Trenton Spur At Frazer/Cross Country Metro

[tabeeb]

Anybody have any idea about what is happening to the old Conrail freight track from Frazer to Norristown called the Trenton Cutoff? There were rumors back in the 90's about SEPTA studying the feasibility of use of this line for a circumferential passenger route through the northern suburbs called the Cross County Metro. Has this died a death?

[JeffK]

The CCM was never a gleam in anyone's eyes outside of 1234 Market. The Trenton Cutoff would have needed a lot of spurs and other realignments to effectively serve the communities that were supposedly its target market.

The Schuylkill Valley Metro and P&W extension are much more feasible, but with the SVM now comatose and the P&W not much better off, the CCM or anything like it will not run in our lifetimes.

[tabeeb]

There ia a freight train that ships scap metal on the Trenton Cutoff. Is this train associated with the old steel mill in Frazer? And if so will that train cease ones the mill completely closes?

[Nacho66]

That mill (National Rolling Mills) closed at least 10 years ago. The branch serving it (an old Reading branch I believe) was pulled up right after.
As far as I know, the southern remnant of the Trenton Cutoff survives as a branch for one customer. Not sure who it is though.

[prr60]

That mill (National Rolling Mills) closed at least 10 years ago. The branch serving it (an old Reading branch I believe) was pulled up right after.
As far as I know, the southern remnant of the Trenton Cutoff survives as a branch for one customer. Not sure who it is though.

National Rolling Mill survived the loss of the old Reading Chester Valley branch. A new spur was built off the Trenton Cut Off to serve the mill. The mill is now closed and the site is being redeveoped into a mixed-use town center.

There are still several customers on the old western end of the Cut Off (NS Dale Secondary). The big one is the former Lukens plate mill in Coatesville. That plant is now owned by Mittal Steel and is still going strong.

[the sarge]

As mentioned above, the one daily train on the cut-off serves the steel plant in Coatesville - the westbound brings in hoppers full of scrap, the eastbound mostly with steel/plates. Sometimes you will see a few other customer cars on the train like a lumber car, a few box cars and the occasional tank car. The train also has a caboose.

The train runs on Amtrak from Frazer to Coatesville exclusively on track 4 westbound. Eastbound it will travel reverse on track 4 to Thorndale, then switch to track 2 for the rest of the way to Frazer – then onto the cut-off.

The train runs through on Amtrak around 9-11:00AM westbound and returns around 3:30PM eastbound. You can get plenty of pictures for the eastbound trip as there is a very slow speed limit on track 2. If in the area and you have a scanner that is channeled into the Amtrak Freq, you will be alerted of the movement as a form D is required for this train – and is authorized over the radio

For other freight on the old PRR mainline in this one area, there is a local freight that runs, I guess from the Lancaster area east to Thorndale once in awhile – maybe for switching over? I’ve seen this train only during the late night hours and has a varied mix of cars.

[motor]

I thought the cutoff was completely abandoned and ripped up by now.

motor

[the sarge]

I thought the cutoff was completely abandoned and ripped up by now

.

No- just the part from Throndale PA to Glen Loch (Frazier). The Atglen and Susquehannah is 99% abandoned and ripped up.

[glennk419]

I thought the cutoff was completely abandoned and ripped up by now

.

No- just the part from Throndale PA to Glen Loch (Frazier). The Atglen and Susquehannah is 99% abandoned and ripped up.

The Cut-off is alive and quite well between Norristown (Earnest) and Morrisville with 6-8 trains per day. Most of the action comes on or off of the NS main at CP Norris (with a quick trip through Septa land), plus the 2 Lukens trains each day. Even though it is a NS line, it takes the appearance of CSAO with a couple CSX stack trains each day thrown in.

[cpontani]

Septa announced that it's starting a new bus route #150 from Plymouth Meeting Mall to Philadelphia Park via the PA Tpke., assuming for the casino employees. Doesn't this pretty much parralel the route the Cross County Metro would have taken? Is this a chicken/egg scenario, where they won't build if there's demand, but there isn't demand because there aren't any alternatives other than driving? I know that you're not going to build a rail line to replace a couple of bus trips a day, but isn't this a step in the right direction, where Septa is admitting that people want to go from suburb to suburb without having to go via Center City?

[glennk419]

The Trenton Line passes very close to Plymouth Meeting Mall but only parallels the turnpike as far east as Southampton (roughly midway between the Willow Grove and Philadelphia interchanges) where the line swings to the north toward Morrisville. The closest that the line gets to the Philadelphia Park and Casino would be in Lower Southampton where it crosses Street Rd (PA Rt 132) which is still about 3-4 miles to the west. Even if the metro were ever to come to be, a shuttle would still be required to/from the park.

[JeffK]

The Trenton Line passes very close to Plymouth Meeting Mall but only parallels the turnpike as far east as Southampton (roughly midway between the Willow Grove and Philadelphia interchanges) ... Even if the metro were ever to come to be, a shuttle would still be required to/from the park.

Your comments nail the fundamental problem faced by most of the proposed CCM routings. The most practical trunk routings from a cost standpoint (i.e. using existing trackage or open but unused ROW, avoiding significant property condemnation, etc.) would require shuttle service or spurs to most destinations. Once you add those connectors the cost goes up and speed goes down.

[jfrey40535]

What about using the line as a means for people to reach destinations like New York or Harrisburg without going to Center City or Trenton, or is that market not big enough to justify the cost?

[checker629]

This might be stupid but, where exactly does the Trenton Cut-Off branch off from the mainline? I used to make a round trip on Amtrak's Keystone a few years back looking for it everytime. I assume it's somewhere between Parke and Caln but I am not sure where. Also, what's the spur "Duck under" around Parke that drops below grade in the center of the right-a-way?

[amtrakhogger]

The Trenton Cut Off currently branches off the PH main line at
"Glen" (just west of Frazer shops). Before Conrail abandoned the
A&S, the Cut-off actually branched off at "Thorn" interlocking and
ran parallel to the main from Thron to Glen.