CR on the Southern Secondary

That would be cool, the beginnings of the MOM. Where is this supposed to run anyway, and whill the southern soon be carrying Comet Vs and the like?

Even so, a parking lot would be nice for some photos.

Hi guys-

Its funny Steven, I was thinking the same exact thing. It almost looks similar to a station area. This indeed will be nice for looking at the train up close when theyre laying over in Lakehurst. More than once I`ve tripped over an old tie or what have you trying to get close to the engine. But who knows, with all the MOM stuff buzzing around, maybe the town has more on its mind than just a parking lot. Take care. -Chris

SA31 currently sitting at Bank, will be getting railroad east at about 820pm

hello guys. I have a question. What do you think will happen when the line from farmingdale to freehold is refurbished(MOM)....will sa35 sometimes make moves over this line?

baju wrote:hello guys. I have a question. What do you think will happen when the line from farmingdale to freehold is refurbished(MOM)....will sa35 sometimes make moves over this line?

I suppose it is possible and is a real possibility. However, SA35 died back in 99? or so so they may not be coming back. SA31 now does SA35's jobs. But we'll see.

I don't see the Red Bank/Farmingdale segment going away once MOM starts operating, if it is chosen via S. Brunswick and Midway.

If anything, it might solildifiy the Red Bank segment because of the limited one track line, adn there might be more interference with the Passenger trains if the freight is run west via the Amboy sec instead of the Red Bank way.

And, CR and NJT are spending a good amount of money to build a new road/rail bridge over teh Coast Line and a connection at Church with teh new trackwork going in there very soon (work on the bridge as already started) for the new station.

Id like to see both the routes selected for MOM, Red bank and Monmouth Jct, but hey, thats another topic........

Hi all,

Can someone explain to me what the SA35 was? (I know the high level stuff - it was a train out of Browns that serviced the Secondary) But how did it differ from the SA31?

Why do you all miss the SA35 so much?

SA31 is makign a run down the Southern this afternoon.......should be approahcing Bank right about now

Hi guys-

As my fellow correspondent in the North JT reported, the SA-31 is running tonight and is now down on the Southern end of the line.

Power was CSX GP40-2 4412, with about 12 cars. They dropped several loads off at DiNaso on the way down, bringing it down to about 8 or 9. Hey I`m starting to miss the NS GP40`s already. Take care guys -Chris

Hi again guys-

To Tom Reynolds, I believe the only major differences between the 31 and the 35 were the running schedules, and the crew. I used to hear the SA-35 come thru Lakewood usually once during the week around 8am, and on Saturday morning very early, like 5am or 6am. The SA-31 now generally hits Lakewood at various times in the evening, and on various days, though usually Sunday and a random weekday.
Personally, I like the SA-31`s run schedule better, as it makes it easier to see the train, for me at least.(yeah I never had the energy to get up at 5am and chase the 35 when I heard them lol) If there were any other differences I`m not sure, OCTrainguy might have more info. Take care -Chris

Tom_E_Reynolds wrote:Hi all,

Can someone explain to me what the SA35 was? (I know the high level stuff - it was a train out of Browns that serviced the Secondary) But how did it differ from the SA31?

Why do you all miss the SA35 so much?

On the subject of the SA35 I can't speak for everyone, but for myself, here it goes. First, the main difference between the SA35 and the SA31 is that the SA35 was pretty much dedicated to the Southern Secondary whereas the SA31 handles the Freehold Secondary, Southern Secondary and Hightstown Industrial Track. I'm pretty sure both jobs had other duties as well. Second, the starting times are different between the two, the SA35 getting onto the Southern Secondary during the early hours of the morning and the SA31, as reported here, mid to late afternoon.

On a personal note, I spent many a Friday morning before work and many a Saturday morning with the SA35. The SA35 usually worked their way towards Lakehurst in the morning on Tuesdays & Fridays and then back towards Browns Yard on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The SA35, when PolyOne was still open, usually had two engines. And despite the SA35 having the previously mentioned CSX "usual suspects", they also had some NS ex-Conrail GP38s before NS sent them to Enola Yard.

My wife did call me crazy for getting up early on a Saturday morning to go see the SA35, but I smiled and told her that the early bird catches the worm. Plus, following the SA35 on a Saturday morning was rather easy, with little traffic around. Compare that with mid to late afternoon in Lakewood. Also, while out seeing the SA35, the conductor and engineer(s) was also very friendly to me and I appreciated that. Finally, I became friends with another SA35 railfan. So, that's why I miss the SA35.

OC hit the reasons SA-35 was so popular down here, it was also VERY predictable and the Sat. morning runs East bound runs were great for photography with the right lighting year round to include good shots on the Naversink River bridge (from the rt 35 bridge). SA 31, on the other hand, is, at best, +/- 2 hour predictable and it's dark most of the time it gets down this way.

Tom_E_Reynolds wrote:Hi all,

Can someone explain to me what the SA35 was? (I know the high level stuff - it was a train out of Browns that serviced the Secondary) But how did it differ from the SA31?

Why do you all miss the SA35 so much?

As mentioned the SA35 was the dedicated 4 day a week Southern switcher. The SA35 would sign up at Browns at 1159p on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri. Monday night into tuesday mornings and thursday night into friday morning, the SA35 would run down the Southern Secondary. On tuesday night into wednesday morning and friday night into saturday morning, the crew would sign up at Browns and jitney down to the train in Lakehurst, Lakewood, Collingswood, or wherever else they would leave it and run back to Browns. According to an early Conrail Freight Schedule and Timetable dated 1982(?) that I have somewheres, the SA35 would drill the North Jersey Coast Line and tie up at Bradley Beach. I will have to dig up the binder to get the exact info, but the SA35 was a 6 day a week job with 4 days on the Southern and 2 on the Coast Line. The SA31 has a somewhat erratic schedule, not too say that the SA35 didn't make a few surprise appearances. As mentioned by OCtrainguy, the 31 would cover the Freehold, Hightstown, Amboy, and I remember chasing them down the Dayton a few years ago and once going to AmeriSteel in Parlin a few months ago.

I have also spent much time watching, photographing, and chasing the SA35 and it was a much better experience than with the SA31. The SA35 conductor was a friendly guy and so were most of the engineers. I got a lot of railroad history and information from them. I have a lot of memories of the SA35 and met a few interesting railfans along the Southern as well as some creepy ones. I recall being late for high school numerous times because I would go up to Gold Lumber to watch the crew drill. On a related note, one of the teachers in my high school(who I ran into in Farmingdale a few years after high school) would also go out and film the train and had been doing so since the last days of the PRR doodlebugs on the Freehold. The SA35 was a great train to photograph at any time of day or night and in any weather mostly due to the fact that 9 out of 10 times that I would go out to find it, I would find it. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the SA31 and when you do find it you do not have much of an oppurtunity to photograph it with battling the traffic, loss of daylight, speed of the train, and so on. If you go to Browns and attempt to follow the SA31 down the Southern from Browns, you find out that they are going the other direction or drilling in the yard for hours. The SA31 is just not as reliable as the SA35 was.