52nd Street Bridge to Cynwyd to be Retired

Well there was never a main track connection, just yard tracks. Still, re-building that connection will be trivial, there's even an interlocking already in place along with catenary poles and disused bridges. Look here.

I'm assuming there had once upon a time been a straight shot from mainline through the yard onto the Schuylkill branch, which I think was the Cynwyd line's historical name. I can't imagine the speed limit through that yard could have been much slower than whatever speed restriction they've given to the to be retired bridge.

I remember when I first hired on the railroad in 1976, it was pointed out that the “52nd street viaduct” was scheduled for demolition. I’m retired now and that structure still stands. Its purpose, of course, was to lift the WB passenger main over the hump yard operations below. In PRR practice the outer tracks, 1 & 4, were designated Mainline Passenger tracks, while the inside tracks, 2 & 3, were designated Mainline Freight tracks. The WB Schuylkill Division passenger track diverged at a switch, Valley Int. R-Overbrook, just at the west end of the bridge.

Clearfield wrote:Cinders is reporting:

"Preliminary work will soon begin on the old Pennsy right-of-way west of 52nd Street in West Philly on which SEPTA will build a new connection to the Cynwyd line. This will allow AMTRAK to retire its long through truss bridge which now carries Cynwyd-bound MU cars but can't support anything heavier"

Took long enough. I always thought that should have been done back when "PAXON" went in. I always thought it would have been better to re-lay track and string catenary from #4 over the freight bridges to join the current main at JEFF and be done with it....

Everyone: Has there ever been a serious proposal issued anyplace to demolish the 52nd Street Bridge?
I ask because I look at its poor condition every time I ride the Paoli-Thorndale Line or take a rare (for
me) Cynwyd trip...I fully understand why SEPTA and Amtrak has downgraded its use...

Would it be something similar to the Manayunk Viaduct in that it turned out to cost about the same
to renovate or demolish that bridge?

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone: Has there ever been a serious proposal issued anyplace to demolish the 52nd Street Bridge?
I ask because I look at its poor condition every time I ride the Paoli-Thorndale Line or take a rare (for
me) Cynwyd trip...I fully understand why SEPTA and Amtrak has downgraded its use...

Would it be something similar to the Manayunk Viaduct in that it turned out to cost about the same
to renovate or demolish that bridge?

MACTRAXX

Like I said above, I’ve been hearing about its imminent demise since 1976. My guess is that unless it is in danger of falling down on its own or gets in the way of some other improvement (extending 4 tracks from Overbrook to Zoo maybe?) it’ll probably just be abandoned in place.

Patrick Boylan wrote:Bill R, I don't remember any specifics, but I've heard over lo these 2 decades or so, and maybe even read corroboration in hallowed rr.net fora, that it's not feasible to run even the few Cynwyd trains we do have single track through the current inbound tunnel. If I had to guess I'd say it's because there's too much inbound Harrisburg-Paoli track that the outbound Cynwyd trains would have to occupy.

You remember correctly. Both Cinders and DVRP reported in 1993 that it was attempted to run westbound Cynwyd trains over number 1 track but eastbound peak traffic was too much to allow it. It was widely speculated that Amtrak would remove the bridge from service in 1994 as it was already in a very substandard condition.

I passed by on the Keystone this morning. The ground-level ROW to the east of the bridge embankment was cleared and surveying stakes are set.

Without knowing the details, I'M GUESSING that the will run the line as a single track from the KC (Keystone Corridor) to Jeff.

How it would connect at either end? Dunno, but having the inbound Cynwyd trains cross and reverse run the KC would probably entail schedule changes for the line.

Does anyone have any hard facts on the project?

Clearfield wrote:I passed by on the Keystone this morning. The ground-level ROW to the east of the bridge embankment was cleared and surveying stakes are set.

Without knowing the details, I'M GUESSING that the will run the line as a single track from the KC (Keystone Corridor) to Jeff.

