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The Chester Secondary is an active railroad line in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Delaware . The line is operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations , which serves as contract local carrier and switching company for both CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway . The line runs from Philadelphia to Claymont, Delaware , a distance of 14.9 miles (24.0 km). It traverses the namesake Stoney Creek , Chester Creek , Ridley Creek , Crum Creek and Darby Creek near their mouths along the shore of the Delaware River .

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55-583: This line should not be confused with the Stony Creek Branch , which is a former Reading line in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania between Norristown and Lansdale , 9.9 miles (15.9 km) in length and operated by CSX for freight only. The Chester Secondary begins south of CSX East side yard (RG Tower off the Philly Sub at Eastwick and heads toward SEPTA 's Airport Line . At 60th Street Junction,

110-513: A combined NS/Conrail system. The railroad fiercely argued against allowing the sale to go through, even arguing that monopoly concerns precluded a Conrail sale to either NS or CSX. Despite his history in organizing the NS merger while leading the Southern Railway, Crane was a strong advocate for Conrail's independence and proposed an alternative: privatizing Conrail through an initial public offering to

165-512: A contract with Wabtec for modernizing their fleet of CW44s. The modernized locomotives, nearly thirty in number as of June 2020, are being classified as CM44AC . In February 2024, CSX and Wabtec reached a new agreement, of which, involves the modernization of over 200 locomotives. This accounts for the rest of the active roster of CW44ACs & CW44AHs . The locomotives will be modernized through 2028. On April 30, 2019, CSX unveiled locomotives 911 and 1776, two ES44AH locomotives created to honor

220-582: A crash safe cab, a new electronic control stand, and Positive Train Control (PTC). In 2019, 25 SD70AC locomotives were rebuilt at the CSX Huntington Heavy Repair Facility, with rebuilt prime movers, in-cab electronic and comfort improvements, New York Air Brake CCB II airbrake systems, and new Mitsubishi drive controls. CSX has also partnered with Wabtec to rebuild GE locomotives at their Fort Worth facility with prime movers upgraded to

275-754: A merger in 1960, which was authorized by the Interstate Commerce Commission in late 1963 and finally completed in 1967, forming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . The combined company absorbed the Piedmont and Northern Railway in 1969. In the Midwest, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) went on an acquisition spree, splitting the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI) with

330-510: A profit for the first time under the leadership of L. Stanley Crane in the wake of the Staggers Rail Act . The Reagan Administration wished to privatize Conrail now that it had shown it could stand on its own and placed it for sale in 1983. While CSX expressed interest, it ultimately did not place a bid for Conrail; Norfolk Southern did, however. When the government identified NS' bid as the winner, CSX realized it faced financial peril from

385-520: A total of 21 heritage locomotives would be painted over the coming months, with the locomotive number coinciding with the year the railroad was founded or the name began being used. In 1995, CSX started a new liability insurance requirement of $ 200 million to introduce their official policy, "no steam on its own wheels", banning the operation of steam locomotives and other antique rail equipment on their trackage due to safety concerns, and increased risk. In hump yards , trains are slowly pushed over

440-658: Is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec . Operating about 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track, it is the leading subsidiary of CSX Corporation , a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida . CSX Corporation was formed in 1980 from the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries , two holding companies that controlled railroads operating in

495-590: Is a railway line in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania . It runs 9.9 miles (15.9 km) from Lansdale, Pennsylvania , to Norristown, Pennsylvania , connecting the Bethlehem and Doylestown Branches with the Norristown Branch . Although SEPTA owns the line, it is freight-only. CSX Transportation , Norfolk Southern Railway , and the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad have trackage rights on

550-550: Is designated as local O823. CSX operates Coke Express unit trains . They carry coke for steelmaking , power generation and other various uses, running between Pittsburgh and Chicago , and other places in the Rust Belt . CSX has rebuilt a significant number of locomotives. Some of their EMD GP38-2 , GP40-2 , and SD40-2 locomotives have been rebuilt to Dash 3 standards with updated Wabtec Electronically Controlled Air Brakes, air conditioning, automated starting controls,

