Working rail roads and their tracks.

[buckeyefarmer]

Strasburg has a RR museum with a turntable.

I'll have to look again when I get home tonight. Don't have that KMZ file for google earth pro on a mobile device. I counted last night and I have about 68 things pinned in PA. As for active and inactive, I can't tell you. I put that information in the pin description.

So I have things like:
- RH, which means Roundhouse that is still visible. Might be active. Might be abandoned. Might be repurposed.
- RH foundation, which means the building is gone, but you can see the foundation.
- TT, which means turntable that's still visible.
- TT foundation, which usually means either the pit is visible, or the ring of the pit, etc...
- Transfer Table, which is a like a turntable if you don't know, but it slides between tracks VS rotates.

Stuff like that.

That’s a nice RR museum.

 

[RobS]

Here in South Bend, every once in a while, we'll get a long train of just flat cars with John Deere combines, or large tractors, or sometimes it's just all red Case IH stuff. The entire train, always heading east. It's a sight to see. Never have my camera ready.

When I used to work right next to those tracks, someone told me those trains were headed to an eastern seaport for overseas shipment.

 

[MossRoad]

When I used to work right next to those tracks, someone told me those trains were headed to an eastern seaport for overseas shipment.

Makes sense. We sent a lot of 5 tons and Hummers from AM General to the east and west coasts. Sent a bunch of postal vans to Hawaii, too. Those were completely coated in some kind of thick goo to protect from salt, we were told.

 

[MossRoad]

We mostly see large sheets of steel here from Arcelor Mital (Formerly Lukens Steel) in Coatesville, PA. They are the nations largest steel mill for sheet steel. Thick steel for ship hulls, etc. on the rails from Coatesville, PA to the Ports in Wilmington, DE to be loaded on ships. Pretty cool to watch. Also a lot of liquified natural gas tank cars.

We see lots of roll steel heading east from the steel mills on the south end of Lake Michigan.

One weird thing I notice a lot is fully loaded coal trains passing each other east and west. Seems inefficient. :confused2:

 

[Hay Dude]

We see lots of roll steel heading east from the steel mills on the south end of Lake Michigan.

One weird thing I notice a lot is fully loaded coal trains passing each other east and west. Seems inefficient. :confused2:

We just lost a steel rolling mill called National Rolling Mills (Worthington Steel) in 2008 in nearby Malvern, PA and the accompanying short rail line was torn out along with it. Replaced with retail shops. :thumbdown:
So sick of watching this. It makes me really sad. We are so messed up off shoring all this to China. We have to change this. We have to get the mills rebuilt and the trains running again everywhere!

 

[MossRoad]

I cant pin it, but its close to where the Chester Creek Branch curves and joins into the Wawa Station area, where the new train station is being built.

Yes theres a LOT of little 40 to 200 foot long bridges. That railroad had to cross the Chester Creek several times. It is VERY scenic. People would probably take the train just for the scenery if they rebuilt it. The Chester Creek is what took out the railroad when Hurricane Agnes hit. I think itll reopen in another 20 years. Population shift will demand it.

Speaking of turntables, I dont fully understand why they would need one there? Its only a wye. What would be the use where theres so few tracks? Locomotive storage?

Moss, have you categorized the turntables active or inactive? are there any active turntables left in my area? I think Strasburg RR may have one, about 30 miles from me.

- There was a roundhouse in Wilmington, DE until sometime after 2002. It disappeared before 2005, just a foundation now.
- Still a turntable in Philly
- Turntable in Enola. Roundhouse disappeared after 2013
- Roundhouse and TT in Harrisburg disappeared after 1993
- RH and TT foundations in Harrisburg Rutherford yard.
- Port Clinton has a TT and small 2-stall engine house.

 

[MossRoad]

Can't find it from satellite or topo map. Fun search, though. :thumbsup:

 

[Hay Dude]

Can't find it from satellite or topo map. Fun search, though. :thumbsup:

It’s an amazing area, chock full of revolutionary war history, industrial revolution history, museums, art, botanical gardens and just a little touch of “creepy” back roads, farms & woods. Some of the farms I cut hay on will get you looking over your shoulder around nightfall when you’re coming in from the fields.
I love my hometown

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Bet you have this one in Brunswick MD

 

[MossRoad]

Bet you have this one in Brunswick MD

View attachment 651032

The roundhouse was still there in 1995.