NS FREIGHTS THROUGH PENN STATION, PITTSBURGH

Do all NS east-west through freights pass through Pittsburgh's Penn Station, or is there some sort of bypass between the Pittsburgh Division main line and Conway Yard? I visited PGH a few weeks ago, and noted that there are two through tracks that curve to the right over the Allegheny River Bridge towards Conway Yard. I also saw several doublestack freights run through. However, NS runs lots of through freights, and I wonder whether this routing can handle them all.

No. Trains with high cars use the tracks on the south side of town. Coming from the east they cut off the main just east of Braddock at CP Wing and run over the Port Perry branch to the Mon Line then up through Pittsburgh on the south side of the Monongahela to the west end of town where they cross back to the main via the OC bridge. Coal trains coming off of the Mon Line also use this routing. Trains that use the Conemaugh Line also do not pass through the station, they break away at CP Penn on the north side of the Allegheny River.

Scooter

Roughly how many trains go through Penn Station through the day, and will Amtrak allow photography from the platform with permission? I called ahead when I was in Ft. Worth and talked to Amtrak's Customer Service rep there. She just asked that I checked in when I got there before going to the platform. Did so, and she let security know what I was doing there. A couple of the Amtrak crew members stopped to chat for a few minutes too. I was quite enjoyable. Saw all 3 Amtrak trains, and quite a few TRE trains go through. A lot of UP and BNSF in the distance.