The Freehold Secondary Mystery

[GSC]

Been quite some time since the last report. As I haven't worked in Freehold in some time, I miss seeing some interesting stuff, both posted here and in person.

Any updates?

[CNWMAN]

Thought I'd post a couple of Freehold pictures I took in the '70s of PC freight action. Back then, there was a daily freight that came into town mid-afternoon, and returned after servicing Prestone around 8 o'clock.

[CNWMAN]

The daily freight preparing to switch the Nestle factory in Freehold

[GSC]

The pic of the RS11 shows a decent sized train. Business must have been good back then. Thanks for posting the pics!

[R&DB]

From the Tri-Town News:
http://www.centraljersey.com/news/tri_t ... 0520b.html

HOWELL – Representatives of a company that is proposing to establish an asphalt manufacturing facility on Yellowbrook Road in Howell are expected to continue presenting testimony before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Aug. 27.

L&L Paving, 89 Yellowbrook Road, Howell, is proposing to remove an existing concrete manufacturing facility and to develop a bituminous (asphalt) concrete manufacturing facility at its property in a Special Economic Development (SED) zone.

This proposed asphalt plant is adjacent to the out-of-service (OOS) section of the Freehold Secondary about halfway between Freehold and Farmingdale. I'm not getting my hopes up, but it could be a new rail customer in the future. If Conrail (Shared Assets) was to service this new plant, which end of the OOS section would they re-build? The smart thing to do would be to extend from Freehold and install a run-around siding at the asphalt plant. This would eliminate the long shoving moves from Prestone.

[ccutler]

There is also a brand new asphalt plant in Hillsborough NJ, currently not yet in use, and next to the Lehigh line. No indication of any rail service there. I would guess the asphalt plant's close proximity to refineries and quarries might render it an all-truck operation.

[GSC]

There was a Stavola asphalt plant right next to the tracks at Yellowbrook Road, as well as a concrete pipe plant. Neither used rail service as far as I can remember but were located right at the rail line. The old McDowall asphalt plant on Asbury Road once used the Southern Division for hoppers of stone and sand and tankers of tar but switched to trucks.

Stavola used a lot of stone from its Kingston quarry, which once had rail service. However, getting stone from Kingston to Farmingdale would be a frustrating zig-zag operation via 3 or 4 rail lines. Instead of getting product in a dump truck in about a half hour, getting it by rail would be two days or more.

Unless the new asphalt plant is going to be a big operation, I doubt rail service would be of much use to them.

I think the Yellowbrook Road plant would be closer to Farmingdale than Freehold, and the rails are still intact, including the interchange at F'dale. (No feasibility study needed, the line is already there!) Only two crossings to deal with (Adelphia and Yellowbrook Roads) - one if ending before Yellowbrook.

(Restore the line between Farmingdale and Freehold and sneak in the MOM while no one is looking.)

[R&DB]

GSC » Fri Aug 17, 2018 1:18 pm

The proposed asphalt plant is on the old concrete plant site directly across from Stavola's property. The new owners of the property, L&L Paving, plan to compete with Stavola, the only company with an asphalt plant in Monmouth County. I don't know where they plan to get aggregates, but AFAIK there are no nearby stone quarries. Sand is not too far away. Tar can probably be found at one of NJ's refineries. Moving any of these products in bulk would probably be cheaper by rail.

[GSC]

Not sure where Earle's plant is located.

I think the closest blue stone quarry is either Stavola's Kingston or Chimney Rock locations. Sand is aplenty in Ocean County so that wouldn't be a problem. The old Blueberry Acres on Route 33 in Tinton Falls ships a constant flow of sand. A steady conveyor belt of tri-axle dump trucks.

Yes, bringing in material via rail would probably be cheaper, but the time frame would be the problem. A big order comes in and they have to wait for Thursday's SA31 to bring it in. Having once operated a "sand box" dump 18-wheeler, fast service was a part of it. Sand in one direction to an asphalt plant, stone in the other to a concrete plant. True, trucks can be a rolling roadblock, especially around Woodmansie, but the quick service makes up for it. There would really have to be a nice savings for rail shipments. Would they wait almost a week for a hopper of stone, or four truckloads in an hour or so?

Anyway, nice to hear of a new industry coming to town, along with jobs.

[ccutler]

the track to chimney rock looks like it may finally be going in. If they ran stone from chimney rock down the southern secondary, and sand back up to central jersey to be locally transloaded, it might have a shot at working. Of course, such activity might call for keeping a dreaded inventory of stone or sand on hand at one end or the other.

[R&DB]

GSC » Sat Aug 18, 2018 1:09 pm

Not sure where Earle's plant is located.

I think the closest blue stone quarry is either Stavola's Kingston or Chimney Rock locations.

Earle's plant is on 547 in Jackson.
L&L will not do business with Stavola so Kingston & Chimney Rock are out. Their plan is to compete with Stavola.

[GSC]

Not sure where blue stone is available close by. When I hauled sand and stone, I always hauled stone from Kingston and Chimney Rock, and sand from Houdaille (later Stavola, now closed) out of Lakewood. The concrete plants, such as DTA, Clayton, and others, all bought from a Stavola operation. At least what I was hauling back then.

Would love to see aggregate unit trains running on the Southern Division again. Long lines of banged-up L&HR covered hoppers behind 3 RS-3s, or maybe a GP-35.

[cr9617]

what kind of stone comes from the Tilcon quarries in the Haverstraw/Stony Point area?

[ccutler]

I believe GAF has a quarry with rail in Hillsborough.

[R&DB]

ccutler » Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:07 pm

I believe GAF has a quarry with rail in Hillsborough.

Are you referring to Gibraltar Rock? Former 3M quarry now owned by Silvi and has rail.