TOFC/COFC thru Princ Jct 30 Oct?

At 1335 EST today (30 October) two GEs (one CR/NS, one NS) led a container/trailer train east thru Princeton Jct on track 2. Trailers for UPS, XTRA, US Xpress-- that's not routine, is it?

I know that with work going on with the Lehigh Line*, there have been some detours; from what I heard (from the nslehighline yahoo group), 212 went up the corridor last Sunday; perhaps it did so again this weekend.

* There's a 3-week project underway to install a new passing siding in Flemington, that also involved some relocation of the main.

Awesome! Man, I hope I can catch one of these in my few moments on the corridor during the week.

Anybody know where this consist came from and got onto the NEC ? Did it come from Morrisville and enter the NEC there or further west from Phila. ? On Sunday morning about 10:00 AM I spotted a consist of trailers pulled by two CSX units coming off the High Line in West Phila. at Zoo Tower. It looked to me from where I was that they used the tunnel to access the NEC but I could not ascertain this from where I was. Maybe the NEC will see more daylight freight traffic. Hope so.

NS 212 came onto the NEC from Morris and headed up to Lane.

As for the CSX intermodal on the High Line, this is one of 2 routes that CSX can use to get to CP-Belmont and points north on the Trenton Line from the south. At Arsenal, there is a switch between the 58th St. (High Line) connector and the NEC, however since the Zoo switch has been removed, there is no longer a connection between the High Line and the NEC at Zoo.

Therock: Can you clear up my confusion about that connection ? When that CSX train went through Zoo where could it go ? Did it cross the bridge over Girard Ave. ? cross at Belmont then head south to connect with the freight line that parallels the NEC ? Through Belmont across the Falls Bridge and onto the Trenton Line ? I must admit to being shaky on exactly what happens to a train that gets into that labyrinth called Zoo. Thanks

Last time I looked, a train that ran compass-north over the High Line would come down to ground level in the middle of Zoo interlocking, then continue into the tunnel to the Reading line northward up the west bank of the river. That track runs through the middle of Zoo without ever connecting to any of it.

Tim, you are correct, there is no longer a physical connection between the High Line and NEC / Main Line at ZOO.

Kevikens, The High Line track runs "through' ZOO then passes under Girard Avenue, over the Schuylkill Expy and then up through Fairmount Park via the Belmont connector where it joins the ex-RDG line at the Columbia Avenue bridge, near Montgomery Avenue. Northbound trains follow this route then up to Falls Junction where they swing across the river on the south Falls Bridge, then up through Nicetown Jct, Newtown Jct (which is no longer a junction from CSX's perspective) to the now dedicated single track on the Short Line and up to Woodbourne and West Trenton. The nightly trains between Lansdale and Greenwich Yard (C746) utilize the Blue Line connector to Septa between Nicetown and Wayne Junctions since there is no longer a connection at Newtown Junction. Trains to Abrams and west follow the Reading Main through West Falls and up the west side of the river.

Sorry to get too far OT.

OK, continuing this way off line, I passed a TOFC at about 6:15 AM westbound (south) on the cutoff along the PA Turnpike, and I've rarely seen a train at that time before.

I'm hearing 212 will return to its normal routing this week.