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Don Lee’s PRSLHS page Teenage
Recollections By Donald B. Lee My father, H. R. Lee, was
a freight conductor for the Pennsylvania- |
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By the mid-60’s, I was
regularly riding my bicycle from home in Audubon to watch trains at various
PRSL locations including the south Camden area.
Many of these treks were timed to coincide with the early evening arrival
of WY34. Dad would ride the head end of
the train from Millville to Morgan Blvd., where he would cut off the RDG cars.
The head brakeman would accompany the set off into Bulson
St. yard while dad would walk back to the cabin car to finish his paperwork and
then ride into Pavonia. I would walk
with him to the cabin car and ride up to Morgan Blvd. where I would drop off of
the slow moving train to get my bike and ride home. It didn’t take long to realize that the
bicycle was a real hindrance to my main ambition, getting a train ride. The first time I walked to Morgan Blvd, dad
asked about my bike. I told him that I
left it home and that I hoped I could ride home with him. After a disapproving frown, I got my train
ride to Pavonia and a ride home.
Dad stayed on WY33/WY34
until his retirement in 1969. In the
last five years of his career, I made the pilgrimage to Morgan Blvd. several
times, never wanting to be too frequent to wear out my welcome. I got to know the crossing watchmen and
learned to operate the manual crossing gates while waiting for his train. First, turn the hand crank on the right to
lower the gates for oncoming traffic from both sides. Second, use the left crank to lower the gates
for the exit sides of the crossing. At
dusk, the watchman would bring out and clean four red kerosene lights, one hung
from the each of the gates as the only illumination after dark. Cast iron cross bucks were in place, but no
crossing flashers. The black and white
striped wooden, four quadrant gates would look out of place today.
The crossing watchman’s
shanty was located on the southeast corner of the crossing. It was nearly
identical to the one currently in the park on Cooper St., Woodbury, and east of
the railroad. There was just enough room
inside for the watchman to have a place to sit and a coal stove for heat in the
winter. On cool evenings it felt good
inside the shanty with the heat radiating from the stove. There was no room to sit down with the watchman
inside, but the aroma of coal smoke and kerosene was a most enjoyable smell. Morgan Blvd. was a cabin car supply
point. Behind the shanty were ice and
coal bins. It was usually more
convenient supply on the southward trip since the cabin car was usually stopped
near the crossing. The rear brakeman
would gather supplies while the rest of the crew made the Bulson
St. pick up.
When WY34 arrived, my
attention turned to the train. If Bulson St. could not take the setoff immediately, I would
sit in the engine with dad, usually the second unit, and watch for the position
dwarf signal controlled from BROWN for an indication that would allow the train
to proceed into the yard. I learned many
of the position light signal indications and their meaning here. Dad taught me how to turn the angle cock and
pull the pin to uncouple the Bulson St. set off. As we walked back to the cabin car, I learned
the names and functions of various components of track and cars. At that time there were no walkways on the
bridge over Newton Creek. It was not
uncommon to have cars or impending train movements on all three tracks, meaning
that the only way to the rear of the train was to climb up and walk over the
roofs of the cars, a common practice at that time that is now considered
unsafe.
During this time, Pavonia
yard was being expanded and improved with the addition of a hump yard and
engine house as a result of the abandonment of Camden Terminal. Long waits to get into Pavonia were
common. We waited at BROWN, we waited at
CENTER and later MILL (near where PATCO curves away to head toward Ferry Ave.)
and occasionally we waited at COOPER at the entrance of the yard. This gave lots of time to talk, learn and
experience what railroading was all about.
WY 34 was normally yarded
in Pavonia east yard. Looking northward
from COOPER, the Bordentown Branch bisected the east and west yards. The Pemberton Branch diverged at COOPER and
wrapped around the east side of the yard.
The east yard was located between the two branches. The east yard could be entered from either
branch through a hand operated electric locked crossover situated just north of
State St. After the termination of
passenger trains on the Bordentown Branch, the yard regularly built outbound
road trains on the Bordentown main therefore it was more common for WY34 to
enter the east yard from the Pemberton Branch.
Dad and I would dismount the train at the main track switch. Once clear of the crossover, the flagman
would give a couple toots on the cabin car backup whistle as he used the brake
valve to stop the train. I would then
reline and lock the switch as dad called COOPER on the block phone to report
clear. The only thing remaining was the
walk to the yard office at 27th St., sign off duty and the ride home
for dinner.
