Working rail roads and their tracks.

[caver]

Moss, that point is the western edge of the parking lot right where there is a notch in the pavement. red dot marks that spot. Some of the older earth maps are a little better I think.

 

[MossRoad]

I just can't see anything there going back into the 80's.

 

[MossRoad]

So I found this blueprint for a Reading diesel facility at Darby Creek, 1972.
North is down, so flip it over and it pretty much corroborates
where we think the turntable was. There never was a roundhouse,
but a rectangular engine house.

In photos we can see on google earth, it looks like the foundations are
still visible; those 4 lines of concrete right under the blue buss stop in the
picture you posted.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's some historic maps of that area, pretty interesting reading.

It says the yard was across 291 from the Denny's.

Maps Collections

 

[Hay Dude]

So I found this blueprint for a Reading diesel facility at Darby Creek, 1972.
North is down, so flip it over and it pretty much corroborates
where we think the turntable was. There never was a roundhouse,
but a rectangular engine house.

In photos we can see on google earth, it looks like the foundations are
still visible; those 4 lines of concrete right under the blue buss stop in the
picture you posted.

View attachment 731545

WOW great find. Yes! that’s it. Now I need to locate it on Google earth. It was an amazing area. Settled by the Swedish in 1600’s.
Powahattan Ave runs right there through my dads old neighborhood.
Baldwin Locomotive works was only about 1/2 mile away. My maternal grandfather worked there.
As I explained before, my paternal grandfather worked just a 1/2 mile north of the turntable of those tracks at Westinghouse.

I think Baldwin used those tracks to run newly built locomotives to the shipyards for overseas shipments? And of course they were used for 100’s of other customers, including Westinghouse.

 

[kenmbz]

We have the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad here.
Just did a run in the bar car with some friends for Christmas.

New Hope Railroad - Since 1966

New Hope Railroad - Historic Tourist Railroad - Since 1966

www.newhoperailroad.com

I have also been on high speed trains in Spain, Japan and Germany.
And took the blue train in South Africa -http://www.bluetrain.co.za/

I wish we had the high speed trains here. The Acela only goes fast for a few miles since it is shared track with standard trains.


Dining car on the blue train.

 

[5030]

This summer, Amy and I are planning a rail trip from here (Toledo, Ohio) to mid state Maine and plan on riding on the Acela as part of the transit. The Acela is speed restricted on everything but 2 stretches of trackage north and south bound.

 

[MossRoad]

WOW great find. Yes! that’s it. Now I need to locate it on Google earth. It was an amazing area. Settled by the Swedish in 1600’s.
Powahattan Ave runs right there through my dads old neighborhood.
Baldwin Locomotive works was only about 1/2 mile away. My maternal grandfather worked there.
As I explained before, my paternal grandfather worked just a 1/2 mile north of the turntable of those tracks at Westinghouse.

I think Baldwin used those tracks to run newly built locomotives to the shipyards for overseas shipments? And of course they were used for 100’s of other customers, including Westinghouse.

Cool! I don't know why this stuff fascinates me so much, but I enjoy the poking around looking for details. You can come across so many interesting tidbits of history.

 

[bcp]

Bruce

 

[5030]

There are a couple really good YT video's of the Acela and one from the operators station. I think it's neat how the cars lean into the curves to offset the effects of driving into a curve at high speed. Watch a lot of train video's on YT, especially like the European ones through the Alps in the winter.

What I'm really looking forward to is the trip around Horseshoe Curve. I road a steam powered passenger train to Philadelphia with my mom when I was a little tike and I still remember going around the curve and seeing the engine up front. I've always been fascinated with steam. Not so much diesel. To that end I have a Kalenberg Triple chime steam whistle mounted on the front of the shop with a lanyard pull valve. I blow it on compressed air and it will positively wake the entire area up for at least a mile around. I'm sure it would sound better on steam but I only have compressed air. it's still A hoot or a toot.