upturn in freight on RV line?

[IRN750]

The box cars you see at Damio are for GAF which also gets 2 boxcars a night on the eastbound at Damio. GAF has to many cars on hand at Manville yard and is using Damio off of track 1 to help unload the cars and cut down on the amount being held at Manville. NS only has 4 customers left on the RV line. Damio,GAF Somerville lumber on the Middlebrook and Fisher Chem. just west of Raritan.

[ccutler]

Thanks IRN750, sounds like you know local rail operations! The siding just east of Plainfield still had covered hoppers, are they also serviced by NS?

Disappointing that there is nothing west of Fisher left.

Also, while it's not really RVL, do you know anything about the Bridgewater trash transfer station and whether it quit using rail?

[Jtgshu]

Thats Injectron off of the Rock Industrial Track, and I believe Conrail services that....IIRC, Conrail handles any freight on the RVL east of Bound Brook

[ccutler]

Thanks Jtgshu on Injectron.

I went on the Finderne Avenue overpass and saw 6[!] boxcars spotted by the two warehouses, along with the usual fleet of covered hoppers warehousing pellets.

I also went by the BRI trash transfer facility and it appears to have shifted completely to trucking.

Rails to Somerville Lumber covered with a few weeks of rust.

[Jtgshu]

Thanks Jtgshu on Injectron.

I went on the Finderne Avenue overpass and saw 6[!] boxcars spotted by the two warehouses, along with the usual fleet of covered hoppers warehousing pellets.

I also went by the BRI trash transfer facility and it appears to have shifted completely to trucking.

Rails to Somerville Lumber covered with a few weeks of rust.

The Somerville Lumber next to the RVL has been empty for a few years now, the Somerville Lumber that still gets a car or two is all the way up on the Middlebrook, near the current end of track before the 22 work. Its often referred to as the UPS siding off the Middlebrook Industrial.

[ccutler]

Yes, that's what I meant, the chimney rock branch has a few weeks of rust on it.

[Jtgshu]

Yes, that's what I meant, the chimney rock branch has a few weeks of rust on it.

Gotcha - i saw a car up there about 2 months ago, but that was it. I believe they used to go up there on Thursdays when needed, but im not positive...

[Ken W2KB]

Yes, the easternmost customer is still technically connected via its remaining switch on the west side of the siding, but a jungle has grown on that part of the tracks. It would be nice to see that customer come back on-line. The track running into Elizabeth is still also overgrown east of the LV overpass.

The west-facing switch on the runaround track in Garwood has also been disconnected. The track is still connected from the west side switch.

Noticed this morning as I passed by on 5718 that the "jungle" has been cleared. Could it be that freight service to this customer will again resume? Of is it simply part of the project to provide for emergency equipment service?

[many19]

Thanks Jtgshu on Injectron.

I also went by the BRI trash transfer facility and it appears to have shifted completely to trucking.

This really sucks to hear that another rail facility goes into Trucking. I take the Raritan Valley Line everyday, and I was also wondering what was going on with BRI.

Does anyone know why they change to Trucking... I mean their Rail service was perfect and it was right off the main Yard.

[pumpers]

Thanks Jtgshu on Injectron.
I also went by the BRI trash transfer facility and it appears to have shifted completely to trucking.

This really sucks to hear that another rail facility goes into Trucking. I take the Raritan Valley Line everyday, and I was also wondering what was going on with BRI.
Does anyone know why they change to Trucking... I mean their Rail service was perfect and it was right off the main Yard.

Who actually served them? I seem to recall a story from way back when that officially they were in NS territory, but then they re-jiggered the Manville Yard limits so Conrail could claim them, or maybe vice-vesa. Or maybe it was Somerset Terminal or whatever that shady operation (Trainlawyer's favorite!) was called was the outfit causing all the trouble. JS

[nick11a]

Thanks Jtgshu on Injectron.
I also went by the BRI trash transfer facility and it appears to have shifted completely to trucking.

This really sucks to hear that another rail facility goes into Trucking. I take the Raritan Valley Line everyday, and I was also wondering what was going on with BRI.
Does anyone know why they change to Trucking... I mean their Rail service was perfect and it was right off the main Yard.

Who actually served them? I seem to recall a story from way back when that officially they were in NS territory, but then they re-jiggered the Manville Yard limits so Conrail could claim them, or maybe vice-vesa. Or maybe it was Somerset Terminal or whatever that shady operation (Trainlawyer's favorite!) was called was the outfit causing all the trouble. JS

There has been years of litigation and debate over the issues. I haven't followed it at all recently, but all of the things you mentioned I do recall happening at various points over the saga.

[ccutler]

riding my bike over finderne avenue today, I spotted 6 boxcars servicing the two warehouses west of the bridge; and the usual large number of covered hoppers.

the chimney rock track to Somerville lumber looks not recently used.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Thanks Jtgshu on Injectron.
I also went by the BRI trash transfer facility and it appears to have shifted completely to trucking.

This really sucks to hear that another rail facility goes into Trucking. I take the Raritan Valley Line everyday, and I was also wondering what was going on with BRI.
Does anyone know why they change to Trucking... I mean their Rail service was perfect and it was right off the main Yard.

Who actually served them? I seem to recall a story from way back when that officially they were in NS territory, but then they re-jiggered the Manville Yard limits so Conrail could claim them, or maybe vice-vesa. Or maybe it was Somerset Terminal or whatever that shady operation (Trainlawyer's favorite!) was called was the outfit causing all the trouble. JS

There has been years of litigation and debate over the issues. I haven't followed it at all recently, but all of the things you mentioned I do recall happening at various points over the saga.

Also probably cheaper for BRI to truck to waste to Pennsylvania landfills rather then to ship by flatcar to Ohio, Virginia or South Carolina.

[ccutler]

Rode the RV Line out to Somerville today. 4 covered hoppers spotted at the industry near Plainfield. The Finderne industries full as usual of covered hoppers and 4 spotted boxcars at the warehouses. Only 5 covered hoppers in bound brook.

That's all the freight to report. In Cranford there were 30 passenger cars and 12 engines spotted on the refurbished running track.

[ccutler]

I was out on my bike today around Manville/Finderne, and not much new to report. 2 boxcars were at the Finderne warehouses along with the usual 50+ covered hoppers storing plastic pellets. The rails to Somerville Lumber looked unusually shiny but I didn't detour to check it out further.

maps.google.com updated aerial photos of NJ recently. Sadly, the track to BRI waste transfer looks to be severed. The transload area still loads 20' containers, but they look like they are being trucked away and to be carrying recyclables and not outright trash. I am guessing that these blue containers are being trucked to Kearny and loaded onto unit trains there, but I would love to hear from someone who actually knows.