Westville Cutoff
By Donald B. Lee
In the decade that began
in the mid-1890’s, southern New Jersey experienced a
period of economic prosperity that led to growth in both population and
economic development. It was during this
period that many suburban towns were founded and new industries started or
expanded. Along with this growth came an
increase in freight traffic into the area, much of which was coal for both home
heating and powering the new industries.
The 1896 opening of the Delair Bridge permitted an all rail route into
southern New Jersey from Philadelphia and the west. The resulting growth and prosperity placed
strains on the yards in Camden, primarily Pavonia, to efficiently handle the
additional traffic.
The year 1906 became a
monumental year for expansion of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its subsidiary,
the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad.
Among the projects on the agenda for that year included the grade
separation of the railroad from the Federal St. ferry terminal through the heart
of downtown Camden, the third rail electrification from Camden to Atlantic City
and Millville via Newfield, the negotiation of trackage rights from Winslow to
Woodbine Jct. over the Atlantic City Railroad and the double tracking of that
line as a result of the increased traffic and the construction of an all new
freight bypass around Camden that became known as the Westville Cutoff.
On January 26, 1906 the
WJ&S Board of Directors voted to construct a branch from a point near West
Haddonfield to a point north of Westville, present day Brooklawn, which would
connect the Delaware River Railroad and Bridge Co. Branch of the PRR with the
Cape May Division of the WJ&S.
Construction began in the spring of 1906. The line was to be grade separated to
eliminate both highway and railroad crossings at grade. The line was to begin with the construction
of a switch in the Bridge Branch that was to be located immediately under the
south side of the Haddon Ave. overhead bridge, north of the West Haddonfield
station. The WJ&S Atlantic City
Division, the former Camden & Atlantic, was to cross this new track on an
overhead bridge. Immediately on the
south side of this new bridge another switch was to be constructed for a short,
.35 mile branch to the south that would connect with the southbound main of the
Atlantic City main line at West Haddonfield.
This would permit the simultaneous movement of a southbound train from
the Bridge Branch and a northbound train to Camden.
The Westville Cutoff
itself would extend 4.7 miles in a general southwesterly direction to a point
it the Cape May Division approximately 4200 feet north of Westville
Station. This would have placed the
switch just north of a street known today as Old Broadway in Brooklawn. In 1906, this highway was a grade
crossing. Generally, the trackage would
be located in a cut north of Nicholson Road in Audubon and on a fill south of
that location. Bridges were constructed
to permit the Atlantic City Railroad and the Clementon trolley car line to
cross the new railroad north of the Audubon Station. The cutoff bridged over the Gloucester Branch
of the Atlantic City Railroad about ¼ mile south of
Cloverdale Station. Cloverdale Station
would have been near the intersection of Park Ave. and Station Ave. in Mt.
Ephraim.
In 1907, a financial panic
gripped Wall St. The stock market lost
50% of its value from the peak in 1906.
Cash was tight and railroad revenues were on the decline. By 1908, the resulting recession was showing
no signs of improvement. The
Pennsylvania Railroad started to look for ways to conserve cash. One of the unfortunate victims of this cash
crunch was the Westville Cutoff. In the
fall of 1908, with about 80% of the work complete and about a mile of track
constructed on the south end, all work was suspended until further notice. In 1916, with the advent of World War I, the
PRR considered reactivating the cutoff project.
However, in the decade since the inception of the project, numerous
improvements had been made to the railroad physical plant in and around
Camden. It was decided that the existing
rail route through Camden was now adequate to handle the existing traffic. No funds were voted for reactivation.
In the 1960’s the
Westville Cutoff right of way was sold to Public Service Electric & Gas Co.
for a power transmission line. Even
though most of the bridges and fills have been removed over the years, the
right of way is still readily evident as it carries the power lines through the
Camden suburbs.
Note
The following photos were taken on 1-9-2009. Because of their
historic nature, some PRSLHS members want to keep the exact location of these
photos unknown. We will respect that. They are believed to be the last
surviving original narrow gauge tracks in New Jersey.
These tracks were laid by the contractor hired to build the
standard gauge track. They would have been removed prior to laying the standard
gauge tracks.
Audubon
Westville
Photos by Kevin Moran
Why Color Search Light Signals on the PRSL?
