Rail train on the Main / BCL

Pulling into Secaucus yesterday morning, 4/19, there was a loaded rail train parked with 3 geeps on the siding just west of ST. Train was still there on the way home last night. Anyone know where this will be dropping rail today / last night?

Believe it's between WJ and WC on the Main Line.

Unless there are two floating around, the rail train was delivered to Bay Head this evening/early morning by the 4105 and 2 4300s (I don't know the numbers of the 4300s)

The 4105 was leading.

I don't know if the power is going to stay down there with the rail train, or if its going to come back east.

New rail dropped on both sides of track 1 between Hollywood Ave x-ing ("Bleachery") and Waldwick station. Either there are two rail trains or the one is really getting around.

How long is the train?

NJCL rail train parked on Track 1 between Shark River draw and Evergeen Ave, Bradley Beach. 4105, 4301, and 4303 were running light eastbound for the train thru Belmar about 3:45 Monday.

Someone once posted that the 4300s were geared for 100+ mph. Why would work train locos be geared for NEC speeds?

GSC wrote:NJCL rail train parked on Track 1 between Shark River draw and Evergeen Ave, Bradley Beach. 4105, 4301, and 4303 were running light eastbound for the train thru Belmar about 3:45 Monday.

Someone once posted that the 4300s were geared for 100+ mph. Why would work train locos be geared for NEC speeds?

I would assume the locos are geared as such so said locomotives could do jobs on the NEC like equipment runs to and from Morrisville and such without backing up traffic behind them, not to mention also so they could run with the other locomotives in NJTs fleet (as helping power) without worry of frying a traction motor.. Like for instance right now with 4105 leading as it and the two 4300s run between their assignments on the Main and Coast lines, the 4105 is hypothetically free to use its full speed capability (not saying in any way that the crew would be in a situation that requires them to do so.. Again hypothetically speaking) without worry of breaking one of the 4300s due to the 4105 getting up to a speed that the other two couldn't take, because they're all geared the same. I'm just guessing, JT, Approach, did I guess correctly? Help me here.

You know the 4105 is limited to 70 on Amtrak, right? And 80 on NJT...

CNJGeep wrote:You know the 4105 is limited to 70 on Amtrak, right? And 80 on NJT...

No i did not, thanks CNJ, I knew that the CNJ Geeps had some kind of speed restriction on them due to their weight, but I didnt know the specifics. Anyways I was using it as an example for the gearing, I was not saying specific speeds for a specific type of locomotive, I was just saying in the case that the 4300s are geared shorter than the locomotives they are with, and because 4105 is the one with the two 4300s that's the one I used.

The 4300 series GP40s are geared for 100mph. They should be geared for freight but they're... not. They want them to be able to get disabled trains and equipment moves moving at passenger speeds. OK, yes this is their primary use but when it comes time to do the heavy duty moving, NJT shoots themselves in the foot by putting three or four engines on a train two freight geared units could handle with ease.

I've always thought NJT should get a pair or two pair of SD40s strictly for rail and stone trains. Class Ones and leasing outfits have them for sale all across the country, but that only makes sense so it will never happen. Transit would probably re-gear them for 100 anyway.

Whoa, I spotted a rail train tied down between Dover and Denville on #2 track Saturday (04/22/12) around 14:00. They ("Dover Extra") were taking a few cars around the wye seperate from the rail train, pulling west on #1 track to Dover interlocking, then shoving east on #2 track, coupling the car up, then going back (just the 3 engines) and doing it all again with a different car. Passenger trains were running both directions on #1 track. Once that hoopalah was all done, the rail train was then taken someplace in a real hurry. That rail train wasn't parked on the wye, east dover freight, stub, greystone, or UN as of Sunday...

Also I saw it being pulled by 3 engines as well, 4300, 4301 and a 41 series jeep in the lead. That rail train was loooong, no rock boxes either.

Houdini rail train, gotta love it. (Scottish voice) Feed your utility board OT, FEED IT!

sullivan1985 wrote:The 4300 series GP40s are geared for 100mph. They should be geared for freight but they're... not. They want them to be able to get disabled trains and equipment moves moving at passenger speeds. OK, yes this is their primary use but when it comes time to do the heavy duty moving, NJT shoots themselves in the foot by putting three or four engines on a train two freight geared units could handle with ease.

I've always thought NJT should get a pair or two pair of SD40s strictly for rail and stone trains. Class Ones and leasing outfits have them for sale all across the country, but that only makes sense so it will never happen. Transit would probably re-gear them for 100 anyway.

You'd probably still need 3 of them if they re-geared them eh?

Wednesday, 4/25, rail train working the NJCL at Bradley Beach again. 4300, 4303, and 4305 were the power. Matched set. Saw them shoving west toward Belmar, around noon. Is the "cab car" a SPLAT? Or does it serve other purposes besides a tail-end control point?

Working the Atlantic City Line Thursday April 26. They dropped two rails on the former Conrail Delair Industrial Track, now under Transit control as the siding for the two-track Pennsauken Transit Center station, linked with the River LINE.
photographed on the former DIT at Westfield Ave, Pennsauken, after the rails were dropped off, and entering the ACL at the end of the siding.
4105
4303
4300
entering the ACL
rear end of the rail train

That really is rare mileage for a CNJ unit to be "down there", even in non-revenue service.