On May 12, 2017 the Norfolk Southern picked up the last Air Products heat exchanger from the Packerton Yard in Lehighton, PA.. I used to watch this move from my bedroom window in Wilkes-Barre, PA as a boy so this was something of an emotional moment for me.. This operation was one of the most unique in North American railroading as it involved moving one of the biggest land commodities across several railroads..
It’s journey started at the Air Products plant in Wilkes-Barre where it moved over the Luzerne & Susquehanna Rwy to the NS interchange at Hudson, PA.. At Hudson, NS took it north to Dupont Jct where the Reading & Northern took it south over their Lehigh Division to Packerton Yard where we are now..
From Packerton NS would take the massive loads to one of several places, any of those places being the CSX.. Most of the time it was North Jersey where it was handed off to CSX as was the case today..
This was the last move of this kind as Air Products moved their production facilities to the Florida coast where these cylindrical beasts are now made and moved directly onto ships for export to other countries ending an important tradition and highlight in American railroading..
The addition of the VGN #1069 Heritage Unit (though not leading) served to add to the popularity of this historical final move.
