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  • Browns Yard question / history

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

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 #714711  by carajul
 
Was there ever a period where Browns Yard was taken out of service or scaled back? Looking at historicaerials it seems in the 1940s it was mostly coal cars (I'll assume for the coal dumps in S Amboy), in the '50s and 60's general freight, then in the late 60s to late 70s it looked like a barren wasteland with no cars, then in the late 80s to present it's full of general freight cars again.
 #714727  by Jtgshu
 
carajul wrote:Was there ever a period where Browns Yard was taken out of service or scaled back? Looking at historicaerials it seems in the 1940s it was mostly coal cars (I'll assume for the coal dumps in S Amboy), in the '50s and 60's general freight, then in the late 60s to late 70s it looked like a barren wasteland with no cars, then in the late 80s to present it's full of general freight cars again.
I believe they (conrail) consolidated a few yards and made Browns the "main yard" for the area - I can think of Red Bank Yard, probably the biggest, that was shut down, Neptune yard, whatever remained at Matawan, and wasn't there a small yard out by Jamesburg too?
 #714738  by Kaback9
 
Browns has always been around in some form as noted by the old Cat poles still up in the yard. Over the years its role has changed, as JT mentioned when the other smaller yards in the area were shut down or scaled back Browns took on their traffic. Remember Browns was only for PRR trains up until Conrail. CNJ ran things out of the yard in Red Bank and I believe a few PRR trains came out of there as well.
 #714753  by gravelyfan
 
Dont forget that the (then) significant traffic levels on the former RRRR were not handled through Browns yard until the ex RRRR Gillespie Branch was extended across Bordentown Ave in the mid 1980's. I recall in 1983 (while shooting the last runs of the GG-I's) watching the OI-60 do its morning dance across the NJCL Raritan River draw with a block of cars to and from Parlin on the RRRR and then a block to and from Browns.
 #714789  by Kaback9
 
gravelyfan wrote:Dont forget that the (then) significant traffic levels on the former RRRR were not handled through Browns yard until the ex RRRR Gillespie Branch was extended across Bordentown Ave in the mid 1980's. I recall in 1983 (while shooting the last runs of the GG-I's) watching the OI-60 do its morning dance across the NJCL Raritan River draw with a block of cars to and from Parlin on the RRRR and then a block to and from Browns.
Correct, thanks for adding that. :-)
 #714981  by GSC
 
Raritan River had its own interchange with the Pennsy at one time with a small yard on the PRR side of the interchange on the C&A.

Red Bank yard hosted some Pennsy traffic, but mainly as a place to park for the night. Most PRR freight on the NY&LB used the Long Branch yard, and Sea Girt yard as well. Pennsy freight eventually dwindled down to nothing, CNJ handling it from then on. The PRR Doodlebug used to tie up in Long Branch, then was transferred to the Red Bank yard until its end.

Just about the last PRR NY&LB freight were the unit trains of jetty rock from Trap Rock in Kingston, via the Freehold & Jamesburg to Sea Girt, then north via NY&LB to the old Lewis Lumber Co. in Spring Lake. I lived a block from there at the time, and spent more than a few hours watching the action.

With so few online freight customers on the Coast Line now, it makes sense to consolidate the freight into Browns. But that doesn't mean I don't miss seeing all those freight cars in all those NY&LB yards in the old days.
 #1245716  by jDubz411
 
Hi Everyone,
I was interested in knowing more of the history of locomotives/engines that operated out of Browns Yard. There is quite a photographic history documenting the years from Conrail to present, but when the yard was operated under Penn Central and PRR, it becomes more difficult to find information. Scouring through the posts on this site and some of the rail photography sites, I was able to find out that E44's, E40's, E33's and RS11's were in Browns Yard at some point, but are these the types of equipment that regularly operated in that location?

Although there has been quite a variety of motive power during the Conrail/CSX/NS years, there always seems to be a consistency, mostly GP38's and GP40's. So did PRR and Penn Central assign certain power in a similar fashion?