By Don Lee
Over the years there has been much debate as to why the
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines replaced the Hall disk type signals on its
former Atlantic City Railroad lines between Camden and Woodbine Jct. with color
Search Light Signals between 1939 and 1941, instead of standardizing on the
Pennsylvania Railroad position light signals.
After the creation of the PRSL in 1933, the PRR influence was readily
visible. The PRSL used the PRR operating
rules, PRR forms and paper work, painted their locomotives with the PRR
Brunswick Green and in fact used hand-me-down, PRR steam locomotives. To the uneducated, the PRSL looked just like
any other PRR operating division. At one
point in its history, even joint PRSL/PRR Atlantic Division employee timetables
were issued.
My belief had always been
that since this was former Reading territory, it had retained Reading
signals. Three pieces of evidence would
tend to negate that idea. First,
although Search Light Signals were used on the Reading in some locations, the
Color Light Signal with the lens arranged in a triangular manner on the head
much was more common. Second, as
mentioned above, the dominance of the PRR was evident in most all aspects of
the PRSL operations. Third, in 1934,
when the new interlocking towers at Brown in South Camden and Winslow were
built to accommodate the changes resulting from the PRSL merger, all of the
newly installed interlocking signals on the former ACRR tracks at those
locations were standardized on the PRR position light signals.
Invented by Thomas Hall in
1869, the Hall disk type signals, nicknamed Banjo signals for their unique
shape, were installed on the ACRR in the 1890’s. Although we are not aware of any specific
documented evidence as to why the Hall signals were retired, it appears that
Public Law 378, signed by President Roosevelt on August 26, 1937, had an
influence on the decision. This act,
commonly known the Signal Inspection Act, required that each railroad submit to
the Interstate Commerce Commission a written plan for inspecting and testing
signals and the equipment that made them operate. After the ICC approved the plan, government
inspectors made frequent checks to see that the plans were being followed. Railroads could be assessed civil penalties
for not adhering to the plan, for not immediately correcting any deficiencies
discovered during the inspection and testing process and for any part of the signal
system that failed to work as intended.
The Hall signal system was old and, no doubt, worn out and reaching the
end of its useful life. The cheaper
alternative to comply with the 1937 law was to replace rather than to repair a
nearly 50 year old system.
Still the question
remained, why replace with color Search Light signals instead of the PRR
position lights. The Search Light Signal
was an invention of the Hall Signal Company, which became part of Union Switch &
Signal in 1925. To this day, Search
Light signal equipment sold by USS is designated by the prefix “H” which stands
for Hall.
I asked a signal engineer
about the workings of these signals to try to determine an answer. The Search Light Signal is a simple mechanism
that contains one light bulb that illuminates a colored disc that is magnified
to increase intensity. The mechanism is
a simple electrical relay. With no
electrical power the relay is dead center with the red disc in front of the
light. When electricity is applied to
the wires to the relay, a magnet is energized.
This magnet will pull a colored disc, either green of yellow in front of
the light. To change colors; polarity to
the relay is reversed causing the magnet to pull in the opposite
direction. The wires that operate the
bulbs and mechanisms are routed to a signal case that is at or near every
signal installation. This case contains
all of the electrical apparatus that makes the signals display the proper
indications. The Hall Signals operated
in a fashion very similar to the Search Light Signal. Only four wires were required to operate each
Signal, two for the light bulb and two to operate the mechanism that moved the
colors in front of the light. This was
repeated for each signal head on the mast, although the ground (negative) wire
for the light bulbs could be tied together in the signal and run to the case as
one wire.
The Position Light Signal
was different. While there was no moving
mechanism within the signal, just light bulbs and more of them, as many as seventeen
per signal. Again, the negative ground
wires were joined at the signal and run to the case as one wire, but each light
bulb of the position light signal required its own hot wire. In the case, additional apparatus was
necessary to tell each light bulb in the signal indication when to light up.
The PRSL was initially
created to stem the financial drain on both parent companies from their South
Jersey operations. Also in the late 30’s
the economic forces of the Great Depression further weakening the finances of
the PRSL. It would make a logical
conclusion that the similarity between the Hall disk type signal and the Search
Light Signal might create a significant cost savings over the Position Light
Signal. The Search Light Signal, being a
modern day update of the Hall signal, could utilize much of the wiring and
signal apparatus of the older system. Of
the parts of the system that were common to both the types of signals, only
those that could not pass the new inspection and testing laws would have to be
replaced. Position Light signals, on the
other hand, with their much more elaborate wiring and circuitry would require
that all parts of the signal system, including the wiring, the signal cases and
apparatus all be converted over to new.
