Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad


The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad is a short-line railroad operating on trackage mostly in Bucks and Montgomery counties to the north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created in 2011, taking over former operations from CSX Transportation. The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad interchanges with CSX in Lansdale, the East Penn Railroad in Telford, and the New Hope Railroad in Warminster.

Operations

The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad operates on of SEPTA-owned trackage mostly in Bucks and Montgomery counties to the north of Philadelphia, with some lines extending into northern portions of Philadelphia. The lines operated by the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad include the Bethlehem Branch from Newtown Junction to Telford, the Doylestown Branch from Lansdale to Doylestown, the New Hope Branch from Glenside to Ivyland, the New York Line from Jenkintown to Neshaminy Falls, as well as a portion of the Stony Creek Line near Lansdale. The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad also operates the Lansdale Yard in Lansdale. The railroad interchanges with CSX Transportation in Lansdale and the New Hope Railroad in Warminster. The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad offers various freight rail services including transloading of bulk commodities between railcars and trucks, rail access to warehouse facilities including Lansdale Warehouse and AmeriCold Logistics LLC in Hatfield, and storage of railcars.

History

In December 2010, it was announced that a newly formed shortline, the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad, would be taking over freight operations in the Lansdale area from CSX. Under the new arrangement, CSX would still move freight north from Philadelphia while the PN would serve customers in Lansdale, Hatfield, Souderton, Telford and Warminster. In addition, PN serves as a bridge route for rail traffic bound for the East Penn Railroad's Quakertown line, and the New Hope Railroad. The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad took over operations from CSX in August 2011.

Roster

Diesel locomotives
NumberModelBuilderBuiltHeritageNotes
5315SD40-2WGeneral Motors Diesel1979Former Canadian National RailwayOut of Service. Purchased 2011. Undergoing work in New Hope.
5342SD40-2WGeneral Motors Diesel1980Former Canadian National RailwayActive. Purchased 2011. Flagship locomotive for Pennsylvania Northeastern. Painted in PN's executive scheme.
5834B36-7GE Transportation1985Former CSX TransportationStored on the New Hope Branch
5843B36-7GE Transportation1985Former CSX TransportationStored on the New Hope Branch
7010GP9rmGeneral Motors Diesel1959, rebuilt in 1985.Former Canadian National RailwayActive. Originally built as CN GP9 4327. Purchased 2011. Wears PN "simplified" livery.
7210GP9rmGeneral Motors Diesel1959, rebuilt 1989.Former Canadian National RailwayOut of Service. Originally built as CN GP9 4312. Purchased 2011. Wears patched CN livery. Currently in storage on the New Hope Branch.
8211C39-8GE Transportation1986Former Norfolk Southern, Ex ConrailRetired. Originally Conrail as CR 6017. Purchased 2010. Wears patched out NS livery. Currently in storage on the New Hope Branch.
8212C39-8GE Transportation1986Former Norfolk Southern, Ex ConrailActive. Originally CR 6021. Purchased 2010. Wears patched out Conrail livery.
8701SD60Electro-Motive Diesel1989Former CSX TransportationActive. Built 1989 for CSX by EMD, retired 2017. Purchased by PN in 2019. Wears patched CSX livery with Pennsylvania Northeastern lettering.
8711SD60Electro-Motive Diesel1984Former CSX Transportation, Ex Conrail, Exx-EMDXActive. Used by EMD as a demonstrator locomotive for the SD60s. Purchased by Conrail in 1986 and became CR No. 6842. Became CSX 8711 in 2000. Purchased by PN in 2019. Wears patched CSX livery with Pennsylvania Northeastern lettering.

Gallery