• TRENTON LINE

  • Discussion of the operations of CSX Transportation, from 1980 to the present. Official site can be found here: CSXT.COM.
Discussion of the operations of CSX Transportation, from 1980 to the present. Official site can be found here: CSXT.COM.

Moderator: MBTA F40PH-2C 1050

  by msernak
 
When is the best time to railfan the Trenton Line? What are some good locations? How many trains a day run on this line? I have lived near it for 5 months and have never seen the Tropicana train. Does it still run?

  by Urban D Kaye
 
Oh yes, the Tropicana Juice Train till runs, tho often at night in the Philly area.

As for the rest of the line, it sees a range of traffic...including intermodals like the Q174 and Q172 (both likely to be seen in mid to late afternoon); unit trash trains like the K276 and K277 (likely in the late morning to mid afternoon); and a range of manifests including Q300 and Q301, Q417 and Q418, Q409, Q439, and more. Q300 tends to be an early morning job. Q409 and Q439 tnd toward mid-day. And the Camden trains (Q417 and Q418) can be seen mid day to late afternoon as well.

The Philly Chapter of the NRHS newsletter "Cinders" recently listed CSX trains that serve Philly, along with their very approximate schedules. As with any freight line, fanning is a crapshoot.

Locations vary. I've seen some very nice shots from Hopewell NJ (there's a restored Victorian station that makes a nice backdrop, if the light is right). Also, on the PA side of the river, the stations at the northern end of the Septa West Trenton line offer a decent view.

  by blippo
 
The Juice train has been entering the Trenton line around 0001 -0100 hrs. on a normal run.