Penn Central Trenton to Philadelphia

PENN CENTRAL

This page will continue the former mainline of the Pennsylvania Railroad from New York to Philadelphia. This page will begin at the railroad's crossing of the Delaware River from Trenton, NJ into Pennsylvania at Morrisville, PA.

Passing 'Morris' tower just off the Delaware River bridge, a set of Septa MU cars head east toward their final stop in Trenton.

GP40 3186, a former PC unit, heads through the junction out of the freight yard and enters the main enroute to Newark. The junction here is for the freight bypass that heads due west toward Norristown and Downingtown. The tracks out of the yard enter the main on the two inside tracks per old PRR practice. Passenger trains used and continue to use the outer two of the four mainline tracks. This junction is an example of how elaborate the PRR interlocking plants were designed to keep as many trains moving as possible. With hundreds of trains, both passenger and freight running on the main in the 1930's when much of the line was upgraded along with the installation of the overhead catenary, this was an absolute necessity. Photo courtesy of Gary Madden.

A MU train enroute to Philadelphia passes 'Grundy' tower near Bristol, PA. Gary Madden photo.

Bristol. PA station. Note it is down at ground level.

Cornwalls Heights Torresdale. Typical small shelter type station along the mainline.

A former PRR GP30 2227 heads west with a high and wide extra through the Wyomissing section of Philadelphia.

Also at Wyomissing, a pair of GG-1's head north toward New York.

Holmesburg Junction tower. Located in the city of Philadelphia more commonly noted for the prison nearby. Note that sign !!

4859 leads two other GG-1's on an eastbound freight passing through Frankfort junction in 1979. Frankfort Junction is where the line to the Delair bridge to New Jersey joins the main. The mainline makes an almost 90 degree curve here. A small freight yard is located within the wye track for local industries that once lined the Pennsylvania mainline. Most of these industries are long gone today.

A pair of GG-1's coming over from Pavonia yard in Camden, NJ, wait at Frankfort Junction for a slot in the traffic on the main.

Baldwin 8303 and two others run lite past 'Shore' tower at Frankfort Jct. while a city subway train roars overhead. Photo taken in January 1973. No, that's not Elvis in the red coat, but my friend Gary Madden. It was the '70's !

Shore tower, outside and inside. The board as you can see controlled the junction with cross-overs on both sides of the junction itself. The fellows name was Jim. January 1973.

In 1977, a GG1 whips past Shore tower and under the Market-Frankfort EL, while an ex-Penn Central SD-40 6299, leads a train enroute over to Pavonia yard in Camden, NJ.

One more train passing the Frankfort Junction. The GG-1 lead trains used to be a constant daily occurrence that many took for granted and today is now history. A word of advice for those reading this, never take anything for granted, get those Amtrak AEM-7 shots now.

The North Philadelphia station. From Frankfort Junction the main headed almost due west by compass direction to "Zoo". The North Philly station is where the main crosses over Broad Street, the main north-south drag in Philly.

North Philadelphia tower. A pair of E-44's head east through the station.

A Septa local stops enroute to Center City. The first Arrow MU cars were delivered to the PRR back in the late 1960's. These cars are much newer, but the image remains similar the PRR, PC days. The Chestnut Hill branch joins the main here.

A lite set of GP38's fly through the station.

Perhaps one of the most complicated junctions in the country is here at 'Zoo'. Named for the adjacent zoo. What else?

GG-1 902 leads the westbound "National Limited" into Zoo interlocking. The train is crossing the Schuykill River on a stone arch bridge at this point, although not readily apparent here. Most trains to 30th Street station in Philadelphia would use the outermost track ( on the left ) to drop down to the station. Trains that would bypass 30th street or freights would be on the track the National is on here. The "National Limited" died in 1979 with Amtrak's budget cuts. It ran to Kansas City from New York.

A terrific vantage point for the action through Zoo is from the 34th Street overpass. Here a Septa local heads outbound while a freight comes off the 'High Line'.