Changes in your local rail history

[styckx]

I find modern history enlightening. When I say modern, I mean within the past 200 years or so.

This is Woodbury New Jersey back in 1895. A mere 116 years ago. In the grand scheme of life, this is a very short amount of time. Yet.. Worlds change..

5 track mainline connecting to points east and west (Camden NJ and shore points). Beautiful piano factory and medical factory.

This very right of way is what was the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad in 1896 and would eventually become part of what was known as the infamous Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines.



Little more modern, we're down to two or three tracks and you can see both buildings in this picture.



Today.. The Piano factory demolished and only corner portion of G.G. Greens Laboratory. In it's place.. A senior living facility and a single line freight track.



Down a bit just to the left and out of frame is where those builds are. (around where that ambulance is)

The train station is now a cafe.

[ATSF3814]

Well the line that runs near my house is the Escondido Sub. I don't know a huge amount of history on it but I do know it was built by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad in the 1800s for freight and passenger service. There is still a station in Escondido that now serves as a small museum once the passenger service ended. ATSF continued to serve many industries along the line and it always made my day when I got to see one of their trains go by. That's why ATSF became my favorite railroad

I did manage to find a great blog about the line complete with several pictures from the ATSF days on the line. It also gives a great little history lesson:

http://www.craigsrailroadpages.com/atsf/index.htm
http://www.craigsrailroadpages.com/atsf/maps.htm

Once ATSF merged with BN to form BNSF, they continued running locals down the line but I remember trains started getting less and less common. Eventually, BNSF sold the line so it could be turned into a passenger line once again. This began in 2007 when the city started upgrading the tracks and crossings for the Sprinter passenger service:

http://www.gonctd.com/sprinter

The Sprinter service began a few years ago and continues today. I've ridden it a few times and I must say it is quite enjoyable. Although freights still come down the line, BNSF no longer handles them. They contracted a shortline called the Pacific Sun Railroad to handle all the locals from now on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Sun_Railroad

The freights are only allowed to run at night and I sometimes hear them around 11:00 PM or even 2:00 AM. Seen them a few times too.

That's pretty much all there is to say.