PHILLY AREA: Need Help With Location ID

Like mysteries? I took a photo in the late 70s (post Conrail) along the NE Corridor between Philly & Wilmington. I used to hang out in the area around Marcus Hook, but I am not sure if this is exactly where this particular photo was taken. I do know the photo was taken near one of the infamous PRR signal bridges (I think there were crossovers), and one of the zillions of poles in the picture is labeled "3401L" or "340IL" and, next to it on the pole, "5810."

Whomever can solve this one for me gets the Sherlock award of the day!

If you were in the Marcus Hook area and it was not at the Septa station there you may have been about a half mile north (east of the station) which was a very convenient spot for railfans as there was a parking and access area near Hook Tower. There were crossovers there for the Septa locals to access the station and also for the frieght trians that accessed the petro-chemical plants that abound in that area. Two signal bridges, too, with big factory buildings trackside. Still a good spot today.

kevikens wrote:If you were in the Marcus Hook area and it was not at the Septa station there you may have been about a half mile north (east of the station) which was a very convenient spot for railfans as there was a parking and access area near Hook Tower. There were crossovers there for the Septa locals to access the station and also for the frieght trians that accessed the petro-chemical plants that abound in that area. Two signal bridges, too, with big factory buildings trackside. Still a good spot today.

Thanks for the quick response. It definitely was NOT at SEPTA and I do recall the spot you mention. Haven't been there in 25 years, though.

Does this look like the spot?

http://kpiersol2.rrpicturearchives.net/ ... ?id=142359

I don't think that's the spot I was thinking of. Notice the bridge the train is crossing. Thers no bridge near Hook Tower in Marcus Hook. I'm thinking this may be a few miles south of Hook, south of the Delaware state line at Claymont nearer to Bell Tower. The reason I say that is the power substation you can see at the extreme rightof the picture. I don't believe there is such a station at Hook.

kevikens wrote:I don't think that's the spot I was thinking of. Notice the bridge the train is crossing. Thers no bridge near Hook Tower in Marcus Hook. I'm thinking this may be a few miles south of Hook, south of the Delaware state line at Claymont nearer to Bell Tower. The reason I say that is the power substation you can see at the extreme rightof the picture. I don't believe there is such a station at Hook.

OK - that's possible, also. But now I think think the spot may be at Morrisville, Pa, north of Philly. There used to be (or still is?) a huge substation there at the interchange with the now abandoned freight electric line around Philly (runs parallel to the PA Turnpike) connecting the Harrisburg Line with the NE corridor in Morrisville (I cannot recall the "formal" name for this line, but it is well known, of course) and I have several other labeled photos I took there (in Morrisville). If there is such a substation in Claymont, then that is a possibility as the "pole" I noted above is from another photo but Morrisville is about 34 miles from 30th Street station (Milepost 34.01?) and 58 miles from Newark Penn Station (Milepost 58.10?). Maybe the markings on the pole are telling for that photo? Could this be a possibility?

You must be talking about the Trenton Cutoff bypassing Philly between Thorndale and Morrisville.

I think the caption on the slide may be wrong now that I look closely at the picture. When you first mentioned Marcus Hook I kept thinking south of Philly. I think this picture is IN Philly, namely Frankford Junction. If you look at the picture you can see the bridge that the lines crosses over Frankford Ave. on, the power substation that is on the north side of the tracks and on the extreme left the spur into the freight yard there and the cutoff from the main line onto the Delair Bridge into Pavonia Yard in Camden. The Frankford Jct Septa station was still open then so this spot was a very popular one at the time. If it is Frankford Jct. Shore Tower would be just to the left of the photo so if you have other photos of the same area look for a white wooden, not red brick, toer on the background.

kevikens wrote:I think the caption on the slide may be wrong now that I look closely at the picture. When you first mentioned Marcus Hook I kept thinking south of Philly. I think this picture is IN Philly, namely Frankford Junction. If you look at the picture you can see the bridge that the lines crosses over Frankford Ave. on, the power substation that is on the north side of the tracks and on the extreme left the spur into the freight yard there and the cutoff from the main line onto the Delair Bridge into Pavonia Yard in Camden. The Frankford Jct Septa station was still open then so this spot was a very popular one at the time. If it is Frankford Jct. Shore Tower would be just to the left of the photo so if you have other photos of the same area look for a white wooden, not red brick, toer on the background.

