Old Chester Valley connection at Bridgeport removed?

[jrevans]

Where do people get their information on some of this stuff? That's the first I have ever heard about ESPN working with New Hope on that track. Do some people make that stuff?

Rob, if you're talking about the "Landsale Cluster", the information appears to be pretty solid.

And as with the rest of this topic, some people go way out of control on this stuff. Yes it would have been nice to save the tracks. But it all comes down to, who is going to pay for it? Who has the money to save it?

Regional Rail is a business. East Penn was a business owned by a railfan who was also a locomotive engineer. Regional wants to make money. John wanted to make money, but he also wanted to run trains. I wish that things would have worked out differently with regards to him having to sell....

Personally, I believe that if the government was serious about a transportation policy, they'd enact some sort of legislation that would allow for rail lines to be saved, instead of abandoned. Sure, there's a form of railbanking that exists, but that usually just preserves the ROW and once the trail people take over, it's tough to put rails back down.

We have greenspace preservation acts where farmers get paid to keep their farms as farms. Maybe we need an ironspace preservation act, to keep railroads as railroads.

[jfrey40535]

Where do people get their information on some of this stuff? That's the first I have ever heard about ESPN working with New Hope on that track. Do some people make that stuff? And as with the rest of this topic, some people go way out of control on this stuff. Yes it would have been nice to save the tracks. But it all comes down to, who is going to pay for it? Who has the money to save it?

I'm familiar with the line in my many journeys on the NHSL & ROute 99 bus. My underlying question is what was the need to rip the tracks up? They appear to have been tracks that did not need saving, they could have just stayed in place? No money required!

[pistolpete66]

Where do people get their information on some of this stuff? That's the first I have ever heard about ESPN working with New Hope on that track. Do some people make that stuff?

Yup, people make it up after researching it.
http://thereporteronline.com/articles/2 ... =fullstory

Changes coming down the track
Tuesday, December 7, 2010

By TONY Di DOMIZIO

Come mid-January, CSX Corp. will no longer have trackage rights through Lansdale.

In what is seen as a money-saving move by the freight services corporation, CSX is expected to turn over services to a shortline nonoperating holding company named Pennsylvania Northeast Railroad, formed by East Penn Railroad and New Hope-Ivyland Railroad.

Numerous calls and messages to CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan were not returned by press time.

Pennsylvania Northeast Railroad, abbreviated PNRR, will seek to assume trackage right operation of Lansdale freight operations on SEPTA-owned rails, with the exclusion of Stony Creek and Blue Line branches.

CSX is expected to take control of the entire Stony Creek branch and become the sole interchange carrier.

CSX brings in shipments of items like California tomatoes, transformers and lumber to various Lansdale Warehouse locations in the late hours of the night.

Often, CSX cars can be seen parked along the tracks behind Lansdale Warehouse's Hatfield location.

W. Paul Delp, president of Lansdale Warehouse, said CSX is bringing a shortline railroad in to handle deliveries for them, but CSX is still responsible for getting the cars from Philadelphia and other railyards into the Lansdale yard.

"CSX would be responsible for this region and just use a shortline to do the final delivery to the customer," Delp said. "They have their own crews; they use New Hope and Ivyland crews and engines to do the final delivery."

Delp sees the change as a good thing.

"A shortline has more flexibility. A behemoth like CSX sometimes can't do things you want them to do," he said. "From what I've heard, New Hope and Ivyland management and employees are all customer-friendly."

Delp said he's experienced better service when dealing with a shortline railroad.

"We should get good service or better, that's the goal anyway," he said.

But rail fans and enthusiasts have posted their problems with the turnover on the local Yahoo! group Lansdale Rails.

One poster claims that CSX makes out well because "PNRR and its consignees will become captive customers and subject to price increases at any time" and that CSX will "still collect all the line haul fees to run cars up to Lansdale, but now the cost of crews, trackage rights, and track maintenance will shift from a profitable Blue Chip stock to a Class III shortline."

According to one post, PNRR is seeking a waiver from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) oversight under Section 10901 of the Interstate Commerce Act to remove CSX as a common carrier in the Lansdale cluster.

A spokesman of the STB said nothing is on file or has been filed regarding the waiver or exemption.

"A transaction under this section with no oversight would eliminate job protection for the CSX train service employees and strip the customers from their concerns with the STB over service quality and rate hikes," stated poster jimbeam237462.

CSX Corp. operates freight off leased SEPTA lines and has trackage rights in Montgomery County.

East Penn Railroad uses the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad line for freight service between Telford and Quakertown, and CSX uses it between Lansdale and Telford.

Through a trackage rights agreement with SEPTA, CSX is responsible for maintaining certain parts of the tracks.

The Interstate Commerce Act requires that railroads charge fair rates to customers and make rates public. The legislation also created the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Section 10901 of the act requires the ICC approval of the acquisition or operation of a rail line by an entity that is not a rail carrier.

Under the section, the ICC must find that "the present or future public convenience and necessity require or permit" the acquisition and operation of the line. All line transfers require a carrier to obtain prior approval in order to acquire or operate an additional railroad line, according to the act.

Furthermore, by regulation, the ICC determined that section 10901 governs a line transfer if either the transferror or transferee is a non-carrier.

As far as employee protection, under section 10901, the ICC is not required to protect employees.

"Taxpayers and legislators already hate SEPTA," said Lansdale Rails poster jimbeam237462. "Now they will have to help subsidize the shortlines that run freight operations on SEPTA if they can't make a profit."

