CSX River Line Status Updates

I've been listening on the radio to the CSX River line activity and it seems that the NI dispatcher is now in Jacksonville. Anyone know when it was moved from SK, and whether this is a permanent change or temporary.

CP

Edit: Just read the article about the move to Jax. What a mess it was. I feel for those guys, having to live in temporary conditions for months.

It is a permanent change.

I happened to be working near the River Line briefly this afternoon and did not actually see this, but at approximately 4:30 pm this afternoon I heard what seemed to be a convoy of MOW equipment passing thru Harrington Park NJ, heading in the direction of Haworth NJ. Anybody know anything?

I'm not sure what type of work they are doing on the River sub, but I have been hearing a lot of activity with crews between CP33 and CP45. I don't normally pick up the crews radios, but I can hear the dispatcher's radio.

I would also like to add another question:
Is the DED at MP 20.5 out of service?
I used to hear it reliably from my Teaneck home (using a roof mounted Ringo Ranger ARX-2B and my Yaesu FT-60R or VX-150), but for the past couple of weeks I haven't heard a peep out of it.
I did hear the DED at MP 38.5 last night though. That one has always put in a stronger signal at my location.

At 12:28PM on 6-20-2018, I heard the DED at MP 38.5 report 912 axles.
I heard the DED at MP 7.2 report "niner one two", but didn't think I heard it correctly, but then heard the DED at MP 38.5 report the same number.
figure 4 locos (I am not at all sure about this) with 6 axles each, that would leave 888 axles for the cars. If each car has 4 axles, the train has 222 cars.
How is this possible on the River sub? I heard one with over 700 axles once, but this one is by far the longest train I have ever heard.
Even if the train had 10 locomotives, that would still be a very long train.
Unfortunately, I didn't catch the symbol of the train.

CP

To answer my own question about the DED at MP 20.5:
I can hear it (barely) on my Yaesu VX-150 when the squelch is turned way down. The signal still 'picket fences' or chops in and out, but I can at least hear part of the transmission. The difference between sensitivity of the VX-150 and the FT-60R is probably about 3dB; Not much, but just enough to make the difference.
That said, I was using the FT-60 exclusively for months, and was hearing the detector fairly reliably until a few weeks ago. It could be a combination of several things, including:
Leaves on trees
Antenna/Radio issues at either the transmitter or my receiver
New construction near the site of the detector
Weather

I have always believed that the southbound automatic 13 signal was an "advanced home" or "repeater" signal for CP10.
If that is true, then whatever aspect CP10 is displaying should be the same on auto 13, right?

This morning I am watching the webcam at New Bridge road in Bergenfield and can clearly see that CP10 is an approach-medium.
A southbound train reported auto 13 to be clear.
When he reported for CP10 he did indeed report the approach medium I was seeing on the webcam.
The train was lined for track 2, so he was allowed to proceed at a higher speed over the switch than if it had been lined for track 1 or the middle siding.
So, I'm thinking that auto 13 is not a simple repeater or advanced home signal, but reads the position of the switch at CP10 as well.


Thanks
CP

Edit: That webcam at New Bridge road in Bergenfield (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFUjU2zu9JU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) could be improved. The video quality is not so great, and the audio is really bad.

Edit #2: Watching same webcam later today. CP10 was Medium Clear, sobo train reported Approach Medium at auto 13. So it's not a true "repeater" signal, is it.
I believe that someone once told me that auto 13 (southbound only) has some advanced aspects, but not the full set that a CP can display.

With the partial collapse of the NYS&W bridge at Little Ferry today, I am thinking that perhaps we will be seeing some NYS&W power/trains on the River sub.
I can think of a couple possible detour routes for NYS&W trains from Little Ferry to Binghamton.

This is total speculation on my part, as I am not at all familiar with current NYS&W operations.

