If you were wondering what I've been up to in the past couple of months, here you go. My explorations in 2012 have focused a lot less on buildings and more towards walking along the train tracks throughout Philly.I have gotten hundreds of pictures (with more being taken pretty much every weekend) of various sections of rail lines both active and abandoned (plus adjacent attractions) so these series of threads will be ongoing with frequent updates. (also keep an eye on the graffiti section for posts there as well)The focus of this particular rail line the former Baltimore and Ohio (now CSX) running along the east side of the Schuylkill River. This is the one most easily accessible and has the coolest stuff so far so most of the updates will be here.The B&O constructed this branch under it's Baltimore and Philadelphia subsidiary to gain unobstructed access to Philadelphia after loosing an 1881 bidding war with the Pennsylvania RR over control of the Philadelphia Wilmington and Baltimore RR, it's previous route of access. With the PW&B under PRR control, the "Pennsy" went out of their way to make things difficult for B&O (to put it lightly) and it was clear to B&O management that an alternate route of their own was needed.After completion in 1886, passenger trains traveling on the B&P from points south would cross the river into Grays Ferry area of South Philly, continue north alongside the river into Center City where the main passenger terminal was an elaborate station designed by Frank Furness (architect of PRR's Broad Street Station five years earlier) located at 24th and Chestnut streets. Trains then continued north through what is now known as the "Art Museum Tunnel" and merged with the Reading, whose tracks B&O would use for points further out.24th and Chestnut station:Uploaded with ImageShack.us The last passenger trains ran in 1958 and the station was demolished in 1963 following damage from a major fire. CSX now uses the line as part of it's Philadelphia division. In the 2000's the Center City portion of the Schuylkill Banks trail was developed in the space between the tracks and the river from the Art Museum down to Locust Street and has proven quite popular with joggers and cyclists.Part of the ramp system linking the Banks trail to the market and Chestnut Street bridges with a rolling freight barely visible through the supports....Chestnut Street bridge, the highrise 2400 Chestnut stands on the former Furness station site....At the Locust street grade crossing the venture into the illegal begins.... ;DA footbridge will open soon replacing the grade crossing at Locust. This was taken back in February, the main truss span has since been erected....Under the new South Street bridge, the riverside foundation of it's predecessor used to stand where the rocks are now. A trail/boardwalk over the river will eventually extend from Locust to South...^This concrete structure has been boggling my mind for quite some time now. On my very first ventures here, years ago this was tipped on it's side, later it was righted. I figured at first that this was one of the drawbridge control towers of the old South Street Bridge that were removed when the bridge was clamped shut in the 1950's, but the actual control towers were of steel and glass. I think I read somewhere that this was actually a telephone booth for train crews, but I can't remember where I saw that info....Continuing south one sees the monstrous South Bridge building. Constructed in 1941 by the US marines to manufacture tanks and munitions, the structure consists of extremely heavy duty concrete pillars and slabs. In 1965 the building was donated to the School district of Philadelphia and was used as the John F Kennedy Center, a vocational trade school. In 2005, the District sold the property to a developer who was set to transform it into one of the more unique condominium complexes in Philly. After being stripped completely bare, work was halted in 2007. The property is now owned by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who have stated that they were wanting to construct offices and research labs on the site. So far nothing has happened, and I personally believe that CHOP is just holding onto the land as an investment to fund it's ongoing construction on it's campus directly across the river....^AT&T building seen in the backgroundMore info here:The building is accessible but stripped almost completely bare inside....