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From: drockwel@CSNET-SH.ARPA (Dennis Rockwell)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Re: Philly-Pittsburgh train
Message-ID: <1162@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 2-Sep-85 17:00:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.1162
Posted: Mon Sep  2 17:00:46 1985
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	From: David.Black@cmu-cs-a.ARPA
	Date: Sun,  1 Sep 85 21:34 EDT
	Subject: Re: Philly-Pittsburgh train

	Gee, Dennis...when was the last time you rode Amtrak between Phila.
	and Pittsburgh??  If recently, then you're familiar with one major
	reason that line is not suitable for a NEC-style upgrading;
	excessive curvature. [ ... ]

Heavy sigh.  That's what I was afraid of; I've only ridden as far as
Harrisburg.  This is the same reason that electrification isn't being
seriously considered for New Haven-Boston.  At least that's pretty flat.

	On top of this, west of Harrisburg, the ex-Pennsy route is one of
	Conrail's most heavily used freight lines; the freights will knock
	that delicate passenger alignment and superelevation all out of
	whack on a daily basis [ ... ]

Yup -- I saw the Trains article.  Being generally unfamiliar with western
PA, I didn't know there was that much freight traffic there, but I should've
been able to figure it out.  This is sounds like one of the places where the
railroad is a clear win over truck traffic, due to topography and tonnage.

	[ ... ] plus a new line on new alignment between there and Pittsburgh.

What sort of real estate congestion is there out that way?  How much trouble
would there be obtaining the rights-of-way?  Is there a radically different
route available which might be longer, but straighter and flatter (along
some valley -- don't lots of them run NW through that region?) that didn't
totally ignore where people want to go?

	The French TGV lines are built this way; use existing alignments
	where practical, particularly for city entries, and bypass hopelessly
	curved areas with new lines on straighter but more hilly alignments.
	Needless to say, this won't be cheap.

Yeah!  Boston used the same methods already for new rights-of-way -- one
for the MBTA Green Line Riverside branch (formerly Boston & Albany, now
Boeing LTV/PCC streetcar), another for the Mass Pike!  The latter still
carries a couple of tracks and was recently relaid with welded rail.  The
Washington Metro also does this in several directions out from DC.

TGV does do well on grades; but yes, it won't be cheap.  I don't remember
anything in the NEC Trains article on the grades in the corridor.  Did the
later article on the AEM7 mention it?

Dennis