Farewell Crossings on the Amtrak Keystone Corridor

Central Penn Rail Productions
Central Penn Rail Productions
309,242
75
Published 2013-08-03
In the summer of 2013, Amtrak and local municipalities are working together to decommission the last three crossings along the Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In the middle of June, Irishtown Road crossing between Gordonville and Ronks was permanently closed, with the roads on each side of the crossing being extended to existing roads. However, we were able to catch trains passing by the remains of the crossing, still giving horn as if nothing happened. The other two crossings in Mt. Joy are also explored. Eby Chiques Road will be bypassed by an overpass to the east of the crossing, which can be seen in the background in its beginning stages of construction.

A detailed description of the project can be found here:
www.planthekeystone.com/highspeedrail.html

In this video are 4 different visits: May 29, July 16 and 29, and August 2, 2013. The last visit features about a days worth of trains through the two crossings in Mount Joy. Aside from the great shots of the crossings, another plus is the amount of variety in locomotives and paint schemes.

May 29, 2013
0:00 - The eastbound Pennsylvanian 42 heads east through Newcomers Road in Mt. Joy with Dash-8-32BWH 512 still in Phase IV paint leading the way. Notice the ditch lights.

0:45 - Just a short while later, 43 speeds west with P42DC 119 on the point.

1:35 - Keystone Service 645 with AEM-7 944 pulling the train heads west through Eby Chiques crossing without any sign of changes.


July 16, 2013

2:30 - 42 flies east past the remnants of Irishtown Road with Phase V Dash-8-32BWH 514 leading. Notice the new roads come right up to where the crossing once existed, which will still make it a great place to railfan.

3:35 - 645 heads west with AEM-7 940 up front, but, unlike the other trains seen here, does not acknowledge the crossing.


July 29, 2013

4:25 - Once again situated at Irishtown Road, 43 speeds west with P42DC 152 leading with a few extra toots of K5LA.

5:15 - That evening at Newcomers Road in Mt. Joy, 656 heads east with AEM-7 927 pushing.

6:30 - A few minutes later 649 breezes by the camera with a cab car upfront, with AEM-7 918 pushing. I believe the object in the foreground is a flange greaser.

6:50 - At Eby Chiques, 651 heads west in great light with AEM-7 953 pushing the train. Notice there are now new catenary poles being erected, as well as the start of one bridge abutment.

7:35 - A few minutes later, 618 with AEM-7 947 leading heads east at the same angle. Depending on the timing of the trains, it is possible to catch 651 and 618/658 meeting here.

8:45 - An early 653 with AEM-7 935 pushing heads west past the Irishtown Road remains in the last rays of light, offering a vantage from the north side of the tracks. The road the connects to Cherry Lane to the west is hidden behind the new fill mounds.


August 2, 2013

9:45 - Arriving at Eby Chiques (yes, it is spelled incorrectly on the Amtrak sign) fairly early in the morning (after the fog cleared), 644 with AEM-7 927 pushing is the first eastbound caught at the crossing, along with one of the many feed and grain trucks that use this crossing daily.

11:30 - On this day, there was a 60 MPH restriction between the two crossings on the eastbound track. 641 heads west over Newcomer Road with AEM-7 943 bringing up the rear.

12:55 - Keystone Service 646 eases its way into the 60 MPH with 949 leading.

13:50 and 14:50 - Moving back over to Eby Chiques for a couple of Keystone Service, 609 heads west with 952 while moments later 648 returns a trainset from Harrisburg with the 943 leading.

16:05 - Continuing the streak of AEM-7's facing the camera, 950 leads train 643 toward Harrisburg.

17:05 - Framed between the crossing and the new catenary poles, train 650 banks into the turn with AEM-7 952 leading. As the train goes away, you can see a better look at the preparations for the bridge construction, as well as a couple of burnt tank cars from a fire that happened at this facility a few weeks prior.

18:50 and 19:25 - The Pennsylvanians are next, and both have good leaders today. 42 heads east with 514, with the crossing to the camera's back, while a short time later 43 heads west under cloud cover with Phase III Heritage P42DC 145 leading.

19:55 - Train 645 with 935 leading heads past a wider angle of the Newcomer Road crossing.

20:20 - 649 banks through the curve at Eby Chiques with plenty of K5LA from the cab car with 921 on the rear.

21:10 - The sun is out, but alas, after several tries I could not get an AEM-7 leading at this angle. 651 speeds west with 927 again.

21:55 - The last shot of the day goes to 618, showing off the crossing and its rural setting. 921 leads the train, as another one of the many trucks for the mill ends off the video.

I hoped you enjoyed this installment of the Keystone Corridor. Other shots from these days excluded in this video will hopefully make it to another one in the future. Thanks for watching!
All Comments (21)
  • @trainfan1143
    RIP 943...that was some great horn at 15:22. And the doppler effect on 921 at the end was awesome!
  • @trainzrok
    That K5LA on 921 is so incredibly.. I can't even describe.. Awesome video.. shame these crossings are on their last days
  • @freeamericausa1
    Love the Pennsylvania countryside. I was born in Pa. Other side of Valley Forge, and watched the former READING R/R run alongside of Pennsylvania R/R through Norristown back in the late sixties. Great catches.
  • @glendenig6419
    I love the sleek trains with the rural backdrop. Very reminiscent of the heyday of passenger rail. I'd almost expect to see a Pennsy GG1 with a long consist of streamline cars.
  • @rashp862
    8:09 I really love that kind of sound of the amtrak horn!
  • @macmonter1
    Great video work: rock solid tripod, minimal zooming and panning and when done - done smoothly! My compliments to the videographer!
  • @danielc.558
    Thanks for this video! This brings back a lot of childhood memories. I’ve known Irishtown Rd crossing since kindergarten, as a small boy I always used to go there with my grandma to spot some trains. Now that I’ll be turning 18 years old in January... I’m starting to feel old already just by watching this video! 😆 Really a shame they closed all three remaining RR-crossings about 6 years ago, although I can understand why...
  • @Andrew_G4CH
    It's so weird seeing Irishtown Road like that now.. Just a couple years since I was there and captured a couple videos of my own of the 42 and 43
  • @FreedomtowerStudios
    Awesome Video! It's sad to see them get rid of the crossings. These crossing have some classic signals! RIP crossings! Also nice catch of that hertage unit!
  • @Basicbill
    Well done. Lot of time and effort put into this production.
  • @CentralPennRailProductions
    I just found and posted a link in the description that says everything one needs to know about the project. The main goal of removing the crossings to allow the possibility of 125 MPH track. Due to construction time, Eby Chiques and Newcomer Road will be around until fall 2014.