ExCon90 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 2:37 pm
WhartonAndNorthern wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:03 am
Green circle (and green line highlighting) = Mon Line
Correct in principle; however, that bridge over the Mon shown in green is now used by the Pittsburgh light-rail line to South Hills. The freight route now leaves the mainline around Wilmerding and runs via what the PRR called the Port Perry Branch which crosses the Mon at some point and runs up the left (or south) bank, coming in on the higher of the two alignments parallel to and west of Carson St.*, and continuing along the left bank of the Ohio.
* That's where the NS had a recent bad derailment which partially landed on the light-rail line.
By green highlighting, I meant that I scribbled a dark green "underscore" on two sections of the Mon Line on the South Side ("Sahside*"). I'm familiar enough with the area, I've seen stacks go underneath the Fort Pitt Bridge. Openrailwaymap uses another green to show light rail (and a lighter green for tunnel/subgrade)
However, the question is raised about clearances elsewhere on the nearby lines. Do they want to run via Pittsburgh Line proper or via the Conemaugh? The Conemaugh mostly gets eastbound heavies and service to a specific power plant and has a tunnel near Saltsburg. I haven't determined the tunnel clearances yet. It's a longer route with slower speeds, but it might be an option for through intermodals that don't work Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh's NS intermodal terminal is in Wall on the Pittsburgh Line just east of WIlmerding. Do they really plan to run via downtown? Will stacks clear the trusses on the Fort Wayne Bridge? Are there other clearance issues downtown? Or do they want to run on a short stretch of the Conemaugh and then cross the Allegheny further east. Openrailwaymap isn't helping, but both of those crossings I see look like CSX.
Or is this all just posturing since the state (and possibly NS's own policies) say new construction must clear stacks?
*=years ago we had a book on how to speak like a Pittsburgher. "Sahside," "Dahntahn," "Gyant Iggle," "worsh yer hands," "yinz," "slippy," "go and redd up," etc.