More than meets the eye...
CSX No. 824 leads an eastbound freight through a nondescript part of Northeast Philadelphia, PA, bound for points in North Jersey and New York state. Interestingly - this is a shot I've always wanted. To the left is a complex of baseball fields, part of the "Somerton Youth Organization" where I used to play little league baseball. Go Somerton Spartans! I remember hearing the trains, but never saw them from the field. True... it's not the most scenic, but....
This stretch of track was part of what was once known as the Reading Railroad Company's "New York Shortline". It was constructed between 1904 and 1905, opening to traffic on May 27th, 1906. It was an effort by the Reading Railroad to better compete with the mighty PRR on a speedy route to New York (well.. Jersey City) anyway. The route bypassed many stations and 1.9 miles of circuitous ROW between Wayne Junction and Neshaminy Falls. As a bypass route, it handled mostly freight, as it solely does today for CSX, though the route did see limited passenger train service up until the 1950's, including B&O's famous Washington DC to New York City (via Jersey City) Royal Blue trains. (Yeah... this guy came through here!) The double track seen here is actually only a siding as Conrail single tracked most of the line in the 1980's. Today, the line is a major trunk line for CSX trains from Baltimore to New York.
