The Atlantic City Line Thread

[south jersey trains]

The problem is that yes South Jersey has less people compared to North Jersey, but we still have a lot of people and deserve more service than we get. No one said North Jersey does not deserve or need the service they recieve,in fact they need a lot more,but over the years we in South Jersey have recieved even less the our fair share due to the same reasoning that the north has more people and needs almost all the money.I say 60 percent for the north and 40 for the south,but its more like 75/25 and thats not fair.Its not ment to be north vs south but lets be fair,all 3 people running for Govenor and all 3 lt Govenors running for election were from up north,so they take care of there areas up north before down here,after years and years of this its time for equality in the funding of railroads dow here,rt42 is a mess from 4 to 6 pm,we are not a few sleepy towns any more,we need service now,but the wells now dry whens its started to be our turn.

[Jtgshu]

This is quickly turning into another N Jersey vs. S. Jersey thread with the same info, and Im sorry for not helping the situation.....

I want trains to run every damn town and shopping mall and hospital and college in the state, because thats just job security for me, and to HELL with how much it costs!

[WaitinginSJ]

This is quickly turning into another N Jersey vs. S. Jersey thread with the same info, and Im sorry for not helping the situation.....

I want trains to run every damn town and shopping mall and hospital and college in the state, because thats just job security for me, and to HELL with how much it costs!

let's just agree to disagree before we get this thread here locked up.


Now, I would like to know how much time double the tracking would shave off?

[Jtgshu]

This is quickly turning into another N Jersey vs. S. Jersey thread with the same info, and Im sorry for not helping the situation.....

I want trains to run every damn town and shopping mall and hospital and college in the state, because thats just job security for me, and to HELL with how much it costs!

let's just agree to disagree before we get this thread here locked up.


Now, I would like to know how much time double the tracking would shave off?

Usually meets take about 3/4 minutes (if timed perfectly) to get down from speed, have the meet, and then when the other train clears up, the sigal comes up and they get back up to speed. Of course, if one train is slightly late, the other train will be delayed that much more. MOST trains have at least 1 meet, some maybe 2. On the weekends with the ACES trains, there might be there (including waiting at Shore)

[nick11a]

This is quickly turning into another N Jersey vs. S. Jersey thread with the same info, and Im sorry for not helping the situation.....

Let's not, please. We've had more than enough of those.

[Patrick Boylan]

Usually meets take about 3/4 minutes (if timed perfectly) to get down from speed, have the meet, and then when the other train clears up, the sigal comes up and they get back up to speed.

I guess maybe I'm thinking of short stretches of double track vs regular length passing sidings, but I would have thought meets timed perfectly would mean neither train has to slow down.
At the very least I'd expect only 1 train to need to slow down, the one that has to take the siding.
The train that remains on the main line I'd assume would have clear signals, since I'd assume the one that got to the meet point before the main was clear would take the siding.
I thought the Atlantic City Line, at least in the places where there are passing sidings, was originally at least a 2 track right of way. It seems a shame if they had that much real estate to use that they couldn't make the passing sidings long enough to allow meets with no need to slow down much.

[Silverliner II]

I thought the Atlantic City Line, at least in the places where there are passing sidings, was originally at least a 2 track right of way. It seems a shame if they had that much real estate to use that they couldn't make the passing sidings long enough to allow meets with no need to slow down much.

The whole shebang was double track in the PRSL days, IIRC. Then PATCO came through, severing the mainline between Camden and Haddonfield and reducing the section of the route from the Delair bridge to single track between Haddonfield and Lindenwold. Amtrak reduced it to single track with sidings to reduce construction costs when they rebuilt the line.

[Jtgshu]

Usually meets take about 3/4 minutes (if timed perfectly) to get down from speed, have the meet, and then when the other train clears up, the sigal comes up and they get back up to speed.

I guess maybe I'm thinking of short stretches of double track vs regular length passing sidings, but I would have thought meets timed perfectly would mean neither train has to slow down.
At the very least I'd expect only 1 train to need to slow down, the one that has to take the siding.
The train that remains on the main line I'd assume would have clear signals, since I'd assume the one that got to the meet point before the main was clear would take the siding.
I thought the Atlantic City Line, at least in the places where there are passing sidings, was originally at least a 2 track right of way. It seems a shame if they had that much real estate to use that they couldn't make the passing sidings long enough to allow meets with no need to slow down much.

You are correct, I should have been clearer - in a perfectly timed meet, the train holding the main would get clear signals the entire time, or the signals would come up before he got to them. However, the other train would be required to slow down, and take a few minutes to slow down, take the siding and then roll to the other end and wait for the other train. come to think of it, it might be slightly more then about 5 minutes from the time the train taking the siding first has to slow down for the approach medium on the approach to the siding, to roll down the siding, and clear up and get back on the main and back up to speed. On some of the sidings, the cab signals hold at Restricting the entire time you are on then, and don't come up until you pass the home signal at the other end, which would be a medium clear, so that eats up some time too, as you are going slower than you could be if the cabs would come up when the home signal came up.

