RailThreads

Welcome to RailThreads, a digest of interesting postings from the various railroading newsgroups. There's no specific criteria for inclusion of information here, other than uniqueness or particular interest.

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• Calculating Your Speed

  On railroad lines with mileposts, you can calculate your speed by using a digital watch and timing the distance to travel one mile (between two mileposts). Take that time, in seconds, and divide it into 3600. That will yield your speed in mph.

  For instance, if you takes 120 seconds to go one mile: 3600/120 = 30 mph. 30 seconds to go one mile... 3600/30 = 120 mph.

  I usually do this on the NEC between Trenton, Princeton, and New Brunswick (if I sit on the side with the mileposts.) NJT trains here regularly exceed 100. Cool feeling. Get an Amtrak and hit 120. (I remember riding an Amk express from Trenton to Newark non stop in little over 30 minutes! Came in way early.)

  Actually, there are "mileposts" all along the right away, as the use mileage for signal bridges and catenary posts. However, these are in decimal, and a pain to calculate.
  Source: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff)

  
  

• Freehold, NJ Trackage

  >Is anyone on this group familiar with the track that runs through the main 
  >street of Freehold, NJ?  I'm interested in the history of this line... what 
  >has run/presently runs over it, if anything?  Was it ever used for commuter 
  >service?  Are there still freight operations?  There seems to be a station 
  >house nearby but there are no commuter operations today!
  >
  

  For what it's worth, pop singer Bruce Springsteen was from Freehold, NJ, and talks about it in the song "My Hometown" from the "Born in the USA" album. There was a line that went:

  "They're closing down, the textile mill, across the railroad tracks."

  As for current operations, the maps of the proposed CSX/NS/Conrail merger shows these tracks (which currently belong to Conrail) as being intact with the rest of the trackage in the state that is to be shared between CSX and NS. And although New Jersey Transit has considered commuter service (north to Red Bank on rehabilitated trackage?), I don't know of anything that has become of it.
  Source: Michael Kotler (mekotl@flynns.com)
  [Change this spam filter to "erols.com" before replying. Er[r]ol Flynn, get it? ;)]

  The current line through Freehold was part of the Pennsy's route from Jamesburg to Manansquan. Passenger trains (doodlebugs in later years) made a Trenton-Long Branch run via this route.

  Today Conrail uses it as far south as Freehold. The stretch to Farmingdale is intact, though not in service. A small portion of the old wye in Farmingdale is switched from the exCNJ Southern Division local.

  From Farmingdale to 'Squan, the right of way has no rail, though most of it is a paved bike trail. A portion runs adjacent to the 36' gauge steam railroad at Allaire.

  In Freehold, the PRR station stands.

  The Freehold CNJ station also stands. The CNJ came in from the north from Matawan. It is totally abandoned.

  For the Springsteen fans, in "Downbound Train" he sings of the Central Line. In "My Hometown" he sings of the "textile mill across the railroad tracks," this is a reference to large rug factory (now a micro brewery) next to the CNJ's line.

  Does this mean Bruce is a CNJ fan? He is a modeler... well, he does at least buy trains quite a bit.
  Source: Rob Davis (rob@injersey.com)

  The track that you see in Freehold is part of what used to be the Jamesburg to Manasquan line of the PRR. It was cut back to Farmingdale where it had/has a junction with the ex-CNJ line from Red Bank to Lakehurst and Toms River. This (CNJ) line used to be part of the Red Bank to Winslow Jct. route of the CNJ. Anyway the Farmingdale to Manasquan portion of the PRR roadbed is now a hiking trail for most of its length, including a neat bridge across the Garden State Parkway.

  At Freehold a CNJ line from Matawan through Marlboro used to join the PRR line. That CNJ line is now defunct and I think most of its roadbed still exists in a delapidated state. The PRR line is currently active (barely) only upto Freehold. The last time I looked the track is still in place between Freehold and Farmingdale, but doesn't look like it has been used in quite a while. The Red Bank to Lakehurst line seems to see some regular use.

  Recent proposals for commuter service have involved many of these tracks existent and abandoned. Proposals have been as follows:

  (1) Run commuter trains from Lakewood to Red Bank connecting with the North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) there.

  (2) Run commuter trains from Lakewood to Matawan (on NJCL and thence to NYC) via Farmingdale, Freehold and then on newly re-constructed track from Freehold to Matawan on the old CNJ roadbed (opposed vehemently by residents of Marlboro and other townships along the route).

  (3) Run commuter trains from Lakewood to the North East Corridor and thence to NYC, joining the NEC at Monmouth Jct. (CP Midway), following the route Lakewood, Farmingdale, Freehold, Jamesburg. This is the proposal that is currently in a state of suspended animation as a result of NIMBY activity in East Brunswick/South Brunswick.
  Source: Jishnu Mukerji

  
  

• New Scenic Railway in Pennsylvania

  The Four States Rail Road Company has leased the SEPTA line from Glen Mills to Westchester, PA, for the purpose of running a new scenic type RR. They are in the midst of updating the rails at this time, and are running stone trains on the weekends.

