Can anyone further explain what was in last month's Railpace regarding a possible containerized trash/CD operation in Kenvil? Thanks out there.
Railroad Forums
Kenvil Construction Debris Facility
- 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
I didn't read the article, so I am un-sure about what it said. But Morris County owns the line. Based on the previous trash transfer proposal, I seriously doubt the M&E will be able to construct anything within the railroad right of way (owned by Morris County) without County approval. And that County approval is very unlikely.
CV the Civil E
From today's Star Ledger.
Morristown railroad abandons plan for Roxbury debris depot
County may study hauling waste by rail
Sunday, March 06, 2005
BY LAWRENCE RAGONESE
Star-Ledger Staff
A Morristown-based railroad has scrapped plans for a 600-ton-a-day construction and demolition debris rail depot in Roxbury and will end its legal battle against Morris County.
Gordon Fuller, chief operating officer for the Morristown & Erie Railway, said he still thinks hauling debris to out-of-state landfills by rail is a good concept but said his company's offering might have been a little ahead of its time.
"Our contractor got ahead of himself, jumped the gun on the plan and made everyone's life miserable on this issue," said Fuller, referring to Northeast & Central Rail Transport. "We'll back off on this, wait until the future when the need is better identified."
That might not be too far off. The county Municipal Utilities Authority may do a feasibility study on hauling trash by rail, as part of a comprehensive plan for the county's future waste disposal, MUA Executive Director Glenn Schweizer said Monday.
Morris County does not have a disposal facility for construction debris. An attempt several years ago by a Montville firm to locate such a plant adjacent to its massive auto junkyard in Pine Brook, to sort and recycle or dump the materials, ran into staunch local opposition.
Schweizer said contractors now must either bring debris to the county's two trash stations or haul larger quantities to so-called class B recycling facilities, which recycle individual materials such as concrete, wood and asphalt.
Morris County purchased two defunct rail lines, the High Bridge and Dover & Rockaway lines, from Conrail in 1986 to encourage commercial growth and to provide an alternative to truck traffic. The county entered a lease agreement with Morristown & Erie in 1986 and renewed the lease, via bidding, in 1997 and again in 2002 for use of those lines.
The two sides had a mostly amicable relationship during that period. But the peace ended in February 2004, when tree clearing and site work started for a construction debris station off Berkshire Valley Road, along the High Bridge line.
Roxbury officials called the county, which went to court to stop the project.
The rail firms intended to build a facility for 600 tons of construction debris daily, with a potential for 1,000 tons. The material would have been trucked to the rail yard in 46 to 77 deliveries daily, with the material then loaded on trains and shipped from Roxbury to Ohio. That possibility alarmed Roxbury officials.
The county charged that M&E was violating the terms of its lease, which prohibits making alterations to the leased rail property or entering into agreements for its use by a third party without county consent.
Fuller, whose firm has cut ties with Northeast & Central Rail Transport, said this week he regrets the tensions between his firm and the county that resulted from the rail depot proposal. But he thinks the concept still has merit.
"It would be better to have it (debris) shipped by rail than have lots of trucks hauling it along our highways," Fuller said.
Schweizer agreed the concept is worth considering but said there are potential obstacles, such as the proximity of out-of-state dump sites to rail lines. He also said the county, by court order, must rebid management of the county's trash stations in Parsippany and Mount Olive every five years. The county might be hesitant to invest in a rail depot that a new management firm might not want to use, he said.
Morristown & Erie also must bid to lease the county's rail line, with its current contract running through 2007.
Randy
Morristown railroad abandons plan for Roxbury debris depot
County may study hauling waste by rail
Sunday, March 06, 2005
BY LAWRENCE RAGONESE
Star-Ledger Staff
A Morristown-based railroad has scrapped plans for a 600-ton-a-day construction and demolition debris rail depot in Roxbury and will end its legal battle against Morris County.
Gordon Fuller, chief operating officer for the Morristown & Erie Railway, said he still thinks hauling debris to out-of-state landfills by rail is a good concept but said his company's offering might have been a little ahead of its time.
"Our contractor got ahead of himself, jumped the gun on the plan and made everyone's life miserable on this issue," said Fuller, referring to Northeast & Central Rail Transport. "We'll back off on this, wait until the future when the need is better identified."
That might not be too far off. The county Municipal Utilities Authority may do a feasibility study on hauling trash by rail, as part of a comprehensive plan for the county's future waste disposal, MUA Executive Director Glenn Schweizer said Monday.
Morris County does not have a disposal facility for construction debris. An attempt several years ago by a Montville firm to locate such a plant adjacent to its massive auto junkyard in Pine Brook, to sort and recycle or dump the materials, ran into staunch local opposition.
Schweizer said contractors now must either bring debris to the county's two trash stations or haul larger quantities to so-called class B recycling facilities, which recycle individual materials such as concrete, wood and asphalt.
Morris County purchased two defunct rail lines, the High Bridge and Dover & Rockaway lines, from Conrail in 1986 to encourage commercial growth and to provide an alternative to truck traffic. The county entered a lease agreement with Morristown & Erie in 1986 and renewed the lease, via bidding, in 1997 and again in 2002 for use of those lines.
The two sides had a mostly amicable relationship during that period. But the peace ended in February 2004, when tree clearing and site work started for a construction debris station off Berkshire Valley Road, along the High Bridge line.
Roxbury officials called the county, which went to court to stop the project.
The rail firms intended to build a facility for 600 tons of construction debris daily, with a potential for 1,000 tons. The material would have been trucked to the rail yard in 46 to 77 deliveries daily, with the material then loaded on trains and shipped from Roxbury to Ohio. That possibility alarmed Roxbury officials.
