I'm an F&M alum too, so consider my response biased. I've enjoyed seeing NS engines tied up by Harrisburg Pike, and of course I like seeing live railroads anywhere. But the Armstrong Cork plant was shuttered years ago, and I'm not sure having this yard smack in the middle of a city that's trying hard to keep itself vital still makes much sense. One thing the college hopes to do, for instance, is connect two sides of the city that have been divided by the yard. In any case, from what I hear the plan to relocate the existing rail activity seems pretty likely to go forward.

All that said, it would be great if the college made an effort to preserve whatever about the yard is historic. I just visited the High Line in New York a few weeks ago, and it was nifty to see how rails, switches, &c., have been incorporated into an elevated urban park that is enormously popular, even in the middle of winter. Aside from what can be seen alongside Harrisburg Pike across from the Arts Hotel, what else still exists that would be worth preserving?

-- Lawrence

Perhaps a bigger college is just what is needed - lol.

I'm with Lawrence and agree with Pennsyfan that it seems that it is progress and it would be nice to see some of the city's railroad heritage preserved on location in any new plans.

/Mitch

It's funny--I know Dillersville Yard really well, having spent a lot of time scuffing around on foot and exploring as a teenager in the 80s when I was working at F&M during the summers.

I still have some nice artsy B&W shots of the foot bridges, and the engine terminal that used to be up close to the Armstrong plant--I was heavy into my David Plowden emulation phase at the time.

It was indeed full of neat stuff and oldtime atmosphere, including those foot bridges, as well as "AC Motor Stop" signs hanging at the former ends of the electrified track near the junction with the PRR passenger main, out by Dillersville Road.

However, I never really nailed down the history of it. Is this yard and aligment into the city from the PRR low grade freight main originally Reading, or PRR? If Reading, where and how did the RDG get across the PRR passenger main and low grade line to access the yard?

Erik:

It is a little bit of both. For general historic alignments, look at historic topo maps online. You will see how the P&R line came down from Lancaster Junction, crossed the PRR passenger mains and came into the yard.

The Lancaster & Reading Narrow Gauge (Quarryville Branch) was originally a P&R concern, so the P&R interests were that far west on Harrisburg Avenue. As someone else mentioned above, the L&R alignment down to Water Street is still plainly visible today. The print above shows the lion's share of the P&R's team tracks and spots. We can assume that there was some marshalling room further west in what was PRR territory.

The overall yard itself is older than the PRR, sharing Philadelphia & Columbia hertitage with the P&R. Still a wonderful activity is walking all of the old alignments - except for the heavy rail traffic ones, including the old passenger cutoff down to Queen & Chestnut Streets.

anyone know the story on the footbridge ? who built ? was it originlly built for armstong or simply so people could cross?

and joneau261 thanks for the blueprint makes it alot easyier to understand what the area look like.

Ok, reread the thread. Never mind....I misunderstood and thought it was a college sponsored huge public art project, a collage based on the city itself.

This makes a lot more sense. What would better represent the city than the city itself? Not that practicality has much to do with public art.

My cousin Charlie went to F&M, and it seems to have agreed with him. Nice to know they are doing well.

dave

'Doh! Of course--that makes it very clear. The part I could no longer perceive from a ground-level view on foot in the 80s was that if you carried the Dillerville yard alignment across the Columbia branch and straight on northwestward, it would join the PRR passenger main--eg, the old Reading/PRR joint alignment. I never went west of the Columbia branch on foot.

The old topos make it all obvious.

Ah, 1984. Good memories--kicking around Dillerville in the week on my off hours; driving my old slant six un-air conditioned Plymouth Duster to
Strasburg on the weekends. 1223 alternating with 7002 on on the half-hour.

That's living ...

Nobody's quite sure who built the footbridge, who owns it now, or who's supposed to paint it. But it's there

Since they rebuilt those buildings for commercial use, they did keep 2 or 3 of the piers for interpretation. I miss that track that used to lead to those piers.. that was a heck of a grade.

The retirement home in Middletown has a couple swings hanging off what's left of the unloading piers that came off of the M&H. The only problem I see with the trestles, is that if F&M/Lancaster want to reconnect Charlotte St, the trestles may be in the way (at least the one currently used).

Useless trivia: There is a track in the yard called "The Reading". For those familiar, it is the track under the footbridge where the old engine house lead comes off of. (it ultimately lead towards where the stadium is now)That was the track used for interchanging between the railroads.

yes i have seen the trestle in e-town thats why i think it would be neat if they keep these plant grass between the put a few benches add some sulptures on the trestles and make a picnic area or somekind of park

connect charlotte street to what? going anywhere in that direction i can't see doable the stadium and penn stone would be in the way or they going to make them move to?

the only street that should be connected would be liberty to collage ave, that would make life easier.

They could easily connect Liberty to Charlotte, you'd just have to dog-leg around the stadium's parking lot (unless they modified their parking lot). Who knows what plans are (esp with John Fry's departure). I just don't think you should get your hopes up on anything being preserved. I really doubt anyone cares about the old trestles outside of a few local railfans.

Hello,

I don't know if anyone has posted my throughts prior.

I live in Neffsville (north of the city) and come into this with no bias what so ever. Looking at the arial photos, I am not sure what all the fuss is about. The portion of the yard the F&M wants appears to have very little to no trackage, except they park the locomotives at the end of the stub tracks?

Isn't in the business end of the yard closer to Burnham Boiler? There is a great deal of trackage up there. Is that coming out too? If they take out the F&M portion, do they really need more trackage?

Even if they do need to relocate, what is the public outcry over? Would it be that busy? .....not like Enola.

Not to offend, but what am I missing here?

Regards,

Randy

They are only closing down what is east of the Dillerville Rd. overpass. That is the yard office, the engine tracks, car shop tracks, and the tracks used as a switching lead. There's also some odds and ends tracks used for stashing the occasional car or cabin car as well.

There will be added tracks to the west of the Harrisburg Pike overpass, and I guess the current yard tracks and new switching lead will go out towards the amtrak station (cork).

The reason for the outcry? The new yard tracks are somewhat close to a current development. And I use the term "close" loosely. Also there is a lot of local opposition to using state funds to help relocate the yard, since some see it as using public funds to serve a private college (F&M). Others are generally opposed to F&M and how they are playing 'city planners'.

I will be somewhat sad to see the old yard gone, though. It is a neat place.