CNJ mainline-west of High Bridge

Port Jervis wrote:

uhaul wrote:The shots are so intriguing and please shoot more if you can. I am interested in abandoned places/objects in general so this really caught my eye. I am surprised the tracks have not been removed.

HAPPY 2008

I type in Brown because I can.

I don't get the feeling that NJT's abandonment of the railroad west of High Bridge was to be permanent, or even long term.

I still think that the most realistic option for some restored service is to build a large P & R near Ludlow so that the I-78 drivers can use it instead of the poorly located and woefully undersized lot in Annandale. In essence, do exactly what Metro North did with the Wassaic extension 10 years ago, even if it means both station and lot are in the middle of nowhere.

That probably wouldn't happen. The Sierra Club would cry foul, because of the possible suburban sprawl.

Port Jervis wrote:Speaking of the White House siding, is it ever used? I've looked at the RVL schedules and it doesn't appear that there are ever any two revenue service trains operating west of Raritan in the opposite direction at any time. Whatever enters the single track segment has the whole line to themselves all the way to HB and back.

Used every weekday day as far as I know. There are deadhead trains to and from Raritan Yard and High Bridge that meet the revenue runs there. No trains are stored at High Bridge, hence the deadheads to/from Raritan.

Those three pics look similar to what happened to the Reading/CR/SEPTA Bethlehem Branch between north of Quakertown and Hellertown. Last commuter train from Bethlehem to Lansdale was June 30, 1981, and last freight train north of Quakertown/south of Hellertown 1984. The rails in Lehigh and Northampton Counties were removed last year from Oct-Dec. for a trail but SEPTA reserves the right to rebuild track. I hope this doesn't happen to the CNJ line through Ludlow and Bloomsbury especially since NS abandoned service to the one customer in West Portal the company moved to PA. Abandoning and removing tracks isn't going to help bring back commuter rail to the Lehigh Valley area. The CNJ line and the ex-Reading Bethlehem Branch in PA are the only possible routes for commuter trains to the LV area from Philly and NY. And there's no heavy freight traffic on them, except the Lehigh Line from near Bloomsbury to Pburg which NJT would have to use to extend the RVL back to Pburg. In PA, there is a plan to have a commuter rail line from Lansdale to Quakertown and Shelly. The tracks are now removed starting about a mile north of Shelly at Springfield St. overpass near the Bucks/Lehigh line below Coopersburg all the way to Bethlehem Union Station except for some yard tracks by Bethlehem north of I-78, the Saucon Yard under I-78 was removed several years ago.

rwk wrote: I hope this doesn't happen to the CNJ line through Ludlow and Bloomsbury especially since NS abandoned service to the one customer in West Portal the company moved to PA.

I really doubt it will as I was told NS just embargoed the spur....
I am also very surprised NS hasn't used that Central Running as a storage track for spine cars, coil cars or any other equipment not being used during this bad recession.

[quote="Port Jervis"][quote="Jtgshu"]That track comes back into the single track at ARCH, and at the other end of ARCH, a passing siding starts on the South Side of the Single. That track is the passing siding, and continues through Annadale Station (the track closest to hte parking lot, that the stupid little asphalt walkways are over, is the siding) and continues to CLINTON interlocking, which is right under the Route 22 and I78 bridges, by the Annandale exit (16 i think?).\quote]

Annandale is Exit 18 off of 78/22.

Funny how the siding that was needed to increase service is not really needed to increase service. (Whitehouse Siding) Primarily, it gives more flexibility right now for X-trains.

The siding between Arch and Clinton is a rather long one. I'm assuming interlocking rules apply for both tracks between Arch and Clinton.

Wouldn't be surprised if NJT upgrades the switches at Arch and Clinton eventually to 45 MPH like the Whitehouse Siding.

I saw some coil cars today in Bloomsbury. Seems NS is using this as storage for the time being. The cars were west of the crossing in downtown Bloomsbury.

nick11a wrote:I saw some coil cars today in Bloomsbury. Seems NS is using this as storage for the time being. The cars were west of the crossing in downtown Bloomsbury.

I saw some gondolas and coil cars in Bloomsbury yesterday.. Guess we missed each other by a day!

blockline4180 wrote:

nick11a wrote:I saw some coil cars today in Bloomsbury. Seems NS is using this as storage for the time being. The cars were west of the crossing in downtown Bloomsbury.

I saw some gondolas and coil cars in Bloomsbury yesterday.. Guess we missed each other by a day!

OK, didn't see the gondolas. I only saw the coil cars through the trees.

I drove by Ludlow Station Rd. and Valley Station Rd. today, and the freight cars that NS was storing west of Valley Station Rd. are now gone.

WRT the Whitehouse siding someone mentioned earlier, I know for sure that it is used every evening when trains are deadheading back to Raritan from High Bridge - I saw a meet there last night.

I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but if anyone is interested in what the CNJ looks like west of High Bridge I've posted some recent photos of Ludlow Station Rd. and Valley Station Rd.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jnestor/se ... 402722218/

Thanks for posting the photos, I didn't know the tracks were ripped up between Phillipsburg/Alpha and almost to Bloomsbury.

ccutler wrote:Thanks for posting the photos, I didn't know the tracks were ripped up between Phillipsburg/Alpha and almost to Bloomsbury.

Semi-ripped up would be a better description. For the most part, when I have looked in the winter, the single track is still extant in most places that I could access it. Short sections missing here and there. Overgrown and difficult to see during the growing season. More importantly, the right of way is intact and owned by the State as I understand it.

At least one of the bridges in Alpha west of Greens' Bridge were pulled out - if I remember correctly, County 519/3rd Avenue had a stone arch that restricted traffic and was removed shortly after the cutover.

isaksenj wrote:At least one of the bridges in Alpha west of Greens' Bridge were pulled out - if I remember correctly, County 519/3rd Avenue had a stone arch that restricted traffic and was removed shortly after the cutover.

As I understand it you are correct. The clearances were a bit too low. After a few truck bridge mishaps, the structure was removed. The track is still there on both sides and the section of rail that was removed from the bridge section is setting in the West side. If memory serves, it is 132lb rail.

I noticed today that the section of the cnj from asbury Ludlow station road to the bridge over asbury west portal road has been cleared. There was a nj transit brush hog sitting on the main by the bridge. Not sure what's going on with the tracks being cleared.