Question on Bayoone Scoot at Cranford

[ajt]

When the Scoot was running, did it usually use the same platform at Cranford to connect to both eastbound and westbound Newark trains, or would it use the westbound platform when connecting with a westbound, then reverse across the plant at XC and come to the eastbound platform to connect with the next eastbound?

[necrails]

I was only 12 living in Bayonne when they took the train away. Road the Scoot once or twice from 8th street to Cranford and we came into the westbound platform each time, on the track closest to the street (no longer there) Can't say if this was typical. After that only rode it from Elizabeth to Bayonne when coming home from college.

[CJPat]

I too was just a youngin' then. I liked to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday up on the Cranford West Bound Platform because you could see a few miles in each direction. The several times I saw the Budd Cars arrive, it would unload/load at the outside track of the West Bound Platform. For the number of years (1970 to 1978) that I hung around up there, the only train I saw use that outside track was those two Budd Cars. After the Scoot was gone, I never saw anything else on that westbound outer track. Funny, I don't ever recollect a train on the outside track of the East Bound Platform?

Boy was I confused when they tore up that inner eastbound express track and put that signal box right in its former path just east of the station. Of course, back then, I was unaware/unknowledgeable about the "Aldene Plan" and didn't understand any of the changes (Conrail) I was observing. I had just seen the death of the CNJ and didn't even know it

[Ken W2KB]

I recall riding it more than once, and as I recall, the westbound used the westbound platform to facilitate cross platform transfer to the westbound mainline train, and then proceeded ahead to cross over and head back east from the eastbound platform, again to facilitate the cross platform transfer from the eastbound connection mainline train. An exception were the through scoots to and from Raritan Yard which made many if not all of the mainlines stops, and not timed for a connecting train.

[CJPat]

I only saw it on the weekends (or maybe during the week during summer vacation). I didn't recall seeing any connectors arriving at the same time for cross platforming. That would have been a great sight for me as kid to catch.

[faxman]

If I remember corectly the Scoot used the east bound out track in the AM and the west bound in PM rush hours. This may it easier for a across the platform transfer. That was a long time ago.