Weekend (and Weekday) Busing on the Gladstone Branch

[philipmartin]

Here's a link to the M&E schedule revised March 22, 2015. http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/upcoming/R0040.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
All weekend times between Gladstone and Summit are prefixed with the letter B for bus.
It will continue into the fall. For instance, Saturday, Oct. 17', Far Hills Steeple Chase day, both trains and buses will be in operation. Lakeland is providing the service, and bus drivers will inspect your transportation.

[pumpers]

Replacing more of the wooden catenary support posts with steel? JS

[Amtrak7]

bus drivers will inspect your transportation.

How would this work? Obviously they're not being issued punches.

[philipmartin]

How would this work? Obviously they're not being issued punches.

They'd look at tickets or seat checks. That's all the information I got from the little that was given to ticket agents today.

[philipmartin]

Replacing more of the wooden catenary support posts with steel? JS

The info they gave ticket agents yesterday is "working on the power supply system, and other work."

[JPG76]

Replacing more of the wooden catenary support posts with steel? JS

The info they gave ticket agents yesterday is "working on the power supply system, and other work."

Cat pole replacement and tie replacement at several crossings.

[nick11a]

In the past few weeks, I've commuted to points west on the Morristown Line from Short Hills for some extra weekend work. I noticed that they still have westbound Dover trains on weekends move from Track 1 to 2 at Summit to platform on the island platform and then move back to Track 1 for the rest of the trip west; I was surprised to see this. As an explanatory note for those not familiar, this move is usually the standard move on weekends to as to allow passengers for the Gladstone Branch a quick transfer on the same platform... but there hasn't been Gladstone trains on weekends since March and there won't be until the fall. Having trains come through Summit this way slows things up a fair bit. You get an Advance Approach at the Route 24 overpass (acting, in essence, as an Approach Limited to slow you down), an Approach Slow outside of Summit Station, then the cabs drop to Restricting for the slow speeds coming up, then a Slow Clear entering Summit Station, and finally a Slow Clear leaving Summit Station.... all of which could be avoided by keeping the train on the same track.

Wouldn't it make sense to speed things up a fair bit for westbounds by not having those trains make this move on the weekends? The only reason to keep it as is is so that NJT wouldn't have to change the scheduled times for stations from Summit to Dover.

[nick11a]

FYI, starting tomorrow and continuing until the end of August, Gladstone trains will be substituted by buses on mid-day weekday trains. This is the same type of service substitution (bustitution) as they did before Sandy during the summer. Much of the updating of the Gladstone Branch was put on hold for a while as NJT recovered from Sandy the past few years.

[EuroStar]

As per https://www.nj.com/traffic/2019/02/nj-t ... esday.html for all the busing that NJT did, they only replaced less than half of the wooden poles on the branch with metal ones (308 replace, 396 still to go when they actually find the money for it). The branch was out of service for 5 days (Thursday to Monday inclusive) in order to replace what is described as 4 poles and seven wires. In Europe this would have been repaired in 24 hours even if it was constant tension catenary.

[ryanov]

This last one was strange to me -- I've never seen catenary repairs take that long. Must be something particular about it, I've got to figure.

[R36 Combine Coach]

For all the busing that NJT did, they only replaced less than half of the wooden poles on the branch with metal ones (308 replace, 396 still to go when they actually find the money for it).

Every summer since 2006 weekend (and midday in later years) service has been suspended, the whole thing should have been completed by now.