jrevans wrote:Thanks for bringing this thread back up. I've been working in York for a few months now (commuting 75 miles from far Eastern Berks County) and cross over the former R&C ROW on Route 30 every day. It looks like it was a very interesting railroad, and I love how my GPS shows the line running in a big curve where Route 30 crosses over in the middle of the curve. You can clearly see the ROW in the field on the Southern side of Route 30, but I can't really see it on the Northern side. Maybe when all the leaves are down, I'll get a better view.
If you know where to look, during the winter months you can see the rails are still present on both sides of Route 30. Since I know where to look [been in Lancaster almost 29 years] I can see them in a passing glance. I would suggest someone not familiar with the area to pull over and look for them that way. I *think* the rails are still in place up the hill to close to Ironville. You can cross them on Malleable Road at grade[both beside and behind Anvil]; I know the brush was trimmed back last year somewhat, though I seem to remember chain link fencing blocking access to them on both sides...
JimBoylan wrote:Intermediate history:
For a short time after the start of ConRail, the line was cut at Pa. Rte. 462, Lincoln Hwy. in Columbia. That way, the scrap yard in Columbia could be served from the Landisville end of the line! There was also a branch to Marietta, Pa. The junction was near the end of the present active track from Landisville.
Where the Amhearst/Landisville Railroad yard is is where Marietta Junction was. The small business on the west side of the grade crossing on Nolt Road has a tree line at the edge of its property running along the field. This was the ROW for the Marietta Branch. The tracks now terminate in the tall grass near Stoney Battery Road.
On topic for the R&C, another station still surviving was not listed. The small white building along Amtrak's Keystone Line at Landisville Junction [where the Reading crossed the Pennsy via diamonds] is the old Landisville Station. It's more for storage now than anything and is not restored, it is at least still with us currently. Other surviving R&C stations not mentioned:
- Bruckhart's Station along the R&C ROW at Route 23/Marietta Avenue in Silver Spring.
- The original Reading & Columbia Depot along NS' Columbia Secondary on Bank Avenue, near the Route 441 grade crossing. Restored & used as storage for Columbia Borough Dept. of Public Works.
- Limerock Station, on Limerock Road just off of 772 at the grade crossing. It's now a private residence.
- Lititz Freight Depot on Water Street at the grade crossing. Unrestored & vacant, it has seen much better days.
- I'm also told the Cordelia [Ironville] Station still exist behind the ski shop, though I've not ventured over to find out.
Some of my co-workers can't pin down a year when the Ephrata section was removed, though they do recall waiting for trains to clear on Route 322 through Ephrata. There are rails still in place under the Route 272 overpass, along with a short siding/spur at the small feed mill at the bottom of Locust Bend Road. Hopefully that helps to inform those interested in this line.