Eddie Fell’s Track Diagrams
Edward L. Fell was born in 1892 and began his railroad career in
1908 at the age of 16 as a clerk for the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad
Co. in its Haddonfield station. Two
years later Eddie applied for engine service and was hired as a fireman in
1911. In 1917 Eddie was promoted to
engineman, a position that he held until his retirement from the
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1957, almost a half century later. In 1961 he joined the West Jersey Chapter of
the National Railway Historical Society.
In 1965, he was elected Chapter Historian, which he held until his
passing in 1972, at the age of 79.
Eddie created this collection of track diagrams of the WJ&S
as an aid to passing the examination on the physical characteristics of the
railroad necessary for promotion to engineman.
Although undated, it is thought that this work was completed sometime
between 1910 and the beginning of World War I.
It includes all main lines, branch lines and industrial spurs owned and
operated by the WJ&S as well as the newly established trackage rights over
the Atlantic City Railroad between Winslow and Woodbine Jct.
You need Adobe Acrobat or a PDF reader for this download.
Get it here
Mainlines Branch Lines
PRSL to Conrail
By Don Lee
6-3-12
You have to remember that this was the era of total government
regulation of railroads. The PRR was forced to continue many services
that lost tons of money. A couple examples were a coal mining branch in
central Pennsylvania. The last coal mine and customer on the branch shut
down. The PRR petitioned to abandon the branch. The local
politicians protested. The ICC decree ordered the PRR to rehab the branch
to 25 MPH and work for five years to attract customers. If that didn't
work they could repetition for abandonment at the end of the five years.
I understand that there was absolutely no industry in the area and the only customer
on that branch was the coal mine that shut down because the coal played
out. I wish i could remember the name of that
branch.
In New York City, the railroad was forced by regulation to provide literage service across the Hudson River. That means
that rail cars arrived on the New Jersey side of the river, their contents
transferred to a barge and delivered to a pier in Manhattan for the customer to
pick up. The ICC would not allow the PRR to charge for the service, but
they were not allowed to discontinue it either.
Railroads could petition for rate adjustments, but anyone could protest.
Once the rate was set, every road that ran between the points were forced to adopt that rate. If the PRR was granted
a rate adjustment for widgets between New York and Chicago, then every railroad
that ran between New York and Chicago got the same rate. If the New York
Central could haul at a lesser cost, then they received a windfall profit from
the move. Conversely if the Erie had higher costs, then they were forced
to haul the widgets at a loss.
The PRSL wasn't exempt from this nonsense either. Train 1022 left
Atlantic City every day, seven days a week including holidays, at 3.00pm.
One or two passengers was the norm. Five was a
crowd. Many days the passenger count was zero. Simply stated there
was no public demand for a 3.00pm departure from Atlantic City. The
regulators told the PRSL to refurbish their equipment and advertise to attract
passengers. 1022 continued to run empty.
After the Clementon Local was discontinued in 1965, the PRSL removed the
passenger shelters and stations not necessary for freight service. Orston station in Audubon was one of those three sided
wooden leanto shelters. The PRSL was able to
reduce their tax burden to the State of New Jersey by $25 when the shelter was
torn down. 25 bucks doesn't sound like much today, but when you factor in
inflation that stupid wooden box would cost over $400 in today’s money.
That was just the wooden shelter, not the ground or track structure, just the
three sided wooden thing. Multiply this times every wooden shelter on the
line. Station buildings were taxed much higher.
While I don't agree with the practices of the PRR/PC management, it isn't hard
to understand why managers who viewed the railroad as strictly a business
venture were reluctant to throw good money after bad when they had little
chance to direct their railroad in a profitable direction.
My career span transitioned from a regulated climate to deregulation. The
first few years the whole emphasis was on saving money. What could be
eliminated to improve the bottom line.
Regulation wouldn't permit much freedom with rates or service, so the only
thing left was to reduce costs. There was a period of about 10 years
after deregulation when things were slow to change, primarily because most
railroaders did not have a clue how the real world operates outside of the
bindings of regulation. Once that bridge was crossed the sky was the
limit. Rail tonnage continues to increase, the physical plant improved as
necessary to handle the traffic and so on. All you have to do is compare
a picture of any piece of mainline railroad of the late 60's with the same
location today to see the improvement permitted after getting rid of the government
burden.
