Info on tracks along SE edge of Philly

I recently ate at John's Roast Pork, which is on the South Eastern edge of Philly. I saw tracks everywhere and it looked like at one time this was a bustling port area but now they were all abandoned. Can someone either tell me more about this area, or else point me to a different thread here that has the info? I am from NY and not familiar with the PA Railfan threads.

Thanks!

Those are a combination of PRR & B&O tracks that served the Philadelphia waterfront all along Delaware Ave.

The tracks immediately to the east of John's Roast Pork were the B&O's... I think it was called the Vandalia St Branch. The PRR's Swanson Street Branch was a few blocks west. The PRR also had tracks which ran up Delaware Ave on the water front even further south east.

If you want to spent TOO MUCH TIME looking at maps, there are a TON of maps here: http://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/

Thanks. Anyone have ideas about when they went of service?

I ask because the tracks by John's (Vandalia Street Branch) actually looked to be in good shape, and the ballast seemed really clean. However, the railheads were rusty and both ends eventually were paved over.

Is that anywhere near where Hyundai Rotem assembled the Silverliner Vs?

The Hyundai Rotem facility (now an Amazon something) is south of John's Roast Pork on the Vandalia Street branch.

Well, while we're in the area, if you follow that line south a few blocks, you come to E. Oregon Ave. and a smallish paved railyard. This was apparently once served by the PRR, as I found an 5 year old article that U-Haul was restoring a PRR warehouse on the East side of this yard. Fair enough, but getting back to the yard - Google street views up to 2017 show it in use, with a decent amount of cars spotted (mostly tank and covered hoppers), and what appears to be unloading equipment - so I suppose this served as a transload yard. Unfortunately the 2019 views show the yard empty (except for a white painted baggage car) - who was using this yard, and where did the transload move to?

Sir Ray wrote: ↑Mon Jul 26, 2021 8:43 am Well, while we're in the area, if you follow that line south a few blocks, you come to E. Oregon Ave. and a smallish paved railyard. This was apparently once served by the PRR, as I found an 5 year old article that U-Haul was restoring a PRR warehouse on the East side of this yard. Fair enough, but getting back to the yard - Google street views up to 2017 show it in use, with a decent amount of cars spotted (mostly tank and covered hoppers), and what appears to be unloading equipment - so I suppose this served as a transload yard. Unfortunately the 2019 views show the yard empty (except for a white painted baggage car) - who was using this yard, and where did the transload move to?

That was CSX's South Philly Transflo yard. I'm guessing those transload ops moved to Eastside Yard when they expanded into the now former Philadelphia Energy Refinery that is behind the yard.

Thanks, but while what you said about the Transflo moving to Eastside Yard, one thing that doesn't make sense is there has been a Transflo at Eastside yard since 2007 (if not before - Google street view), and the Philadelphia Energy Refinery site is only now being torn down (sorry, remediated)...so, what expanded where? Or did CSX just manage to shot their own foot again?

Sir Ray wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 9:46 pm Thanks, but while what you said about the Transflo moving to Eastside Yard, one thing that doesn't make sense is there has been a Transflo at Eastside yard since 2007 (if not before - Google street view), and the Philadelphia Energy Refinery site is only now being torn down (sorry, remediated)...so, what expanded where? Or did CSX just manage to shot their own foot again?

They expanded the back of the yard to serve the refinery using the Penrose Connecting Track that connects Eastside with Greenwich Yard.

As far as the Transflo facilities go, I'm guessing they merged the two figuring having two with in miles of one another was redundant. The one off Oregon Av was actually home to CSX's South Philly operations pre-Conrail. That yard was bustling back then.