Flooding in Penna.

As I write this the news is filled with stories of serious flooding in the Susquehanna, Lehigh and Schuykill Rivers Valleys. Does anyone know if this is affecting the movement of freight through Allentown, Reading or Harrisburg ? any detours? washouts ? serious disruptions ?

I took a trip tonight to see the flooding for myself. Along the way I stopped at the canal park in Allentown, passed the yard, went through Bethlehem and Freemansburg, and on to Easton. Everything seems like business as usual along the Lehigh line, with the exception of the idiots on the bridges over the Delaware.

The Portland secondary through Phillipsburg looks like it may be under water in spots, but I didn't see anything in person. The flooding in Easton is definitely going to be bad. At 7PM the river was already touching the bottom of the free bridge, and it's not expected to crest until tomorrow!

So, what's left of the Stourbridge Line from Lackawaxen to Honesdale?

hsr_fan wrote:So, what's left of the Stourbridge Line from Lackawaxen to Honesdale?

Well, the line is still OOS from Hawley to Lackawaxen from the last flood back in 2003 no? I'm glad I got to ride this whole line as it doesn't look too promising to see it restored if there are more floods on the southern end...

At about 9 p.m. Wed. 6/28/6, Delaware River was flowing down the river roads on both banks under the Amtrak bridge between Trenton, N.J. and Morrisville, Pa. This means that the Conrail branch to A. E. Staley, etc in South Delmorr Ave. under Amtrak was wet. The water line at that moment was right where the track enters the highway at Delmorr Ave. & Green St.

Tyburn RR is above the water level, but we are worried about cars coming from the West via NS and CSXT.

NS had some speed restrictions on the Harrisburg line between Reading and Philly. A couple of minor washouts near CP Titus. NS ran a mixed freight of Delaware traffic that normally operates via the Port Road Branch, via Philly and the Harrisburg Line today. Rt. 422 was shut down Wednesday near Reading, locally known as the West Shore bypass. Pottstown was partially flooded, including right under the Colebrookdale branch bridge, which is Business Rt. 422.

Have this posted on NY and NJ forum sites so thought might be interesting here, too as these lines border and go into PA:

I can't believe it either...driving through or living in the Binghamton area since 1961 I have never seen it like this...yes BD and the shop areas were under water! D&H Binghamton yard had a foot; but both today and yesterday the scanner indicated cars were being shuffled around there. Susquehanna River water has covered the old Erie Main east where the tracks hug the river bank and especially in Great Bend. West the line was under water at Gray's Crossing/Hooper/Endwell between Johnson City and Endicott and then again toward Campville and through parts of Owego west to Waverly. (I saw a NS truck at Gray's Crossing working west this morning; two man crew; it was stopped and the two were walking track westbound through where water was yesterday.) South on the D&H there are washouts and some flooded spots but the line is by and large higher than most of the territory. North, the D&H is closed at Sidney (as is I88 and NYS7) because of flooding; there are other reports of water over track and washouts to Richmondville hill. NYS&W hugs the Tioghnioga Chenago Forks to Cortland and the Chenango to Norwich and Sherburne so you can only guess what that is like for them. Flood waters are receding slowly but there are moments of them going back up. As you go downstream on the Susquehanna, Waverly, Sayre, Athens, Towanda, etc. are bracing for what's yet to come.

What is a washout, precisely? I've heard the term used often but I was never sure what it meant. Does it mean the the ballast washed out from under or something else?
Thanks

PARailWiz wrote:What is a washout, precisely? I've heard the term used often but I was never sure what it meant. Does it mean the the ballast washed out from under or something else?
Thanks

The ballast, the rails, the roadbed, the bridge, the culvert, anything else there would be under the wheels that is washed out or washed away by water.

Or, in railroading vernacular: giving a stop signal, especially an emergency stop signal while at speed.

Update on Binghamton area: water has receded from the railroads. Stone train at Bevier St. Buffalo runner. NYS&W has cars at BD which appear to be all on the track. Saw a CNY truck moving east at Frito Lay checking track. From 81/17 I could see that Binghamton (Conklin) Yard tracks are no longer under water. Robinson Street bridge replacement work continues today, I think a third girder was placed…two were placed earlier this week, a fourth sits by Cold Storage on three flat cars. Also saw on NYState fourm that NS has send a stone train to Waverly supposedly for the Ithaca branch.Although highways are open, I don’t believe trains are running in or out of town yet. I probably will not get back here until Monday, but might sneak in tomorrow.

Hi All,

One of the tricks that RR's use when they are subject to flooding and losing the traction motors of their diesels when the water shorts them out, is to start up their steam engines that are preserved in working condition. A steam locomotive does not have the same vulnerability to flooding as diesels and electrics have. Steamers can negotiate floods as deep as their axles without any troubles. The speeds are slow, but they get the job done.

About 9:30 p.m. 6/30/6: The Delaware River is back between its banks, and about 3 feet below the level of the track that goes under the Amtrak bridge in Morrisville, Pa.

hsr_fan wrote:So, what's left of the Stourbridge Line from Lackawaxen to Honesdale?

Having no particular better place to go, I flew over it from Lakawaxen to Honesdale around midday Saturday, and I did not see any obvious evidence of damage from a couple thousand feet above. I paid special notice to grade crossings to see if the pavement was discolored by mud indicating the water reached that level, but it looked normal. Perhaps the water didn't reach the levels of several years ago and the railroad dodged the bullet on this one. Hopefully.

Cool! Bet you can see our satellite control facility with its 30 meter antennas pretty well from that vantage point!

I was down at the Rockville Bridge on 6/29 when the river crested. I have pictures posted on my page at

http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/



M.T.