SEPTA seeks $$ for major West Trenton Line Help

pumpers wrote:Got it. I looked on google maps , and from the auto unloading facility next to Rte 322 down by Chichester, up through Darby to the Gray's ferry area, I counted about 20 overpasses going over the tracks! Besides the tunnel under Rte 13 you mention, I would bet there are quite a few more that would need work.

The double stacks you saw at Red Lion Rd, presumably they were coming/going from/to SOuth Philly yard. What do they do there - transfer to/from truck? or ship? or make them single stacks and send them further south from there?
JS

There's a container transfer facility at South Philly so they're put on trucks or carted over to the port next door to be put on ships. I don't think there are any container trains that originate either in South Philly or Eastside Yard that go west on the Philly Sub at the moment. There are a couple that do run through up to South Kearny, NJ.

ekt8750 wrote:There's a container transfer facility at South Philly so they're put on trucks or carted over to the port next door to be put on ships. I don't think there are any container trains that originate either in South Philly or Eastside Yard that go west on the Philly Sub at the moment. There are a couple that do run through up to South Kearny, NJ.

Nope, none that I know of. However I have heard that Q034 does sometimes drop a cut at Philly on its way east, and I believe the empty juice train has been known to pick up a cut heading west. Its been years since I've had any new information about that so things may have changed by now.

pumpers wrote:

wagz wrote:... the Philadelphia Sun south of the city is no-go for double stacks. The autorack trains from the south can only make it up to Twin Oaks down near the DE state line.

Wagz, what & where is "Philadelphia Sun"?

Also I found some CSX clearance maps http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/customers/ ... ance-maps/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . Take a look on both the double=stack and the auto-train clearance maps. As you say, there is a dead spot just south of Philadelphia, down to Twin Oaks. Auto stacks can get through Baltimore too.

I imagine CSX is working on the Twin Oaks to Soouth Philadelhia, to open up that stretch too. Can anyone confirm? JS

Based on that map, seems a EL alternate route would be desirable to bypass philadelphia, but that has snothing to do with septa.

I guess the one positive aspect of this project is that the grade crossings will be brand new, at least for the new track.

Wingnut wrote: That's the pretty much the game plan as I understand it. Basically the SEPTA yard and the CSX through tracks will be trading places. CSX will have reverse curves instead of straight track through this area when it's all done. Whether they'll be eased enough to avoid a speed restriction, that I don't know.

The latest Railpace has a photo of the wire work for Septa in West Trenton, and also says CSX will indeed be going around the east side of the yard. But no pictures of the CSX bypass yet. Might have to go take a look. JS

I hear some or all of the "cut-in" for the SEPTA/CSX separation is going on right now. Seems to be confirmed by the SEPTA web pages which say
" West Trenton passengers due to signal issues with the Separation Project, shuttle buses will operate between West Trenton and Woodbourne Stations again on Tuesday Aug. 25th until further notice. Train service leaving Woodbourne Station today will operate on current public timetable times."
Anyone know exactly what is being "cut in" and how long it will take? Is this the whole works (Woodbourne interlocking, the 3rd track, West Trenton yard bypass, etc, or just part of it?
JS