605-505: The Eastern United States . Initially only a holding company, the subsidiaries that made up CSX Corporation completed merging in 1987. CSX Transportation formally came into existence in 1986, as the successor of Seaboard System Railroad . In 1999, CSX Transportation acquired about half of Conrail in a joint purchase with competitor Norfolk Southern Railway . In 2022, it acquired Pan Am Railways , extending its reach into northern New England . Norfolk Southern remains CSX's chief competitor;

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660-785: The Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1969. This was followed in 1971 with the acquisition of the Monon Railroad , which had complained bitterly about the C&;EI split. The L&N also purchased a portion of the Tennessee Central Railway in 1969. While still independent, the L&;N had long standing links to the Atlantic Coast Line, and other railroads in the region began to worry about a combined L&N/SCL system. In 1969,

715-794: The New York Central (NYC) and Pennsylvania (PRR) railroads in November 1957 that they were considering combining set off discussions between the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) on a merger. Ultimately, the financially stronger C&O took control of the B&;O in December 1962, though the two railroads kept their separate identities. The NYC and PRR ultimately formed Penn Central Transportation Company in 1968, which by 1970

770-449: The Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway unveiled their own plans for a merger. The Southern was opposed to the planned CSX merger, but soon came to terms with Chessie and SCL and dropped its objections. On November 1, 1980, following ICC approval, CSX Corporation officially came into being as the successor of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries. In 1982, N&W and

825-597: The Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution ( SCI-Chester ) and then proceeds behind some warehouses including those for Scott Paper . The Chester running track crosses the Chester Creek on a small bridge and now runs one block south of PA 291, continuing that way for most of the way to Stoney Creek Yard, north of namesake Stoney Creek . The line continues through the former Sunoco refinery (now operated by Energy Transfer Partners ) across

880-626: The Surface Transportation Board . The STB approved the purchase on April 14, 2022. As part of the acquisition, Norfolk Southern Railway will gain trackage rights over several CSX lines, and Pan Am Southern , 50 percent owned by Pan Am Railways, will be operated by the Berkshire and Eastern Railroad , a new Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary formed explicitly for this purpose. CSX completed the purchase on June 1, 2022. On June 28, 2023, CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) announced

935-518: The Three Rivers Railway as a subsidiary and purchased several key P&LE lines through it. CSX did not want the entire railroad, so some lines and company assets were instead retained by the P&;LE's parent company, which ultimately sold them off. The company introduced its current slogan, "How Tomorrow Moves", in 2008. In 2014, Canadian Pacific Railway approached CSX with an offer to merge

990-401: The 1990s, and Q740 in the 2000s. The Juice Train has previously been studied as a model of efficient rail transportation that can compete with trucks and other modes in the perishable-goods trade. In 2017, the train was abolished from north of Tampa, Florida , and now mixed freight trains deliver the cars to their respective destinations. It still operates between Bradenton and Tampa however, but

1045-451: The 50.4 miles (81.1 km) miles of line between Myrtlewood and Meridian. The agreement became effective 16 November, 2024. Initially, and for the next five years, CSX and CPKC will interchange across the line an average of two trains per day in each direction. In turn, the Board also required CSX to maintain its Selma, AL , gateway open and to provide one shipper access to the NS at Selma at

1100-516: The 50.4 miles (81.1 km) segment of the line between Myrtlewood and Meridian. MNBR will cease operations between Montgomery and Myrtlewood although it may continue to operate between Myrtlewood and Meridian, and continue to serve existing customers on that segment of the line. If the STB approves the purchase, it will provide a connection between the two companies' networks and allow CSX traffic destined for Mexico to be delivered directly to CPKC, eliminating

1155-526: The B&O merged into the C&O. With the Western Maryland having already merged into the C&O, this left the C&O as the sole operating railroad under the Chessie System banner. Finally, on August 31, 1987, C&O/Chessie System merged into CSX Transportation, bringing all of the major CSX railroads under one banner. Government formed Conrail began to show promise in the early 1980s, showing

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1210-741: The Conrail network on June 1, 1999. CSX now serves much of the Eastern United States , with a few routes into nearby Canadian cities. The two competitors were unwilling to give one company full control of busy industrial areas in Detroit , Philadelphia , and northern New Jersey (the Chemical Coast ). A compromise solution was reached by creating Conrail Shared Assets Operations , a jointly owned switching and terminal railroad which would operate in these areas on behalf of both CSX and NS. Virginia shortline Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad (RF&P)

