An overview of the Pavonia yard.PENNSYLVANIA-READING
SEASHORE LINES PAGE 2
This page will cover the remaining portions of the PRSL other than the Atlantic City and Cape May routes.
The main freight yard for the PRSL was located in Camden, NJ and is known as Pavonia Yard. The main interchange railroad was the Penn Central ( formerly the PRR ). Click here for the PC Pavonia yard page.
The PRSL operated a number of Baldwin diesel locomotives. Several remained on the Conrail roster for a few months before their retirement in late 1976.
An overview of the Pavonia yard.
The most common Baldwin was the S-12 switcher. Some units carried the Pennsylvania style numbers and lettering.
The road switchers were the AS-16 model. Some were equipped with steam generators for passenger service.
Here is 6024 in July 1976 still in service.
The PRSL was jointly owned by the PRR ( later PC ) and the Reading. In the late 1960's, 15 GP-38 units were ordered from EMD. Since the PRSL lacked any turning facilities, these units were all equipped with dual control stands. To accommodate this, the front of the cab was extended about 4 inches. These units were also built without dynamic brakes. Ten of the units, numbers 2000 to 2009 were operated by the PRSL and given the small red decal herald. Numbers 2010 to 2014 were operated by the Penn Central, but most lacked the large PC lettering on the side of the body and the numbers were in the yellow paint rather than white.
Here are some units at Pavonia. 2014 shows the PC colors. Apparently the PRSL also lacked any washing facilities and the units were usually brown from the accumulating dirt.
Shown entering the yard at 'Cooper' tower are the GP38's running long hood forward.
After Conrail began, several Erie Lackawanna RS-3's were transferred here to replace the Baldwins. Since they only lasted a short time, I'm sure this was not the best idea Conrail came up with. After trying several other makes and models, former Reading SW1001 and MP-15 EMD switchers were then assigned to Pavonia for quite some time.
'Brown' tower was at the junction of the former Reading
line to Atlantic City and the line south toward Woodbury. The old Reading
line is used by freights to Winslow Jct. and the coal/oil trains to Beesley's
Point. The tower is located on the southern edge of center city Camden.
Oaklyn is the first station east from the Camden are on
the former Reading line. 1981
Audobon station is next. 1981.
The beautiful Reading style architecture is very
evident here at Haddon heights. 1981
Conrail train CA-91 passes through Magnolia, NJ enroute
back to Camden with empty coal hoppers from the Beesleys Point power
station. 7660 is former PRSL 2000. Photo March 1, 1981.
On one of my early adventures in the fall of 1972, the
Beesleys Point train stops at Winslow Junction. The train makes a set out
on the CNJ before pausing by the tower for orders and then heads east to the
power plant with a mix of coal hoppers and oil tanks. The plant is capable
of burning either coal or oil depending on which is less expensive at the time.
Later in the day, the train returns west to Camden.
Returning back to 'Brown' tower, lets head south from there.
Here is one of the PC operated GP38's heading north
toward Pavonia yard. The Walt Whitman Bridge is barely visible in the
distance.
The same train a few miles south in Westville,
NJ. Note the spacing between the tracks. Believe it or not, several lines
were electrified with third rail ! This was dropped many years ago, but
many cross ties remained with the extra length for the third rail.
Woodbury is one of the larger towns in the area and
also a junction point on the railroad. Branches from here went to Penns
Grove along the Delaware River, to Salem and eastward to Glassboro.
Wenonah, NJ station and 
Sewall, NJ station on the line from Woodbury to
Glassboro.
Glassboro is another larger town in Gloucester
County. A major NJ college is located here. Again notice the gap
between the two tracks for the old third rail. Glassboro was the junction
point for the branches to Bridgeton and to Millville.
2001 gets the OK to cross the CNJ main on the north end
of Bridgeton. Gary Madden photo.
The former Bridgeton, NJ station in photos from
1987. The Bridgeton branch was abandoned by Conrail.
The rather new station in Vineland was used for only a
brief time before passenger service was discontinued.
GP38 2013 works the small yard near Vineland.
Gary Madden photo. 1976.
From Woodbury another line headed along the Delaware River south to Penns Grove, NJ near the Delaware Memorial bridge. It served an area rich in chemical plants and a power plant near the Delaware Bridge. It also had some rather unusual bridges crossing some small creeks. Today, it is one of the busiest lines in southern New Jersey. The "A" frame bridge shown below is still in service !!
6024 stops at the very unique "A" frame
bridge near Paulsboro, NJ in 1975. Gary Madden photo (GM).
Baldwin 6017 sitting by the yard office in Paulsboro,
NJ. (GM)
6024 works the yard at Gibbsboro, NJ. (GM)
A Baldwin S-12 heads south crossing at
Pedricktown,
NJ in 1975. (GM)
Two former PRSL units sit at Carneys Point yard not far
from Penns Grove.
6024 waits out the weekend in Salem, NJ. March
1975. (GM)
Despite its bucolic nature, the Salem branch remains
active. In 1987, it was operated by former EL RS-3's.
Here number 91 heads to the Conrail interchange at
Woodstown, NJ.
In 1988, these former Lamoille Valley ( nee-D&H )
units replaced the blue units. Salem, NJ.
Operating the old line to Atlantic City that ran via
Mays Landing, Newfield and Glassboro, this former Penn Central U28B is working
the line at Pleasantville, NJ. The name and colors are from the old
trolley car route that once operated in the AC area. Today the line is
operated by the Southern Railway of New Jersey from Winslow Jct.
Lost in the woods is the station at Mays Landing.
1987 photo.
Finally, another operation in southern New Jersey is the Winchester and Western. Using mostly former CNJ track in the Bridgeton area, they also use former PRSL track below Vineland to Millville.
Using GP7 and GP9's painted in a Nickel Plate like color scheme, the W & W operates from the former CNJ yard in Bridgeton and serves some sand plants near Deerfield, NJ, as well as the Vineland to Millville line noted above.
To the CNJ Southern Division page
Want to know what the PRSL looks like today? Go to www.sjrail.com for lots of photos, information and current events. You'll find some interesting surprises, like Union Pacific engines on the Penns Grove line and Baldwins still running.