[Patrick Boylan]

Are there any places in the big railroad world with the perfect situation I'm thinking of: passing sidings long enough; track switches generous enough; and signals and schedules set so well that neither train slows down?

We have a few meets like that on the Riverline, for example trains usually meet at double tracked Delanco station, and more often than not at Rt 73-Pennsauken, far enough away from the single track, and making station stops anyway, so neither has to slow down.
I bet the Riverline double track is generous here to accommodate the freight trains. I can't imagine the Atlantic City line has much freight.

On the other hand at Cinnaminson station, although more than a quarter mile north of single track and its signal, the southbound train always waits at the station until that far away signal actually changes, even if it's running late. Usually the northbound train has already left the station by then.

[Jtgshu]

Are there any places in the big railroad world with the perfect situation I'm thinking of: passing sidings long enough; track switches generous enough; and signals and schedules set so well that neither train slows down?

We have a few meets like that on the Riverline, for example trains usually meet at double tracked Delanco station, and more often than not at Rt 73-Pennsauken, far enough away from the single track, and making station stops anyway, so neither has to slow down.
I bet the Riverline double track is generous here to accommodate the freight trains. I can't imagine the Atlantic City line has much freight.

On the other hand at Cinnaminson station, although more than a quarter mile north of single track and its signal, the southbound train always waits at the station until that far away signal actually changes, even if it's running late. Usually the northbound train has already left the station by then.

Well sure its possible! The track speed on the ACL is 80mph, and there are 80mph turnouts, so the sidings would need to be upgraded to main track speed (currently 30mph) and probably extended because for both trains to hold at track speed and pass each other, 1 or 2 mile long sidings are probably not long enough

[cruiser939]

Are there any places in the big railroad world with the perfect situation I'm thinking of: passing sidings long enough; track switches generous enough; and signals and schedules set so well that neither train slows down?

We have a few meets like that on the Riverline, for example trains usually meet at double tracked Delanco station, and more often than not at Rt 73-Pennsauken, far enough away from the single track, and making station stops anyway, so neither has to slow down.
I bet the Riverline double track is generous here to accommodate the freight trains. I can't imagine the Atlantic City line has much freight.

On the other hand at Cinnaminson station, although more than a quarter mile north of single track and its signal, the southbound train always waits at the station until that far away signal actually changes, even if it's running late. Usually the northbound train has already left the station by then.

Well sure its possible! The track speed on the ACL is 80mph, and there are 80mph turnouts, so the sidings would need to be upgraded to main track speed (currently 30mph) and probably extended because for both trains to hold at track speed and pass each other, 1 or 2 mile long sidings are probably not long enough

Sounds like one of those stupid math problems from elementary school.

[cruiser939]

This is quickly turning into another N Jersey vs. S. Jersey thread with the same info, and Im sorry for not helping the situation.....

Let's not, please. We've had more than enough of those.

Yeah, and North Jersey already swept the series!

[WaitinginSJ]

This is quickly turning into another N Jersey vs. S. Jersey thread with the same info, and Im sorry for not helping the situation.....

Let's not, please. We've had more than enough of those.

Yeah, and North Jersey already swept the series!

ummmm, no. We're still saying the same things and have the same problems from before, just slighter worse due to budget cuts. The only reason why it possibly looks like that is because I think there's about 4 other posters on here from South Jersey (at least I think)

so please, we agreed early on not to turn it into South vs. North again with both sides saying the same things and no one leaving any the wiser. We agreed to disagree. I don't want this thread locked up.

[cruiser939]

Let's not, please. We've had more than enough of those.

Yeah, and North Jersey already swept the series!

ummmm, no. We're still saying the same things and have the same problems from before, just slighter worse due to budget cuts. The only reason why it possibly looks like that is because I think there's about 4 other posters on here from South Jersey (at least I think)

so please, we agreed early on not to turn it into South vs. North again with both sides saying the same things and no one leaving any the wiser. We agreed to disagree. I don't want this thread locked up.

I don't think Nick will lock this up because I wrote that North Jersey swept the series in a joking manner. You should have come to the board meeting today at HQ. Then you could have stolen David Peter Alan's favorite word for your north vs. south arsenal; discrimination.

[WaitinginSJ]

Yeah, and North Jersey already swept the series!

ummmm, no. We're still saying the same things and have the same problems from before, just slighter worse due to budget cuts. The only reason why it possibly looks like that is because I think there's about 4 other posters on here from South Jersey (at least I think)

so please, we agreed early on not to turn it into South vs. North again with both sides saying the same things and no one leaving any the wiser. We agreed to disagree. I don't want this thread locked up.

I don't think Nick will lock this up because I wrote that North Jersey swept the series in a joking manner. You should have come to the board meeting today at HQ. Then you could have stolen David Peter Alan's favorite word for your north vs. south arsenal; discrimination.

lmao True that