Amtrak PORTAL Bridge Re-Labeling

The requirements of safety and signaling made railroads some of the first organizations to manage systems of unique identifiers and all their associated corner cases. Today we will explore how Amtrak is handling some of these corner cases as they replace the historic PORTAL swing bridge on the Pennsylvania Tunnel extension in the New Jersey Meadowlands.   

1910 vintage PORTAL swing bridge.

Let's first discuss names. Originally "W" cabin, PORTAL's current name emerged around the 1930's when increased use of voice-based telecommunications prompted the PRR to switch many of its interlocking identifiers from telegraph letter codes to names evocative of their local surroundings. At the time the swing bridge and its crossovers were the last interlocking station before the western portal of the North River Tunnels, thus PORTAL. In the mid-1990's Amtrak and New Jersey Transit implemented a connection between the DL&W main line and the Penn Station tunnel route immediately west of the PORTAL bridge. Branded Mid-Town Direct, this service would drastically decrease trip times compared to the 2-sear ride via Hoboken and someone came up with the name SWIFT for the new junction. 

"New" Eastbound PORTAL signal gantry over PRR era gantry.

 

Westbound gantry at SWIFT with route indicators.

The other important labeling system is for the universe of railroad tracks. It might seem straightforward to just start at 1 (or A) and advance upward, but on which side of the right of way does one start counting? What if you need to add a track on the "below" 1? I'll make a post about track numbering at some point, but in this case the PRR was forward looking and went with track #2 (eastbound) and #3 (westbound) since in 1910 it was foreseeable that traffic growth would require tracks #1 and #4 at some point in the future. When the Secaucus Transfer opened, the layout placed slower station tracks between main tracks #2 and #3. These were given letter designations with tracks A and B. PORTAL interlocking was even expanded to include switches into the western end of track A.  

1990's PORTAL extension to support new Track A with 80mph turnouts.

Fast forward to now and Amtrak is building a brand new PORTAL replacement bridge that will also replace most or all of the current PORTAL and SWIFT interlockings. However for the better part of a year both old and new bridges and tracks will be in service and keeping the names the same might result in safety critical confusion. As a result Amtrak proactively renamed the old tracks and interlockings in December, 2025 with PORTAL becoming OLD PORTAL, SWIFT becoming and OLD SWIFT, track #2 becoming track #22 and track #3 becoming #33.

It gets better because Amtrak employs a track number based labeling system for signals and interlocking appliances. This made signals like 2E and 3E into 22E and 33E. Likewise switches like #23 and #32 became #2233 and #3322. Note that lettered tracks are just assigned a number for the purposes of switch and signal labeling with 7 standing in for A, but because track A doesn't cross the bridge there was no need for it to participate in the renaming. 

The now renamed 2233 crossover and 227 turnout at SWIFT.

Like automatic signal number plates and interlocking station signs, track numbering is a fascinating topic that I will dive into at some point, but for now I'll leave things in the context of a topical news item. 

Policy Capture Ruins SEPTA's Suburban Trolleys

One reason often overlooked reason CBTC is problematic is that it provides management, lawyers and politicians the ability to reach forward and jam a broom handle in the spokes of the bike they are riding. Policy capture is the concept where an automation system allows "the powers that be" to implement policies that were previously impossible with a non-automated system. The most common example is on board announcements. While it would be difficult to go through the trouble of getting train operators to announce more than the next stop and "stand clear of the doors", an automated system can be programmed costlessly announce whatever management can think up, turning a generally quiet ride into a barrage of PSA's and nags. Well we have a new example of policy capture that stands ready to ruin SEPTA's Route 101 and 102 suburban trolleys. 

As previously discussed, the new CBTC signaling is replacing a stop-go block system that first used two lamp ABS signals and later regularly placed interlockings to ensure train separation. Since the Routes 101 and 102 utilize interurban type equipment that can run in street traffic, there was no need for a complex ABS system as the trolley operators could see a stop signal ahead and then stop at it like they would a vehicular traffic signal. In this case CBTC should have allowed for more frequent operation as on the dedicated rights of way the trolleys would be able to run much closer together. Instead the technology allowed for policy capture. 

