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Dual-Gauge Concrete Crossing - East Broad Top RR, Mt. Union, PA

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  • Member since
    March 2002
  • 9,265 posts
Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 2:16 PM

For some reason, I keep coming back and looking at this photo....not sure why, but it is compelling none the less.

Makes me wonder what the equipment back then would have looked like...

23 17 46 11

  • Member since
    July 2010
  • From: Louisiana
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Posted by Paul of Covington on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 9:54 AM

   Is either set of tracks in use?     It looks like asphalt or something is covering part of both, and the rails have no shine.

_____________ 

  "A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania
  • 13,456 posts
Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:37 PM

East Broad Top RR....Surprised it's still together and running.  Remember some time ago it seemed to have rather difficult financial problems.  Hope it can continue on.

Would be nice if it could be reworked to have more mileage to run on.  Rehab {what I believe is still in place}, and allow longer rides.

Rode that route back 50 years ago....In the passenger car with the wicker chairs.  It was the last car on the train.

Quentin

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,540 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, September 1, 2011 6:58 AM

Most interesting.  I'm certain that our Australian and Brazilian forum members are quite familiar with an arrangement like this.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Allentown, PA
  • 9,810 posts
Dual-Gauge Concrete Crossing - East Broad Top RR, Mt. Union, PA
Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 8:55 PM

Recent photo (yes, mine) of the above:

"Looking southeast 5:00 PM Thurs. 18 August 2011 - road is "new" Rt. 522 Bypass, "Croghan Pike". Southeast side of Mt. Union, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, at approx. these Lat./ Long. coords.:
N 40.37632 - W 77.87160"

 

I have a few other photos of it, but I believe they wouldn't add much more information. 

More information from another thread here - "Cities closing grade crossings without railroad permission" - see post dated 06-15-2010, at:

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/175330.aspx?PageIndex=1  

Paul_D_North_Jr
  
 TomDiehl:
  Oddly, in Mount Union PA we had the opposite happen. A new cutoff for PA Route 522 bypassing Mount Union was put in several years ago. At one point, it crossed the approach to the East Broad Top yards (dual gauge) and there was debate about what to do. Two factors came into play: 1) The East Broad Top is a registered National Historic Landmark, and 2) A small upstart, called the Mount Union Connecting Railroad, was attempting to reopen rail service to an industrial park in Allenport to a connection with the former Pennsy, now Norfolk Southern. Probably the newest rail on the East Broad Top and one of the most modern dual gauge crossings around. 

This is to the southeast side of Mount Union, where that new bypass down the east side - E. Chestnut St. - drops down from 22/ 522 on the north side, and ties into 'old' 522 / E. Shirley St., with a 'Y' type intersection - right ?  It seems to show up on Google Maps' Satellite = aerial photo view pretty well - 3 rails and all - with a lime green maintenance-type vehicle at the northwest end of this crossing.  I may be out that way later this week during the early evening hours - if so, I'll try to grab a photo of it.  There can't be more than a handful like that in the entire nation . . . Confused

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)

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