First major ROW work on LV Perth Amboy Division since...

Went over the old Forrest Street (Liberty Street) crossing today. The cuts being made are visible looking towards South Plainfield towards the Port Reading bridge. Problem is, the cut does not follow the tracks, but is, instead, off to the east, about 15 feet. The wye leg is still there, along with a portion of the mainline.

I drove down New Brunswick Ave in Perth Amboy the other day and much to my surprise, I noticed the bridge had been replaced. Then everything clicked- this post and what I saw.

When it was removed a few months back, I thought they were tearing up the whole line. But I guess they are refurbishing it. Are they going to reinstate service on this line? What's the scoop?

Rumors going around at work is that the work in Perth Amboy's KinderMorgan facialty is going to be done by the RCRY so this re-building is going to be how the RCRY will connect to Raritan Center.

sounds expensive for just a convienient route to OuterBridge terminals.

Well, it could be a bit more than that. Kinder Morgan has a big operation in Carteret too, so likely there's access to that facility involved and possibly from there to the Reading Sec and, who knows, all the way up the line to Elizabethport or maybe some limited traffic coming down across AK. Should be very interesting to see what happens. Could be big for RCRY if Wolfboy's info is correct. Think of it -- the RCRY and the M&E exchanging at Bayway!

GandyDancer wrote:

TAMR213 wrote:Is the Greensand Branch to the west of Raritan center still there? What about the branch that goes north from Nixon? The line from Nixon and Heyden to Keasbey, Raritan Jct. and Perth Amboy? What about the branch that runs directly Paralell to the river from around Keasbey to Perth Amboy where it connects with the NJCL and also towards the line from Raritan center to Perth Amboy? This whole area seems pretty interesting when it comes to operations. How are these lines serviced (from where, how, etc)? What industries are on them? If they no longer exist, when were they abandonned and why? Thanks for any info!

The west end of Greensand is quite visible. Leave HP on Woodbridge Ave. and cross over Rt. 1. At the light, turn right on SilverLake Ave. Follow to the end and you will run beneath the trestle. If you pull into the small office complex on the right just before the trestle, you can follow the ROW almost all the way to Rt. 1.

Regarding the Greensand "branch" and the trestle over Silverlake Avenue, my girlfriend and I hiked the entire branch from Heller Park over past the Silverlake Ave trestle 2 months ago. We discovered that the row past the PSEG Gas Fired Plant, next to the Turnpike, was actually a double track. After this it was reduced to a single track before it was finally torn out back in 1996. We saw a double set of ties still in the ground. Continuing on the other side of the trestle, walking towards route 1, the ties are still in place ( surrounded by trees )and to my happy surprise, I discovered there was previously a switch in place with 2 tracks that ran side by side before the one track curved up next to the parking lot up in the commercial building that is there now. I detected this due to the fact that the ties are still in place. Once I walk up on the curved ROW I noticed that there is 150 feet of rail still in place covered up by trees and dirt. This track and the other one used to serve as sidings. I also took some photos and plan on posting them at some point of what we saw along our hike.

I was sooooo fascinated to see the line of ties still in place on the ROW from that trestle towards Route 1. I also picked up 2 tie plates and 4 spikes that were still attached to the rotted ties. I plan on cherishing these pieces since they are representations of the Greensand Branch, which I am so fascinated with.

[quote="railroadcarmover]I plan on cherishing these pieces since they are representations of the Greensand Branch, which I am so fascinated with. [/quote]

RRCarMover -

I am interested in seeing the photos when you do post them. I have LVRR track maps of the entire Raritan Branch, and would like to know what you have uncovered, even if it is now gone. A very interesting branch indeed!

CF

I will post them as soon as I can pull them off the camera. That segment of the branch fascinates me so much. The way the switchback was configured, I always liked, and to then discover that just past that trestle there was actually yet another switch that split the track to 2 sidings. Another cool find was to see the line that passed from under the turnpike on the southbound side also had a switch with a double track. I do not know how far THIS track paralleled the main one though.

