Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

It's looking as though we should have it completed by the Sept. 18 date. That's not including all crossing protection but crossbucks in places should do just enough to get a train through from Freehold-Farmingdale. There's always the chance that unexpected delays could change things. Weather, etc could be such delays but it's all looking like a beautiful piece of railroad. This's been a magnificent job by all parties involved in making this project a reality but there’s still work to be done.

AceMacSD wrote: ↑Thu Aug 17, 2023 7:37 pm Welding rail is common on freight only lines. The purpose here's to slow down the wear and tear common with jointed rail. If NJT'd were to have a bigger interest in the line, they'd bring in new welded rail.

For those who may not know- A lot of Conrail’s tracks in South Jersey have been welded over the years.

Will not stand of criticism of other members on this forum! Those who criticize others will be censored or eliminated. Thank you.

Northbound at DCS LAKEWOOD 10:50 AM

The southbound wye leg is now being constructed. Looks like they have about 30-ish feet of rail and ties down

Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:09 am The southbound wye leg is now being constructed. Looks like they have about 30-ish feet of rail and ties down

Were you about to take any images of the construction? Also, how did they handle the guy-wires that seemed to be obstructing the proposed ROW as discussed many months ago?

North through Farmingdale at 11:30 AM. Don’t know how many they had for Woodhaven but they have a tank. Train stopped in town for a bit so that Osmosis contractors could clear the tracks. They were inspecting the power poles along the way.

I wasn’t out today Sir Ray. Info is coming from some pals and whatever I hear on the scanner.

Will attempt to get pictures on Friday. By then they’ll have more done.

They have done no work for the southern wye other than a partial stub track, about one length of rail, from the switch at Southard Ave, as discussed in the grant, which will eventually extend to become the southern wye.

The rest of the ROW for the wye has only had tree removal done. No grading, leveling, etc. I do not expect to see the wye done or even worked on until after the opening, scheduled for 18 September. Will keep an eye on it.

As to the guy wires, street markings on Railroad Ave, along with a couple of survey flags, seem to indicate they will be going around them.

I can confirm that they are starting to build the wye, and it is way more than just 30 feet that has been built so far.

Here are pictures of the wye so far from the crossing/street.

The southbound leg they have constructed so far is relatively short.

What's even more strange is, they have not finished grading the entire southbound leg's ROW. There is still a lot of brush and uneven areas not so far past the end of the southbound leg. However, there seems to be quite a bit of rail placed in the brush, waiting to be used. All of this can be seen here.

I am wondering if they are gonna put more tracks. The ROW is wide enough to honestly put 1-2 more tracks if they wanted... Maybe they could put a small yard in? Here are some pictures of how wide the ROW is.

There was a small yard there back in the day, but I’m not sure if there’s a reason for one now.

If (and that's a big IF) I remember the discussion about the PSEG guy wires correctly, the guy wires were more of an issue closer to where the new leg of the wye would connect to the Southern. Especially if the tracks go south of that fenced in pumping station on the west side of Railroad Ave. https://goo.gl/maps/qyb8ARp73CyRHdHg8
Jim

Those were interesting images posted. I agree that the grading does seem off (or non-existent - it looks like they are laying the new southern wye leg in a ditch almost. Likely just camera angles, but It looks like water would drain off the south side "berm" into the track bed, and we all know how well track and standing water mix long-term. Should be interesting seeing how the "landscaping" is resolved.
Were those rails dropped there recently for the new wye, or have they been there since Conrail days (I don't recall)?
Finally, another point I don't recall, and quickly scanning this thread I couldn't find - has the Southern and FIT been physically reconnected (in what I guess has to be called by law nowadays a "Golden Spike" ceremony)?
Thanks.

Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 3:44 pm There was a small yard there back in the day, but I’m not sure if there’s a reason for one now.

I could see it possibly becoming something like the Freehold Team Track, where people can load/unload cars for DRRR to transport. They did lengthen the Freehold Team Track, but so far it doesn't seem like anyone else but the pole guy has been using that.

pumpers wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 8:04 pm If (and that's a big IF) I remember the discussion about the PSEG guy wires correctly, the guy wires were more of an issue closer to where the new leg of the wye would connect to the Southern. Especially if the tracks go south of that fenced in pumping station on the west side of Railroad Ave. https://goo.gl/maps/qyb8ARp73CyRHdHg8
Jim

I've heard that they are just going to go around the guy wires, one way or another. I assume they cleared the old diamond approach AND cleared a possible new ROW just so they would have options. It definitely seems like they will be going the approach that goes near the guy wires, based on the markings I've seen. The switch will likely be at milepost 51, which is just before the Marl Rd crossing.

Sir Ray wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 7:02 am Those were interesting images posted. I agree that the grading does seem off (or non-existent - it looks like they are laying the new southern wye leg in a ditch almost. Likely just camera angles, but It looks like water would drain off the south side "berm" into the track bed, and we all know how well track and standing water mix long-term. Should be interesting seeing how the "landscaping" is resolved.

Likely the tracks will be raised and a lot of gravel/stone will be placed in the ditch, and the rails will sit just at the top of/above the ditch. As stated before, they have only really seem to have tamped/completely finished the Yellowbrook Rd - Adelphia Rd segment, all the other segments, including the one we are talking about, don't seem to have been completely tamped yet.

Sir Ray wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 7:02 am Were those rails dropped there recently for the new wye, or have they been there since Conrail days (I don't recall)?
Finally, another point I don't recall, and quickly scanning this thread I couldn't find - has the Southern and FIT been physically reconnected (in what I guess has to be called by law nowadays a "Golden Spike" ceremony)?
Thanks.

I don't know about the rails. The only rail that Conrail dropped off was welded rail of some sort, and the rail I have taken pictures of that is in the grass is definitely not welded rail AFAIK and there is quite a lot of it in the grass. That section has been OOS for quite a long time now, I don't know why Conrail would have put rail there.

One thing to note is, apparently the RFP mentions a 300 foot length section that will be the stub for the future wye. It's likely that @CharlieL is right that they won't complete the wye until after the initial September 18 date.

Will they run trains in a push-pull configuration? There aren't any spots to runaround the train unless you go all the way down to Lakewood or all the way up to Red Bank