The county charged that M&E was violating the terms of its lease, which prohibits making alterations to the leased rail property or entering into agreements for its use by a third party without county consent.
Fuller, whose firm has cut ties with Northeast & Central Rail Transport, said this week he regrets the tensions between his firm and the county that resulted from the rail depot proposal. But he thinks the concept still has merit.
"It would be better to have it (debris) shipped by rail than have lots of trucks hauling it along our highways," Fuller said.
Schweizer agreed the concept is worth considering but said there are potential obstacles, such as the proximity of out-of-state dump sites to rail lines. He also said the county, by court order, must rebid management of the county's trash stations in Parsippany and Mount Olive every five years. The county might be hesitant to invest in a rail depot that a new management firm might not want to use, he said.
Morristown & Erie also must bid to lease the county's rail line, with its current contract running through 2007.
Randy
I know the Parsippany site isn't near rail, is the Mount Olive county site near a rail line?
Lackawanna484 wrote:I know the Parsippany site isn't near rail, is the Mount Olive county site near a rail line?If M&E wanted to construct a spur track from the Whippany line to the Parsippany site it would cost a lot of money.... I doubt that the county would want to pay for such a move this day in age......The garbage there will probably always be handled by trucks....
Steve
The Parsippany depot is definately a no. In addition to the wrath of the locals to such a proposal the station is 1) a good distance (2 miles???) from the nearest M&E rail 2) in between lie Route 280 and wet lands.
The Mount Olive station is also a good hike from the nearest rail but I'd have to look to see what's in between.
The Mount Olive station is also a good hike from the nearest rail but I'd have to look to see what's in between.
Morris County purchased two defunct rail lines, the High Bridge and Dover & Rockaway lines, from Conrail in 1986 to encourage commercial growth and to provide an alternative to truck traffic. "
Yep, Just what the MnE was trying to do. With all these lil town govt's are doing to industry, We'll all be working at Starbucks soon.
God forbid someone wants to open a new business and create some working class jobs in a Eldorado like town like Roxbury. I guess a garbage transfer station doesn't fit in such a posh area. Even though within 2 miles of the site there is: an old gun powder factory that will take years to clean, A junk yard, an abandoned concrete pipe company with old pipes burried all over the place, A huge, huge old mine complex, a quarry, several sand quarry's and concrete plants. Maybe they should just tear these tracks up now.
I would love to see the transfer co. buy some land next to the tracks and build the transfer station there, Like part of Kenvil Newcrete, and then get a switch to the line. Or locate somewhere on the MnW Whippany line. That would be a great FU to these towns and the county.
These people should be thankful whenever ANY business wants to open in this area instead of putting road blocks all over the place. Don't they know we have a Capitalist system in America.
Yep, Just what the MnE was trying to do. With all these lil town govt's are doing to industry, We'll all be working at Starbucks soon.
God forbid someone wants to open a new business and create some working class jobs in a Eldorado like town like Roxbury. I guess a garbage transfer station doesn't fit in such a posh area. Even though within 2 miles of the site there is: an old gun powder factory that will take years to clean, A junk yard, an abandoned concrete pipe company with old pipes burried all over the place, A huge, huge old mine complex, a quarry, several sand quarry's and concrete plants. Maybe they should just tear these tracks up now.
I would love to see the transfer co. buy some land next to the tracks and build the transfer station there, Like part of Kenvil Newcrete, and then get a switch to the line. Or locate somewhere on the MnW Whippany line. That would be a great FU to these towns and the county.
These people should be thankful whenever ANY business wants to open in this area instead of putting road blocks all over the place. Don't they know we have a Capitalist system in America.
Scrap, I think you are being a bit unfair. If the County hadn't stepped up and bought the ROW, it would have been nothing more than a trail at this point. The County has also worked hard in getting customers to locate along and use the line, ie. Toys R Us.
While the garbage transfer facility may be a good idea, it was not located in an ideal location, and it was located on County property. There are residences fairly close to the ROW at that location. Perhaps the old pipe facility or even the gun powder facility would be better suited to handle this type of traffic, but that is not where the facility was going to be built.
Chris
While the garbage transfer facility may be a good idea, it was not located in an ideal location, and it was located on County property. There are residences fairly close to the ROW at that location. Perhaps the old pipe facility or even the gun powder facility would be better suited to handle this type of traffic, but that is not where the facility was going to be built.
Chris
CV the Civil E
Scrap,
Your being a bit too harsh!! You would rather see the High Bridge Branch abandonded right now just cause a garbage facility won't be built???? They still have Toys R Us and Target which are pretty busy customers at this point.....
Your being a bit too harsh!! You would rather see the High Bridge Branch abandonded right now just cause a garbage facility won't be built???? They still have Toys R Us and Target which are pretty busy customers at this point.....
Much as I love the M&E and agree that most people overreact to most new rail-related ideas I have to go with the county on this one. The language in the contract regarding what use the M&E has of the county's property sounds pretty clear. The M&E tried to pull a fast one on everyone - including their landlord - and got smacked for it. Sorry, but they should have seen that one coming.
The idea is great in principle and maybe if they'd asked first and developed the idea properly it could have happened - if not there then at another location in that area. Now they've made themselves look like a-holes and the county and locals will be watching their every move. If it causes the county to look more seriously at other options come 2007 (which I am NOT advocating before someone jumps on my neck) the people to blame will be in their mirrors.
The idea is great in principle and maybe if they'd asked first and developed the idea properly it could have happened - if not there then at another location in that area. Now they've made themselves look like a-holes and the county and locals will be watching their every move. If it causes the county to look more seriously at other options come 2007 (which I am NOT advocating before someone jumps on my neck) the people to blame will be in their mirrors.