Now here's a point to ponder. My opinion is that the best thing that
happened to the railroad industry was the Penn Central bankruptcy and the
collapse of the northeast railroads. Penn Central was ordered to provide
lifetime job protection for every employee working at the time of the
merger. Therefore no labor savings could be realized from consolidating
facilities until after those employees retired. The New Haven was thrown
into the mix which hemorrhaged cash much worse than either the PRR or
NYC. Out of the mess arose Conrail who was initially forced to live under
the same burden as Penn Central. Every employee that went into the
Conrail era was granted lifetime job protection. It ended when Washington
determined that those payments would drain the federal treasury in a few short
years. Conrail was under a Federal mandate to turn around the northeast
railroad picture, yet they were regulated in the same manner as all other
railroads. Battles ensued as Conrail began to receive regulatory
exemptions that other railroads could not receive. The end result was the
Staggers Act which deregulated the entire industry and turned an industry from
concentrating on saving money into one that provides quality transportation.
The fate of the PRSL parents ended up being the fate of the PRSL itself.
The same regulation strangulation affected the PRSL and was actually much worse
since the State of New Jersey added to the regulation strangulation. Even
though the PRSL was not legally bankrupt at the time of the inclusion into
Conrail, it was in fact technically bankrupt. Withhold a payment here to
make a payment there was the norm. It was a downward spiral that would
have eventually hit bottom.
Evolution of PRSL Freight Train Service
By Don Lee
Historical
discussions of southern New Jersey freight train service have certainly been
overshadowed by the abundance of high speed passenger trains racing to Atlantic
City. A while back an internet discussion of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore
Lines freight trains provided entertaining reading and reminded me of a similar
discussion that had occurred many years ago while several of us were sitting
around the dining room table learning about railroad history from a man who
lived much of it, former West Jersey Chapter historian and retired PRSL
engineer, Eddie Fell. While the discussion centered on the true meaning of the
letter designations used to identify PRSL freight trains, it is interesting to
study the evolvement of these symbols prior to the creation of the PRSL.
As train traffic
increased a method to identify trains became a necessity. Train symbols were
created to identify trains, both passenger and freight, that operated on
specific schedules over specific routes. Originally only numbers were used as
symbols to identify a freight train. In many instances trains on each route had
its own specific series of numbers. Passenger train numbers were usually at the
lower end of the number series and freight trains at the upper end.
As traffic grew
it became necessary to develop a system of train superiority in order to
prioritize train movements so that faster trains could be moved around slower
trains. At this juncture, trains were assigned to one of four classes. Class 1
trains were passenger and mail-express trains. Class 2 trains were mixed
passenger and freight. Class 3 trains were fast freights and Class 4 trains
were slow through freights and local freights. Trains of each class operated on
their own timetable schedule. Conductors were now required know the schedules
of superior trains in order to clear the way for higher class trains.
One fact that has
remained fairly constant through all of the years is that even numbered trains
ran northward or westward and odd number trains ran southward or eastward on
the PRSL and its predecessors. This applied to both passenger and freight.
While the actual train number changed over time, probably as the work assigned
to a particular train changed, the number series used on a particular line or
branch generally remained constant.
A December 1892
employee timetable of the Camden & Atlantic Railroad shows one freight
train per day in each direction, No. 298 and No. 299, operating between Camden
and Atlantic City. Both of these trains operated as third class trains and were
designated in the timetable as “Atlantic Freight.” At this time all trains of
all classes had a number in the 200 series.
In 1896 the
Pennsylvania Railroad merged the Camden & Atlantic and the West Jersey to
form the West Jersey & Seashore. Improvements from the merger along with
the opening of the Delair Bridge resulted in a significant increase of trains
on the Atlantic City line. By 1906 the increased traffic caused many of the
WJ&S’s Atlantic City passenger trains to move out of the 200 series to
other number series while the freight trains continued to operate in the 200’s.
Frequency increased to three third class freight trains each way, Nos. 297, 299
and 289 southward and Nos. 298, 290 and 296 northward. All operated through
between Camden and Atlantic City.
