Changes to Freight ops on SEPTA

With CSX in a selling mode,what could change locally? Not quite sure who has what remaining local freight service on SEPTA?
Is it mostly CSX,or split up CSX,CR Shared Assets,and NS?

West Trenton Line is CSX (local and through service), NEC is Conrail (CSAO). Not much action on the smaller branches, with some CSX on the RDG main line to Lansdale.

Not much (if any) will change.

When SEPTA assumed passenger operations and physical plant ownership from Conrail, the ICC and STB grandfathered trackage rights agreements to Conrail to conduct freight operations on SEPTA owned tracks.

After the Conrail takeover, the trackage rights on SEPTA were split up among Conrail, NS, CSX and the 3 shortline operators at the time (West Chester RR, East Penn Railroad, and New Hope & Ivyland RR).

When CSX gave up operations in Lansdale, they effectively sub-leased their trackage rights to Pennsylvania Northeastern, but ended PN's territory of operations at Neshaminy Falls, Tabor Jct, and West Point to assure CSX would be the sole interchange connection with the PN, East Penn, and New Hope & Ivyland. CSX worked out a flat interchange rate with the Surface Transportation Board for the Lansdale cluster. The shorelines charge an agreed upon rate for delivery services.

From what I have researched on the STB website, running trains doesn't cost CSX a penny to operate over their trackage rights on SEPTA's mainline and branch line tracks. CSX is responsible for 5 miles of maintenance costs and grade crossing accident liability on the Stony Creek branch from Elm to West Point. PN is responsible for track maintenance and grade crossing liability from West Point to Lansdale.

Since 3 railroads operate to Lansdale, SEPTA handles the dispatching responsibilities.

The trackage rights for customer deliveries break down like this (according to the STB web site)

Airport: Conrail Shared Assets
Bethlehem Line, Dale to Telford- PN (under sub-lease from CSX)
Bethlehem Line, Telford to Quakertown - ESPN (under sub-lease from CR / CSX)
Chestnut Hill East, Conrail Shared Assets
Chestnut Hill West, Conrail Shared Assets
Fox Chase, Conrail Shared Assets
Ivy Ridge Line, Norfolk Southern
Mainline (Tabor Jct North), PN (under sublease from CSX)
Mainline (Tabor Jct South), Conrail
Neshaminy Line, PN south of Neshaminy, CSX north of Neshaminy
Norristown Line, Norfolk Southern
Warminster Line, PN (under sub lease from CSX)
West Chester Line, Conrail Shared Assets (to Glenn Mills)
West Chester Line, West Chester RR (Glenn Mills to end of track)

***I can't find any STB dockets where New Hope & Ivyland have trackage rights to operate between Johnsville and Warminster to serve Double H plastics.

NorthPennLimited wrote:***I can't find any STB dockets where New Hope & Ivyland have trackage rights to operate between Johnsville and Warminster to serve Double H plastics.

For that, you look at the deeds showing what was sold to S.E.P.T.A. and New Hope & Ivyland on April 1, 1976 (ConRail Day). S.E.P.T.A.'s deed is between Mt. Carmel Jct. near Glenside and Street Rd. NH&I's deed is between County Line Rd. and Ivyland. So, there's and overlap between County Line Rd. and Street Rd., where the same line was sold twice, to different buyers. NH&I, with only 1 deed to process, had their deed Recorded quickly. S.E.P.T.A., with lots of deeds all over the region, had their deed recorded more than a year later. Without any fraud on the buyer's part, the 1st deed to be recorded carries great weight with the law.
In 1978, a S.E.P.T.A. official thought there was an agrement to have NH&I yeild anything South of Street Rd. to them. Jimmy McHugh thought that the S.E.P.T.A. official was angry after Jimmy convinced Bucks County, owner of the NH&I, to do nothing. Operations continued quietly, with S.E.P.T.A. running as they did on March 31, 1976 and eventually also maintaining the line. NH&I continued running into Warminster station when they wanted, as they had during the Bicentennial. Those special instructions were never cancelled, lest Jimmy McHugh urge Bucks County to raise the superiority of their deed showing ownership. We did run freight and passenger trains into Warminster station when we wanted to use drinking fountain and bathrooms. NH&I never tried to serve Burpee Seed or LaRosa Spaghetti, as that might have caused ConRail to get involved in the fight. This was the situation when McHugh Bros. lease of the NH&I ended on May 31, 1989. I don't know if there have been any agreements since then, or if S.E.P.T.A. and CSXT still maintain the grade crossing equipment at Street Rd. Jimmy McHugh said that ConRail or S.E.P.T.A. had been offered that responsibility as a peace gesture!

Has there been an increase in freight trains using the western portion of the Paoli-Thorndale line west of Frazer? I have seen a variety of freight trains at different times of the day operating around Exton on the line.

Another question is when did freight stop running on the Main Line east of the Trenton Cutoff?