Any info on a roster history is appreciated.
Thanks
John
 #1246251  by bluedash2
 
I can't answer that but let's remember the only two units left (for all intents and purposes) are the GP38/40-2's on NS and CSX, since that is what gets used for local shifting for the four axle world. The SW1500's are all retired, only a handful of SW1001's around and the GP15's are long gone from the NS roster and it seems CSX doesn't run many in NJ anymore. Don't know if Conrail (pre '99) ever used the B23's but they are long gone from NS and CSX too.
 #1247205  by jDubz411
 
Thanks bluedash2 for the info.

In my initial photo search on the web I believe I came across a few B23's (CR-1963, CR-1983, CR-1990, CR-2023, CR-2320) that operated in that area.

As I dig deeper, I am finding some more websites that have photo archives. Maybe something will eventually show up.
 #1247237  by CNWMAN
 
In the early 70's, up until Conrail began, the daily Freehold freight was powered by black Penn Central RS 11's of the 7600 series. These engines were used to service the industries all along this line, and, with trackage rights with the CNJ, go up onto the Southern Division at Farmingdale to deliver ammunition to Earle as well.

In the years just after Conrail, visits to Browns Yard (and cab rides in the blue Conrail unit switching the yard, back then not so forbidden) found ex CNJ 1526 GP series engine doing the yard switching. I believe this was one of the engines that was involved in the Newark Bay bridge accident years earlier and had fallen into the water and been recovered.
 #1247421  by GSC
 
CNJ GP-7 1526 was one of the engines that went off the Newark Bay Bridge.

I remember almost always an RS11, either Pennsy or PC, doing duty on the Freehold & Jamesburg. Before 1964 (when the section between Farmingdale and Sea Girt was closed and removed, I remember an SW-(something) unit working that line, usually on what I presume were slow days, always a short train.

I remember the first time I saw Browns Yard. A family drive to somewhere. I thought I had found Valhalla! I heard choir music! I was used to the little yards along the NY&LB. I wanted to stop so bad and take it all in, but Dad wasn't going to stop. We did chase an occasional train, but not that time.
 #1247520  by scottso699
 
GSC wrote:CNJ GP-7 1526 was one of the engines that went off the Newark Bay Bridge.
Just a quick correction - not that it matters, but proto-typers may care - The 1526 you saw was originally 1531 but renumbered after the Newark Bay accident. 1526 (original) and 1532 were rebuilt 1531 and 1532 as GP9M engines. Their 1500 hp 567 engines were reused with GP9 bodies since EMD had stopped making GP7 bodies. Spotting features were the single battery box vent rather than three under the cab and forward steps, the sequence of vents on the engine compartment doors on the long hood are different from a GP7. The "New" 1531 and 1532 also had bells mounted on their long hoods rather than the short hood where 1520-1530 had them. 1531(nee 1526) and 1532 were also rebuilt without passenger HEP boxes on the long hoods and no steam generation equipment in their short hoods. For that reason 1531 and 1532 never saw passenger duty again. 1531 and 1532 also received and kept green paint (1531 did not get yellow strips, 1532 did) while the rest of the GP7 fleet got B&O Blue and then Red.

Not sure if this belongs here but just thought I'd share. I'm full of useless info...
 #1247579  by BigDell
 
Scottso699 I NEVER knew that! I thought 1526 was truly fished out of the river, rebuilt and reran. This is the first I'd heard any of this history! And I had no idea about the 1531 and 1532. GOOD stuff and you learn every day.... I was always partial to CNJ's RS3's and GP7's, this is a nice piece of info... Many thanks.
 #1247779  by scottso699
 
BigDell wrote:Scottso699 I NEVER knew that! I thought 1526 was truly fished out of the river, rebuilt and reran. This is the first I'd heard any of this history! And I had no idea about the 1531 and 1532. GOOD stuff and you learn every day.... I was always partial to CNJ's RS3's and GP7's, this is a nice piece of info... Many thanks.
No problem - that was years of research. I wanted to model some GP7s for my HO scale layout. Rather than just painting any old GP7 I wanted to have a prototypical model. After I started looking at some old pictures I noticed that 1531 and 1532 were distinctly different after the wreck. I figured that would have been normal for 1532 to be different but why would 1531 be different? Then I looked at 1526 shortly after the wreck. It looked just fine. The more I looked the photos I was able to piece together that 1526 was actually 1531. Then I started digging and, I forget where, I found the info from my previous post. All very interesting.