On a beautiful fall morning, Norfolk Southern train 269 (Port Newark, NJ-Chicago IL intermodal) rolls through the small borough of Lilly, Pennsylvania westbound on the NS Pittsburgh Line.
The Pittsburgh Line is Norfolk Southern’s main east-west artery. It is well known for being both the busiest line in the system and home to the world-famous horseshoe curve. As it makes its journey from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, it climbs the grade of the Allegany Mountains, passing through many small Pennsylvania towns such as Lilly. The line is part of the original Pennsylvania Railroad’s mainline. It then was passed to ownership by The Penn Central Transportation Company, Conrail, and finally its current owner, the Norfolk Southern Railway,