1265-596: The FDL Advantage spec and new electronic controls such as the Wabtec Trip Optimizer Zero-to-Zero system. CSX has also obtained a few EMD F40PH -2s—nos. 9992, 9993, 9998, and 9999 (All locomotives except 9999 have been renumbered to CSX 1, 2, and 3 and were repainted into a heritage Baltimore and Ohio Railroad scheme)—that were retired from Amtrak for executive office car service and geometry trains . Another locomotive, ex- MARC GP40WH-2 no. 9969

1320-522: The M&;B rate for five years, subject to reasonable cost escalation. It also includes conditions protecting employees affected by the line sale, and requires noise mitigation efforts regarding the CSX portion. A few days before CSX and CPKC officially took over the former M&B line, Schneider National , CSX's one of major intermodal partners and CPKC's main partner, announced that a new interline service connecting

1375-837: The North Pennsylvania on May 14, 1879. The Reading, through the Norristown Junction Railroad , built a connection between Norristown Branch and the Stony Creek Railroad in 1880. Under the Reading, the division point between the two lines shifted north, with the Norristown Branch moving north to include the Norristown–Main Street and Norristown–Elm Street stations. The truncated Stony Creek Branch stood at 9.9 miles (15.9 km). The Stony Creek Railroad

1430-703: The Pennsylvania-Delaware border before ending just short of Naamans Creek in Claymont . There is also a connection from Stoney Creek Yard to Hook Interlocking on the Northeast Corridor which crosses US 13 . Before the line was operated by CR, the line belonged to the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company to serve the industries of Chester. As time changed and many industries left Chester,

1485-496: The STB approved the CSX–NS application and set August 22, 1998, as the effective date of its decision. CSX acquired 42 percent of Conrail's assets, and NS received the remaining 58 percent. As a result of the transaction, CSX's rail operations grew to include some 3,800 miles (6,100 km) of the Conrail system (predominantly lines that had belonged to the former New York Central Railroad ). CSX began operating its trains on its portion of

1540-606: The Seaboard Coast Line created Seaboard Coast Line Industries as a holding company. The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad had already held some of L&N's stock, but the new holding company began buying up as much as it could find and held nearly total control of shares by 1971. With this also came control of the Clinchfield Railroad and Georgia Railroad , both of which were nominally jointly owned by SCL and L&N. The resulting railroad conglomerate began operating under

1595-622: The Southeast (Florida and Georgia) with the Texas and Mexico markets via the route between Montgomery and Meridian will be launched beginning in December. CSX operated the Juice Train which consisted of Tropicana cars that carried fresh orange juice between Bradenton, Florida , and the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey . The northbound train was originally designated on CSX as K650 during

1650-494: The Southern completed their merger and formed Norfolk Southern Railway , creating a competitor to CSX. One of the first issues the new railroad grappled with was the choice of name. Chessie and SCLI leadership agreed that, as a merger of equals, neither of the existing names could be used. A call for suggestions went out to employees of both railroads, who responded with a wide variety of initialisms combining C and S in some form. At

1705-496: The State of Virginia, which held partial ownership of the RF&;P, was displeased with the merger agreement created by CSX. In particular the status of Potomac Yard , then a major classification yard in the RF&P system, was a matter of disagreement. The yard had potential for redevelopment, and as part of negotiations with the state, CSX ultimately agreed to decommission the rail yard by

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1760-591: The branch. The Stony Creek Railroad was incorporated on April 14, 1868, to build south from the North Pennsylvania Railroad main line at Lansdale along Stony Creek to Norristown, Pennsylvania . The line, 10.3 miles (16.6 km) long, opened on December 30, 1873, under the control of the North Pennsylvania. Its Norristown station was located at Main and Markley, the present site of Norristown–Main Street . The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad leased

1815-471: The car is owned by a leasing company or private car owner. Chessie's public relations staff drafted a number of possible logos for the new railroad, but continued to strike out until it was suggested to combine the letters "C" and "S" in the shape of an X. Despite the merger in 1980, CSX was a paper railroad (meaning no CSX painted locomotives or rolling stock) until 1986. In that year, Seaboard System changed its name to CSX Transportation. On April 30, 1987,

