Pavonia Yard

Pavonia Yard is a rail yard in Camden, New Jersey. It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and opened in 1888.[1] The yard begins just north of where the Conrail tracks cross the Cooper River near the intersection of State and Federal Streets, and continues north until approximately 36th Street, ending near the 36th Street River Line station. The yard was used to interchange with the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad (WJ&S) during 1896 to 1932, and with the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (P-RSL) during 1932 to 1976.[2] Initially the PRR operated large locomotive and car repair shops at the yard. In later years the engine work was discontinued, but the car repair shops remained in operation through the late 1930s.[3][4] The yard was rebuilt in the 1960s.[5]

Classification bowl at Pavonia Yard. In the foreground is the hump control tower and two retarder tracks.
Pavonia Yard

Pavonia Yard is currently operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations. It serves as the main classification yard for the Southern New Jersey area. It is a double-ended hump yard with a 32-track classification bowl.[6][7] In 2009, Conrail Shared Assets significantly downgraded the yard, reflecting its changed status from a major hub to a regional classification center. Most of the hump's height was removed, and the tower was torn down, replaced with a "switching kiosk" which crews use manually to throw switches. Conrail builds two CSX and one Norfolk Southern train there every day. (Info from a Trains Magazine article on Conrail Shared Assets Operations)

See also
Engine house and diesel locomotive service area (left) at Pavonia Yard.

References
  1. Dorwart, Jeffrey M. (2001). Camden County, New Jersey: The Making of a Metropolitan Community, 1626-2000. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8135-2958-5.
  2. Schafer, Mike; Brian Solomon (2009) [1997]. Pennsylvania Railroad. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7603-2930-6. OCLC 234257275.
  3. "Maintenance of Electric Railway Stock, West Jersey & Seashore Railroad". The Street Railway Journal. McGraw. 30 (15): 623. 1907-10-12.
  4. Ball, Don (1986). The Pennsylvania Railroad, 1940s-1950s. W.W. Norton. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-393-02357-2.
  5. SJRail.com. "Cooper Tower and Interlocking." Accessed 2010-11-29.
  6. Rhodes, Michael (2003). North American Railyards. Minneapolis, MN: MBI Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-7603-1578-1.
  7. "North America's Hump Yards". Trains. Kalmbach. 2006-07-08.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.