I have a memory of driving down to the trestle back in 95 ( when the line was just a single track with the switchback in Public Service ) and walking up on the trestle and seeing how the track went about a 100 / 150 feet or so and "ended" into the woods ( the side that went towards route 1 ). MIND YOU WHEN I HIKED THIS PORTION 4 MONTHS AGO, I discovered the original track split into 2 tracks and continued up another few hundred feet for 2 former sidings ( one was a sand outfit )on a piece of property that now contains a group of commercial offices.

Jumping over to the Public Service property there was a long siding that was about 4 tracks and on the first track was a 40 foot hopper car coupled to a huge locomotive crane. I understood the hopper car was a "bad order car" that was left behind from the former neighboring "sand company" and the crane, I assume was "used" by Public Service many years earlier when they received tank cars. Mind you these 2 cars where not moved in many years and were "out of service". I regret not photographing them.
I do also recall seeing both these cars from the NJ Turnpike when I would travel to and from work each day.

Also, when I worked for Durham Transport, the shortline in Raritan Center, Conrail had put this portion of the Greensand Branch up for abandonment and it was solicited to us for acquistion. We had no use for this line since there was no customer base and also the other trestle in Heller Park was weak and needed to be repaired which would have costed over $1,000,000 to do so.
As I recall, the crane was offered to URHS as a donation but it was not easy to move, so in the end the loco crane and hopper car where cut up on site by Naparano.
I remember telling my fellow crew members at Durham Transport that it was too bad we couldnt go in there and pull the crane back to Raritan Center with our NW3 #66 locomotive.

Does anyone here recall seeing the crane at Public Service. Any photos of it?
Car Floater, does your track map show all the tracks that I have just described?

I also plan on contacting Public Service at this location to do more research on the track and crane as well as contacting the outfit just past the trestle to see what their employees recall of the line. I will post all my findings here.

My old track chart shows:

- the end of the branch being "Silver Lake Avenue Br" which, I guess, means Bridge

Heading towards Perth Amboy:

- A runaround and a few stub tracks before Piscataway Road

- a longer stub after Cambell's Meadow Road

- The Clay RR Narrow Gauge at Martin's Meadow Road

- Weber's Branch and the Keasby Branch by Crow's Mill Road..... there is also a clay pit and the bridge for the trolley line

Historic Aerials has some interesting shots of the end of the branch by Route 1.


Thought these might bring on some more discussions.........

I should add that the end of the branch on my track charts is milepost 26.31

Are the roads that have been identified all considered to be Edison? It helps when we, who are unfamiliar try to find anything referenced on a map.

They should be Edison (Raritan Township) except for the last two which are probably Keasby. The map does not show towns... looks more like a blueprint drawing.

David,

What year is your chart from? Would like to match what I'm looking at on Historic Aerials as closely as possible. Also, what are "Cambell's Meadow Road" and "Martin's Meadow Road"? Today there is only a "Meadow Road", could the second one be todays "Mill Road"?

I have to go fish out the rest of the charts from the LV because this one page has no date. I would guess 1920's or so due to the narrow gauge railroad.... I have a print of the narrow gauge locomotive and cars somewhere in my files.... I'll have to look. Let me know if you want a copy of this by mail or fax....

I have posted this info before, but maybe some of you would like to hike the old LV Camp Kilmer branch....... go to the end of Forrest Street or Liberty Avenue where it crosses the Perth Amboy Branch in Metuchen. The Port Reading truss bridge will be on your right. On the left is a road that leads to a cup manufacturer...... Handi Cup or something like that. As you approach the building, there will be rails in the road. This is the old west leg of the wye where VALLEY Tower was. If you go to the right and follow the tracks you will pass a switch that serviced Premium Plastics. This was built off the wye. You can walk a few hundred yards towards 287 and you find track, ties and some electric switch items as well as telegraph poles. This led to LR Junction where the LV joined the RDG. It's funny to walk in the back of a housing development and find tracks that have not been used in decades.