The Lehigh Line Connection is the connection between Amtrak's Northeast Corridor(NEC) and the Conrail Lehigh Line south of downtown Newark, New Jersey. The point at which it leaves the NEC is known as Hunter Interlocking; because of this, the line is sometimes called the Hunter Connection. It is used by New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line trains and is a replacement for an older connection. [1] It splits from the NEC just north of the former connector, with wider curves (45 mph instead of 15 mph) and catenary wire that for now serves no purpose.
Prior to the improvements the connection had a single track, with older overhead wire and Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) signaling. Until 1961 Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) passenger trains bound to/from Pennsylvania Railroad's station in Manhattan, such as the Black Diamond, used the connection to reach their own railroad from the PRR main line. It was at the top of the hill at NK interlocking where LV diesels exchanged the train(s) with PRR electric locomotives.
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