1870-444: The competitors struck a deal to split Conrail between them. On June 23, 1997, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board for authority to purchase, divide, and operate the assets of the 11,000-mile (18,000 km) Conrail, which had been created in 1976 by bringing together several ailing Northeastern railway systems into a government-owned corporation . On June 6, 1998,

1925-476: The first responders and veterans respectively. Another special unit, ES44AH 3194, was unveiled on August 22, 2019, in honor of the law enforcement. On September 13, 2022, CSX unveiled SD70AC 4568 painted in honor of Operation Lifesaver's 50th anniversary. In May 2023, CSX unveiled their heritage unit program, beginning with ES44AH No. 1827 being painted for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . CSX then stated that

1980-518: The general public. Crane's solution was ultimately adopted in 1987, keeping Conrail independent. This was not the end of CSX and NS interest in Conrail, and attempts by both competitors resumed in the 1990s. This time, CSX struck first, announcing a surprise deal to purchase Conrail in October 1996. NS promptly made an offer of its own and began a bidding war with CSX that was only resolved in January 1997 when

2035-533: The intention to purchase Meridian and Bigbee Railroad (MNBR). The MNBR creates a connection 168 miles (270 km) between CSX in Burkville, Alabama near Montgomery , and Meridian, Mississippi , where it joins the Meridian Speedway heading west. Under the proposed agreement, CSX will resume operations between Montgomery and Myrtlewood, terminating the lease currently in place with MNBR, while CPKC will acquire

2090-399: The line and sparked an interest in purchasing it outright. An initial attempt to buy out the P&LE in partnership with an employee buyout by P&LE employees in 1988 failed when negotiations between CSX and the other railroad's unions could not come to an agreement. CSX instead purchased the P&LE main line outright in 1991, leasing it back to the P&LE. The next year, CSX formed

2145-407: The line briefly heads solo towards Lester and Tinicum Township where the line runs a short distance south of PA 291. The line then encounters Wanamaker Yard near Darby Creek which is crossed using the former PRR bascule bridge , still active for water traffic (the adjacent Reading Company drawbridge, identical in design, was abandoned by Conrail and is permanently raised). Entering Eddystone ,

2200-668: The line merges with the former Reading Company line to the Philadelphia International Airport . South of the Eastwick SEPTA station , to the point where the Chester Secondary leaves the Airport Line (which heads to Philadelphia International Airport), the railroad line parallels Pennsylvania Route 291 , a state highway which is often close by the Chester Secondary. After ducking under Interstate 95 and PA 291,

2255-488: The line passes the Boeing Helicopter Facility and Exelon 's Eddystone Generation Facility. After passing those two companies the secondary ends and becomes a running track. The line briefly curves around a few industries before returning to follow PA 291. At this point, the line briefly parallels the highway and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and enters Chester . Here, the railroad line leaves PA 291 to pass behind

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2310-578: The line saw fewer and fewer customers until it was left with those remaining today. Today, the line sees mostly short local freight trains. There are plenty of warehouses that line the track for boxcar usage and a few chemical companies bring in tank car and covered hopper transport. The line has two yards along the entire line: Wanamaker Yard in Tinicum Township and Stoney Creek Yard in Trainer . Stony Creek Branch The Stony Creek Branch

2365-532: The name "Family Lines". Despite this wave of mergers, one more was yet to come - the combination of Chessie System and the Family Lines. To this end, the CSX Corporation was organized on November 14, 1978, as a future vehicle for such a merger. Chessie and SCL Industries formally applied for ICC approval of their merger plans in January 1979, causing a rapid reaction from the region's other railroads. By April,

2420-610: The need for a third intermediate railroad to move such traffic. Currently, CSX traffic bound for Mexico is exchanged with the Union Pacific Railroad in New Orleans , who then takes it to the cross-border gateway in Laredo, Texas , where it is delivered to CPKC. In October 2024, the STB approved CSX's resumption of operations on the 93.7 miles (150.8 km) leased from M&B between Burkville and Myrtlewood and CPKC's purchase of

2475-509: The same time, the two companies' lawyers needed a name to use as part of their proceedings with the ICC. "CSC" was chosen but belonged to a trucking company in Virginia . "CSM" (for "Chessie-Seaboard Merger") was also taken. Needing some sort of identifier for the new railroad, the lawyers decided to use "CSX", and the name stuck, despite only being intended as a placeholder. In the public announcement, it

