Browns Yard/Coast Line freight

Couldn't find another topic similar, so I figured Id start one

Anyone who is in the Perth Amboy area right around now, keep an eye out for a REALLY long train going from Browns Yard up to the Chemical Coast. Coast Line dispatcher said it was 111 cars.

There can be some really long freights in this area, and it doesn't seem to get much attention

So if anyone can catch this one, It looks to be a good one........I wonder what the power is gonna be - maybe the ex-EL SD45-2s? Thatd be cool

Isn't that the SA60?

Would've been a nice catch indeed. I saw hoping to see the train heading for Browns Yard when I crossed the Raritan River shortly before four o'clock this afternoon.

Last week, the cars headed for Oak Island stretched from the first building west of the yard office to about several hundred feet before the first grade crossing west of the yard. The six-axle power in the yard at that ime was a paif of NS SD40-2s.

I do miss the schedule the SA42 was on. I was able to catch the westbound run several times. I think the knewer one is OI-something.

That is a long one. I remember seeing a few that were that long with my grandpa when I was a kid in Perth Amboy, but it has been a long time (and that was in the 80s.)

Its fun when the real long freights going to Browns Yard stall on the hill at Essay.........then they have to double the hill, and Coast Line don't like that much.

As far as I know, that hasn't happened in a while, but it does happen

I saw a westbound sitting at Wood about 445pm or so on the Chemical Coast, im assuming going to Browns.

There is a tremendous amount of freight activity through Perth Amboy, with the steel plant being serviced daily, the runs back and forth to Browns, and the runs up and down the Perth Amboy Industrial, which connects at Wood to the Chemical Coast.

Now JT, picture the CNJ road drill Run 9 bringing a 100 plus cars out of Eport to and from the Raritan River railroad interchange track every night, the JS-1 and SJ-2 with a hundred plus cars nightly and when the sand trains of the PC (three or four SD-45's) and CNJ ( three SD-35's )were running 9 months a year. Coupled with the Browns yard traffic, the Waverly-Long Branch NJC -1 and NJC-2 , some nights it looked like the sleepy little NY & LB was a big time class one freight railroad.

Ugh that steel mill, which is actually in Sayreville kept me up all night last night. I've been living here for a couple of years now and I've just started to notice the noise it makes behind my house.

The train that usually heads off the Chemical Coast into Browns is usually a decent length. I've only caught it once, by luck:

NS 3376 leading train beneath Main Street, Sayreville

Is there a schedule as to what time this train usually runs?

Zeke wrote:Now JT, picture the CNJ road drill Run 9 bringing a 100 plus cars out of Eport to and from the Raritan River railroad interchange track every night, the JS-1 and SJ-2 with a hundred plus cars nightly and when the sand trains of the PC (three or four SD-45's) and CNJ ( three SD-35's )were running 9 months a year. Coupled with the Browns yard traffic, the Waverly-Long Branch NJC -1 and NJC-2 , some nights it looked like the sleepy little NY & LB was a big time class one freight railroad.

Oh I can only imagine

Seeing pictures and hearing stories of these monster trains that used to go up and down the Coast Line on a daily basis just blows my mind, especially now, that it has been "Transitized" - Long Branch east at least....

I would have LOVED to been in Red Bank and seeing a 100 plus freight inching off the Southern onto the NYandLB - man, street traffic must have been back up to Shrewsbury!!!!

And all thats left is a twice weekly freight of a dozen or so cars (if lucky)

Progess I guess it what you call it - seems backwards to me........

Montag wrote:Ugh that steel mill, which is actually in Sayreville kept me up all night last night. I've been living here for a couple of years now and I've just started to notice the noise it makes behind my house.

I was referring to the mill in Perth Amboy off the Coast Line not the one in Sayerville.

At least when you hear those sounds at the Steel Mill, that means that there are jobs and people working, and that being open is keeping your taxes lower in town!!!!

the folks in Aberdeen learned the hard way when they complained about Anchor Glass (the usual comments) and the town started playing "hard ball" with the company, and the company up and left and now they still have the big ugly plant, but its decaying and falling apart and they have no jobs.

Heard Coast Line about a half hour ago talking to JR2 at Wood - From what I have noticed, it seems that early afternoon is a consistant time for some of these moves.

When I was younger I can remeber seeing frieght trains down in Point Pleasant Beach on the Coast Line. I can not remeber how often but I would estimate at least once a month....

I've never been good with the symbols for all the trains out of Browns, but as far as I've been able to tell:

Sunday is anyone's best chance to see the southbound freight from Oak Island to Browns Yard. It usually crosses the Raritan River/Bay Bridge between 2 and 4PM.

I've seen this train about 3 times run in the afternoon across the Raritan River Bridge between Perth and South Amboy.

Every other move that happens occurs at night eveyr day of the week as far as I know.

Jtgshu wrote:So if anyone can catch this one, It looks to be a good one........I wonder what the power is gonna be - maybe the ex-EL SD45-2s? Thatd be cool

I saw this train passing E-Rail then later on sitting at CQ on saturday. The OI16 power has been three SD40-2's NS 3376, CSX 8016, and NS 3426.
The PR52 has been running with a CSX SD40-2 and CSX 8886 - an ex-EL SD45-2.
The NS SD45-2's are currently working in the Oak Island area. The 1705 was assigned to Bayway for over a month until about two weeks ago.

This topic has been quiet for a while now, so I figure I will post a Coast freight sighting.

On my way home from work yesterday, I passed the Conrail OI16 on the Chemical Coast at MAKO. Power was the Norfolk Southern ex-Erie Lackawanna SD45-2 1701, CSX ex-Conrail SD40-2 8828, and Norfolk Southern ex-Penn Central GP38-2 5270. I took a few shots of the train crossing RH, then caught up to them again setting of cars at HESS. When they finished setting off, I took a few more shots at CP PD. I caught the OI16 again in a few spots through Sewaren heading towards WOOD. With all the traffic in Perth Amboy, I missed them going through the station but I caught their hind end going across River Draw. I caught up with them again at CQ and then in a few other spots along the Amboy down to Browns Yard. Overall, it was better than sitting in traffic on the Turnpike and Parkway.