The River Line's Last Conrail Signals

  Over the years I have reported on the CSX re-signaling efforts on the former Conrail River Line along the west side of the Hudson River. These efforts go back to the early 2000's as CSX looked to increase capacity on the route after its takeover and culminated in the recent re-signaling of CP-SK in Selkirk, NY.  CP-SK was able to hold out as long as it did because it was itself completely re-signaled by Conrail immediately before the CSX/NS split, dropping the need for capital improvement way down on the list. However for those Hudson Valley Conrail fans looking to get signaling fix, one small island of Conrail era signaling remains. 

Back in the 1960's, the old West Shore route was given a healthy dose of efficiency by the innovators at the  New York Central, changing a double track line into a single track with passing sidings spaced every 10 miles. This budget CTC system featured single block, restricted speed passing sidings about every 10 miles and fit in with the decline in northeast freight traffic, especially after the Penn Central and Conrail was able to divert traffic away from the former NY Central main line and the West Shore Route. However, as intermodal traffic picked up in the 1990s, Conrail found its River Line under capacity as every pass would require a painfully slow restricted speed pull-in.  Therefore it began to signal the sidings and modify the old New York Central small target searchlight signals to support Medium speed diverging routes working south to north.

Just prior to the CSX takeover in 1999, Conrail was largely finished with this project, however for whatever reason the old passing siding between CP-104 and CP-106 was found to be lacking and the siding was expended a little over a mile to the south to a new CP-102 with CP-106 also being completely rebuilt. In a manner similar to CP-SK, CSX put replacing this patch of late model Conrail signaling low down on the priority list and today that siding and the adjacent intermediate signal at Milepost 100 are the only remaining Conrail signals on the River Line.

With CP-106 directly adjacent to US 9W just south of Catskill, NY and CP-102 behind the quaint West Camp, NY post office, both locations are generally accessible and equipped with two Conrail target type color light masts, a 3-lamp Safetran dwarf stack, CorTen weathering steel relay huts and those iconic blue station signs.

The the 1008/1009 automatic signal, distant to CP-102, is just south of the Malden Turnpike grade crossing at River Line milepost 102 and also pretty easily accessible. This one makes use of premium US&S target type color light signals as opposed to the Safetran signals at the two interlockings.

It's highly likely that CSX will also replace these signals whenever some manager happens to notice the non-conformity. Moreover, without their presence there would not be much stopping CSX from a wholesale change in signal rules on the River Line from Conrail to Seaboard, so get out there and get your photos of R/*Y* Medium Approach while you still can.