CSX Update

[FleaDog]

freetheriverpark.org

Apparently this may very well be related to the river park issues:

Posted on Tue, Dec. 19, 2006 Philadelphia Daily News

Ronnie Polaneczky | Dare we celebrate sweet CSX deal?

SINCE THIS is Philly, it's way too soon to pop a cork over the good news that came out last week about Schuylkill River Park. But I'm feeling cautiously thrilled about the tentative agreement between the city and CSX Corp., which has not been an agreeable neighbor of the park.The deal, on its way to the mayor for approval, redeems CSX in a fabulous deal for park users.
Get this: The rail company would allow street-level pedestrian crossings at Race and Locust streets, and help fund a pedestrian bridge over the tracks south of Locust.
Oh. My. God.
"I know that nothing is ever a deal until it's a signed deal," said Philly chief deputy city solicitor Michael Eichert, who's been negotiating with CSX on the rail-crossing issue. "There's still work to be done, even if it's signed."
But?
"This could be one of those times when everyone pulled together to make something great happen," he said.
The usually loquacious Sarah Clark Stuart, one of the founders of the advocacy group Free Schuylkill River Park, was also celebration-reticent.
"This has been so much work, and everyone has worked so hard," she said cautiously.
But?
"This could be one of those cases where a community stood its ground, the city backed them up, and then we made a deal that works really well for everyone."
But what she wanted to say, I could tell, was "Hooray!"
Citing safety concerns, CSX had vowed never to allow pedestrians to cross its tracks, which run parallel to Schuylkill River Park, a recreational path that runs parallel to the river on Center City's western edge.
Its trains are often parked next to the path, and pedestrians attempt to climb over or under them - a very dangerous shortcut. So CSX wanted to fence off the tracks entirely.
But that would restrict access to the park. And that was a very bad thing, given how the park had become a beloved, much-used riverfront jewel.
For nearly three years, both sides fought. A lawsuit, staged protests and testy City Council hearings ensued. And it looked like neither side would budge in a fight pitting the city against a corporate behemoth whose Florida executives didn't seem to care how their operations were impeding civic life in Philly.
A break finally came when CSX figured out that if they added a short stretch of track - just 1,000 feet - about a mile north of the park, the railroad could divert some traffic to another set of tracks, relieving congestion that caused so many cars to idle along the park.
Including those hauling smelly municipal waste, which would sit on the tracks for hours.
"Once that domino fell, everything started to move," said Bill Goetz, a CSX vice president who's been working on the access issue. "The new track will make the whole Philadelphia terminal run more smoothly."As long as the city agreed to electronic gates at Race and at Locust, which would close while a train passed or parked, CSX wouldn't fight access any longer.
Which doesn't mean smooth sailing ahead, even if the agreement, after working its way through the city's legal machinery, gets the mayor's OK.
The pedestrian bridge still needs to be designed, fully funded and installed, and the last bits of that lawsuit resolved.
But it's good news nonetheless, a result of tenacious work by the city's Law Department, park advocates, City Council and - yes - CSX, which I've criticized many times on the access issue.
But not today. Instead, I'll honor Goetz's request to reiterate that pedestrians should never, ever try to cross a parked train.
"For us, this has always been about safety," he said. "Once that was successfully addressed, everything fell into place."

All together now: Hooray!

E-mail polaner@phillynews.com or call 215-854-2217. For recent columns: Ronnie Polaneczky - Philadelphia Daily News Back to top

[eldondre]

thanks for posting that. I'd imagine the "congestion" was relieved because trains would no longer back to make a reverse move. as it is now, as stated earlier, a train has to go west, then reverse directions to go north east. it's then possible, even likely, that the train noise was doubled by this very fact. instead of one train passing by, you had one train passing by twice, both on severe curves. it appears now that those trains will only pass by once on a much less severe curve. a win in everybody's book, except maybe the one row of houses across from csx' property. OTOH, what Goetz mentioned is fairly obvious simply by looking at the track layout (which isn't easy if you're headquartered in jacksonville, and I heard the company was run better out of baltimore).

[TeddyP27]

Not Heresay:

The construction crew woke me up at 6:15am on Monday! They're louder than the bloody train!

[desolate]

I had warned everyone about this a couple months ago.

[raider.adam]

Not Heresay:

The construction crew woke me up at 6:15am on Monday! They're louder than the bloody train!

I think 7 am is the earliest that can go on, if I recall.

[thoth]

About what? Construction noise?

I had warned everyone about this a couple months ago.

