1956-08-27 LIFE magazine A RIDDLE IN MIDDLE OF RAILS

taxo: 

Looking south toward Sewell From Willow St? - The picture was taken by Dave Wilson.

Jeff Wentzell
Does anyone know, or remember when the second set of tracks were removed? I would like to narrow it down to month and year. Thanks.

Gary Campbell
Some of them were still there in the late 80's and there were gone by the 90's

John Leonardo Contarino
In Wenonah? I walked the tracks on a regular basis from the trestle to the railroad crossing near Wenonah Lake throughout the '70s - '80s and there was only a single track. I suppose the answer would be connected to when passenger service stopped and that railway was
converted to solely transporting goods.

Gary Campbell
When I say some there was a small section most of it buried near the little building that belonged to Conrail across from the Cumberland farms but it was just that one spot after that building burned down Conrail cleaned up what was left of the building and the little section of tracks were removed

John Leonardo Contarino
Ah it being buried would explain why I didn't see it. Interesting ...

Gary Campbell
I think it was more buried but I believe it was after a few good rain storms you could see it if you remember when it would rain hard water would be a long side of the tracks.

Larry Smith
Vicki Lou McCall I bet you know the answer.

Jeff WentzellAuthor
I think I spoke with you about this before. I thought they were torn up sometime between 1965-69. Now I'm thinking it was earlier, perhaps '59-'62? I want to find the picture that was in Life Magazine.

Jeff WentzellAuthor
Bob Thomas I bet you know too.

Dave Brangan
Jeff Wentzell Going on my memory only, I would say 59-52. Definitely not 65-69. There must be records somewhere.

Dave Brangan
Larry Smith Make that 59-62.

Dave Brangan
Oh boy. Good question. One for the books.

Alan Thomas
If I were to guess I’d say somewhere in the mid 40’s.

Larry Smith
This excerpt from the November 2008 WHS Newsletter suggests the 1960's: "In spite of statistics such as these the DRPA and other agencies are proposing putting trains back on the tracks, the very same tracks where they took them from in the 1960’s due …See More

Alan Thomas
Pretty sure they own 40 feet on both sides of the tracks.

Larry Smith
Sounds like 1956 may be the year. From railroad.net:
" #1508882 by BobfromPitman
Sat May 18, 2019 10:33 am
Life magazine dated August 27, 1956 page 136 shows a full page picture of a Pennsylvania signal placed in the middle of one of the railroad tracks. The picture was taken by Dave Wilson.
The writing at the lower left says: "A RIDDLE IN MIDDLE OF RAILS", "A railroad block signal is a safety device and as such should be situated where an approaching engineer cannot miss it. But to riders on the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines, one signal in Wenonah, N.J. may seem too emphatically placed. Signal C-119 was once more conventionally located. But when, because of light traffic, the railroad decided to shut down one of the lines two tracks, the signal had to be transplanted close to the other rails. That is how the riddle in a track's middle came about.""

Vicki Lou McCall
From our very own Walt Chattin~ https://railroad.net/viewtopic.php?f=97&p=1509519...

Wenonah Signal Move 1956 - RAILROAD.NET
RAILROAD.NET
Wenonah Signal Move 1956 - RAILROAD.NET

Bob Thomas
It is all well and good to talk about a picture -- but isn't it simpler to share it? Dont fret if ever you should begin to think that LIFE has passed you by -- you can peruse those old LIFE magazines at this link. https://books.google.com/books/about/LIFE.html

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