Westbound Mail 9 at Manville, NJ., 1990CONRAIL
This page will cover the former Reading Railroad New York Division from the junction point of Manville, NJ to the Pennsylvania state line. Commonly know as the Trenton Line it was used by Conrail to avoid moving freights over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line. Particularly so after the 1989 wreck in Chase, MD. When Conrail elected to focus on east-west traffic to maximize revenue, the mostly north-south former Reading line lost some traffic. A new connection built at Woodbourne, PA allowed trains to bypass Philadelphia utilizing the former PRR cutoff from Morrisville to Norristown. There another connection allowed trains to again access another former Reading main for trains to continue on the Reading, PA and Harrisburg. The Trenton line was once double track, but Conrail reduced it to single in the early 1980's. The double track beginning at West Trenton serves as a passing siding of sorts.
Westbound Mail 9 at Manville, NJ., 1990
Right behind Mail-9 is Mail-3. Perhaps due to trackwork, both of these
trains were detoured via West Trenton instead of going via Allentown.
Back in 1981, an eastbound TV-24 train passes through Belle Mead, NJ.
There was still a few passenger train operating on this line at this time, but
they were discontinued in 1982 as Septa dropped all diesel powered trains.
By 1983, the second track is now gone as GP40 3353 heads west at Belle Mead.
A pair of GP38's lead a ballast train. Ironically the former Reading
station remains there today in pretty much the same condition. 1990.
TV-24 rolls through Pennington, NJ. The old Reading depot is visible in
the distance. May 1981.
In the very early morning hours of a September day in 1981, a SEPY (
Selkirk-Potomac Yard ) pauses briefly at Trent tower to get orders. Trent
had remained open for many years thanks to the commuter train yard adjacent to
the main. Today, Septa operates the switches from their control center and CSX
trains can usually be seen here waiting for a break in the local commuter
schedules.
A big GE leads an eastbound autorack train passing the well maintained former
Reading station at West Trenton in 1996.
OK, its a CSX train in October 2004, but this location is now busier than
ever.
A few miles down is Woodbourne, PA. This train is heading east to
Morrisville, PA on the former PRR cutoff. The track visible on the right
is the new connector built to allow trains come off the Reading line to by pass
Philadelphia as mentioned above.