Yes it would have been nice to save the tracks. But it all comes down to, who is going to pay for it? Who has the money to save it?

Agreed. If Regional Rail wanted to be rid of a line, that's their perogative as owner. But for future public convenience, they....like many other RRs do...should have put the line up for sale first. A big company like NS could have bought and not batted an eyelash. This is now twice that Regional Rail has gone right to abandonment without putting up for sale. If they were hurting badly, perhaps I can see the haste. But it appears they are doing pretty well on their thriving lines, so what is the rush? Boyertown - 8 miles? Chester Valley - 1.2? Both were the shortests lengths owned by Regional Rail. Once acquired, they made no attempt to grow business on the line. If they tried and there were no takers, fine. Sell the line. There was obviously a taker on the Boyertown line, but only after Regional Rail threatened rapid abandonment.

[glennk419]

Is East Penn / PNRR part of Regional Rail or are they still a separate entity?

[Pacobell73]

Is East Penn / PNRR part of Regional Rail or are they still a separate entity?

Hello. I grabbed this from the wikipedia entry.
The East Penn Railroad (ESPN) is a short-line railroad]that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Reading Company lines, abandoned or sold by Conrail]or its predecessors.

ESPN was formed in 2007 through the merger of East Penn Railways (EPRY) and Penn Eastern Rail Lines (PRL), each of which began operating in the 1990s. The railroad is owned by Regional Rail, LLC, which also owns the Middletown and New Jersey Railroad.
http://www.regional-rail.com/index.htm

PNRR is a joint effort between East Penn Railroad and the New Hope and Ivyland. Since East Penn is owned by Regional Rail, in effect, PNRR is really a joint effort between Regional Rail and the New Hope and Ivyland.

I think I speak for all of us when I post this quote below. I saw it on the RDG. Bethlehem Branch page
"Seriously, we're all on the same side here. Our methods differ, our commitment differs, our ability to describe the reasons for our interest differs, but we're all on the same side nonetheless. I think it's good that there's so much interest on the subject."

[limejuice]

Rob, lvrr: please don't waste your time bringing things like reason, facts, intimate knowledge, or relevant experience to this discussion. You're in the realm of American railfanaticism. Those things do not apply here, only foam does.

[arjay3]

Historical photo of RDG RS3 #500 on the Chester Valley branch in Bridgeport in 1966.
RWJ

[glennk419]

Historical photo of RDG RS3 #500 on the Chester Valley branch in Bridgeport in 1966.
RWJ

Awesome picture. I have the Stewart kit built model of that loco and have never been able to come across a photo of the prototype. Thanks for sharing.

[69chargerse]

Yesterday at Ross Rd in Bridgeport they removed the tracks left in the road crossing and repaved the area. They haven't done anything to the other grade crossings (which were of the newer "rubber" style).

[jrevans]

Where do people get their information on some of this stuff? That's the first I have ever heard about ESPN working with New Hope on that track. Do some people make that stuff?

Rob, if you're talking about the "Landsale Cluster", the information appears to be pretty solid.

Speaking about information about the "Lansdale Cluster", it has now hit the STB site:
http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... enDocument

Looks like August 13, 2011 is the target date for the turnover.

[askclifford]

I saw them prying it up a few weeks ago, I pulled into a donut place adjacent to the track and went over to the workers and asked them where they worked. The workers said they were a railroad construction company but they barley ever build them, they only pry them up. I said, STOP, your pulling up America's Future!

[JimBoylan]

http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... e?openform

Check July 29, 2011 filings at the above site for information about what Regional Rail is doing next.

[Pacobell73]

The general concensus on this new East Penn is that is operated by businesemen who are uncooperative and anti progress for the region. We strongly suspect that these current owners had bought this railroad , like they did the Boyertown line up in Berks County a couple of years ago, then they stripped it of rail, ties, and structural steel and made more than 4 million dollars and the stole into the night.

Essentially, thieves. They will operate the lines they do not own. The lines they do own will be abandoned.

[69chargerse]

I agree PacoBell. BTW, I see you are in Phoenixville. I'm from there, spent a lot of time running around those tracks and tunnels.

[Pacobell73]

I agree PacoBell. BTW, I see you are in Phoenixville. I'm from there, spent a lot of time running around those tracks and tunnels.

69chargerse - yep, lived her since 2006. Missed the P'xville IT being used; sits in my back yard. The whistles from NS' Harrisburg line blow loud and clear at night. Great railroad town.

As for the current East Penn (a.k.a. Mini-Conrail....abandoning their way to profitability), it really is a shame, a complete 180 from John Nolan's East Penn. Proof positive is the fact that the rails were stripped out from every single grade crossing in record time...even the concrete crossing at U.S. 202. Essentially, they are squeezing the line of every dollar it can make them.

Berks County made it known that their negotiations in the selling of the Boyertown line was anything but smooth. East Penn never answered the press and rarely spoke to Berks County officials. In short, they are not good neighbors for the region.

East Penn also managed to buy the Octoraro line from SEPTA (SEPTA rarely sells lines they own). This is troublesome because SEPTA...by law...cannot abandon a line. They can lease them out (their recent trail fetish is proof of this), but never abandon them. With East Penn now the owner of the Octoraro line, there is a very good chance they will abandon it. There are presently few customers and track conditions are mediocre at best. The OATS Group (http://www.oatrains.org/index.htm) has tried to reach out to East Penn and has gotten nowhere. The prediction is that East Penn will pull the same stunt they did on the Boyertown line: tout the line's unimportance, few customers, poor condition, file for abandonement, leading Chester County (if interested) to purchase the line.