Thanks much for helping me out on this. I can't recall ever being there, but it was amost 30 years ago so I plan on going by there to check it out, and in the meantime I have relabeled my photo. I have also "solved" the markings on the pole and it is definitely Morrisville, PA = 3401L does mean 38.01 miles from 30th Street and 5810 does mean 58.10 miles from Newark Penn Station - I rode out there yesterday and the pole is still there with the same markings. ("the pole" is on the right hand side of the photo):

http://kpiersol2.rrpicturearchives.net/ ... ?id=145525

Kim Piersol

340 is actually the Chester Signal Bridge.

I don't see any pole numbers in the picture with the two E-44's.

What's with the gallon jug of water hanging out on the short hood of CR2223 in the photo? Anybody have any guesses?
http://kpiersol2.rrpicturearchives.net/ ... ?id=145525
I've seen the same thing in a photo of a Reading freight from the '70s. Is it just that the crew left it there by mistake or is it some time-honored railroad way to prepare water for a beverage? Probably just coincidence, but you'd think it would a) interfere with visibility (admittedly, it's on the fireman's side) or b) fall off.

What's with the jug, you ask? This is a railroad refridgerator picture, your looking at. The "old days" meant no fridge, on the engines, ice was hit or miss, but cold air plentiful. The visibility is unhampered, as the crew looks out the smaller, vertical windows, on the door, and the engineers side. The middle windows are okay for viewing trees, and sometimes signals, while winding through curves. Engineers sometimes hang their bottles from the side mirrors, or even the marker brackets, on the side of the cabs, so they can reach them, while running. I always kept (keep) mine behind the cab, under the stairs, so it's just a short trip, out back, for a cold one, when there isn't a fridge, or cooler, on board. Regards

Thanks for the great explanation - As a paranoid photographer, I thought he just put it out there to mess up my shot. Like traveling with the hood door open. I guess we can assume a door open indicates that the air conditioning isn't working??

What the &$#@ is air conditioning? the new units have it, some western roads had roof mounted units, but by and large, A/C is only a dream, on the railroad. (unless you got one of those office jobs) Side windows wide open, back door latched open (no latch? Just stick a broom, or flag through the door handle, behind the handrail) and if you are travelling below 30 mph, pop open the front door. "Instant A/C". Of course, it's against the rules, on some properties, but when it's 140 degrees in the cab, who gives a damn about the rules, anyways? A really fast way to "sweep" out the cab as well. Secure all of your paperwork, put your grips against the front cab wall, and open the front and back doors, while travelling 50-60 mph. No dust, dirt, or personal belongings, that weigh less than 5 pounds As far as a hood door open, that's just a lazy engineer, or trainman, not doing their job. Every rulebook, TH&AB etc., has a rule about not operating with open hood doors. The engine compartments are pressurized, so by leaving a door opens, you defeat the purpose of a pressurized carbody. Sad fact is, most guys just "get on and go", without even the most basic inspection, or look around the equipment, being performed. I know of no crew members that would go so far, as to "ruin" your photos, by propping open doors. Some will extinguish headlights, but they are actually trying to help you, so the lights won't mess-up your pix. The "purists" want them on, so it looks like a moving train, but hey, what does an engineer know about photography, anyways. (unless he is RCBSD-45 ) They aren't trying to kill your shot, perhaps a misguided attempt to help you. Regards

Learned the hard way about propping open the front door on an SD40 I had on a Manifest freight during one of our hot August days. I think 35 MPH was the magic number when all of a sudden it was like a tornado inside the cab...all my paperwork that wasn't secured, old garbage, etc...the hog just laughed, luckily I had the sense to make sure our air slip didn't blow away.