think the track behind the Track 1 platform is Track 7, used primarily by NS.

Nope, track 4, per OpenRailwayMap. Tracks 2 and 3 start at Paoli and go city-bound. Track A (my assumption, it's not marked) is opposite the platform from Track 1.

And to be clear, Amtrak has done such weirdness in other places. Between Halethorpe and West Baltimore on the NEC, the tracks are numbered A, 1, 2, 3 when looking in the southbound direction... and only tracks 2 and 3 stretch from DC to Baltimore.

Track 4 ends at the westward home signal for Holland and becomes Track 2. The track on the other side of the No. 1 track platform is #7. The track on the opposite side of the No. 2 track platform is the North Side Industrial