Lurgan Branch

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Lurgan Branch
Early Morning Romp - Mt Rock Rd South of Shippensburg, PA (6251885020).jpg
Northbound Norfolk Southern autorack train on the Lurgan Branch south of Shippensburg
Overview
StatusOperational
Owner Norfolk Southern
Localecentral Pennsylvania and western Maryland
Termini
Service
Type Freight rail
System Norfolk Southern
Operator(s) Norfolk Southern
Technical
Number of tracks1-2
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge

The NS Lurgan Branch is a 74 mile railroad line owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway ( reporting mark NS) in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The line is part of the NS Harrisburg Division and runs from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (LG 0) southwest to Hagerstown, Maryland (LG 73.7) along former Reading Company ( reporting mark RDG) and Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR) lines. [1] Its northeast end is at a junction with the NS Harrisburg Line, NS Pittsburgh Line, NS Royalton Branch, and Amtrak's Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line) in Harrisburg, PA; its southwest end is at the beginning of the Hagerstown District. In Lemoyne, PA it intersects the Enola Branch.

Contents

History

In 1837, the Cumberland Valley Railroad ( reporting mark CVRR) opened the line from Lemoyne, PA to Chambersburg, PA including the Lurgan Branch southwest of Shippensburg. [2] The Franklin Railroad extended the line from Chambersburg, PA to Greencastle, PA in 1839 [3] and Greencastle to Hagerstown, MD in 1841. [4] This part of the line became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) through leases and mergers.

The Harrisburg and Potomac Railroad was built in the 1870s from Lemoyne, PA to Shippensburg, PA.[ citation needed ] It was later linked to Harrisburg via the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Bridge,[ citation needed ] and became part of the Reading Company via leases and mergers. At Lurgan tower, just southwest of Shippensburg, PA, Reading ownership ended and the Western Maryland Railway Lurgan Subdivision began, continuing the rail connection to that railroad's Hagerstown classification yard. A connection was subsequently built in Shippensburg, PA between the PRR line and the RDG line to allow for interchange coal traffic.

Conrail took over both companies in 1976. The PRR line was abandoned from Shippensburg, PA to Carlisle, PA a portion that saw much street-running and -crossing, as this was the segment that was never significantly improved by the Cumberland Valley Railroad. The existing Cumbo connection was used to create the new hybrid line. The branch was assigned to Norfolk Southern in the 1999 breakup of Conrail. For similar reasons, the WM line south of Shippensburg, to Chambersburg, has been downgraded.

Expansion plans

Norfolk Southern is preparing for expanded traffic on the Lurgan Branch as part of its Crescent Corridor project. A new intermodal terminal is planned for Greencastle, Pennsylvania [5] and the existing terminal at Harrisburg, PA will be upgraded. Work was scheduled to be completed by the end 2013. [6] As of June 28 of 2023, the intermodal facilities in Greencastle, PA have once again been closed for services.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Subdivision (CSX Transportation)</span>

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The Lurgan Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. The line runs from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, south to Hagerstown, Maryland, and west to Cherry Run, West Virginia, along a former Western Maryland Railway line. It meets the Hanover Subdivision at Hagerstown and the Cumberland Subdivision at Cherry Run. The line is named after its former northern end in Lurgan Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, where the Western Maryland once connected to the Reading Company along the Alphabet Route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enola Branch</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Line</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">B-Line (Norfolk Southern)</span>

The B-Line is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The most heavily-used section of the line runs from Front Royal east to Manassas along a former Southern Railway line. The B-Line extends west into Strasburg, although no trains serve that part of the branch anymore, as it possibly will be turned into a rail-trail. Its east end is at the Washington District, and it crosses the Hagerstown District at Front Royal. Since the 1999 breakup of Conrail, when Norfolk Southern acquired the Lurgan Branch from the north end of the Hagerstown District into Pennsylvania, the B-Line east of Front Royal has been a major connection, allowing traffic on the Washington District to bypass Washington, D.C. The B-Line supports mainly intermodal and manifest trains, although beginning in late 2018, Norfolk Southern began running rerouted coal unit trains on it more frequently than before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunbury Line</span>

The Sunbury Line is a rail line owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway which in turn is owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The line travels from Sunbury, Pennsylvania, to Binghamton, New York, connecting with Norfolk Southern's Southern Tier Line at Binghamton and Norfolk Southern's Buffalo Line at Sunbury.

The Conemaugh Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Conpit Junction, Pennsylvania northwest and southwest to Pittsburgh, following the Conemaugh, Kiskiminetas, and Allegheny rivers, on the former main line of the Conemaugh Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). At its east end, it merges with the Pittsburgh Line; its west end is where it merges with the Fort Wayne Line at the northwestern tip of Allegheny Commons Park. The line was used by the PRR as a low-grade alternate to its main line, which is now part of Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line, in the Pittsburgh area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Line (Pennsylvania Railroad)</span> Former railroad line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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The Delaware Extension was a rail line owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Valley Railroad</span>

The Cumberland Valley Railroad was an early railroad in Pennsylvania, United States, originally chartered in 1831 to connect with Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works. Freight and passenger service in the Cumberland Valley in south central Pennsylvania from near Harrisburg to Chambersburg began in 1837, with service later extended to Hagerstown, Maryland, and then extending into the Shenandoah Valley to Winchester, Virginia. It employed up to 1,800 workers.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atglen and Susquehanna Branch</span>

The Atglen and Susquehanna Branch is an abandoned branch line of the Pennsylvania Railroad that ran between Lemoyne and Atglen, Pennsylvania. A portion of the line is now the Enola Low Grade Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Line</span> Norfolk Southern rail line

The Pittsburgh Line is the Norfolk Southern Railway's primary east–west artery in its Pittsburgh Division and Harrisburg Division across the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is part of the Keystone Corridor, Amtrak-Norfolk Southern's combined rail corridor.

References

  1. Norfolk Southern Corp. (2008). "Harrisburg Division." Track chart.
  2. "PRR Chronology, 1837" (PDF). (98.8  KiB), June 2004 Edition
  3. "PRR Chronology, 1839" (PDF). (82.7  KiB), June 2004 Edition
  4. "PRR Chronology, 1841" (PDF). (60.7  KiB), May 2004 Edition
  5. Norfolk Southern (2009). "Norfolk Southern Selects Greencastle Site for New Franklin County Regional Intermodal Facility, Supporting Crescent Corridor Initiative." Press release. 2009-08-12.
  6. Norfolk Southern (2009). "Crescent Corridor project aims to increase capacity for intermodal growth, reduce carbon footprint." BizNS (magazine). January/February 2009. pp. 6-7.