2530-442: The steel industry in the 1980s crippled the railroad. As local traffic dried up, conditions reached the point that the B&O was running as many as 20 trains per day on the P&LE main line versus just one run by the line's owner. When P&LE employees went on strike to protest a change in ownership of the railroad, the company cut maintenance and reduced its main line to one track to cut costs. This adversely affected CSX usage of

2585-461: The time a deal was reached in October 1991 whereby CSX and the State of Virginia each purchased part of the RF&P. From the 1930s, the B&O had used part of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) main line from McKeesport, Pennsylvania , to West Pittsburg via a trackage rights agreement. The P&LE remained healthy enough to escape inclusion in Conrail, but a severe downturn in

2640-593: The two companies, but CSX declined, and in 2015 Canadian Pacific made an attempt to purchase and merge with Norfolk Southern , but NS declined to do so as well. In 2017, CSX announced Hunter Harrison would become its new chief executive officer; a settlement with activist investor Paul Hilal and Mantle Ridge. CSX added five new directors to their board, including Harrison and Mantle Ridge founder Paul Hilal. Mantle Ridge owns 4.9% of CSX. Harrison quickly moved to convert CSX rail operations to precision railroading . On December 14, 2017, CSX announced that Hunter Harrison

2695-487: The two share a duopoly on transcontinental freight rail lines in the east half of the US. CSX is the result of a number of mergers among railroads operating in the eastern United States, the earliest among them the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) which formed in the 1820s. Many of the competing railroads along the east coast began merging from the 1950s onward as part of a broader trend of consolidation. An announcement from

2750-605: Was acquired by CSX in February 1990. The RF&P had historically been jointly owned by a number of connecting railroads through a holding company and operated as a bridge line . All of these owners except the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Southern Railway eventually became part of CSX, and the PRR stake was given up during the bankruptcy of Penn Central. This purchase added a new connection between Alexandria and Richmond , linking former B&O lines with those of C&O and Seaboard. However,

2805-504: Was acquired for the same purpose. With the arrival of Hunter Harrison , CSX began to store many locomotives. Following Harrison's death, his replacement James Foote largely continued his policies. The company had over 900 locomotives in storage in January 2018. CSX ordered ten SD70ACe-T4s in August 2018, which were delivered in July the following year. They are classified as ST70AHs. CSX also has

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2860-670: Was bankrupt. The combined C&O/B&O purchased stock in the Western Maryland Railway until it was able to take full control in February 1967, bringing a third railroad into the combined entity, which in 1973 became formally known as the Chessie System after the C&O's historic cat mascot Chessie. While the railroads in Appalachia were merging, southern railroads (and historical competitors) Seaboard Air Line Railroad and Atlantic Coast Line Railroad decided to pursue

2915-734: Was on medical leave. Two days after the announcement, Harrison died, one day after being hospitalized for complications of an ongoing illness. CSX initially saw a 10% drop in its stock price, but turned around to hit a new 52-week high less than a month later (January 2018). Harrison's successors have continued the shift to precision railroading, with most hump yards converted to flat yards, low volume shipping lanes eliminated and reductions in rolling stock and work force. On November 30, 2020, CSX Transportation's parent company CSX Corporation announced on social media that they had come to an agreement with Pan Am Systems to purchase New England based Class II Pan Am Railways , pending regulatory approval from

2970-465: Was one of twelve railroads merged into the Reading Company effective December 31, 1945. On the Reading's final bankruptcy in 1976 the branch was conveyed to SEPTA , with Conrail retaining trackage rights. Today, CSX Transportation , Norfolk Southern Railway , and the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad have trackage rights on the branch. CSX Transportation CSX Transportation ( reporting mark CSXT ), known colloquially as simply CSX ,

3025-399: Was said that "CSX is singularly appropriate. C can stand for Chessie, S for Seaboard and X, the multiplication symbol, means that together we are so much more." However, an August 9, 2016, article on the Railway Age website stated that " ... the 'X' was for 'Consolidated' ". A fourth letter had to be added to CSX when used as a reporting mark because reporting marks that end in X mean that

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