Obscure Facts about NJT

Hello all;

I know that it has been some time since I have posted on this forum, but I am currently in the midst of working on a massive project that covers obscure facts about various northeast commuter railroads, ranging from leased engines and odd consists to special trains and overlooked historic events. Therefore, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share any obscure facts about NJT's commuter rail operations that you can think of so that I can add as much info as I can to this project. Info must be limited to any time after the formation of said commuter railroad, and does not include any info about its predecessors. Thank you for your help.

Lots of special trains and charters over the years at NJT, but among them:

Pony Express (direct HOB-Monmouth Park express using the racetrack siding lasted to 9/24/2005)

Bergen Shore Express (1986-1988) through service from Suffern, NY to beaches. This was pre-Waterfront
Connection, this train used a set of switches over PATH trackage between the M&E and NEC near Harrison
east of the Center Street track.

The opening of the Meadowlands Branch on July 20, 2009 included a special train with Governor Corzine on board. When Midtown Direct opened on June 10, 1996, Governor Whitman was at the throttle of the first train departing Broad Street.

During the 1980s and early 90s NJT supplied coaches (Comet I & II) for various Whippany Railway Museum
excursions, often using Morristown & Erie Alcos 16, 17, 18 or 19.

For a full list of charters, excursions and special events, refer to the list by the Liberty Historic Railway (LHRY). Note this will be a long read.

Hoboken Festival 2001 marked the only time an Acela trainset appeared on NJT trackage, being towed to HOB for display.

NJT leased equipment includes CNW F7s in the 1980s, one MARC AEM7 loaned as a trial before ALP44 delivery.

In a rare occurrence, an agency of the State of New Jersey owns trackage, two yards and a station in NY State.

The very last mini-high built by NJT was Madison, 2006. All later station upgrades will have all new high level
platforms. Mini-highs were located at the east end of Hoboken Division stations and are a legacy of the Comet I (1970/1973), as often only one car (the cab on the east end) would have high doors for ADA.

Among the first TVMs introduced in United States for commuter rail were credit card only machines at major NJT stations and the PATH terminal at the WTC, known as "E-Z Tik", introduced in 1985.

Older pre-1999 NJT system maps were not color coded by line, but had different colors for Newark and Hoboken Division lines.

The original name of Secaucus Junction was Allied Junction. Allied was a real estate firm that had built billboards on railroad and highway right-of-way and saw the potential of a transfer station.

Until 2015, NJT and SEPTA had a joint interagency monthly pass via Trenton. The passes were valid from Trenton Line local stations or any other station (including or via Center City) to a specified Northeast Corridor station on NJT. The passes were in the 2013 SEPTA tariff, but apparently removed after the 2015 NJT fare changes.

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 12:23 am Lots of special trains and charters over the years at NJT, but among them:

Bergen Shore Express (1986-1988) through service from Suffern, NY to beaches. This was pre-Waterfront
Connection, this train used a set of switches over PATH trackage between the M&E and NEC near Harrison
east of the Center Street track.

I'd like to hear more about this. Until recently (and maybe still), the M&E RR (the Morristown and Erie short line, not the Morris & Essex) interchanged with Conrail in Harrison using the Center St Branch, although I'm not sure how it worked.- where was the M&E connection to the Center St branch? Is this connection the one that was used for the Bergen Shore Express? If not, how did it work? How was PATH involved?

Also, what is the status of the Center St branch - how far west is it still there? About 5 years ago I walked around Harrison and there was nothing west of Frank Rodgers Blvd, IIRC. I seem to recall being there since and seeing it was cut back further, but can't remember for sure.
J.S.
For an obscure fact, the Center St Bridge was at the location where the modern Rector St hits McCarter Highway) . It was the first or 2nd bridge built by the forerunner of the PRR to cross the Passaic River (1830's...). The Morris & Essex (DL&W forerunner) used it, at least for freight I believe, before they had their own bridge (in the location of the current bridge by I-280. ) http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/NEWARK/Newark_1853.gif

Regarding R36's very informative post above: the name ALLIED survives today as an interlocking on Amtrak, along with ERIE and LACK, alluding to the heritage of the lines passing beneath. It may also be worth noting that although the whole upper level of the Secaucus complex is on Amtrak, only NJT trains are scheduled to stop there.

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 12:23 am The very last mini-high built by NJT was Madison, 2006. All later station upgrades will have all new high level
platforms. Mini-highs were located at the east end of Hoboken Division stations and are a legacy of the Comet I (1970/1973), as often only one car (the cab on the east end) would have high doors for ADA.

Did the Comet I's really have anything to do with the mini-high installations? The I's were completely retired by 2009, and I'm sure the agency knew that was in the cards long before it happened. By the time mini-high platforms were getting installed, these cars were a tiny portion of the fleet, with the IIs, IIIs, IVs, and even some Vs on the property.

The reasons publicly presented by NJT for mini-highs were lower cost and the ability to preserve historical station buildings, which did not have sufficient vertical clearance to install full-length high-level platforms. I suspect we haven't seen more of these projects because the remaining historical stations don't have ridership that's high enough to justify upgrades. Of the historical stations on this list, the only ones that got full high-level platforms were Newark Broad, Plainfield, and Ridgewood. At Ridgewood and Plainfield, the station building was sufficiently far from the tracks that they could install full-length high-level platforms. At Newark Broad, it's very obvious that the building is too low relative to the platform.

The last run(s) of the GG1 power was in 1983, on 3 separate excursion runs between Matawan (at that time the southern end of electrification), South Amboy, and Newark on the NJCL. See the youtube video for last run of GG1.
The last steam run on the NY&LB (predated NJT) occurred in (I think) early November 1957 when a switch from GG1 to a K4s occurred at South Amboy.

pumpers wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 1:56 pm Also, what is the status of the Center St branch - how far west is it still there? About 5 years ago I walked around Harrison and there was nothing west of Frank Rodgers Blvd, IIRC. I seem to recall being there since and seeing it was cut back further, but can't remember for sure.