The June 30, 1906
West Jersey & Seashore employee timetable shows all freight trains
operating from Camden via the former West Jersey Railroad now called the Cape
May Division with two digit numbers. These trains ran to Salem (89&90),
Bridgeton (77, 78 & 79, 80), Atlantic City via
Newfield (59&60), Maurice River (35&36) and Cape May (37, 38 & 39,
40).
In 1906 there was
no through freight service from Camden to the Penns
Grove Branch. All traffic for this branch was forwarded by other trains from
Camden to Woodbury. Trains 839 and 841 operated from Woodbury to Penns Grove and interestingly, only one train, 840, was
scheduled to return.
Around 1910 the
PRR began adding alphabetic prefixes to their freight train numbers to differentiate
freight trains of different divisions. The original prefix identified the
divisions over which the freight trains operated. The WJ&S’s Cape May
Division was assigned “WY”, while the Atlantic City Division used “CA”. The
other significant PRR southern New Jersey division, the Amboy Division, was
assigned the “A” designation. The Amboy Division at the time included the
Bordentown Branch between Camden and Trenton and the “back road” between Camden
and Bay Head Jct. including its branches. In 1912 the “back road” was split
from the Amboy Division and became part of the Trenton Division. With the
change, the freight trains retained their “A” designation. However, in 1929,
the “back road” was again transferred from the Trenton Division to the Atlantic
Division. With that move the “back road” freight train symbol was changed from
“A” to “CB”.
Many times in
railroading tradition takes precedence over logic. Of the four divisions
mentioned, only the Amboy Division used a prefix that was representative of the
division name. All others used prefixes that more represented the original
railroad companies rather that the current name of their respective divisions.
Thus, “WY” represented the first and last letters of “West Jersey”, the
predecessor road of the Cape May Division. Likewise, “CA” represented Camden
& Atlantic. “A” represented the Amboy Division, originally the Camden &
Amboy, and “CB” represented its original railroad, the Camden and Burlington
County.
In 1933 with the
creation the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, the freight operation that
was formerly PRR continued to operate as before with few differences. For the
most part, freight train prefixes remained the same with the “WY” and “CA”
prefixes being predominant on PRSL freight trains. Some Reading freight train
symbols remained well into the 1930’s; however, as the merger was implemented
all were converted to the PRR system before the end of the decade.
Initially the
freight train that provided local service on the remnant of the Reading that
became the PRSL Clementon Branch carried the symbol CG85/CG86. The “C” no doubt
stood for the telegraph symbol for the Reading’s Camden. The “G” possibly came
from “GO”, the PRR telegraph symbol for Hammonton. A 1936 employee timetable
shows these trains as a Bulson St. to Winslow turn.
By 1938 the symbol was withdrawn. Thereafter the Clementon Branch freight
trains used the “CA” prefix in the 200 number series.
Soon after the
merger the Clementon Branch became an alternate route to the Main Line for freight
service between Camden and Atlantic City. The service provided was probably the
most varied of any on the PRSL resulting in frequent changes in routing and
scheduling of freight trains. These changes can be attributed to numerous
reasons; among them the reduction in passenger operations over the years
created more windows of opportunities for freight trains to operate during
daylight hours; a marked reduction of freight traffic on the Main Line,
particularly in Atlantic City; and a marked growth in freight traffic from
industrial development initiatives on the Clementon Branch primarily during the
1960’s.
Although not the
sole trains operated, these trains provided the bulk of the Main Line/Clementon
Branch local freight service, CA289/CA298, CA295/CA294, CA299/CA300 and
CA297/CA296 throughout the last two decades of the PRSL. While certain of these
trains were commonly associated with specific service, e.g. CA289/CA298, Main
Line service to Atlantic City; CA299/CA300 Magnolia; CA296/297 Williamstown Jct.
all experienced changes. At some time in their history every one of these
trains participated in two or more of the routes listed below:
Camden to Atlantic City via the Vernon
Route, the present day PATCO route from Camden to Haddonfield.
Camden to Atlantic City via Clementon.
Camden to Atlantic City southbound via
the Vernon Route, northbound via Clementon.
Camden to Atlantic City via Jersey
tower using the new connection constructed between Hatch and Divide by the PRR
in conjunction with the PATCO project.
Camden to Winslow turn via Jersey.
Camden to Hammonton turn via Clementon.
Camden to Winslow turn via Clementon.
