CR on the Southern Secondary

Has me wondering how fast MA-95 with CSX 8855 was going when they came down several years ago.

My friend raced that train from Collingswood Auction to Squankum Yellowbrook and LOST. I don't remember the whole thing though so I'd have to ask him once he can get back to me.

Wow! this site has always been active (593 pages since 2004), but the last 3 days have been off the charts!

Reference was made to repairing / replacing a bridge near Gold's lumber. I have walked the section between 524 and railroad ave in the past and do not recall a bridge. Whereabouts is it?

@CharlieL Park near gold lumber and walk west along the ROW for about 1800 to 2000 feet and you will see it.

You can also see the bridge from Satellite images.

Completely forgot to mention that there was a power change at Browns. CSX 6160 (Ex Chessie System) is back but I'm not sure what engine it may have replaced.

"There's also a crossover that they rebuilt incase they need it"
The cross over on CMSL is rear facing and would only alow the engines to bailout onto the main if that siding were used.
"The trestle was rebuilt to allow for a double track"
The double track coming across Union use to end at the MOM parking lotcurb , non usable. When NJDOT rebuild the crossing they re aligned it so as to be able to reach the trestle/off load passangers?
Builder General was giving a huge pricing break at other rail locations NOT to recieve cars at there Toms River Location.
Surbuban Propane left the location do to no rail service.Might have also been a deal? There tank remained for years. The property has bee since sold and rebuild on. You use to be able to see the storage tank. I when by yesterday and couldn't see it any longer,either its removed or blocked by the building.
I remember a complete Southern rebuild ties and rail from Bridgeton to Redbank completed in 1976 by CNJ/NJDOT. Only to have Conrail abandon woodmansie to Bridgeton in 1978. The sidings still have some very old light rail most buried in dirt and leaves.
I have made some attempts to walk the TRIT only to be turned back by tent citieshomeless,being alone in the woods around peoples personal belongings isn't a place to be alone.
In my world all those large building alone the TRIT must be 20 could benifit from a siding installed, there are 30 or more that could get less than a carload off the same sidings and forkliff on the back street to there locations.
I think the issues are cost in any other state it cost 80k to 100k to install a siding in NJ its 750K to a Million? Just like the highways 800k per mile NJ 2 million a mile?
There the problem in its self, case studies for tree frogs,indians locations, water sheds, birds I can't go on...

Old Conrail tried really hard to get out of the carload freight business. They told many industries that had sidings and received carload freight, that it would be so much better if they could drive trucks down to a transfer pad at Croxton. The only thing good old CR did was sell off a lot of the branch lines to shortlines. Unfortunately, they didnt sell enought of them, and the ones that were left under CR suffered large declines in business.
Unfortunately, many people in this country are not driven by pride or a job well done, just by greed. Running the class 1 railroads isnt about running a railroad anymore, its just about money, and if there's not enough money to make the ppl managing it happy, then they are just as happy to shut it down and sell it all to a scrapper.
Thats the unfortunate fact of things. The best thing that could happen to the TRIT and SOUS, and FIT, would be for a shortline to come in. Shortlines are run by ppl who want to run a railroad. There isnt enuf money in shortlines to have a house in the Hamptons, and have a lavish lifestyle. You really have to like running a railroad. The ppl running the class 1's dont care about running a railroad, they care about their house in the Hamptons.
My point....Talking common sense, and building carload traffic, and the good of the community, and helping local industry means nothing the to Brass at the class 1's. If you are not talking to them about a buying bigger boat and a bigger summer home, they dont care. Their only drive is personal wealth.

The frogs, burial sites, nimby's , etc, is all a side show. The bottom line is money. If i went to the NJ lawmakers with a suitcase full of cash, I could get the TRIT rebuilt in no time.

@pdtrains Conrails attitude towards carload traffic seems to vary depending on who's calling the shots in the company. Up until Conrail was split off, they cared greatly for the Southern and Central NJ. They had enough traffic to justify a weekend switching crew that ran as needed.

All that changed around 2003, when a sharp decline began. Managment in North Jersey wants nothing to do with the Southern anymore. Their ideology is to cheap out as much as possible and to do away with anything that they felt wasn't worth their time. That is what has scared away many of the smaller customers that old Conrail cared for down here.

For all you wildlife enthusiasts, reports from the field indicate elephants on the Southern today...

Elephants roaming wild..
Now that's the best post in 594 pages...

Additional reports indicate that they're friendly, but I still wouldn't get too close.
NJT holding the crew at BANK for a westbound out of the station at 4:45 in the pm.

Are the elephants trunk to trunk, trunk to tail, or tail to tail? JS

NS 5286 (OLS) with CSX 6160 nose to tail and 17 cars, approaching Maxwell Rd in Eatontown at 5:20 in the pm. RBOX on the head end, not sure if it's a brick car or not (normally CUOH reporting marks for Extech but I have seen RBOX) and one tank for Bel-Ray.

Stay dry,
Chris

Trunk to trunk?! Lol

Hamilton Road was flooded so they decided to stop and determine wether or not it was safe to continue. They decided to keep going, but the roadbed is almost completely gone and the train was leaning serverly to one side. The water was over the rail head.

I think something needs to be done about that section before an accident happens...

Train blasted through Farmingdale without stopping. Approaching Maxim Southard Rd.

Edit: Nevermind, they decided to stop somewhere else to eat it looks like.