PENNRAIL notes by
Mark S. Wurst (from 1997 PSMRRC website):
The general idea when we dreamed it up about a decade ago
was that the UP&E, which had been in existence since the steam era (along side
the Bellefonte Central), was selected in the early 80's to be the operator of
rail lines that had been rescued from Conrail's rail-rip train by a coalition
of local governments. Since UP&E operated on company-owned trackage, and
since the new operation was substantially larger than the small UP&E, it
was determined that the new railroad would be operated under a new division of
University Park & Eastern, Inc. In case you haven't recognized the
prototype to this story, it is the Genesee & Wyoming taking on the Buffalo
& Pittsburgh, but applied to the Bald Eagle Branch and the Buffalo/Enola
main. Another "as a matter of fact": The Pennrail paint scheme is a
derivative of Lehigh Valley's "Yellowjacket" scheme applied to the
C-420's when they were first delivered, except the grey parts on the LV Alcos
became green on the Pennrail units. That's also why the PR logo has a bit of an
LV touch to it (red flag-red state; black diamond-black keystone; white
initials-white initials).
Day On the Pennrail (originally credited to Mark S. Wurst, but Mark says he didn't
write it – the author has not yet stepped forward – some edits made by RGM on
1-13-08):
Our layout (PSMRRC Fourth Layout) models Tyrone to Lock Haven,
Pa. portion of our Buffalo-Cumberland Pennrail System. Let us follow a crew's
day on the Bald Eagle Division, in charge of the division local.
Lock Haven
Their day begins at the Lock Haven Engine Terminal. It's bright
and early, 6:30 in the morning. The crew meets, and they punch their time
cards. They gather coffee from the employee lounge, and head out into the early
morning crisp air. The crew this day has W. H. Swain at the controls, J. P.
Thomsen as conductor, and J. H. Alexander on brakeman.
To the locomotives!
Waiting for them on the ready track are a pair of EMD
four-axle units, a Pennrail GP38-2, engine no. 238 and a Conrail GP38, cab
number 7898, on lease from Conrail; and their caboose. Their job today is the
Tyrone turn, the division local. While most cabooses were dropped in favor of
"end-of-train-devices" in the late 1980s, company rules still require
cabooses on all but the express trains. The locomotives are running, and the
engineer receives clearance from the tower operator to proceed. He eases off of
the brake, and edges the throttle forward. The brakeman is on the platform of
the caboose, as he will have to throw the engine facility lead, and again back
to the yard lead once they are clear. The brakeman hops back aboard the
caboose, and radios the engineer to proceed. In order to accomplish the move,
they must leave the caboose on the passing siding. The brakeman uncouples the
caboose in front of the second platform at Lock Haven Station, and hops on the
pilot of the second unit. He orders the engineer to proceed, and they ease
forward past the yard lead.
Lock Haven Yard
The tower operator aligns the yard ladder for track six,
where the yard switcher, Pennrail SW7 #199, has assembled the local train.