How it would connect at either end? Dunno, but having the inbound Cynwyd trains cross and reverse run the KC would probably entail schedule changes for the line.

Does anyone have any hard facts on the project?

Inbound trains will continue to use the duckunder to Track 1 at VALLEY with no change. The new outbound connection will feed into the existing outbound track and into the single track at JEFF. The outbound switch will come either directly off #4 Track or the Overbrook yard lead at PAXON. Either way, some minor modification to the interlocking would be needed.

Silverliner II wrote:

Clearfield wrote:I passed by on the Keystone this morning. The ground-level ROW to the east of the bridge embankment was cleared and surveying stakes are set.

Without knowing the details, I'M GUESSING that the will run the line as a single track from the KC (Keystone Corridor) to Jeff.

How it would connect at either end? Dunno, but having the inbound Cynwyd trains cross and reverse run the KC would probably entail schedule changes for the line.

Does anyone have any hard facts on the project?

Inbound trains will continue to use the duckunder to Track 1 at VALLEY with no change. The new outbound connection will feed into the existing outbound track and into the single track at JEFF. The outbound switch will come either directly off #4 Track or the Overbrook yard lead at PAXON. Either way, some minor modification to the interlocking would be needed.

If i ever get my pics of my cameras (currently got over 10gb to go through), i got several of the survey stakes and the cleared row ...

Bobinchesco wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone: Has there ever been a serious proposal issued anyplace to demolish the 52nd Street Bridge?
I ask because I look at its poor condition every time I ride the Paoli-Thorndale Line or take a rare (for
me) Cynwyd trip...I fully understand why SEPTA and Amtrak has downgraded its use...

Would it be something similar to the Manayunk Viaduct in that it turned out to cost about the same
to renovate or demolish that bridge?

MACTRAXX

Like I said above, I’ve been hearing about its imminent demise since 1976. My guess is that unless it is in danger of falling down on its own or gets in the way of some other improvement (extending 4 tracks from Overbrook to Zoo maybe?) it’ll probably just be abandoned in place.

That sounds about right--but let me add here that the available ROW here is more than wide enough for four tracks without taking down the existing bridge or its embankment. So, short of imminent total collapse, that bridge will almost certainly be abandoned in place. Possibly it could see new use as a bike path?

The next question is, can the right of way safely accommodate a bike path and an active railway track? It appears to be three tracks wide as far as Cynwyd so that shouldn't be a problem. The trouble arises when the ROW narrows down to a 2 track width near the Schuylkill River viaduct.

For what it's worth, much of Montreal's commuter line to St. Jerome appears to share right of way with a bike path and, as far as I know, nobody is going ballistic over that "unsafe" practice.

*edit* Nope, a bike path can't go on the 52nd Street viaduct. The approaches on both sides descend directly into interlockings. JEFF on the west end and VALLEY on the east end. There's no affordable, safe means of getting over, under, or around those tracks either.

Wingnut wrote:*edit* Nope, a bike path can't go on the 52nd Street viaduct. The approaches on both sides descend directly into interlockings. JEFF on the west end and VALLEY on the east end. There's no affordable, safe means of getting over, under, or around those tracks either.

That is actually the westernmost limits of ZOO on the east end of the viaduct (under Belmont & Girard). VALLEY interlocking is only where Cynwyd Line #2 Track feeds into Harrisburg Line #1 Track right past 52nd Street.

All the interlocking switches on the Harrisburg Line between the Girard/Belmont overpass and the 34th Street bridge at the southern limits of SEPTA's KAY interlocking are what remains of Amtrak Zoo interlocking.

Does anyone know the progress on the new connection for the Cynwyd Line that will replace the old bridge?

eafp668 wrote:Does anyone know the progress on the new connection for the Cynwyd Line that will replace the old bridge?

I pass the area weekly, and the only work visible from the window of an amfleet coach are 3 concrete bases for cat or signal, and the ROW prep but the work appears to have stopped months ago.