Shellpot Branch
Encyclopedia
The Shellpot Branch is a former Pennsylvania Railroad
/Penn Central through-freight railroad owned and operated by Norfolk Southern since its acquisition, along with CSX Transportation
, of Conrail in 1999. The branch allows Norfolk Southern, since the opening of a new bridge in 2001, to bypass the city of Wilmington, Delaware
and allows direct access to both the Port of Wilmington
and the Delmarva Branch to Central Delaware, Maryland
, and Virginia
's Eastern Shore. Both ends of the branch connect with Amtrak
's Northeast Corridor
and, like all of the PRR's through-freight lines, was electrified from 1935 until the Conrail era. The line was originally built doubly tracked, but was subsequently converted to single track.
, a flying junction
39.776234°N 75.47851°W built by the former Pennsylvania Railroad originally to allow thru-freight traffic access to the double-track Shellpot Branch from the four-track Philadelphia-Washington
Mainline without crossing over any of the passenger-only tracks. Consisting of a single grade-separated overpass bridge used by northbound NEC (that is, Amtrak
intercity and Wilmington/Newark Line commuter trains (southbound trains remain at ground level)), the two inner tracks which become the Shellpot Branch duck underneath of the bridge and comes level with the two passenger tracks at the Bellevue Substation 39°46′03"N 75°29′02"W, which converts the 138 kV, 25 Hz AC transmission power to the 11 kV, 25 Hz AC traction power used on the overhead catenary used by the Amtrak and SEPTA trains. See also Amtrak's 25 Hz Traction Power System.
South of Bellevue, the two electrified tracks reduce to a single track, but less than a mile after the reduction, a non-electrified track that becomes the Shellpot Branch splits back off the electrified single track that eventually goes into Amtrak's Wilmington Maintenance Facility 39.746802°N 75.52128°W. An additional non-electrified track which serves DuPont
's Edgemoor freight siding splits off from the NEC at the Interstate 495
underpass.
Just after the divergence from the NEC right-of-way, the line enters the NS Edgemoor Yard 39.745563°N 75.518303°W facility. The line parallels I-495 and passes under 12th Street, then crosses over the Christina River
on a single-track turntable bridge that was rebuilt in 2001 39.728574°N 75.533645°W.
Past the bridge, the Delmarva Branch (more properly, the New Castle Subdivision which joins the Delmarva Branch at Bear, DE) splits off at a wye junction 39.726463°N 75.538409°W, also built in 2001 with the bridge, allowing both eastbound and westbound trains to access the line without having to go through Wilmington (which would only be allowed during overnight hours) and then reversing direction in Newport
. The Shellpot Branch ends with the line rejoining the NEC at the line's Ragan interlocking 39.715252°N 75.594188°W near Interstate 95
in Newport, Delaware
.
bridge had become a dilapidated two-track structure that forced Conrail, due to budgetary restrictions, to abandon the bridge and restructure Shellpot Branch operations in the mid-1990s. For nearly ten years the bridge sat idle. A novel public-private partnership between Conrail's successor, Norfolk Southern, and the state of Delaware
resulted in the state providing capitol (about $13 million) to rebuild the bridge. In return, the bridge became a toll bridge for twenty years, with NS paying the state a fee for each car transported over the bridge.
Due to the historic nature of the bridge, the movable span was removed and refurbished. The approach piers were replaced. Although the bridge has the width to accommodate two tracks, it was rebuilt with the single track structure centered within the bridge structure.
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
/Penn Central through-freight railroad owned and operated by Norfolk Southern since its acquisition, along with CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, of Conrail in 1999. The branch allows Norfolk Southern, since the opening of a new bridge in 2001, to bypass the city of Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
and allows direct access to both the Port of Wilmington
Port of Wilmington (Delaware)
The Port of Wilmington is a deep-water port located at the confluence of the Christina River and the Delaware River in Wilmington, Delaware, from the Atlantic Ocean...
and the Delmarva Branch to Central Delaware, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
's Eastern Shore. Both ends of the branch connect with Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
and, like all of the PRR's through-freight lines, was electrified from 1935 until the Conrail era. The line was originally built doubly tracked, but was subsequently converted to single track.
