Railfanning the NYS&W in Hackensack...

I used to live in Cranford and often visit the Roselle Park station at night to watch/photograph the freight trains running on the gantlet track, then off to 7-11 for coffee and slim jims across the street. My question does anyone railfain the NYS&W in Hackensack? Are the places to go near open stores (like a 7-11, quick check, etc..) and when is the best time to go? I have seen and spotted some good places for pictures but I am unsure of NYS&W schedules throughout the area. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
Keith

You might be better off in Maywood or Rochelle Park. There are not a lot of good vantage points in Hackensack for this sort of thing. You could try to go on a day that the Maywood station is having an open house.

There's a Quick Check in Bogota right over by Cross St., where the SU99's pull up to to build their trains. From there you can just drive into Hackensack to watch him depart.

Depending on the time of the year and time of day. You can get a few decent shots in Hackensack. In the summer if the 100 is running late and still not in town by 8am or so. You can get a good shot from where the old Main street station is looking west to catch it splitting the city in half. Or a mid afternoon/early evening shot of the 99 crossing the NJT PVL if a train is on the NJT line.

One spot i tried but with no luck is at a park in i think bogota. The trestle goes over the river there. Right where the uss Ling is sitting. That would be an exellent morning shot in the summer months but the question i ask is when does the train arive at the bridge?

Mostly before the sun comes up I think. I got one shot back in may of 2006 i believe. Sun was behind the train while I was in the park. You can get a good shot of the train on the trestle when its going west. But the Court Street Bridge is closed for repairs. Maybe if you goto the ling you can get a decent shot.

Yes, I was really looking for a schedule of times that freights would run through Hackensack, or a local making a pickup near the Home Depot on 17. If I had that info I know of a ton of places for great shots and yes I'd post them here....

Your best bet is to check the engine facility at Ridgefield Park on Mon, Weds or Fri mornings. If the road power from SU100 is there (3 to 5 SDs lashed together) then find something else to do. If the power isn't there, then head to the park in Bogota off West Main Street and wait. Although not 100%, good probability the SU100 or its recrew will be along at some point in the morning.

Thanks for the info. I'm looking to photograph an eastbound over the bridge. When i head towards work i pass over the engine facility and see the loco's sitting every other day which is around a quarter after 8 am. I'm assuming the train arives to richfield before dawn. Is there a defect detector working west of the bridge? I remember hearing it on the scanner a while back?

There is a high car detector at the engine facility just north of the bridge. Its on one of the old semiphor poles.

And its Ridgefield Park, not Richfield LOL

You can expect the SU100 to show up any time from early morning to the afternoon. Having a scanner will really help. They will call the dispatcher to get permission into yard limits, which will be well before they cross the bridge at Bogota. I've only seen the SU100 lately with a re-crew WS2 or WS1. Below are a few I caught this year.



http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=340170
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=335357
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333394
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=341407

OOOOO YEAH!!!!!! Now that's what i'm talking about. Great pictures.

Chrisgr,

In your first picture is a bridge span which looks like it may once have been movable. Is / was it a swing span ?

Is there any water traffic this far upstream on the Hackensack ?

Thanks.

Freddie wrote:Chrisgr,

In your first picture is a bridge span which looks like it may once have been movable. Is / was it a swing span ?

Is there any water traffic this far upstream on the Hackensack ?

Thanks.

yes, it was a movable bridge. Nothing goes up that far.

Freddie wrote:Chrisgr,

In your first picture is a bridge span which looks like it may once have been movable. Is / was it a swing span ?

Is there any water traffic this far upstream on the Hackensack ?

Thanks.

Nothing goes north of bogota's HESS oil terminal. Im surprised tugs and barges get that far to begin with. Low tide at the NYSW trestle, the water is less then a foot deep.