A HISTORIC MEET OF OLD AND NEW

New Colebrookdale Railroad Excursion Train to Meet Amtrak Special

On Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9, Amtrak, the national passenger train service for the U.S., will be running a special charter departing from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that will be running over the former Reading Company main line. The special's route will pass right by the southernmost end of the newly-reopened Colebrookdale Railroad in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It has been many years since passenger trains have operated over either railroad. To mark such a historic event, the Colebrookdale Railroad will run a rare mileage trip to meet the Amtrak charter.
Now is your chance for a once in a lifetime occurrence and to see beautiful the Colebrookdale Railroad during sneak peak season and greet the Amtrak special all at once! Ride the 10:30am train from Boyertown Yard to be part of history. We hope you'll join us as we journey through the Secret Valley!

Tickets available at: www.colebrookdalerailroad.com

The picturesque Colebrookdale Railroad, founded in 1869, is well deserving of its moniker "The Secret Valley Line". Nestled in the serene Ironstone Valley parallel to the Ironstone and Manatawny Creeks, the Colebrookdale Railroad transports you to a world forgotten by time. Chiseled rock cuts, scenic countryside, and eight wonderful bridges afford riders an experience unique to the Secret Valley. Looking much as it had when it opened, it is easy to forget that you are only minutes away from all major attractions in the Greater Philadelphia region, too.

DISCLAIMER-While we plan to meet with the Amtrak train in Pottstown and will make every effort to coordinate the schedule of the meet, if the Amtrak train's timing changes from the advertised, we cannot guarantee a meet.

Did this meet take place? I have only seen a few photos of the two Autumn specials, and mainly they were from inside the cars. Please post any pictures you may have.

Tim,

The meet did take place, unfortunately a number of people from the Colebrookdale train ventured onto NS property and it's caused a bit of consternation. That was Saturday.

The Colebrookdale train did not meet the Amtrak special Sunday, but that may have been due because it was running behind schedule.

Dave

Hi David,
I'd like to take the time to make a few corrections to your post:
1. Crew and passengers were NOT allowed to disembark at the interchange.
2. Railfans that volunteer with us were asked to remain on our property. We asked that they encourage others to do the same, which to their credit they did.
3. Railfans and persons who tresspassed acted on their own accord but again were not passengers.



So again, no one from our trips ventured off the train.

I hope that helps
Preston J. McEvoy

This is the dilemma that the rail preservation industry has been battling ever since the first excursion of any kind.

It's so easy--in fact, downright cavalier--to say "those folks aren't associated with us; we didn't suggest trespassing; it's not our fault" when trespassing issues like this occur.

YET, Brother McEvoy undertook to "advertise" and "promote", here and elsewhere, this planned "meet" with the Amtrak special, one of the few really good "photo ops" available of this Amtrak special along the run. To suggest that the railroad had no idea any "trespass" (be it safe or unsafe) would occur as a result of this promotion is to be blitheringly clueless, or maliciously deceitful, about the nature of the hobby and industry.

The major railroads have had to contend with these syndromes ever since the first bloke wanted to ride a cab during the first HT&W excursion in the 1930s--or earlier in the U.K., I'm certain. With our ludicrously litigious society and the idiots lacking common sense heavily populating the American justice system, railroads have had to go full circle from the days when someone could ride the top of a tender with the tape recorder during the mainline steam trips. And they've had to factor in what is called the "attractive nuisance" factor--the fact that a heavily promoted special train (steam excursion, circus train, Presidential campaign whistle-stop, etc.) will draw out not only experienced hard-core railfans who may be able to pull off incredible photography safely, but also the far more popular inexperienced people who get hit by trains coming the other way, get "clipped" by a train while shooting that close-up video, or fall to death or serious injury off that signal mast, bridge, or cliff.

And that, my friends, is "why we can't have nice things."

Two of my friends shared photos of the Amtrak Autumn Special turning at the wye at Rockville Bridge. Norfolk Southern police saw fit to dispatch uniformed police with German shepherd "K-9" dogs to the wye property. Let that sink in for a minute.

ADM:
Having read your post, I went back and looked at the original posting and all I see is a promotion to come and ride the Colebrookdale RR to enjoy the scenery and to perhaps catch the Amtrak special. I don’t see where Preston "undertook" to do anything other than that.

The folks behind the Colebrookdale have done a pretty amazing job here. Let's focus on that and the history that was made on that weekend.

J.R. May

So let me get this straight, was this photo, taken by someone who at least mentions on Facebook that they volunteer at the Colebrookdale Railroad and is a "railfan" on NS property?

Also, if crew wasn't allowed off of the train, who is the guy in the conductor uniform in the foreground? I realize it could just be a railfan dressed up, but he could also be a train crew member.

As a final note, this isn't the kind of large scale "trespassing" I expected from reports (people climbing signal bridges, standing on the other main track, etc).

The fellow standing by the white sign post, on the far side of the man in the brown jacket, is wearing a conductor uniform as well. I was on the 1 p.m. ride and noticed there were several crew members dressed in conductor uniforms.

The junction at that location is not easily accessible from "public" property, as the Reading main at that location is elevated on an embankment. One doesn't just safely walk in fifty feet along the access road from the nearby grade crossing, like I can do with so many other "junction photo" locations I've shot over the years.

What, exactly, was the "bit of consternation" caused by the trespassing? Did passing freight trains have to radio the special that there were crowds swarming the tracks, as has occasionally occurred with NS and UP mainline steam specials? Did the Amtrak/NS crew aboard the special summon NS police when they saw this? Did officials on board see the trespassers and mutter "well, we can't do this again, too much risk to the railroad...."? Did some twit have to be literally picked up bodily out of the path of a freight train because they were so focused on their iPhone video-making? Or did some fans aboard the train simply hyperventilate about seeing "Trespassers!! Trespassers!!"?

I'm trying to figure out what irritates me more: those undertaking relatively minor-scale trespassing of this ilk (take nothing but photos, walk on nothing but ground, leave nothing but footprints), or the self-appointed "railfan police" eager to self-police and condemn such trespassing like referees or linesmen calling the football crossing the line......

Another picture from the meet.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 7&nseq=167

Keep in mind that more people were there than are pictured in the news photo, including the photographer for the newspaper who, in my opinion, is standing dangerously close to the approaching train.

I believe part of the problem here is a person who is either involved with the tourist train, or at least presents himself that way - often in high visibility apparel with Colebrookdale RR insignias.

If no passengers or railroad volunteers were involved, than I apologize for my statement above. Regardless of that, railroads and railroaders hate this so called "minor" trespassing. And that, as stated above, is why we can't have nice things.

Dave

The sound of crickets is deafening in the right context.

Where is the property line in these photos? Is the trespassing on Colebrookdale RR's ground?