Camden to Woodcrest turn via Clementon
and Winslow.
Camden to Magnolia turn.
Camden to Williamstown Jct. turn.
Atlantic City to Winslow turn.
Atlantic City to Woodcrest turn, three
days per week and
Atlantic City to Linwood, McKee city on
the alternate three days.
One anecdote
relating to the frequent changes occurred during one summer in the late 1960’s.
Northwest Magnesite in Cape May had closed for a
temporary plant shut down. To compensate for the reduction in freight traffic,
the PRSL changed schedules such that WY390 out of Cape May and OC91 out of
Pavonia were re-advertised as Winslow turns. In addition CA289 from Pavonia and
CA294 from Atlantic City were also Winslow turns. All four trains tended to
converge on Winslow at the same time in the early afternoon. With limited track
space and most trains having to exchange cars with two or more of the others,
this short lived plan became a logistical nightmare for the Winslow Block
Operator to manipulate trains within his interlocking.
The PRSL in 1965
was still operating freight trains via the former Cape May Division, now the
Millville Branch, with remnants of the two digit numbers. WY33 ran from Pavonia
to Millville returning as WY34. WY79 ran from Pavonia to Glassboro returning as
WY80. On the Salem Branch WY50 no longer ran through to Camden but now operated
from Salem to Woodbury returning as WY51. Salem Branch freight was forwarded
to/from Woodbury on WY79 and WY80.
Penns Grove branch freight trains actually
ran contrary to the downsizing trend that was railroading during most of the
20th Century regulatory era. By 1965 all Penns Grove
trains ran to or from Pavonia. WY841/WY840 turned at Gibbstown and WY847/WY846
turned at Pedricktown. WY843 operated to Penns Grove where the crew took rest, returning as WY842
the following day. Two crews were assigned to this train with each making three
round trips per week. Working on alternate days, this provided six-day service
to and from Penns Grove.
As the years
progressed through freight train service to and from Camden diminished. When freight
trains were established at outlaying points away from Camden, except Atlantic
City, the PRSL used the 300 number series. In some cases, the 300 number
indicated a connection with a Camden train. WY380/WY379 was a Bridgeton to
Glassboro turn that connected with WY79/WY80 at Glassboro. WY390/WY391 was a
Cape May to Tuckahoe turn that connected with CM90/CM91. You may ask why a “WY”
prefix on a train from Cape May that operated over former Reading trackage.
This maintained continuity with Cape May train symbols that were formerly
operated via the PRR. Remember, tradition sometimes takes precedence over
logic.
Trains of the 300
series originating in Millville did not use a connecting train symbol. Trains
WY346/WY345 ran northward and turned at Clayton. Trains WY343/WY344 and
WY351/WY350 ran southward and served the various sand pits south of Millville.
This was no doubt because all of the traffic handled by the outlaying trains
from Millville was received/forwarded by WY33 or WY34.
The Reading
operated freight trains 491/490 between Camden and Cape May. Because of its all
Reading route, this train did not fit into the traditional PRR symbolism
ultimately adopted by the PRSL. The “Cape May Freight”, as many railroaders
called it, operated through between Camden and Cape May with a PRR style symbol
as CM91/CM90, the “CM” meaning “Cape May”. Crews would lay over in Cape May
returning to Camden the following day. The opening of the new Atlantic City
Electric generating station at Beesleys Point in 1962
changed the traffic flows on that end of the railroad such that this train was
changed to a turn crew with the symbol OC91/OC90, “OC” for Ocean City, to
provide additional service to the power plant. Connecting trains WY390/WY391,
working out of Cape May, provided all freight service south of Tuckahoe on the
Cape May Branch. Another relatively unknown train symbol that was listed in the
1936 employee timetable was PP802/PP801. The 800 series number identifies it as
a Penns Grove Branch train. The “PP” prefix certainly
did not fit the mold. This train was operated between Paulsboro and 44th St.
Philadelphia train to primarily handle traffic generated by the Socony Vacuum refinery. Interestingly, the merger agreement
that created the PRSL included language that specifically permitted run through
trains with the PRR, but not the Reading.
As operating
practices and signal systems improved PRR freight trains gradually were changed
from scheduled trains running on timetable authority to “extra” trains that
were granted their authority to run by operating rules and train orders. Even
with losing their timetable authority, most regularly assigned freight trains
retained their train symbols. The PRSL employee timetables listed these trains
as “Arranged Freight Train Service”, with the notation that “the time shown
conveys no timetable authority”.
