RailScan - Railroad Traffic Around Reading, PA
OBSERVATIONS AT READING. OCTOBER 11,2001

(ed. note: Tom Cooper and I went out for the day to get a handle on what goes on in and around Spring Street Yard on a typical day.  Tom is a representative of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, which is currently engaged in a study of the Schuylkill Valley Metro project.  Tom assembled these notes for your perusal.  CH)

All Times Are Approximate

9:00 Wyomissing Jct.
18G, 9573-8375-9361, 127 cars.

9:15 Wyomissing Jct.
11K, 9297-8395, 150 cars (approx).

9:30 Wyomissing Jct.
NS924, 9501-1643, 17 gray side dumps, 40 gray ballast hoppers, 67 NS ballast hoppers. 124 cars total. Later observed that the head 57 cars and some of the NS cars had been set off at Dyers Industrial Track, and the balance of the NS cars presumably used to fill the  quarry tracks. Crew was instructed to take the power to Millards "for the afternoon".

10:00 Wyomissing Jct.
22K, 9616-9124, 70 platforms.

10:25 Temple.
21M, 9619-9124, 66 platforms. (note: Railscan log shows 9515 on point -- Heard dispatcher say it [CH])

10:30 Temple.
H47, 5322, 5278 on the rear, 10 NS gons, 2 tanks, 6 GWIX covered hoppers, 18 cars total.

10:35
44A on the radio, ordered up 2 Runner.

11:25 Spring Street Yard
44A, 9206-8430-8421-9566 moving up 2 Runner, 147 cars, Crew time up at 12:30 PM.

At about this time, heard 10A report "stopped at 60", and heard 40T report "Approach at 65".

11:54 CP Oley
10A, 9635-9406 entering yard, 103 cars, pulled through 16, set over to 15 and (?) also set over to 26 (?).

12:17 Spring Street Yard
1OA clear in the yard and H90, which had arrived previously, cut away from train.

12:25 Spring Street Yard
H49, 4621, began doubling.

12:32 Spring Street Yard
H49 departed with 28 gray hoppers, 1 covered hopper, 1 flat. 30 cars total. 11th, 13th and 18th car appeared to be loaded.

12:45 Spring Street Yard
PRL backing in with 11 cars.

13:00
H49 on the radio. Ready for the Turkey Path. Told to hold for crew working at Dyers.

13:17 CP Belt
44A departed with 104 cars having cut away from 43 cars, presumably Conways.

13:20
Form D to PRL to use Track 2, Center to Wyo. Jct.

13:45 Spring Street Yard
H90, 3041-2828, departing with 29 cars. Did not have any cars that arrived on 10A.

14:22 Spring Street Yard
49G, 5412-9592-8726-6671, Arriving on 2 Runner. 112 cars. 2 Runner had obviously been cleared by a yard crew in our absence. 62 cars to go through. 50 cars to be dropped.

14:45 Water (Spring Street Yard)
49G picking up 4 cars from shop.

14:45
Eng 1643 gets Form D at Dyers to move west on single track.

14:55 Spring Street Yard
49G picking up 19 additional cars from yard.

15:12
507 reports stretched through Titus. Instructed to hold for 1643 to clear at CP Cumru.

15:58 CP Belt
49G departing with 62 through cars and 23 picked up. Conductor reports 30 loads, 55 empties.

16:15
16T reports at Wyomissing Jct. with a car on fire.

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