MOTBY Rail Facilities

On July 4th I was fortunate enough to get invited to a party a MOTBY (Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne) to watch the fireworks off Jersey City. I think MOTBY was abandoned in the 1995 - 96 time frame during a military base realignment exercise.

I was surprised to see all of the railroad yards there with what looked like very heavy duty rail (140 pound). Except for the old stuff buried in the streets and around the buildings, most of the track looked in great shape. I was informed by the people running the party that the rail is being sold off to parties unknown; evidentally it is in such good shape that the buyers are coming in and removing it themselves.

Does anyone have a website with pictures of rail operations there before the base was closed? :D

MOTBY was very active in days gone by, served by both the CNJ and LV RRs. The last major railroad operation was for Desert Shield/Storm. Originally a Navy Base (its old name), it became MOTBY when the Army took over, though the Naval Sealift Command continued a major presense there. The Navy and later MOTBY had its own switch locomotives, engine house, etc.

At least in some Armed Forces Day open houses a couple of coaches were borrowed from the CNJ and used with MOTBY locomotive to shuttle visitors from the 'mainland' out the mile so so to the wareshouses, etc. where the ships open for touring were berthed.

A New York buddy went to MOT Bayonee on June 21 and now reports, "The connection from Conrail (NS?) next to HBLRT is still intact, but the former rail yard - 10 tracks or so - has been pulled up. Looks like the only rail left is that alleged PCC pier connection, which doesn't look active. No cars are visible from the HBLRT station, but maybe there are PCCs down there somewhere."

For more information on MOTBY, see

www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/bayonne.htm

In my trucking days I hauled a lot of military equipment into MOTBY, mostly heavy hauling, tanks, machinery, oversize loads. I'd say 1974-81?

The yard was very active, flat cars with M88 tanks and tank retrievers and Milvan containers and the rail network within the facility was extensive. Every warehouse building had tracks on both sides of it (east-west rail orientation) and several parallel tracks lined up along the docks right next to the ships.

Two 44 tonners switched the place, one running all the time it seemed, with their own two-bay enginehouse.

The main rail connection from outside was via the CNJ line just outside the base.

Longshoremen ran the place, which meant an all-day visit, plenty of time to watch rail ops.

The two locomotives at MOTBY were actually GE 80-tons, not 44-tons. Both were shipped to Clear Air Force Station, AK, and USAF ownership when MOTBY closed.

Old age perhaps, now that I think of it I seem to remember they looked a little heavier than 44s.

They had 4-light amber revolving bubble gum machine warning lights on the roof, back in the days when everything didn't have a yellow strobe on it. If the locomotive was moving, the light was operating.

RailVet wrote:The two locomotives at MOTBY were actually GE 80-tons, not 44-tons. Both were shipped to Clear Air Force Station, AK, and USAF ownership when MOTBY closed.

The numbers on those locomotives were 1650 and 1679. I recall seeing one of the last issues of the MOTBY base newspaper showing them being loaded onto flatcars for shipment to Alaska.