Question about the Port Reading Secondary

How often does this branch see trains?

I was coming down to Raritan last night on 5455 and as we pulled into bound brook, I saw the crossing gates were down and lights flashing at the PRS crossing just before the circle (the tracks just before the bridge into So. BB). I've never seen a train on those tracks before, and when the gates were down, there was nothing in sight as I went through the station

I think it's used as an alternate route to the the Erail/Port Newark area via the Chemical Coast.

Does anyone know if there are more trains using the port reading secondary to connect with the chemical coast line with increased frequency, or is this just an emergency route?. I read in a couple of threads about a plan connection with the PRS from the Port Reading Jct work. Was that completed, or was it just a plan that was never done. I'm just trying to understand the traffic patern there. I noticed driving on the TP yesterday CSX motive power sitting in the yard on the Chemical Coast line, and got to thinking if the trains come from that route or back down. Though backing down doesn't make much sense.

Local service is provided out of Manville (Manville down to Edison / Metuchen).

The Port Reading Secondary is an alternate or back door route into Oak Island, as opposed to using the Lehigh Line.

It sees some intermodal and freight trains into the Port Newark / Oak Island area. There are also the regular ethnol and empty ethanol trains that go to the Chemical Coast Secondary.

The "regular" daily freights that use the Port Reading Sec are NS20R,NS25V. Q706 (only if he has NYDOS cars), NS66Q,NS67Q,NS68Q,NS69Q arent daily trains, but these use the Sec when they do run to Port Reading Yard. NS214 will come down only if he arrives at Manville before 7am.

Other trains have used the Port Reading Sec in the past to get around something on the Lehigh Line. During daylight the local traffic on the Chemical Coast is so great that using the back way isnt very effecient.

To my knowledge there was never a plan to reconnect the old RDG line from Bound Brook to Manville yard. The bridges on the RDG side weren't cleared for 20'2 so this may never happen in our lifetimes

Thanks guys that helps.

I was wonder about the connection from the Manville Yard that they were talking about in this thread.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... +secondary

If that connection does't exist how do trains from the Lehigh Line get onto the PRS?

JADes718 wrote:Thanks guys that helps.

I was wonder about the connection from the Manville Yard that they were talking about in this thread.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... +secondary

If that connection does't exist how do trains from the Lehigh Line get onto the PRS?

CP Bound Brook the MANS ties into Main 2.

JADes718 wrote:Thanks guys that helps.

I was wonder about the connection from the Manville Yard that they were talking about in this thread.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... +secondary

If that connection does't exist how do trains from the Lehigh Line get onto the PRS?

It sounds to me like they confused CP-Port Reading Jct with Port Reading Sec.