CP Belt-Other Old Reading Spots

Hi gang.I know this may be buried somewhere in the mass of posts but I am busy and don't have time to scan through all the subjects so forgive me if this is a repeated topic. I plan on re-starting my video railfanning this next year.I have been away for at least 7 years. More like 11 years on freight routes. I plan on doing the old RDG from Belt to Harrisburg and the Lurgan as part of my projects. Where is the safest LEGAL place to shoot CP Belt? I know it is off Rte 61. Any landmarks you guys could give me to find it would help. Thanks. Also, best places along the old Lebanon Valley line(Wyomissing to Rutherford) to shoot trains .I was thinking Robesonia, Annville, Lebanon, Hershey and the Roadrailer area near Rutherford. How about in Harrisubrg proper? Thanks for any input you could give me.

CNJ Fan 4evr wrote:Hi gang.I know this may be buried somewhere in the mass of posts but I am busy and don't have time to scan through all the subjects so forgive me if this is a repeated topic. I plan on re-starting my video railfanning this next year.I have been away for at least 7 years. More like 11 years on freight routes. I plan on doing the old RDG from Belt to Harrisburg and the Lurgan as part of my projects. Where is the safest LEGAL place to shoot CP Belt? I know it is off Rte 61. Any landmarks you guys could give me to find it would help. Thanks. Also, best places along the old Lebanon Valley line(Wyomissing to Rutherford) to shoot trains .I was thinking Robesonia, Annville, Lebanon, Hershey and the Roadrailer area near Rutherford. How about in Harrisubrg proper? Thanks for any input you could give me.

I also haven't been to Reading in a few years but the safest place to observe CP Belt was from the parking lot of the diner (Schwambach's?). I believe some of the crews back in Conrail days even referred to the spot as CP Diner. . I train watched and photographed from that spot many times and never had anyone bother me. I also know that the George Street bridge was rebuilt a few years back and there is a sidewalk facing approaches to the junction althought you'll have to take pictures through a fence. Unfortunately the double masted signal by the bridge, a long time photo prop, is no longer in place having been replaced by a single mast and dwarfs.

Thanks. I might head out there before Christmas.I figure it might be busy up until Monday. Then again, I somehow seemed to always manage to go railfanning on a "dead" day. Everybody else always seems to hit the jackpot.

CNJ Fan 4evr wrote:Thanks. I might head out there before Christmas.I figure it might be busy up until Monday. Then again, I somehow seemed to always manage to go railfanning on a "dead" day. Everybody else always seems to hit the jackpot.

NS is planning to curtail most rail opeations from 7:00AM on Christmas Eve through 7:00AM on December 26 so you want to keep that in mind.

Looking like Saturday might be good. I can get out early. Morning still the best time out there?
Depending on how long I'm there, I may head west a ways. Don't have all day so I want ot make the trip worth it.

Found CP Belt okay. Diner is now called 61 Diner. Place was packed so I didn't go in. Parked in empty lot of old car dealer(once a Getty station) up the street past George St. and just went down to take a look. No trains around. I don't know the area or whether cops or anyone would bother my car so I didn't stick around. Went to Spring St. yard. Cool place IF there was anything moving. Two engines idling outside yard office at south end-next to shopping center parking lot.Are the huge old brick buildings along the street old Reading shops? From their size and location I assume they were.
Probably will go back another time and see what's going on.

Hi CNJ,

Would like to see some of your video work when you get an opportunity, if you decide
to upload videos to youtube.

Charlie

Blandon to the east and Wyomissing to the west are probably better places to hang out at for the future. Better shots and better suited for sitting. Mornings are usually pretty good with the AM eastbound intermodal parade plus typically 4-6 westbounds from daybreak to noon.

I was actually hoping for one train and then move on west. I just want one video shot in the namesake city of Reading.

Would anyone please tell me about the East Penn Branch from just west of Fleetwood into Reading? After looking at aerials and doing a little digging, I feel that the line was triple track from halfway between Fleetwood and Blandon and Blandon. In Blandon I feel as though two of the tracks became one to go onto Reading (Low Grade Line) and then the other split off to go into Spring St. Yard (Hill Track/High Grade Line). Are there maps/diagrams?

On the subject of triple track, was their a third track between Bowers and Lyons? Again aerials suggest there was. When was it pulled up?

Jeremy

Jeremy Zella wrote:On the subject of triple track.....

Not quite triple track but a little more and a little less. The East Penn Branch of the Reading was double track from Pike Street Reading to Allentown. There were sidings in both directions at Blandon and Lyons; the Blandon eastward siding was particularly long at 286 44' car capacity. Upon completion of the Blandon Low Grade to Belt Line Jct. around 1955, the East Penn via Temple was reduced to single track; Conrail pulled it up.

westernfalls wrote:

Jeremy Zella wrote:On the subject of triple track.....

Not quite triple track but a little more and a little less. The East Penn Branch of the Reading was double track from Pike Street Reading to Allentown. There were sidings in both directions at Blandon and Lyons; the Blandon eastward siding was particularly long at 286 44' car capacity. Upon completion of the Blandon Low Grade to Belt Line Jct. around 1955, the East Penn via Temple was reduced to single track; Conrail pulled it up.

The Hill line proved quite valuable to Conrail from July to December, 1984 when it was pressed back into service to handle Allentown traffic due to a cave in along the Blandon Low Grade at the Temple Quarry. Despite that usefulness and due to the relatively steep grades, it was deemed redundant and torn out by Conrail in the late eighties.

When the Hill Line came in on Chestnut St in Blandon, was there a cross-over from the Low-Grade line to the Hill Line? I would think so since the Hill Line would have continued on to serve as the siding.

As for the sidings in Lyons, I guess that would have been 4-track territory for a distance then? Where did the sidings diverge/tie back into the main?

Jeremy Zella wrote:Blandon, was there a cross-over from the Low-Grade line to the Hill Line?

Not just one but two, plus a turnout to the eastward siding. See photos of Oley Tower

Jeremy Zella wrote:Lyons... would have been 4-track territory? Where did the sidings diverge/tie back into the main?

Lyons, and about 95 car lengths beyond in each direction. The trailing crossover between the entrances long survived the passing sidings.