Route description
The line begins at its northern terminus at the Bell Interlocking near Claymont, DelawareClaymont, Delaware
Claymont is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 9,220 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, a flying junction
Flying junction
A flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
39.776234°N 75.47851°W built by the former Pennsylvania Railroad originally to allow thru-freight traffic access to the double-track Shellpot Branch from the four-track Philadelphia-Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Mainline without crossing over any of the passenger-only tracks. Consisting of a single grade-separated overpass bridge used by northbound NEC (that is, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
intercity and Wilmington/Newark Line commuter trains (southbound trains remain at ground level)), the two inner tracks which become the Shellpot Branch duck underneath of the bridge and comes level with the two passenger tracks at the Bellevue Substation 39°46′03"N 75°29′02"W, which converts the 138 kV, 25 Hz AC transmission power to the 11 kV, 25 Hz AC traction power used on the overhead catenary used by the Amtrak and SEPTA trains. See also Amtrak's 25 Hz Traction Power System.
South of Bellevue, the two electrified tracks reduce to a single track, but less than a mile after the reduction, a non-electrified track that becomes the Shellpot Branch splits back off the electrified single track that eventually goes into Amtrak's Wilmington Maintenance Facility 39.746802°N 75.52128°W. An additional non-electrified track which serves DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
's Edgemoor freight siding splits off from the NEC at the Interstate 495
Interstate 495 (Delaware)
Interstate 495 in Delaware is a six-lane bypass of Interstate 95 around the city of Wilmington, Delaware. Built in the mid-1970s and opened as the "Wilmington Bypass", the highway became, between 1978 and 1982, the route of I-95 around Wilmington, while the original highway through the city,...
underpass.
Just after the divergence from the NEC right-of-way, the line enters the NS Edgemoor Yard 39.745563°N 75.518303°W facility. The line parallels I-495 and passes under 12th Street, then crosses over the Christina River
Christina River
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...
on a single-track turntable bridge that was rebuilt in 2001 39.728574°N 75.533645°W.
Past the bridge, the Delmarva Branch (more properly, the New Castle Subdivision which joins the Delmarva Branch at Bear, DE) splits off at a wye junction 39.726463°N 75.538409°W, also built in 2001 with the bridge, allowing both eastbound and westbound trains to access the line without having to go through Wilmington (which would only be allowed during overnight hours) and then reversing direction in Newport
Newport, Delaware
Newport is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located on the Christina River. It is best known for being the home of colonial inventor Oliver Evans. The population was 1,055 at the 2010 census...
. The Shellpot Branch ends with the line rejoining the NEC at the line's Ragan interlocking 39.715252°N 75.594188°W near Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Delaware
In Delaware, Interstate 95 runs diagonally from the border with Maryland northeast to the border with Pennsylvania. Between the Maryland state line and exit 5, I-95 is also designated as the Delaware Turnpike and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. Along with its auxiliaries, I-95 is the only...
in Newport, Delaware
Newport, Delaware
Newport is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located on the Christina River. It is best known for being the home of colonial inventor Oliver Evans. The population was 1,055 at the 2010 census...
.
Christina River bridge
The Shellpot Christina RiverChristina River
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...
bridge had become a dilapidated two-track structure that forced Conrail, due to budgetary restrictions, to abandon the bridge and restructure Shellpot Branch operations in the mid-1990s. For nearly ten years the bridge sat idle. A novel public-private partnership between Conrail's successor, Norfolk Southern, and the state of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
resulted in the state providing capitol (about $13 million) to rebuild the bridge. In return, the bridge became a toll bridge for twenty years, with NS paying the state a fee for each car transported over the bridge.
Due to the historic nature of the bridge, the movable span was removed and refurbished. The approach piers were replaced. Although the bridge has the width to accommodate two tracks, it was rebuilt with the single track structure centered within the bridge structure.