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Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh LineThe rail line in Gallitzin has changed ownership several times in the last fifty years. In 1968, Penn Central was formed when the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with arch-rival New York Central. Penn Central filed for bankruptcy in 1970, which pushed many of its connecting railroads to file for bankruptcy themselves. The US Railway Association was created by the government to save the failing group of northeastern railroads. On April 1, 1976, Conrail was formed out of the Penn Central, Erie Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, Reading, and several other companies. Conrail, by way of the 1980 Staggers Rail act (which de-regulated the railroads), was able to streamline and modernize its operations. In 1981, the fourth track was removed through this area, as was the New Portage branch which had run from Gallitzin (SF) to Duncansville. Conrail became a publicly-owned corporation in 1987 when the government sold it's remaining shares (after a thwarted merger attempt by Norfolk Southern). Locally, Conrail continued modernizing by enlarging the Allegheny and New Portage tunnels and closing several of the manned control towers (now controlled remotely by the train dispatcher in Pittsburgh). During this time period, Conrail performed final assembly for many General Motors-built diesel locomotives at Juniata Shops in Altoona - it had been many years since a new locomotive turned it's first wheel there. By the late 1990s, Conrail was competitive and profitable. This led (again) to merger interest from the two southern railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. An initial merger announcement was made by CSXT and Conrail in 1997; Norfolk Southern responded with a counter offer. A bidding war ensued that resulted in both roads purchasing Conrail and dividing it's assets roughly in half. In 1999 the merger/split was consummated and Norfolk Southern was the new owner of most of Conrail's routes in Pennsylvania. Today, this route is called the Pittsburgh Line, which is part of NS's Pittsburgh Division. The "Pittsburgh East" train dispatcher manages train traffic from Altoona to Pittsburgh from a state-of-the art dispatching center in Green Tree, west of Pittsburgh. Track 1 is located in the New Portage tunnel (accessible via short walk or drive from the Tunnels Park) and host most eastbound trains. Tracks 2 and 3 are located in the Allegheny Tunnel. Track 3 (closest to the caboose) hosts most westbound trains, while Track 2 can be used in either direction. Rail traffic is comprised of intermodal, coal, finished autos & auto parts, steel, mixed freight, and more. Four Amtrak passenger trains ply these rails every day. Approximately half of the traffic through Gallitzin is intermodal traffic connecting New York City with western cities like Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Loaded coal moves eastward to power plants in the northeast; empty coal operates westbound returning to coal mines in southwest Pennsylvania to reload. Almost all merchandise freight (identifiable by the variety of railcar types on the train) is classified at the sprawling Conway Yard twenty miles west of Pittsburgh. Eastbound destinations include Allentown, Harrisburg, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadephia, Newark, Binghamton, etc. Scanner Frequencies Road 1: 160.800 NS Pittsburgh Division - Pittsburgh Line
Timetable Key
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Gallitzin Area Tourist Council |
Phone: (814) 886-8871 Proud to be part of the Path of Progress |
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