I was in Lancaster County this weekend. My wife and I enjoyed a visit to RRMPa on Thursday and the Strasburg Dinner Train Murder Mystery on Saturday night. On Thursday SRR was running CNR 89 and N&W 475, on Saturday it was GW 90 on the dinner train. Kelly and Linn - love that whistle on 475 - I never heard a whiny locomotive before!! (smile).

OK - now to the questions about PRR in Lancaster County. What is the origin of the abandoned electric line through Quarryville? And, what is the story about the (branch?)line west of Lancaster along US Rt. 30 toward Columbia? It looks like it was also electrified at some point. Finally the mainline along PA 283 betwen Lanacaster and Harriburg looks like it was only ever double tracked, so how did the freight get from Philly to Harrisburg? Was the Quarryville line a freight secondary? Any passenger service on this route?

Thanks, all for a great time in Strasburg.

Wesley

> OK - now to the questions about PRR in
> Lancaster County. What is the origin of the
> abandoned electric line through Quarryville?
> And, what is the story about the
> (branch?)line west of Lancaster along US Rt.
> 30 toward Columbia? It looks like it was
> also electrified at some point. Finally the
> mainline along PA 283 betwen Lanacaster and
> Harriburg looks like it was only ever double
> tracked, so how did the freight get from
> Philly to Harrisburg? Was the Quarryville
> line a freight secondary? Any passenger
> service on this route?

Preposterously-abbreviated details:

Both the line from Lancaster to Columbia and then north to Enola/Harrisburg and the Atglen & Susquehanna (from Atglen, east of Gap, to Shenks Ferry on the line from Columbia to Perryville) were built as low-grade alternatives to the rather saw-toothed and steep Lancaster-Elizabethtown-Harrisburg line. The Columbia branch was part of the original Philadelphia & Columbia; the A&S was opened in 1906. All were electrified in the 1930s, but electric service ended early in Conrail days, primarily because Amtrak controlled most of the main lines CR could have used electrics on. The A&S was abandoned in this time as well, as it had no online traffic to speak of save for a connection to the truncuated Quarryville Branch at Quarryville.

The A&S continues to be a hot topic of contention for Lancaster County, which has attempted several times to claim the abandoned right of way via condemnation. Their motivation includes a rail trail and elimination of several hazardous overpasses. There is a very current tussle in the courts right now between Norfolk Southern and the county; maybe a good Google search will find some stories to post to Flimsies.



LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

> Preposterously-abbreviated details:

> Both the line from Lancaster to Columbia and
> then north to Enola/Harrisburg and the
> Atglen & Susquehanna (from Atglen, east
> of Gap, to Shenks Ferry on the line from
> Columbia to Perryville) were built as
> low-grade alternatives to the rather
> saw-toothed and steep
> Lancaster-Elizabethtown-Harrisburg line. The
> Columbia branch was part of the original
> Philadelphia & Columbia; the A&S was
> opened in 1906. All were electrified in the
> 1930s, but electric service ended early in
> Conrail days, primarily because Amtrak
> controlled most of the main lines CR could
> have used electrics on. The A&S was
> abandoned in this time as well, as it had no
> online traffic to speak of save for a
> connection to the truncuated Quarryville
> Branch at Quarryville.

> The A&S continues to be a hot topic of
> contention for Lancaster County, which has
> attempted several times to claim the
> abandoned right of way via condemnation.
> Their motivation includes a rail trail and
> elimination of several hazardous overpasses.
> There is a very current tussle in the courts
> right now between Norfolk Southern and the
> county; maybe a good Google search will find
> some stories to post to Flimsies.
The Quarryville branch was a perfect example of a rural branch line. From it's commection at lancaster, it ran down the middle of Water St until out of town, then thru rolling hills & farmland to Quarryville. Storm damage from Hurricaiane Agnes in1972 cause major washouts on the line & it was abandoned. A connection to the A&S was built to serve Quarryville and the Water Street portion in Lancaster continues to serve a scrap dealer at the end of town for a few more years.

To add to the legal complications on the Atglen & Susquehanna, Norfolk Southern offered to be a lot more cooperative with the future restoration of passenger service from Philadelphia to Reading if someone would pay to rebuild the A & S to take some of the freight traffic off the Reading's Main Line in the Schuylkill Valley!


104577.651@compuserve.com