[desolate]

naw, the project. In a different thread. I said "hey brewerytown" they are putting a train across the street from you. Nobody seemed to care.

[qguy]

I was in the area yesterday to check out the construction of the Bottom Dollar supermarket at 31st & Girard and noticed that the rail junction has finally been completed. It's been a few months since I passed by.

Questions:
1. Does anyone know when the junction was finished?
2. Has anyone noticed any change in operations at the Locust St. grade crossing (fewer stoppages?)?

[the mule]

You guys don't know how fortunate you are that the Acme warehouse isn't in operation anymore. Those were the days - diesel trucks rumbling up and down 31st st. nonstop leaving soot everywhere. The train squealing was one of the more pleasant parts of the neighborhood din.

As stated above, this project should reduce some of the unnecessary reversing, but even though the rest of the industry there is gone the trains will be there forever. If that's a problem you probably want to stay out of stick built houses near the tracks...

[Moonraker]

Question: did CSX create a wye track where there was none before?

[Hal]

Question: did CSX create a wye track where there was none before?

Sort of-


Going back to the late 1800s, early 1930s, there was a maze of RR tracks,
the 1910 Philly Atlas at

PhilaGeoHistory Maps Viewer

does show a connection from the Pennsylvania Avenue trackway up 32nd connecting with the Pennsy Glenwood Ave trackage.

But, there hasn't been a direct Schuylkill River East Site Railway
connection to the northbound Pennsylvania RR route to NY in many, many years.

Need to go back to the Baltimore & Ohio "Royal Blue" route for that.

FYI
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewt...p?f=76&t=65739
Some neat links of the old B&O station, (underwater) at the current Schuylkill River Park promenade at 24th and Walnut


Google aerial
http://goo.gl/maps/X6GB


Hal

[kevin19130]

I don't know that CSX has to do anything. for the record, there would be no horn noise without a grade crossing somewhere. second, the screetching is from a tight curve. there may or may not be screetching from the new alignment since the turn doesn't look that tight; however, it should reduce the noise as I believe trains now have to make the turn west, then come back through to go northeast. I would imagine some trees would be a good buffer between those homes and the tracks. in some ways, that's aprt of buying a house in a former industrial area. the breweries were there for the caves, the trains came for the breweries, etc.

Caves? I didn't know there were caves in the area. Do you have any info on that or a link that explains more.

[Hal]

Caves? I didn't know there were caves in the area.
Do you have any info on that or a link that explains more.

I think you're confusing brewery locations?

Brewerytowns's industry didn't located there because of caves,

Breweries located there because they were

A) right beside the Spring Garden Waterworks and
B) right beside the Connecting Railway (modern Northeast Corridor).


Hal

[rjj]

I recently heard CSX is planning on fencing off the access path to Poplar Dr/Lemon hill near the corner of 30th St and PA Ave. They plan to do this on the west side to prevent folks from using it as a pass through I guess.

[6enny]

I recently heard CSX is planning on fencing off the access path to Poplar Dr/Lemon hill near the corner of 30th St and PA Ave. They plan to do this on the west side to prevent folks from using it as a pass through I guess.

Boo.

If this happens the kids that drink and smoke near the pedestrian bridge better find a new place.

[rjj]

Boo.

If this happens the kids that drink and smoke near the pedestrian bridge better find a new place.

i think your talking about 29th & PA Ave, go one block further west.

[6enny]

i think your talking about 29th & PA Ave, go one block further west.

Yeah, I mean that, if the path over the tracks it's closed, I'm more likely to cross on the pedestrian bridge. Don't want to have to walk through their little party every time.

[Moonraker]

30th & Pennsy is at grade, and crossing the tracks is trespassing.
29th & Pennsy is via the bridge and I believe still owned by the RR.
Closeing either/both would mainly impact those walking dogs.
This is a big So What. People and pets need more excercise.

[rjj]

30th & Pennsy is at grade, and crossing the tracks is trespassing.
29th & Pennsy is via the bridge and I believe still owned by the RR.
Closeing either/both would mainly impact those walking dogs.
This is a big So What. People and pets need more excercise.

the city of Phila just did all the patch work on the bridge, so I'm not sure who owns it.
closing either/both would be inconvenient for many folks, but not that big of a deal.
thanks for telling us we need more exercise, great contribution.

[funk]

30th & Pennsy is at grade, and crossing the tracks is trespassing.
29th & Pennsy is via the bridge and I believe still owned by the RR.
Closeing either/both would mainly impact those walking dogs.
This is a big So What. People and pets need more excercise.

... you mean those who actually do exercise and or utilize the park?