The R&C - Conrail's Akron Secondary

A look at operations on the former Reading Company Reading & Columbia Branch, known on Conrail as the Akron Secondary. The branch was severed between Akron and Lititz on day 1 of Conrail, and later cut back to the east side of Ephrata. The Conrail scenes were shot in the winters of 1989 and 1990. The line was later sold to the Nolan group of short lines which will be the subject of another video.

[@timothyrearden3178]

Your stuff is coming up again on my Recommended list. Always good stuff. Tim

[@PRL2204]

Wow! This video is incredible! Both this branch and the 7554 have since been acquired by East Penn railroad, but the '54 now serves the perk branch. I grew up in this area my whole life, and its so cool to see how it has changed.

[@dennis-ul5ht]

It reminds me of the PRR branch that ran through my hometown of Westerville known as the C A & C (ironically, also known as the Akron Branch or Secondary for many years)...

[@EricFreas]

Awesome video! Thanks for posting! Haven’t gotten the chance to railfan this despite living near it my entire life

[@zachariassiefker9249]

Nice video! Love the old Conrail EMD’s, especially the GP9! Interesting air-horns as well!

[@SouthJerseyTrains]

Awesome locations, great sunlight, sweet chases and excellent video!

[@NSHammerhead]

Interesting how 7554 was still working the branch even before East Penn ever showed up.

[@TheZeke1974]

Love the goose horn on the GP!

[@pauliverson4129]

Excellent shots.

[@Slv2therhythm]

Nice graphics in the beginning! Great video!

[@tommythomason6187]

The jointed track is in good shape. That GP9 looks like one of Conrail's oldest units.

[@fmnut]

The track only looks good from a distance. We averaged a derailment every month in the years prior to the sale to Lancaster Northern. The Vinemont cut was the worst. The Geep was rebuilt in the late 1970s.

[@rwk360]

Why was the track ripped up between Ephrata and Lititz? Actually, the track ends just beyond Stevens, just past the Rt. 272 overpass. It is a rail trail from Ephrata south. Between south of Rt. 272 and Ephrata, it seems the ROW is either being reclaimed by nature or humans, there is a home development on satellite maps near Ephrata that just touches the ROW. The Ephrata station still stands, and is restored, but the area where the track was by the station is now paved. I always wondered why the federal government had to take over passenger trains in the US with Amtrak in 1971, and freight trains in the northeast-midwest with Conrail April 1, 1976. Today, the govt runs no freight trains since CR was split with CSX and NS, and in 1987 went public. Also, Conrail called their branch lines secondary.

[@fmnut]

The track between east Akron and Lititz was not included in Conrail. Since Conrail had access to the Lancaster area via ex-PC lines, it was determined to service Lancaster-Lititz and Lancaster Jct.-Columbia out of the ex-PC Lancaster Yard, and to service Sinking Spring-Akron out of Reading. The intervening trackage had no active customers and was not needed as a through traffic route, so it became part of the Reading Estate for disposal. Later, after Xtra Factors at East Akron gave up rail service, the line was cut back to its present location between Stevens and Ephrata.

[@rwk360]

And NS got the Lancaster-Lititz portion, and East Penn got the Sinking Springs-Stevens portion. Either section would have made a nice tourist line. But I doubt that would ever happen. There is a new tourist railroad opening this Oct. between Boyertown and Pottstown on a former Reading branch. Colebrookdale Railroad. Diesel for now, with open window coaches, open air car, and caboose with steam possible in the future.

[@b3j8]

I don't know your age, but in the case of Amtrak, most of the private carriers wanted out of providing passenger services. Most passenger trains of that era heavily lost money. Conrail was much more urgent as all of the railroads involved were in dire circumstances. With the latter, some routes, even those in decent shape, were abandoned do to multiple rail coverage. Probably waay over-simplified. But that's the deal in a nutshell.

[@Koala_5]

The tracks between Ephrata and Akron where ripped apart and then the line was turned into and trail

[@Koala_5]

The line through stevens and Denver is still in use but there is still a little part in Ephrata that is still in use

[@bloodofthetyrant]

The bell on that GP is incredible!!

[@Thermionman1970]

wow ........nice footage..What type of horn is that at 10:53?

[@fmnut]

There are actually two horns being blown at that time mark. The low, single note "honker" is a Wabco E2. The higher pitched chime horn is a Nathan P3. Some of these old Geeps were equipped with 2 sets of horns and 2 horn valves for travel in either direction. The crew was playing around with the horns because I was shooting video of them.

[@TheDash1112]

How did the trains run back to Sinking Spring ? Was there a run around ?

[@fmnut]

Yes, they ran around at Denver.

[@TheDash1112]

@@fmnut thanks !

[@Koala_5]

Did it go through denver

[@fmnut]

Denver is at 18:22

[@fredlohmann1448]

P3 & the other one i dont know.

[@fmnut]

Fred Lohmann Leslie A200R

[@supertvnetworkchannel9443]

hey

[@fairportrails107]

This isn't the ca&c

[@fmnut]

No it isn't. What is the CA&C?

[@fairportrails107]

@@fmnut Cleveland Akron and Columbus prr line that run from Hudson off the Cleveland line to the prr panhandle line in colombus

[@fmnut]

@@fairportrails107 no, this was the former Reading Co. Reading & Columbia branch from Sinking Spring to Columbia PA. After Conrail took over, the line was severed into 2 segments. The eastern segment terminated at Akron PA, hence the name. Now operated by Lancaster Northern.

[@fairportrails107]

@@fmnut thanks for the information