There are eleven inbounds today, and the crew is instructed by the dispatcher
that an additional 8 cars must be picked up enroute. Eight of the eleven must
be spotted on the way; the others need to be interchanged with Conrail in
Tyrone. They won't know how many inbounds from the Conrail interchange until
they get there. The engineer eases the locomotives up the ladder, with the
brakeman radioing position to the engineer. Once close to the freight cars, the
brakeman must detrain. It is his job to ensure a proper coupling, and to
connect the air hoses. Here the brakeman walks over to track #5, where the yard
switcher is idling. He inquires of the yard engineer of any problems with their
cars. Upon a confirmation that there are none, he climbs back aboard the
engine. They move slowly down the ladder, and the brakeman climbs aboard the
last car. Once back onto the passing track, clear of the yard ladder, they
radio the tower operator for clearance on the turnout. After a brief delay, the
remote turnout is thrown. The brakeman radios the engineer how much he must
back the train to reach their caboose. Back aboard the caboose, the brakeman
radios the engineer to conduct a test of the air, and confirming its success, they
are ready to proceed. They radio the dispatcher for clearance. It's a light day
on the line, so the local doesn't get bumped for an express, but they have to
wait for the commuter train, which is ahead on the single track mainline of the
division. The tower operator watches for the commuter train; once it is stopped
at Lock Haven Station, he may line the crossover for the local. Given
clearance, they proceed onto the main. Several commuters watch the action from
the station. They cross the grade crossing of the engine terminal access road,
and soon pass the Lock Haven coal pile. The Cliff Coal Company brings coal here
from its nearby mines and loads it into railroad hopper cars to be shipped by
rail to distant coal users. Wanting to save money where possible, the railroad
recycled the used sides from old hopper cars, using them to build a strong but
inexpensive retaining wall along the track. After rounding a sweeping curve,
they pass under the ex-NYC overpass. Several hikers can be seen on the hill
waving to the crew. The engineer toots his horn for them, and waves back.
Mill Hall
Their first task is to pick up an empty from Frank's Lumber in
Mill Hall, and spot two loads of lumber. Frank's is located on a switchback
siding off of the old Mill Hall branch. All but the lead to the branch is now
abandoned, only enough remains to serve Frank's. Twenty years ago, there was
still a bustling coal industry, and daily trains were common. Frank's is
already open at this early hour, as construction provides a fair deal of their
business. Several employees can be seen loading a pickup truck with lumber.
They have to leave the last seven cars on the main, and proceed with the
remaining four cars, the last two of which are bound for Frank's. The brakeman
leaves a red flag beyond the caboose, and walks the distance of the train to
perform the moves, the first of which is to align the track for the old Mill
Hall branch. Once clear of the turnout, they inch forward past the switchback
siding turnout, and the brakeman aligns it for the siding. He climbs on the
ladder of the last car as the engineer backs toward Franks. They must couple to
the empty, and pull clear of the turnout. The brakeman must throw the turnout
back toward the main, and the engineer must back the empty car clear of the
siding. The brakeman opens the coupler on the empty, and radios the engineer to
proceed. Clear of the turnout once more, the brakeman aligns it for the siding.
Finally, the engineer can back down the siding and spot the two loads in front
of Frank's Lumber. The Frank's employees wave at the brakeman, as they finished
loading the pickup, and are on break. They must rest before they begin to
unload the cars left for them. They offer some coffee to the brakeman, but he
declines. Down to two cars, the local leaves Frank's and clears the siding. The
brakeman realigns the turnout toward the main. They must reconnect to the empty
before they can reassemble the remainder of the train. The brakeman must again
walk the length of the train, and retrieve his red flag. Good thing the
brakeman is young and fit. All told, Frank's requires the most time to switch
on the line, a total of 70 minutes.
Beech Creek/Howard
Through
Beech Creek and Howard there are no industries to serve, so it's a leisurely
climb toward Milesburg. They pass the site of old Ruin tower, a former mainstay
of the UP&E. Nearing Beech Creek, our train slows for some trackwork. They
have to allow the track gang to put the rails back together before they can proceed.
Luckily, the track gang is almost done, so their wait is a short one. Between
Beech Creek and Howard is Sayers Dam, an Army Corps of Engineers project on the
Bald Eagle Creek. You can see the old railroad grade peek up above the surface
of the lake in places; the line had to be relocated in the building of the dam.
After Howard, they must spot two hoppers at Uhler Grain & Feed.
Milesburg/Bellefonte
This brings them to Milesburg. Miles Tower is still
staffed, as it guards the entrance to the Bellefonte Branch. At one time home
to three tracks, the Pennrail-UP&E interchange is now just two tracks.
