by acelaphillies
Hi all,
I had an idea that I would like to share and see what you all think.
I know that a few towns around the country have set up railfan "parks" in order to watch trains. I guess this gives railfans a safe place to view the trains from and also encourages tourism in the community. One of the newest parks is in Fostoria, Ohio: http://www.fostoriairontriangle.com/railpark.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
As many of you probably know, Morrisville, PA is a hot spot for railfans. The combination of Conrail Shared Assets locals and the busy NEC make it a hot spot. Watching the NEC in this area is especially captivating because it is really the only place that you can see Amtrak, Septa, and NJ Transit trains all on the same track. In addition, you will also see a good mixture of Conrail freight. While the Delaware River Bridge is a very scenic location to view trains from, there is really no safe place to get a good close and unobstructed view of all of the NEC action. The ROW is raised in order to meet the approach to the bridge, and there is a chain link fence along the entire stretch.
If you are familiar with the area, you know that there is an area along E Philadelphia Rd that includes a dog park and an empty parking lot. IMO, this would be the perfect area for a "photography stand." What I have in mind is a wooden platform about 5-10 feet tall with stairs leading up to it and a chest high wooden railing surrounding the top of the platform. Almost like a platform that may be seen on a children's swingset (just without the slide!!
). From the top of the platform, a person would be able to get an unobstructed view of the trains over the fence, but without trespassing on the ROW. It would be a great place to set up a tripod and video or to snap photos.
I don't know how much a project like this would cost or who would sponsor it. However, I think it is a pretty neat idea. Maybe if any of you live in the Morrisville area you could bring it up to the local officials.
Let me know what you think!
I had an idea that I would like to share and see what you all think.
I know that a few towns around the country have set up railfan "parks" in order to watch trains. I guess this gives railfans a safe place to view the trains from and also encourages tourism in the community. One of the newest parks is in Fostoria, Ohio: http://www.fostoriairontriangle.com/railpark.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
As many of you probably know, Morrisville, PA is a hot spot for railfans. The combination of Conrail Shared Assets locals and the busy NEC make it a hot spot. Watching the NEC in this area is especially captivating because it is really the only place that you can see Amtrak, Septa, and NJ Transit trains all on the same track. In addition, you will also see a good mixture of Conrail freight. While the Delaware River Bridge is a very scenic location to view trains from, there is really no safe place to get a good close and unobstructed view of all of the NEC action. The ROW is raised in order to meet the approach to the bridge, and there is a chain link fence along the entire stretch.
If you are familiar with the area, you know that there is an area along E Philadelphia Rd that includes a dog park and an empty parking lot. IMO, this would be the perfect area for a "photography stand." What I have in mind is a wooden platform about 5-10 feet tall with stairs leading up to it and a chest high wooden railing surrounding the top of the platform. Almost like a platform that may be seen on a children's swingset (just without the slide!!
). From the top of the platform, a person would be able to get an unobstructed view of the trains over the fence, but without trespassing on the ROW. It would be a great place to set up a tripod and video or to snap photos.I don't know how much a project like this would cost or who would sponsor it. However, I think it is a pretty neat idea. Maybe if any of you live in the Morrisville area you could bring it up to the local officials.
Let me know what you think!
