Since I last visited THRON interlocking on Amtrak's Harrisburg Line, more progress has been made towards rationalizing the interlocking and closing the tower. Similar to what has taken place at PAOLI, redundant crossovers and stub tracks have been removed, although it is still not clear what the final outcome will be as SEPTA service looks to expand back to Coatsville and Parkesburg.
As recently as 2019 THORN was still in an approximation of its 1970's configuration with a 6-track full crossover and stub tracks for the old Trenton Cuttoff, removed track #3 in both directions and the #6 yard track. You can see my video post on an operator setting up a typical SEPTA R5 local movement across the entire plant.
However since then Amtrak has removed the worst of the redundancies with the 53 turnout and 55 crossover being completely removed, the 49, 51, 57 and 61 crossovers being reduced to turnouts, track #3 being removed in its entirely along with most of track #6 and the through section of track #5. Perhaps most significantly the interlocking has been completely converted to electric point machines, despite new A-5 point machines being installed on the #41 and #43 crossovers in 2019. You can browse the current state of the interlocking here.
Elsewhere on the pneumatic front, OVERBROOK interlocking has seen continued attrition of its A-5 point machines with as few as 3, the #11, #15 and #19, remaining in service. The casualty list includes the 019 switch in the former Woodbine section of the plant.
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