[note: the NBER, ex-CR is down to one] For ease, most of the Bellefonte
industries are served by the Lock Haven-Tyrone local, as Pennrail and UP&E
are sister systems. Bellefonte requires some tricky moves. The first of which
is a pair of switchbacks. The Miles tower operator controls the entrance to the
Bellefonte Branch. Onlooking are a couple of Maintenance of Way employees who
are working on the mechanisms in the interlocking. Two industries require
switching duties today, Sutton Engineering and the Bellefonte Freight Station.
Each has a pair of empties to be picked up, and a single load to be spotted.
Things are not as difficult as they seem, as the yard operator has spotted the
two cars bound for Bellefonte in the front of the train. In the distance they
can see an RDC belonging to the local historical society. Sunnyside yard in
Bellefonte still rates five tracks, as it handles sorting of loads bound for
Pleasant Gap and Lemont. Most trains east of Sunnyside Yard are handled by the
UP&E. With the business in Bellefonte complete, it’s time to proceed toward
Tyrone. The next town is Port Matilda, which has a long passing siding. Our
crew must wait for a pair of opposing trains. Being mostly single track, and
with the old siding at Julian long since ripped out, they must meet at Port
Matilda. The first train is a stone train bound for Pleasant Gap, located on
the other side of Bellefonte down the Bellefonte and Lewisburg branch. These
are frequent during the summer months. Once the stone train is clear of MILES,
a run-through coal train for Pennsylvania Power & Light is due through.
This train is usually hauled by solid Conrail power.
Vail
Our crew arrives alongside Vail Tower. The signal aspect is red,
and the local must wait. The dispatcher's orders are to wait for another
northbound train, a through merchandise freight from Cumberland to Buffalo. The
merchandise freights rate the older SD45s, kept in top shape by Pennrail mechanics.
Vail Industrial area is near the southern terminus of the Bald Eagle Division.
This whole interchange area is controlled by the operator in Vail Tower, which
makes our brakeman's job a slight easier. The tower operator aligns the south
siding turnout and the south crossover so the local can access the Vail
industrial area. The brakeman must leave the last three cars and the caboose at
the tower so they do not foul too many tracks. Then they can proceed across the
crossover. Clear of it, they radio the tower operator to throw the crossover
for the main, and throw the Vail Industrial lead. Now, they can back into the
industrial area. Their first task is to collect the three outbound cars from
the two tracks of the industrial area. They must back under the US 220
overpass, and there is plenty of traffic on the bridge. The weather is good, as
can be judged by several railfans on top of the bridge. First they must collect
two tank cars from Centre Gas and Supply; then they must pull clear of the
secondary turnout. The brakeman must throw this one manually. The next step is
to back the two tank cars onto the second track, coupling with an empty boxcar
due out. Making sure these three cars are clear of the secondary turnout, they
leave them there temporarily. The two cars they must spot are loads for Centre
Gas. Performing the operation this way requires less time tying the main as
setting the empties elsewhere. Having planned this out, all they need do is
spot the two loaded tank cars at Centre Gas. Once spotted, the clear the
secondary turnout, and the brakeman throws it for the second track again. They
ease back and pick up the three empties left waiting. They pull clear of the
Vail Industrial lead, and radio the tower operator. He aligns the tracks so
they can pick up the rest of the train. On to Tyrone, where the remaining three
cars of the original consist are left on the interchange track for pick-up by
Conrail. There are no set-outs from Conrail this day, so they run around their
train, and proceed back north.
The journey back to Lock Haven is an uneventful one. Back at Port
Matilda, they must wait for a southbound general merchandise freight. The
afternoon slowly slips away. Passing MILES, they can see the Bellefonte
Historical Railroad’s RDCs waiting for the local to clear the tower. The
Bellefonte group runs evening dinner trains over the Bald Eagle Division, and
they are usually sold-out well in advance. They also run general excursion on
the weekends. Beech Creek presents no problem, as the track gang from the
morning is long since finished.
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Last updated
January 13, 2008.