  They do have some nice equipment. I have seen some vintage cars and at least two Diesel locos. They also have one Steam Locomotive, type unknown. They plan to start running in the fall of this year. Some of the equipment is parked at the Glen Mills station, Glen Mills, PA

  To get the latest updates, check out the SEPTA R-3 Web Page.

  Here is the actual quote from the SEPTA WEB page:

  "Did you hear that whistle blowing? - Four States Railroad Company (which recently leased the railroad from Glen Mills to West Chester Station from SEPTA) has sent out notifications that effective on May 1, 1997, it will start operating work trains on the line in order to start fixing up the roadbed and physical plant. They primarily want to notify the public to be aware and to expect trains at the road crossings which have remained unused for the past 10 years. Good luck Four States on all of your endeavors!!!!"

  As mentioned above, the West Chester line was abondoned about 10 years ago. It ran from Philly to Media to West Chester via Glen Mills, Cheney, Westtown, West Chester University, and West Chester boro. It was fully electrified. The Media to Philly line is still used and has been designated the R-3 line (SEPTA). The tracks between Media and Glen Mills are now used by the AMTRAK stone trains from a quarry. Glen Mills to West Chester will now be used by the Four States organization.

  
  

• New Conrail Line

  R. Anand wrote:

   
  > Recently, while taking a Circle Line cruise around Manhattan, I noticed
  > a relatively new line which ran from roughly the Metro North bridge
  > over the Harlem River to the Alexander Hamilton bridge (the I95
  > bridge). I think this joins up with the Metro North line there. This
  > line was on concrete pillars in the river and there did not appear to
  > be any sleepers. The track appeared to be directly held on the concrete
  > via Pandrol clips. Anyone know what line this is?

  The line is the new Oak-point connector for Conrail. It is not in service yet and has been in the planning/construction phases for several years. It should be in service in July, I believe. Until that time trains still go up the Port Morris branch from Melrose to Oak Point Yard.

  jaap

  
  

• Interesting NJ Transit Sightings

  > On my morning commute into Hoboken this morning, I saw some very
  > interesting rolling stock at NJT's MMC complex.
  > 
  > Near the trainshed, observation car NJT-1 was there, looking good as ever,
  > but it was coupled to an old E or F unit in NJT livery.  I had thought that
  > all of the NJT E/F's were donated or scrapped.... Does anybody know
  > anything about this unit?  Is it always stored at the MMC?

  That old NJT equipment you saw all belongs to the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey -- a liaison group made up of all of NJ's rail history groups with the goal of establishing the State museum -- and is currently being stored at the MMC. There is no easy way to photograph anything there, as the site has very little access. Even so, that Erie E8 you saw there has been vandalized -- sand in the crank case. Even NJT-1 is slated for the museum, though ownership won't change until NJT is officially done with it.

  There are two Erie E8s -- the other is the one you saw at the Whippany Railway Museum. NJT offers no tours of the MMC, but the local railroad historical societies organize tours of the MMC at least every other year, or so.

  A good group to join would be the Tri-State Chapter NRHS which meets each 2nd Thursday of the month at the AlliedSignal Corp. Headquarters auditorium on County Road 510 (Morris Ave) about three miles east of I-287, or one mile west of the 510 exit off the new Route 24. Meetings start at 7:30 p.m., and entertainment at 8:00. Each meeting has slides of all the latest rail happenings in North Jersey, and the July meeting will certainly have many slides of the Whippany Festival and the 614 trips. And, if inspired by the members, perhaps a tour of the MMC can be arranged.
  Source: mdelvec952@aol.com (MDelvec952)

  The engine is 834, an E-8, which is the mate to 835, which is in Whippany. The engines are part of the state museum collection, but still owned by NJ Transit for the moment. URHS will eventually take posession of them. On the same track should be Rahway Valley 16 & 17.

  The PRR GG1 at Hoboekn has been there since 1984 or so after a farewell journey. It suffered a transformer failure on that trip. It has been in Hoboken ever since. It cannot be put to use, nor could it tolerate the M&E catenary voltage and cycles if it were operable.
  Source: Joe Versaggi (JOEVCNJ@aol.com)

  4877 had moved around a bit before going to Hoboken. For a long while, she sat in Elizabeth, in a non-secured location between IKEA and the old CNJ shops. It is here she lost a cab door and was severely vandalized.

  Also, I am not sure she has any transformer damage. I rode that trip, a doubleheader with, aw I don't remember if it was #4876 or #4882 (I think it was one of those).

  She and all the other G's had issues with PCBs and their transformers. That is the big issue to returning one to service. Certainly, replacing a transformer is nothing as many exist.

  
  

• NJ Transit's Scenic Gladstone Branch

  For scenery, the Gladstone Branch is the best. The 22 mile, single-track line goes through forests, along the edge of the Great Swamp, and past estates. Deer, horses, and cattle can be seen from the train. For a lunchtime or dinner trip, there's a nice restaurant (Chatfields) one block from the end of the line.