Railroad Forums 

  • Standard Roofings-Cedar Knolls, NJ

  • Discussion about the M&E, RVRR and SIRR lines of New Jersey, and also the Maine Eastern operation in Maine. Official web site can be found here: www.merail.com.
Discussion about the M&E, RVRR and SIRR lines of New Jersey, and also the Maine Eastern operation in Maine. Official web site can be found here: www.merail.com.

Moderators: GOLDEN-ARM, cjl330, mikec

 #337453  by 7 Train
 
I went to see the old spur off Frederick Pl. in Cedar Knolls today (12/21). Apparently, the Standard Roofings spur hasn't been used for some years. A rusted track machine is parked on it. When was the spur last used? (Standard is still listed as a customers on M & E's site)

Also, what building is this spur leading to? It is noticable off Interstate 287 near NJ Route 24.

Here's some more:

Standard Roofings crossing
Standard Roofings spur
Connection to Main Line
Standard's siding
Wood crossbuck
Classic wood crossbuck on Frederick Place

 #337466  by blockline4180
 
I believe the last time Standard Roofings got a carload was right before Hurricane Floyd in 1999. I'm pretty sure it was one of those high and wide or one of those extended box cars. A person told me they had a hard time getting it in the siding! I'm pretty sure M&E still lists it as a customer, although they get everything by truck now..

I use to live on Frederick Place right across Ridgedale ave from 1981 to 1990. I recall that during that time period they were a pretty steady customer back then! It is too bad they don't receive anything by rail anymore!

 #337556  by RS115
 
The building by Rt 287 is the old Flintkote building. It has not received rail service in decades and hasn't been an active factory since at least the late 70's possibly earlier. When they were building the connector from 287 to 24 some fairly nasty stuff was found buried back in the swamp and an environmental clean up required. I remember the building being seemingly fixed up a few years ago, but the only sign of activity I've ever seen there in recent years is one car at a time parked outside - presumably a guard of some type. The last use of the trackage to my knowledge was in the 1980's to store the then privately owned 'Jersey Coast' now owned by and displayed at the museum in Whippany.

The track equipment has been stored on the lead to Standard to going on 5 years. The only other activity seen in years was some of the FL-9's were briefly stored on the lead in from the main probably 3+ years ago. They weren't there long before being moved further east.

A

 #337994  by 7 Train
 
Quite interesting. Since the Whippany River lies directly between Frederick Pl and Interstate 287, I wonder did they have to dredge the river or something during the Flinkote environmental clean up?

 #338065  by RS115
 
I'm don't recall whether they dredged the river or not. You might be able to find out in newspaper archives or the county library. Time frame for the clean up was late 80's maybe (IF memory is serving, which is not guaranteed, the problems were discovered during the widening of the ramp to Rt 24 not during the original construction.)

In the glory days of the paper mills at Whippany, Flint Kote etc the Whippany was a pretty polluted and disgusting body of water. I can remember as a small child being prohibited from playing down by the river in Morristown and it wasn't just that they didn't want me to drown - they just didn't want me near the mystery water. To this day, I get slightly ill when I see people fishing in the river - I hope they don't catch anything or at least don't actually eat it.

 #338858  by cjvrr
 
The spur into Flint Kote has also been used to load out railroad cars onto over the road trucks.

In 2002 O. Winston Link's passenger car was spotted there and transfered to flat bed trailer. You can see photos of it here;

http://www.newyorktrains.com/combine.htm

 #339522  by RS115
 
I had forgotten about the load/unload moves - the museum's NYS&W Whitcomb arrived that way - not sure if the military groups engine did or if that was craned off in Morristown.

I found out from my cousin (who used to work nearby) that the site is an active manufacturing facility (all truck obviously). She's been inside to bid on a job and said it's pretty crude and antiquated but functional.

I knew the Link car when it was stored on the Rahway Valley in the late 1970's into the 80's. Not sure when it moved to the M&E but the tattered coverings shown in the picture were in place on the RV. Little to nothing happened to the car while it was there at least when I was around in 80-81. For reasons I never learned, the relationship between Link and RVRR management was strained by that point and references to the car were normally to 'the bundle of wood'. I was always surprised that the local vandals didn't torch it or damage it but they left alone for whatever reason.

 #339632  by joe k
 
I think some of the issues with construction of the Rt 24 ramp and the surprise find of burried drums was at the old Colloid Chemical Co. just east of Flintlote.....Colloid did not have rail service but was close to the M&E main at Cedar Knolls Rd.
I remember the Whippany River and how it looked after it passed Eden Paper Mill "water treatment plant " ......even with the WTP, it still dumped paper ink gray waste into the river and you could see paper pulp / fiber on the rocks........it has cleaned itself up since the mills closed.
I think the only facility (above the former miil site) that dumps affluence is the Morristown Sewer Plant on Hanover Ave.

Some of the photos of Links car show spray paint from kids when the car was stored in Whippany under the tarp........WRy Museum staff notified Mr Link that the car was broken into at the time......other than that the car was left alone for all those years!

 #339662  by blockline4180
 
[quote="RS115"]I had forgotten about the load/unload moves - the museum's NYS&W Whitcomb arrived that way - not sure if the military groups engine did or if that was craned off in Morristown.



I believe they did that in 2003 or 2004... They also had a flat car back there in 2000 and unloaded some military trucks for the Whippany Festival on the old Flintkote siding...

 #339797  by roachcoach1186
 
The Whippany Railway Museum lists the storage site as Cargill Manufacturing.

They used the site to restore the Whitcomb Switcher.

And yeah, when you drive by on 287, you can see cars there everyday, and even the large steel door is sometimes open and you can see the inside.
 #582283  by blockline4180
 
Resurrecting this old thread, is there any reason why M&E still lists Standard Roofings as a customer even though they haven't received a car by rail in almost 10 years??
 #582289  by SecaucusJunction
 
Maybe the big wigs want to make it seem like they actually have some freight customers left even though they really only seem interested in running those tourist trains up and down the line and have their rail festivals in Whippany. I dont see how that pays the bills.
 #582734  by CJPat
 
Is the switch still in place and connected? Has Standard Roofings actually said they don't want to be serviced? Otherwise, the M&E can still consider them a customer with VERY sporadic service. What's the difference in customers who receive 1 car every 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 seasons, or 10 years? Is there an accepted definition as to what constitutes the time limit imposed by the term "sporadic"?

In business, a customer is a customer until they tell you they are not a customer.
 #582769  by Tri-State Tom
 
SJ -
I dont see how that pays the bills.
Ever notice those tall towers with wire that stand along the Whippany main ? Or the markings for the natural gas line along side of the ROW ?

I think the M&E gets some hefty fees here.

Oh and I believe the Whippany festivals and train rides are run/sponsored by the Museum....who lease the M&E crew and engines.
 #583550  by Ken W2KB
 
Tri-State Tom wrote:SJ -
I dont see how that pays the bills.
Ever notice those tall towers with wire that stand along the Whippany main ? Or the markings for the natural gas line along side of the ROW ?

I think the M&E gets some hefty fees here.

Oh and I believe the Whippany festivals and train rides are run/sponsored by the Museum....who lease the M&E crew and engines.
Maybe. In most cases, utilities acquire a permanent easement for a one-time payment.