While largely separated from road traffic, the Route 101 and 102 rights of way include many road crossings which are protected by crossbucks and traffic signals. Needless to say these are prone to the occasional trolley-motor vehicle accident. Attempts to install crossing gates to improve safety caused so much traffic congestion that the resulting public backlash not only halted the project, but saw the installed gates removed. This is the point where SEPTA could throw up its hands, say they tried and accept the occasional collision as a cost of car dependency, however this is where the CTBC system provided a hitherto impractical solution of enforcing a 10mph trolley speed at all road crossings. 

Deactivated crossing gates.

Sure, this could have been a operating rule, but such an awful policy would quickly be ignored by operators making SEPTA potentially liable for the negligence of road users.  However CBTC enforcing the speeds at every single road crossing took operators out of the equation and reduced the implementation cost to nothing. The only problem was that a 34 minute trip become a 49 minute trip. It's not clear how this will affect the ridership, but the cost of an half hour per day is likely to push more people onto the roads. 

CBTC beacon.

It's hard to argue against appeals to safety and thinking of the children. That's why sometimes the only way to win is to not deploy technology that makes enforcement possible. SEPTA's Route 104 used to be a suburban streetcar like the current routes 101 and 102, but was converted to bus operation in 1958. Today that bus can now travel far more quickly than a limited stop rail line on a dedicated right of way because, for the time being, those buses have human operators that are allowed to use their judgement and skill. A similar situation has also been reported on Toronto's Fitch West light rail line with the new LRV's taking up to 20 minutes longer than the previous buses due to an enforced 15kph speed restriction at intersections.  

PATCO CENTER Tower Moves To The Pherphery

 As the prototype for the "modern" heavy rail rapid transit system, Philadelphia's PATCO (Port Authority Transit Corporation) Hi-Speed Line was naturally designed with state of the art signaling. However as a prototype it had a few features rooted firmly in the past. For example it had cab signals without wayside block signals, but it used PRR style 100hz pulse codes as opposed to the audio-frequency track circuits that would appear on the DC Metro and BART. One of PATCO's most visible links to traditional railroad operation was its signaling control where the full-line CTC was placed not in a command center or dispatch office, but a "tower" built and named for the PRR interlocking tower that had occupied the same location for the previous 40+ years. 

As built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, CENTER tower sat at the 3-way junction where trains from the Federal Street Terminal would fan out en-route to various points along the South Jersey shore from Long Beach Island to Cape May. Older than the wave of towers that accompanied with 1934 PRSL merger, CENTER featured a 66-lever EP machine and despite the drop in passenger traffic throughout the 1950's, still saw plenty of action from freight trains and lite engine moves to the PRSL's primary service facility at the old Federal Street complex.  

This would change in 1966 when construction on the PATCO Hi-Speed line commenced. The project would replace the PRSL's Broadway station and the associated trackwork controlled by the old CENTER. The resulting real estate was repurposed for Interstate 676 and all traces of the old CENTER tower was erased, however the spirit of CENTER would live on in the new PATCO Hi Speed Line. 

When completed, the PATCO Speedline consisted of the existing 1936 vintage Delaware River Joint Commission "Bridge Line" between Camden and downtown Philadelphia along with a brand new grade separated rapid transit line to the New Jersey suburb of Lindenwold.  The new and old parts of the line joined just east of the old PRSL Broadway station in a space that would have been physically within the territory of CENTER tower. As PATCO tried to re-use as much existing infrastructure as possible it was decided to build the CTC office at this junction point as it could directly interface with the existing signaling and telecom links from the Bridge Line and not have to somehow forward those signals all the way to Lindenwold. Because PATCO's design team were generally rail enthusiasts, they named their CTC office after the old PRR CENTER tower. 

Technically the structure did count as a traditional tower as the operating floor was located above a typical PATCO substation. In addition to the unit lever CTC machine, CENTER also supported traction power direction and remote customer service via "call for aid" telephones and CCTV. CENTER would serve PATCO well for over 50 years, however as the systems were upgraded over the decades, the rationale for its existence, supporting direct wire control cabling, would no longer apply. Instead CENTER would be physically isolated from the main PATCO offices and shoppes in Lindenwold and also located in what had become one of the most dangerous cities in America. With the building starting to age and the work-site unpopular with employees, PATCO eventually found the money to build a brand new state of the art control facility at Lindenwold.   

