NS H-02 - sightings and reports

Today's H-02 in Dover.

Eastbound through Mt. Arlington with 5664 and 9 cars @ 3:10pm

riffian wrote:Thanks much, badorder, for the detailed updates......most interesting. Was not aware that Drakes had shut down completely and that Royal had suffered such a decline in business. I think Royal makes Chindese noodles for the domestic market. dosen't sound like there is much reason to go east of Dover anymore and I find it hard to understand how they can keep operating on a 5 day a week schedule with such meager pickings. Is the Nova borellis and NYK operations on the same site, or adjacent? Google maps indicate a very large operation,I guess the largest on the branch, especially with BASF in Washington shutting down in the near future.

NYK is about 2 miles East of Washington and has a single siding that splits into two tracks.
Nova is about 6 miles East of Washington between Thomas Rd, Blau Rd and Rockport Rd. They have a number of tracks there.
I could see the M&E taking over the old H-02 run and the H-65 just making deliveries to Washington say 3 times per week.

HO2 east through Mansfield at 5:05pm. 3010 and 3534 with 17 cars. 6 were boxcars and there was also 1 reefer.

There have been a lot more box cars of late!! Anyone know who the customer is that gets them???

Thanks!

Hello everybody, saw our beloved 3010 dropping cars off at Royal Ingredients today at about 1:00 P.M.
Got to talk to Ed & John("The Don" as the Chuxter calls him).
That Totowa line has really been trimmed in the last couple of years(especially since Drakes went OOB).
Good the see there is still some life on that line.

Drakes shut down as part of the Hostess bankruptcy proceedings back in November. Buyers for Hostess have been finalized.

I might be railfanning in Denville on Friday afternoon? What are my chances of seeing the freight especially in the late afternoon? Thanks.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:I might be railfanning in Denville on Friday afternoon? What are my chances of seeing the freight especially in the late afternoon? Thanks.

Friday is usually a Washington (westbound) day for them.

Heard that there was a Hyrail inspection trip done by NS officials from Harrisburg on Tuesday morning between Phillipsburg and Hackettstown on the Washington Secondary,Don't know the reason why.Maybe looking to upgrade the line,sell it or maybe just to see if it's still there.

badorder wrote:Heard that there was a Hyrail inspection trip done by NS officials from Harrisburg on Tuesday morning between Phillipsburg and Hackettstown on the Washington Secondary,Don't know the reason why.Maybe looking to upgrade the line,sell it or maybe just to see if it's still there.

Sounds like an inspection trip of some sort. If they were looking to sell the line, they'd probably use some of their business cars or charter PVs. When they went on an inspection trip with M&E some time ago, M&E supplied Ohio River and Kitchi Gammi Club along with an Alco for the trip.

There maybe a serious plunge in traffic on the Totowa Industrial soon. Omega Warehouse, the largest customer on the TIS is moving to Jersey City. One of the two buildings is sold, second one is on the way out as well.

NYSW3022 wrote:There maybe a serious plunge in traffic on the Totowa Industrial soon. Omega Warehouse, the largest customer on the TIS is moving to Jersey City. One of the two buildings is sold, second one is on the way out as well.

Omega or Royal ingredients?? Is this the same customer or another one????

Omega and Royal are different companies. Omega received boxcars for either loading or unloading (I forget which) of tomato products for distribution.

NYSW3022 wrote:Omega and Royal are different companies. Omega received boxcars for either loading or unloading (I forget which) of tomato products for distribution.

Yeah thats right like NYSW said they are 2 different customers. As I personally recall I don't think the Omega building that used to get boxcars delivered to them & picked up from them received any rail service since the fall of 2010 if I am not mistaken.

Speaking of Royal are they getting drop-offs/pick-ups on Tuesdays & Thursdays or just Tuesdays and what time of the day usually? I have not railfanned over there since last fall so its been a while. BTW wasn't Royal expanding their operations to include a 2nd facility or did that deal fall through. I recall reading something about that here on the forum some time ago.

There is one other customer on this line and that's that Trucking Logistics company presently occupying the former R.A.C.E. building that receives boxcars filled with bags of sugar or did they move too?

Blocksignal.