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  • When did biz tank and tracks ripped up on NS cement branch

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Pennsylvania
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Pennsylvania

Moderator: bwparker1

 #1050984  by carajul
 
The Pennpilot images from 1972 show the track infrastructure intact and each cement mill jammed with cars. Follow the line on live maps today and none of the cement plants even seem to have their spurs connected anymore. All the yards are gone.

My friends just had me over to watch a video of LNE, NB, DLW operations in the 1960s and my jaw almost dropped. Bath yard, Tadmore yard, DLW yard busy 24/7. The dexter hill tower by rt 248 had trains waiting 4-5 at a time. Main St in Bath blocked with trains passing each other. It was constant activity. Some mills even had switchers working all day at their plants shifting cars.

What rr chased the biz away and tore the track out? Im assuming CR in the 1980s but anyone know for sure?
 #1052470  by wis bang
 
Trucks did it. I worked in Chem Leaman's shop at Hercules in Stockertown during College [1972 & 1973]. The largest user was interstate highway construction where the batch plants that made the concrete were fed by 'Porta Bins' AKA 'Pigs' large storage tankers that held [5] cement tankers or about 4500 cu ft. We had 55 tractors and 105 trailers and in the summers they used every available trailer 3 - 4 days a week. We had an advance person who would see that the pigs were moved when the batch plant re-located.

You can't provide that flexibility by rail.

Conrail shut down most of the branch lines so the stationary producers of concrete products were also forced to switch over to trucks.

In 1972 it was 40% rail 60% trucks. After 1976 the rail percentage dropped a lot.