Clearing Brush & Exposing Buried Tracks In Roseland on 1

[maddog5150]

I was driving on Harrison Ave in Roseland today where the M&E used to cross. I observed two M&E crew trucks and they had cleared some of the overgrowth, exposing the line and uncovering the tracks which were previously buried. The tracks end here and do not cross Harrison Avenue.

Any idea what's up? I would have stopped and chatted with the guys but I was in a rush to get back to the office.

[blockline4180]

I was driving on Harrison Ave in Roseland today where the M&E used to cross. I observed two M&E crew trucks and they had cleared some of the overgrowth, exposing the line and uncovering the tracks which were previously buried. The tracks end here and do not cross Harrison Avenue.

Any idea what's up? I would have stopped and chatted with the guys but I was in a rush to get back to the office.

That is interesting! Probably doesn't mean much in terms of a new customer, but perhaps M&E would like to have the run around in operation again. I believe there was once a siding there east of Polaner, no? Did the MCC or Toonerville run around the trains near Harrison Ave?

We probably won't get any answer and this topic will just die, but I hope I'm wrong!

[RS115]

MCC had a run around out that way but not right there I don't think. WT trains always ran to Morristown as 148 was too heavy for bridges on the east end.

Might be totally unrelated to rail activity. They lease that property to some sort of utility that runs cable (Fiber maybe I forget) and they may be obligated to maintain some level of access. Last time I looked there it was a poison ivy patch.

[blockline4180]

MCC had a run around out that way but not right there I don't think. WT trains always ran to Morristown as 148 was too heavy for bridges on the east end.

Might be totally unrelated to rail activity. They lease that property to some sort of utility that runs cable (Fiber maybe I forget) and they may be obligated to maintain some level of access. Last time I looked there it was a poison ivy patch.

Was just down in the Harrison Ave area this afternoon and saw no evidence of any brush clearing. Unless he was talking about an area further west.?

[GOLDEN-ARM]

There was (is?) a runaround, about half a mile from Polaners. We took out a lot of material from there, in the early 80's, to do track work in other areas, including bars, plates, ballast and ties. We never used it for freight movements, as we could drop cars, and shove to Polaners, with a straight pull coming back out of there. We used to pull rails, from the end of the main, when we needed a "new' one, for track work in the area. Since we didn't run that far anymore, it was the easiest, and most logical way to scavenge materials.......

[Al Holleuffer]

There is/was a runaround just west of the crossing at Harrison Ave. which was built specifically for the Morris County Central RR. The freight crew used it whenever delivering a carload to Newark Steel Products as it was necessary to run around the car to shove it down to their warehouse located opposite Baer Concrete. It was a lot easier and faster to do it there rather than to drag the car to Essex Fells. Once Newark Steel moved there was no longer a need to go past Polaner so we would drop the cars at Royal Lubricants lower switch and shove to there. There is a Sprint fibre optic line buried along the line to Harrison Ave. The only train movement past MP 9.0 by the current M&E I can recall was a light engine move using either 18 or 19 with myself and Ben Freidland to show the Sprint rep the right-of-way as the hyrail truck was unavailable that day. As Goldenarm mentioned quite a bit of track material was salvaged east of MP 9.0 over the years rendering the track impassable.

[blockline4180]

The only train movement past MP 9.0 by the current M&E I can recall was a light engine move using either 18 or 19 with myself and Ben Freidland to show the Sprint rep the right-of-way as the hyrail truck was unavailable that day.

Al,

Where exactly is MP 9.0?? The reason I ask is I thought the City of Roseland special that ran in 1983 went all the way to Baer Concrete just est of Harrison Ave.. I was on that special trip when they borrowed the DL&W MU trailer cars and even though I was only 5 years old, I vividly remember the old gravel lot there. I have a picture of me standing by the M&E 14, while the 16 was probably on the other end.

[roachcoach1186]

If they were planning on using that part of the line again, theyd have to lay new tracks that run over a crossing by the golf course on Fernwood Ave, theyve been paved over.

[Rail Liner]

I thought they went as far as the lumber dealer.

Mods note, edited for "content"

[Btkspot89]

typo there rail Liner?

[Al Holleuffer]

Milepost 9.0 is just past the I-280 overpass east of the Polaner switch. During my tenure as M&E Superintendent we had the railroad accurately measured using a Plasser American hyrail track geometry truck and placed milepost in the correct location. None existed for as long as anyone could recall and the railroad was found to be over 1/2 mile shorter than records showed due in large part to line relocations through Whippany. I ordered the reflective mile numbers and had our welder attach them to short lengths of 80 lb. rail which were set in concrete. The only MP not placed was number 10 as that was east of Harrison Ave by Baer Concrete as we were no longer operating that far by then.

[maddog5150]

Just to follow up from my comments at the top of the thread, here's a pic of what I was describing. You can see the cut branches laying on the ground that were cut from the trees on the right side of the picture (note fresh cuts near the tree trunk). Also, the previously covered rails in the foreground were slightly re-exposed.

As some of you said, it's probably nothing but I was wondering why M&E crews would even put the effort into cutting the trees and slightly exposing the covered trackage for no reason at all.

[thebigham]

Thanks for the pic!!

Do the tracks end in the distance?

Chris

[maddog5150]

Thanks for the pic!!

Do the tracks end in the distance?

Chris

No, they are just covered in overgrowth all the way to the active part of this line - about a 1/2 mile through the trees is Polaner / B&G.