I know a bit about this from a study I worked on about eleven years ago.
THORN was the junction between the PRR Main Line and the Philadelphia & Thorndale Branch, the latter being the westernmost segment of what was commonly called the Trenton Cut-Off. Conrail abandoned and removed the P&T Branch and most of the Thorndale Yard about 30 years ago. Since then, THORN interlocking has been far more complex than necessary for current traffic. It also was poorly configured to accommodate turnback of SEPTA commuter traffic. Plus, the turnouts and crossovers in THORN were fabricated from the PRR's monstrous 155 PS rail, which has been unobtanium for decades. Overall, THORN was ripe for rationalization. Review of aerial photos on Google Earth suggest Amtrak has been doing just that for several years now. Apparently, they have now reached the point where they are poised to cut-over the train control systems and abandon use of the tower.
/s/ Larry
Lawrence G. Lovejoy, P.E.
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