When I saw it, in what I recall being the very early 2000s, the Keystone trains turned on the wye and were backed in to return.
And if you haven't already discovered it, check out Jerry Britton's "The Pennsy Modeler" website (jbritton.pennsyrr.com). Put Harrisburg into the search box, and in the results pay particular attention to "On Location H: Harrisburg" and "24 hours at Harrisburg."
Thanks muchly. Part of this is how to design my middle loop, and I want to at least suggest (like 1/4 scale, or maybe 1/8th) Harrisburg.
I mentioned Bill Kachel's PRR "Cosmopolitan Division" layout in the recent thread on modeling NYC Penn Station. He also included Harrisburg station and trackwork (suitably but realistically compressed). You can see it (as an example of how to model Harrisburg) starting at the 2 minute spot in this Youtube video. It's probably in other videos of his layout as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Plyml6VvE
Yes. The PRR ran trains in both directions. Trains went both ways between New York and Chicago.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
The photo of GG-1 4884 reminds me of a day back in August of 1964, on a "Penn Job" out of Philly, headed for Boston. We had just passed New York's Harold Interlocking and were on the eastward approaches to Hell Gate Bridge. The conductor told me had something to for me to see and to come with him, to the end of the car. As the train was curving to the right, he told me to take a look and pointed to the Dutch door. I opened the top half, looked out casually, and then did classic double take! We still had a GG-1 up front! Immediately my question was, WHY? Did the New Haven power crap out. Was he going all the way to New Haven or turn us over to NH power, en route?
No, he was taking us all the way to New Haven and they had made multiple runs to New Haven with GG-1s in testing and, familiarizing NH personnel with them. Word I got was, the New Haven guys hated the tiny, cramped, steam era cabs, being accustomed to the "spacious" cabs of the Jets or FL-9s. And yes, the GG-1 on that day was 4-8-8-4. Five years later, GG-1s regularly came to New Haven, albeit dressed in the funeral black of the Penn Central.
I have track diagrams buried in my collection of "stuff" around here.
I've been through Harrisburg several times on Pennsy, P-C and later, Amtrak trains. It is a through station so, yes, you would see trains in both directions and you would see steam and/or diesels being swapped out for electrics here.
Harrisburg Penn Station by Kheel Center, on Flickr
GG1 4884 at Harrisburg 1966 by Charles Warren, on Flickr
http://michaelfroio.com/blog/2012/05/18/the-pennsylvania-railroads-harrisburg-terminal
Good Luck, Ed
I may - when I finally build that final section put in something to represent the Harrisburg Pennsy station. Question: does anyone know if the trains went through only in one direction, turning outside the station, or if you could see one train facing one way, and another the other, inside the station?