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  • RDG Transfer Freights to Camden via The Delair Biidge

  • Discussion relating to the PRSL
Discussion relating to the PRSL

Moderator: JJMDiMunno

 #492306  by PRSL2005
 
Can anyone please tell me more info on the RDG transfer that ran from Port Richmond to Camden Bulson st yard up to 1969 then to Pavonia yard . What route did they use?
How did they get from Port Richmond to the Delair Bridge?
What did they use for Engs. Besides RS3s?
Thanks for all the great help beforehand .

 #492459  by JimBoylan
 
My guess is from Pt. Richmond, up the ramp on the South side of the Pr. Richmond branch along Lehigh Ave. to North on the Trenton Ave. Elevated to Frankford Jct. Back around the curve on the NorthEast Corridor Track 1 past Shore Tower, then forward past the tower again onto the Delaware River Railroad & Bridge Company's railroad leading to the Delaware River Railroad & Bridge Company's bridge to Delair, right around the curve at Jersey Tower onto the Camden & Amboy to Pavonia and beyond via Center Tower to Bulson St.
Another way would be Pt. Richmond branch to West Falls, then Belmont and the Junction RR. past Zoo Tower onto the West Philadelphia Elevated RR "High Line". Run around the train, the High Line was double track back then, and go back past Zoo Tower North on the NorthEast Corridor to Shore Tower, Delair, etc.
Physically possible, but not as late as 1969, Pt. Richmond branch to Fairhill Jct., Fairhill branch to Erie Ave., get onto the Newtown branch there, then immediately back onto the connection across the intersection of Erie & Sedgely Aves. onto Track 5 of the NorthEast Corridor. Pull forward across all of the corridor tracks and head for Shore Tower, Delair, etc.
Why not just use a car float from Pt. Richmond?

 #492591  by mitch kennedy
 
The route was from Port Richmond on the RDG, up the Port Richmond branch to the Trenton Ave Highline (K&T running track) via the Belgrade St connection, thence to the bridge line directly via the connecting track (that runs on the opposite side of the Frankford Jct yard as the Main Line). Then to Pavonia and Bulson St. This arrangement took effect in 1963 according to several PRSL books, as the carfloats were slow and labor intensive. When the Beesley's Point traffic came along at that time, unit trains of coal of the WM to the Rdg would not work well via carfloats(source-Frederick Kramer's softbound PRSL book). Bulson St remained the "official " (on waybills at least) interchange point from the Rdg to PRSL til Conrail, tho Linden St was one as well til the Rdg closed the freight office there. If you look in any PRSL freight service book, the Rdg traffic off several freights was always specified to be set off there. After the RS3's went to pasture, SW 1500's and rebuilt VO 1000's (2701-2714) did the job and I do recall around 1970 seeing B.P. extra's with SW1500/RS3 combinations. Wow that's a long time back now, isn't it! Hope this helps...

 #501441  by jfrey40535
 
The Belgrade St connection is gone today. You can still find some of the old bridge abutments, the last one around Monmouth Street. Today the K&T high line is nothing more than storage for CSX and seldom sees any use.

 #501668  by kevikens
 
Locmotives will move as far south as Venango street to shift cars. I remember that line well. I damn near got killed by a kid hurling ballast racks at me as I worked the Star Metal- Glenco plant at Tenton and Ann Sts. back in 1970.

 #501669  by kevikens
 
Locmotives will move as far south as Venango street to shift cars. I remember that line well. I damn near got killed by a kid hurling ballast racks at me as I worked the Star Metal- Glenco plant at Trenton and Ann Sts. back in 1970.

 #501800  by jfrey40535
 
I feel bad for the engineers that work the western portion of the Richmond Branch today between Midvale and Kensington. I chased the NS stone train up the line once to get photos, and by the time we were in North Philly the kids there treated the train like a toy, jumping on it, riding it, etc.