A early evening Amtrak Keystone, led by No. 642, the Veterans Unit, barrels down the NEC passing Holmesburg Junction Station in the midst of a December snow storm bound for Trenton, NJ and eventually, NYC.
This combination station /tower is located in the Holmesburg section of northeast Philadelphia. The tower was built by the PRR in 1947 and once contained a 31 lever US&S Model 14 electro-pneumatic switch machine which controlled a full mainline crossover as well as the entrance to the Bustleton Branch which runs behind the tower. That branch last saw passenger service in 1926, but still sees some freight trains on its truncated line. "Holmes" once served as the division post between the Philadelphia Terminal and New York Divisions. Amtrak discontinued the use of "Holmes" as an interlocking tower in 1994.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
