With the downtown section of the city of Easton, Pennsylvania as a backdrop, three GP40-2's lead an eastbound intermodal train across the Delaware River and into Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Phillipsburg was served by five of the six major railroads that were combined to form Conrail. The train is on the former Lehigh Valley main line known as Conrail's Lehigh Line. Just above the second and third units is the bridge carrying the former Jersey Central main line, at this time used by only one or two locals per day. The most distant bridge is the former Lehigh and Hudson River bridge, used by locals and unit coal trains for the Portland Generating Station. The lead unit is about to cross over the former PC (PRR) Belvidere-Delaware branch, out of this photo. Also out of the photo to the right is the end of the former EL (DL&W) Phillipsburg branch.
The rail scene in Phillipsburg has changed quite a bit since then. The LV bridge was found to be deteriorating, and the Lehigh Line was relocated to the CNJ bridge. The Portland Generating Station has been decommissioned, eliminating the need for unit coal trains on the L&HR bridge. Conrail sold the Bel-Del to the Belvidere-Delaware Railway in 1995, and all remaining lines were conveyed to NS in the Conrail break-up.
