Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the Penn Central, up until its 1976 inclusion in Conrail. Visit the Penn Central Railroad Historical Society for more information.

Moderator: JJMDiMunno

 #545475  by NortheastTrainMan
 
What happened to the High Line's electricfication? Ya'll know the one that runs from South Philly to Zoo Interlocking, the elevated South Philly portion (bridge) looks like it break anytime now. Was it always like that? Was there any regular passenger service on the High Line or was it only Army-Navy Specials? I'm thinking about it now did the Army-Navy Specials end at Greenwich Yard or continue down Delaware Ave/Columbus Blvd? Was Delaware Ave/Columbus Blvd electrified back then or not? Also were did the Army-Navy Specials run to and from?
 #547755  by nomistakes
 
that has been clasified now...shhh don't tell anyone :-D
 #547984  by Noel Weaver
 
On Saturday, December 1, 1973 Amtrak ran three trains from New York to "Stadium". The trains left New York at 8:45 AM,
9:00 AM and 9:05 AM. All of them stopped at Newark and the third one also stopped at Metro Park and New Brunswick.
Fare was $15.00 from New York round trip.
Food and beverage service was available.
Don't know off hand what ran after that.
Noel Weaver
 #547993  by NortheastTrainMan
 
Noel Weaver wrote:On Saturday, December 1, 1973 Amtrak ran three trains from New York to "Stadium". The trains left New York at 8:45 AM,
9:00 AM and 9:05 AM. All of them stopped at Newark and the third one also stopped at Metro Park and New Brunswick.
Fare was $15.00 from New York round trip.
Food and beverage service was available.
Don't know off hand what ran after that.
Noel Weaver
Where did you find that from?
 #548088  by shlustig
 
[quote][/quote]
Noel,

I can recall at least 2 occasions where I rode DHE trains from GCT to Sunnyside Yard. for the Army-Navy specials.

Both involved Harlem Line Brewster standard equipment which deadheaded back to GCT, looped out, went to Shell, power ran around the train, and down over the Hell Gate Bridge to Sunnyside where we backed into the Yard. The Harlem Div. crews made the full trip without a pilot conductor, only a pilot engineer. Don't know how the return trips were handled (the trains were back at Put Jct. for the Monday AM rush) or how many timeslips Labor Relations paid.

SHL
 #548139  by Noel Weaver
 
The information that I provided came from an Amtrak leaflet distributed to the public prior to the game.
Noel Weaver
 #548186  by Penn Central
 
The New York Central ran Army-Navy game specials out of West Point even after passenger service had been discontinued on the line. While I do not know the route in Philadelphia, in New Jersey the trains went through Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City to Kearney, where the NYC power was replaced with an electric. I remember watching the trains go through West Norwood as they rolled down the West Shore.
 #550085  by sixroute
 
NortheastTrainMan wrote:What happened to the High Line's electricfication? Ya'll know the one that runs from South Philly to Zoo Interlocking, the elevated South Philly portion (bridge) looks like it break anytime now. Was it always like that? Was there any regular passenger service on the High Line or was it only Army-Navy Specials? I'm thinking about it now did the Army-Navy Specials end at Greenwich Yard or continue down Delaware Ave/Columbus Blvd? Was Delaware Ave/Columbus Blvd electrified back then or not? Also were did the Army-Navy Specials run to and from?
The electrification was removed at about the same time as all the Conrail electrification, Highline still sees a lot of freight traffic. As for passenger service, it was used for a special train leaving the Republican National Convention (in 2000 or 2004?) at the Wachovia Center, also a special train for Iraq war vets to an Army Navy game a few years ago. This consist included restored Pennsy E units,
 #566040  by nittany4
 
the opening montage of Trading Places

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086465

shows dozens of shots around Philadelphia ca.1983

including one of the Orange Juice Train on the high line (they show the bridge over Spring Garden Street, right near the I-76 interchange)

and the wires are still up!

Image