On- and Off-road

   This spring I intend to try a couple new (to me) trails that I heard about through friends and websites. Generally I don’t like to do out-and-back routes, unless I really desire a break from road traffic or if the surrounding landscape (such as a river gorge) doesn’t inspire me to adventure beyond the trail itself. I usually plot some type of loop that combines roads and trails, so the scenery isn’t repeating itself. There are times, however, when my designed route will have to be altered because of some road detour or unforeseen trail conditions, and I can’t quite stick to the plan.

   Such was the case last week when I took a ride on the Enola Low Grade Trail that runs nearly 29 miles in disconnected segments from the town of Atglen, PA, to the Susquehanna River near Creswell, PA. The name of the trail makes reference to its heritage as a former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) line on its way to Enola, PA, once the location of the largest railroad yard in the world.

   The Atglen and Susquehanna (A&S) Branch was built by the PRR from 1902-06. The branch was built to relieve congestion on the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line, as well as the Columbia and Port Deposit (C&PD) line along the Susquehanna. The route was designed for freight service, where minimizing the grade profile was of high importance, since hauling heavy trains on the main line was hampered by relatively steep inclines.

   Because of its relatively flat topography the branch was often known simply as the "Low Grade."  When combined with the railroad's Trenton Cutoff and Philadelphia & Thorndale Branch, the new line permitted the PRR to operate a low-grade bypass that avoided the congestion of the eastern seaboard and the steep grades of the Main Line.

   The route flourished with freight traffic until the decline of northeast railroads, when overall reduction in traffic made the line redundant. During the era of Conrail (1976-89), traffic was rerouted via the former Reading and Lehigh Valley Railroad lines from Harrisburg to North Jersey. The last train ran on the Low Grade in 1988.

   When I heard of this rails to trails project, I immediately recalled a spectacular photo I’d seen of Pennsylvania Railroad trains crossing the Safe Harbor Trestle, which was part of this route. Although I can’t recall the source of the old photo, below is a modern shot of a Norfolk Southern train at this location.

   During construction of the A&S Branch, the existing C&PD stone bridge over the Conestoga River was destroyed in a flood. The rebuild became a combined C&PD and A&S structure in the form of a unique two-line, two-level steel viaduct known as the Safe Harbor Trestle. This crossing carried the C&PD line over the Conestoga, while the A&S ran parallel and approximately 100 feet above. Although I knew it would be some time before the upper deck of the Safe Harbor Bridge would be open to cyclists, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out the construction progress of the trail, and hoped I could get close enough to look at the spectacular bridge.

   While planning the trip, one problem I noticed from the trail map was a lack of access to the eastern end of the Enola Low Grade Trail. This project is in its early stages, and some land along the way may be acquired for a parking lot and other connections, but there are other factors that make reaching the tracks difficult anywhere along this route!

   If you are familiar with the Pennsylvania Railroad, they were a very progressive company and knew that grade crossings only create obstacles that can potentially slow down the moving of passengers and freight. Historically their routes are characterized by long, high earth fills, plus stone or concrete bridges that have the tracks flying overhead to avoid any intersections with roads. Imagine now, trying to build a parking lot with a simple pathway to reach the trail – 30 feet up in the air! On the right is a typical “intersection”, this one over Rt. 272 in Smithville.

   In fact, the nearest trailhead with parking was in the town of Quarryville, which is at about the halfway mark between the endpoints of Atglen and Safe Harbor! On this trip I had originally intended to do an out-and-back, covering the full 46 miles, so it didn’t really matter where I started, but I would have appreciated not having to drive an extra 12 miles to get to the trail!

   The first six or seven miles through Providence Township were very pleasant, with a path of fine, crushed stone about two cars wide that gently arcs through farms (some Amish). The quality of the surface changed noticeably once I crossed into Martic Township, but it wasn’t any worse than some of the rough sections I frequent on the Perkiomen Trail.

   The recently refurbished Martic Forge Trestle is a spectacular structure, crossing nearly 100 feet above the Pequea Creek. Below is a photo I snapped from the new wooden deck and also a borrowed shot of the bridge taken from the road below.

   The rest of the ride can only be described as brutal, as in some sections the surface was barely better than riding over railroad ballast. Much of the path was a thick layer of golf ball-sized rock, which I suspect is just the base for an eventual overlay of finer material – at least I hope it is! The next half hour or so of riding was a fight to find a semi-worn path in which to ride and to keep upright when the thick layer would give way under my front wheel. I was also constantly adjusting my grip as my fingers became numb from the vibration through the bars!

   I was excited to finally see the Susquehanna River come into view and enjoyed seeing some of the rock climbers that braved the cliffs right alongside the trail. I could (sort of) make out the Safe Harbor bridge ahead through the still bare trees, but a security fence prevented me from getting a very good view or any picture of my own. I did take a photo of the river and the interesting dam at the confluence of the Conestoga and Susquehanna.

   In hindsight, I should have just turned around at the Martic Forge Bridge to do about 40 miles over the better-maintained sections. My arms and legs had taken such a beating from the rattling ride to Safe Harbor, I decided to call it quits after 25 miles, when I made it back to my vehicle in Quarryville. Maybe I’ll come back with Sue later in the year to do the east side – I know she won’t want to head down the west end until improvements are made, and quite frankly, I don’t think I will want to either!