The PRSL operated
some extra trains frequently enough to mention, but not enough to justify an
assigned crew and train symbol. One of these was the Beesleys
Point Extra, a train that carried coal and/or oil to the power plant. In the
summer when electricity demand was high, these trains ran at least every other
day and many times daily. In winter when electricity demand was down and frozen
coal could cause unloading problems, these trains were operated less
frequently. Beesleys Point Extras never carried a
train symbol and were always noted on dispatcher and block operator train
sheets as simply “BP Ex”.
When additional
service was required to supplement regularly assigned trains extra trains were
operated. Sunday extras to relieve accumulation at Pavonia and Bulson St. became a staple of PRSL operations. Many times
these trains provided an additional benefit to customers when there was a need
for weekend service above and beyond that provided by the regularly assigned
crews. The more common Sunday extras were destined to locations such as the
Salem Branch to provide extra service to Swedesboro and forward Millville
traffic to Woodbury, to the Clementon Branch where extra trains turned at
locations such as Williamstown Jct. or Winslow and to the Penns
Grove Branch with turning points at Thorofare, Paulsboro or Pedricktown.
None of these trains carried a train symbol other than the extra designation.
Although not necessarily a Sunday extra, Deepwater Point Extras regularly moved
coal to the Atlantic City Electric generating station.
Beginning in 1957
the world experienced a moderate economic recession. Unfortunately neither the
PRR nor the Reading recovered much from the effects of this downturn. Financial
losses of the PRSL turned from a tax advantage for the parent companies to a
drain on their declining financial condition. This strain resulted in a new
cooperative effort between the PRR and Reading that had a profound effect on
the freight operations of the PRSL. The Reading provided a gateway for New York
Central freight traffic to and from the Philadelphia area. Until this time the
fierce competition between the PRR and RDG/NYC partnership gave the PRR little
incentive to aid the Reading. By the late 1950s the PRR and Reading began
convening joint PRR-Reading committees to review various aspects of the PRSL.
Committee members were a group of high-level individuals from system
departments of both the PRR and Reading. Membership on the committee was in
addition to their regular duties within the parent company. Their task was to
determine physical plant and operating changes that that would reduce the PRSL
deficit and at the same time be acceptable to both parent companies. It appears
that the conclusions of these studies were done without much regard to such
areas as governmental or labor restrictions. Although many of the conclusions
were not easily achievable, they did give direction to pursue cost containment.
Two significant committee conclusions were implemented in the 1960s. While both
provided significant savings for the Reading, the PRSL also benefited by cost
savings that reduced its deficit. This, in turn, benefited the PRR by shrinking
their two-thirds share of the PRSL deficit and by prorating some of their costs
in southern New Jersey with the Reading.
The Reading
utilized costly carfloats between Port Richmond and Bulson St. to move all traffic between the two companies
while the PRR took advantage of the lower cost all-rail route via their Delair
Bridge. In 1962 the PRR granted the Reading trackage rights to operate Port
Richmond to Bulson St. freight trains between
Frankfort Jct. in Philadelphia and Center tower in Camden via the Delair
Bridge. This all-rail route ended the Reading carfloat
operation between these points. Although the Reading was limited to two trains
(RB1 and RB3 to Bulson St. and BR2 and BR4 back) each
way per day with a 70-car limit on each train, service was improved to PRSL
locations. The Reading ended their costly car floats while the PRSL was able to
eliminate several yard crews at Bulson St. and end
the maintenance on the float docks. The PRR additionally gained some revenue
from trackage rights charges for Reading trains operating over PRR trackage.
In connection
with the construction of PATCO and the removal of the railroad presence on the
Camden waterfront, the PRR rebuilt and expanded Pavonia yard with a
semi-automated hump yard during the mid-1960’s. Beginning
in 1967 the PRSL and the Reading were able to save more money by having the
Reading interchange with the PRSL at Pavonia rather than Bulson
St thus withdrawing the Bulson St. stop for most PRSL
trains. Also several more Bulson St. yard crews were
eliminated. The PRR would also reap an additional benefit with this proposal
since the Pavonia costs would be prorated with both the Reading and the PRSL.
Updated
5-7-21
© PRSLHS 2010
Resuscitated
from a 20 year nap on 1-25-07