1. Reverse out of Little Ferry yard at CP3, then CSX River sub to Selkirk, then west on CSX Mohawk sub to Utica, and south on NYS&W to Binghamton. Apparently, that trackage has been restored after multiple wash-outs?
2. Out of Little Ferry yard at CP3, then CSX / Conrail to CP Croxton (CP South Croxton?), then reverse into Croxton. Out of Croxton onto Main Line to Hawthorne and back onto NYS&W trackage. Is that junction at Hawthorne still in service?
I think #2 would work for local traffic, but the preferred route for Binghamton bound trains could be Croxton to NJT Main / NS Southern Tier.

3. Bypass Little Ferry yard completely. Just run all trains out of Binghamton.

What do you think?

CP

I've seen NYSW trains run on the Water Level Route and the River Line before.

I see work being done at CP10, and have heard (on the radio) of work at other CP's.
I'm wondering if they are installing PTC.
Anyone?

CPSK wrote:I see work being done at CP10, and have heard (on the radio) of work at other CP's.
I'm wondering if they are installing PTC.
Anyone?

PTC is supposedly installed on the entire River Sub. Just not in service yet.

Also to answer your question before, average manifests have been 600-700 axles. The record on the River line is 1,010 axles on a Q433 a few months ago (The same day as the Amtrak Autumn Express). It's relatively flat, they can get away with longer trains. Intermodals have been 12-14K feet. The Record on the Mohawk sub is 1,300 axles with 3 ES44AH's. Train was 320 cars in total. 40K tons. That train never made track speed.

This morning, I noticed something very odd at CP10.
I was watching the live webcam at New Bridge road in Bergenfield, and after a northbound train passed, and before the head end was even past A 13, the signals changed.
While the train was passing, the lower two heads were definitely red. The top one had the lower aspect lit, but it looked more lunar than red, but I think that's the poor resolution of this webcam, so I am assuming it was red as well.

Shortly after the train had passed - maybe 30 seconds, the middle head changed to yellow (center aspect lit), and the bottom head changed to green (top aspect lit). The top head remained the same. According to the CSX signal rules, this would be a Medium-Approach-Medium.
As I continued to watch the webcam, maybe 10 minutes later, CP10 went to all red. Then a few minutes later it changed to have the middle head change to green with the top and bottom heads red; Medium Clear.

I am assuming that the signal was fleeted, or just programmed for the next train; a southbound that had been waiting at CP22.
Then, the dispatcher decided to change the routing, so the signal went to all red while the switch moved to its new position, and finally the new signal could be displayed. By this time, the southbound is already in the block between CP22 and CP10.

So now the southbound is passing a Medium-Clear signal lined for track 1.

An interesting observation on what is a dreary day here in NJ.

Edit: Now, shortly after the southbound has passed, the SB signal at CP10 has changed to Approach.
Perhaps this kind of action has been taking place for years at CP's on the River sub, but it is the first time I have observed such rapid changes of signals.

Hi all;
Can anyone tell me if there have been any changes to the defect detectors at mp 20.5 and 38.5 over the past year?
I have been hearing both of them from my location in Teaneck, but during the summer the one at 20.5 disappeared below the noise level on my Yaesu VX-150.
At that time, I could still hear the one at 38.5, as well as occasionally hear trains from the area between CP38 and CP43, but not trains from between CP26 and CP22.
I can reliably hear the detector at mp 7.2 and trains up to about automatic 19, as well as south to CP1 and then CR down to Newark.

Now, I am hearing the detector at mp 20.5 again, albeit weakly, but not hearing the one at 38.5 anymore, unless I turn the squelch off.
I realize that the season changes how well (or poorly) VHF signals propagate, and normally I get better reception when the leaves are off the trees.
But I am perplexed as to why the signal from the detector at 38.5 would now be weaker while the one from 20.5 is stronger. If anything, I would expect both of them to be stronger now.

I am also investigating my antenna system. Perhaps I re-positioned the antenna just slightly. It's a Ringo Ranger ARX-2B which is tuned for 146MHz.

Your thoughts?

Thanks
CP

Hey; Does anyone know the guy who runs the 777 on the Northern?
I don't know if the guy I hear on the radio is the engineer or the conductor, but he sounds like a really nice guy who enjoys his work.