After-hours traffic on R3 Media?

OK, maybe I'm nuts but late at night, after Septaland has gone to bed, I occasionally hear a diesel blowing Xings on the R3 Media line. Last night, I heard it around 2:15 a.m.

Should I have saved this post for Halloween? Or should I see a shrink?

Could have been the SEPTA wire train or Amtrak stone train enroute to pick up ballast at the quarry.

There's at least one industrial siding on the R3 line, and the West Chester Railroad runs diesels along the line and they also have potential freight customers. The Amtrak stone train goes to a quarry in Glen Mills, I believe.

Yeah, you have Amoroso siding on No. 2 track just north of Angora station, and there is another siding just south of Morton station, PECO siding I believe its called (memory is a little foggy here). Amtrak occasionally operates trains to Glen Mills to pick up ballast. SEPTA could have also had the wire train working out there.

There's a freight run just about every night at 3:00 or 4:00 AM. Usually when I see it, it's WCRR hauling ballast for Amtrak out of Glen Mills.

Thanks for the responses. Certainly explains alot. Will hafta pull an all-nighter to see this baby run. (May need that shrink afterall.)

Any ideas on what scanner freq the ballast train uses?

I would assume they would be on 160.35/161.175 and talking to SEPTA5/SEPTA6

Thanks for those freqs. 160.350 I have programed in my scanner... will add the other.

Found myself awake at 4:00 a.m. .... just in time to hear the run-thru along the R3 again. More ballast from the quarry, I presume.