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The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society Established in 1936

Railfan Pictures of the Day - 12/09/2004

NS Harrisburg Line Bridgeport PA December 5 2004

NS loaded coal train 500 (Shire Oaks PA to Eddystone PA) passes under the Dekalb Street Bridge in Bridgeport PA. Led by rare C40-9W 9714 (one of only a thousand made), it is about to pass over the switch for the Bridgeport scale track (under NS, with the scale out of service permanently, it should be renamed the Bridgeport storage track). Notice the new fence to the right, another futile effort by the railroad to keep trespassers from crossing the tracks here.

The train has passed Mill Street, the first of three grade crossings in as many blocks; next Depot Street (as you might guess, site of the former Reading Company station) and lastly Ford Street (not to be confused with Ford Street on the other side of the river on the SEPTA Norristown Line).

The train was predominantly made up of NS Top Gons with some Conrail bathtub gondolas.

Since it was an NS train, I felt obliged to take a shot of at least one NS car, NS 38213.

Much more appealing were the Conrail gondolas such as G52L's CR 504075 and 504268.

Conrail 506042 class G52R, passing MP17.5 on the Harrisburg Line. It still wears its yellow ends from the Electronic Air Brake System (EABS) tests back in the mid 1990's.

Conrail 505681, also class G52R. Can't fit much more coal in that car.

There were a few standard coal hoppers like CR 497841 class H2b, seen here with CR 504349 class G52L, which started life as a standard coal hopper for Penn Central class H43d.

The trailing car on the train was CR 504646 class G52L. The bathtub gondolas, aka Coalporters, were built in the 1990's from kits supplied by Bethlehem Steel Car Company using standard coal hoppers as a starting point, this one from PRR H43a 225136.

For more on Conrail coal hoppers and gondolas, check out the Conrail Cyclopedia.

All pictures December 5 2004 c. 2004 John P. Almeida

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Website created June 12, 2002

Last Updated December 9, 2004