The segment along NJRR Avenue has been recently paved over - either late 2022 or very early 2023. The last Conrail customer on the old NJRR/Center Street stub was GEO Chemicals at Essex & South 1st Street, closed in 2015. The Eddy Apartments have been built there. Seems everything west of Rodgers Blvd was paved over as of 2023 and the crossing remains. Not even sure if Morristown & Erie has the CSAO interchange east of Rodgers Blvd given how overgrown the remaining track is by now.

lensovet wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 12:09 am Did the Comet I's really have anything to do with the mini-high installations? By the time mini-high platforms were getting installed, these cars were a tiny portion of the fleet.

The reasons publicly presented by NJT for mini-highs were lower cost and the ability to preserve historical station buildings, which did not have sufficient vertical clearance to install full-length high-level platforms..

The first mini-highs were long before that, in the 1990s. Hackettstown and Mount Olive (built 1994) were new build stations that did not have full high platforms (2 car length in both cases), even this was into the ADA era. Denville, Boonton, Towaco, Mountain View-Wayne, Glen Rock-Boro Hall and Montclair Heights (a new station built in 1998) all had mini-highs in the 1990s. Some such as Morristown, Madison, South Orange and East Orange were done due to preserve the historic integrity of the elevated Lackawanna viaducts. Somerville saw the entire station stripped down and rebuilt to high level.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 9:40 pm Regarding R36's very informative post above: the name ALLIED survives today as an interlocking. It may also be worth noting that although the whole upper level of the Secaucus complex is on Amtrak, only NJT trains are scheduled to stop there.

With two exceptions, Senator Lautenberg's final ride and the Super Bowl in February 2014. While not an Amtrak station and also not part of the Amtrak Express network, SEC does have a loading dock (accessible from the
service entrance from County Road) and freight elevator allowing Lautenberg's casket to be brought to platform level, much like a HEX (heavy express station) handling large pallets and human remains.

One other historical oddity is that Hamilton Station might have been originally intended as an Amtrak stop, on the May 1998 system map before opening in February 1999 (originally scheduled for end of 1998).

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 6:16 pm One other historical oddity is that Hamilton Station might have been originally intended as an Amtrak stop, on the May 1998 system map before opening in February 1999 (originally scheduled for end of 1998).

That map also shows Hoboken as an Amtrak station?

lensovet wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 12:10 am

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 6:16 pm One other historical oddity is that Hamilton Station might have been originally intended as an Amtrak stop, on the May 1998 system map before opening in February 1999 (originally scheduled for end of 1998).

That map also shows Hoboken as an Amtrak station?

I wonder if the plan was for Clockers to serve it? They were still Amtrak in name at the time.

andrewjw wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 8:25 pm

lensovet wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 12:10 am

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 6:16 pm One other historical oddity is that Hamilton Station might have been originally intended as an Amtrak stop, on the May 1998 system map before opening in February 1999 (originally scheduled for end of 1998).

That map also shows Hoboken as an Amtrak station?

I wonder if the plan was for Clockers to serve it? They were still Amtrak in name at the time.

Or perhaps in the event of a NEC tunnel issue, some Amtrak trains that normally terminate at NY Penn would be diverted to Hoboken as NJT has done from time to time for Midtown Direct trains?

More facts and notes:

4113 was the pilot rebuild in the -2CAT program and was outshopped from Juniata in late 1996, almost a year
before the remaining 17 F40s began and has a smaller fuel tank.

Cherry Hill (CRH) was for about nine months from summer 1994 to April 1995, the only Amtrak-only station in New Jersey history not served by NJT or another carrier. Cherry Hill opened in summer 1994 for Atlantic City Express service, with two daily round trips, to Richmond and Springfield. CRH was likely intended as a suburban station for South Jersey passengers. Amtrak withdrew from Atlantic City on April 2, 1995 and NJT extended the AC Line (originally AC-Lindenwold only) to PHL 30th Street Station via Delair with a local stop at Cherry Hill. Refer to the spring/summer and fall/winter 1994 Amtrak northeast timetables for details.

Service on three NJT passenger rail lines, Cape May, Ocean City, and West Trenton ended before NJT even operated its own services. The RDCs ran out of Lindenwold with a PATCO connection from Camden and Center City and lasted to October 1981, before NJT's Rail Division began operations of passenger service on January 1, 1983. The agency itself was established under the Public Transportation Act of 1979 (July 17, 1979) and the passenger rail division of NJDOT was transferred to NJT. West Trenton service lasted to 1982. Atlantic City service was also suspended between 1982 and 1989. Refer to 1981 system map.

All of the AC Line stations are Amtrak joint thruway stations and have Amtrak codes as part of the joint thruway fare agreement: Atlantic City (ACY), Absecon (ABN), Egg Harbor City (EGH), Hammonton (HTN), Atco (ATO), Lindenwold (LDW), Cherry Hill (CRH) and Pennsauken (PNK). Joint through fares and ticketing are available to or
from any Atlantic City Line station to any point on the Amtrak network. The joint through interline agreement has
been in effect since April 2, 1995 when Amtrak discontinued Atlantic City service.

All stations on the NEC in New Jersey are NJT owned (except EWR which is PANYNJ). There are no Amtrak owned stations in state.

NJT ran a "ski train" on NYSW in winter 1990 for three weekends from Hoboken to the ski resort in Vernon. GP40Ps were used and the excursions were in cooperation with the NYSW and NYSWTHS. To date, this has been the only NJT service on NYSW.

How nice it would be to have these services running again…