Although the original CENTER tower will be retained as a backup facility, much of the spirit of classic railroading that CENTER represented is likely to be lost.

L&W PRR Pedestal Signals Appear on the LIRR.

With cast iron PRR type "pedestal" position light signals from US&S long out of production, SEPTA appeared to be the first to purchase ersatz pedestal signals from independent signal manufacturer L&W back in 2019. These boxy LED equipped replacements have subsequently appeared on Amtrak around Philadelphia's PENN interlocking. Well it seems that despite their move towards reduced aspect signaling, the LIRR has purchased some as well with a prominent example now at DIVIDE interlocking.

 While not completely unexpected the LIRR is known to have a sizable stock of pedestal signals that it uses during re-signaling projects to take the place of gantry-mounted PLs until the cutover process. However the number of concurrent signal projects may have exhausted the supply necessitating the purchase of new L&W stock. 

Conrail Signs on the D&H

One of the few interesting things NS still does from a signal perspective is show respect for its former Southern and Conrail territories through the use of those railroads' traditional "station" signs. For the Southern that is a sea green with white lettering and on Conrail that is blue with block white lettering in the Conrail font. In fact NS is so supportive of these heritage signs that they have been spreading beyond their traditional territories with the Southern green signs now seen on the old N&W and more recently Conrail signs on the former D&H. 

 

The specific instance I am making note of today is CP-597 in Afton, NY, an interlocking I previously discussed when it was under attack by a re-signaling project. If you really like your ancestry trivia we now have a former D&H interlocking location, that was amalgamated into Guilford's Main to Pennsylvania "Freight Main Line" with the new milepost 597, and today features NS color light signals with a Conrail station sign and CP designation (CP-597 vs Guilford's CPF-597). Wow, talk about a mixed bag, 

Fire at VALLEY JCT Tower

The Reading Company's late LEBANON VALLEY JCT interlocking tower was built in 1951 with CTC and direct wire control over most of the Reading Belt Line and eventually closed as a staffed interlocking station around 1987. It was used as a glorified relay hut for the next 15 or so years until its complete retirement from railroad use.  When I was able to profile the tower in late 2020 it had become unsecured at the hands of local vagrants and while this was a boon for documentation, I mentioned at the time that the structure was at grave risk of a downward spiral.  A year later the spiral had begun with evidence of both fire and vandalism inside. My prediction was demolition as an attractive nuisance due to the tower's robust brick and concrete construction, but apparently the roof and interior fittings of the operator's floor were made of wood and on Christmas eve 2025 the structure was gutted by fire. 

Photo courtesy Exeter Township Volunteer Fire Company

Demolition is likely inevitable, although the timeline is unclear due to the challenging location. (Amtrak's wooden SHORE tower suffered a fire about 5 years ago and still stands as of this post.) Regardless, anything of historic value that was not already removed was likely destroyed in the blaze.

 

VALLEY JCT joins a growing list of "robust" towers that have been demolished in recent years, many in far better condition. Just another reminder to not wait when it comes to documentary efforts. 

 

Amtrak Extends NEC Rule 562 From OAK to BUSH

Amtrak has recently activated Rule 562 cab signal operation between OAK and BUSH interlockings on the Aberdeen peninsula in Maryland retiring three intermediate wayside signal locations in the process. This follows a similar project between PRINCE and BACON interlockings that took place in 2018.  

The three wayside signal locations are the Milepost 65 signals just north of the Aberdeen station, the Milepost 67 signals near the defect detector in Short Lane and the Milepost 69 signals in Perryman.

This project has been anticipated for the better part of a decade, but according to my sources was waiting on a larger project to build a new interlocking or interlockings to improve routing around the Aberdeen station. It is possible that with both the Susquehanna River Bridge and Baltimore Tunnel replacement projects now underway, Amtrak lacked the spoons for a new Aberdeen interlocking.