CSX trentonline 2nd track-manville-sunnymeade

wolfboy8171981 wrote:Most likely they will just cut and swing over old main to connect to the new switch, while they work on the old bridge section.

The switch and some track are already there from the new track but there isn't a switch on the old main yet.

It doesn’t look like they started work on the Royce Creek bridge.

Joe

JoeRailRoad wrote:

wolfboy8171981 wrote:Most likely they will just cut and swing over old main to connect to the new switch, while they work on the old bridge section.

The switch and some track are already there from the new track but there isn't a switch on the old main yet.

It doesn’t look like they started work on the Royce Creek bridge.

Joe

There wont be a true crossover. Since the switch on the new main is only for accessing manville yard while the old main is cut, they will just cut the old main and slid it into place to connect to the new switch. When the bridge work is complete they will do the reverse, and remove the new switch.

Please excuse the crudeness of the drawing. The Blue represents new track, black exsisting track. The Yellow is the underpass. As you can see they will cut the old main and slide it into place. This should only be temporary until they are done with the work on the old main at that time they would slide the old main back into place and remove the switch off the new main. The old main will become a controlled siding.

Joe[/quote]

A new powered switch replaced the hand thrown one at Kyle.

I don’t know if it is controlled by the dispatcher or if it is remote controlled.

The crossover track hasn’t been connected from the West track to the East track, just West/South of Kyle, as of yet.

Joe[/quote]


Is Kyle the name for the South/West end where Manville Yard joins the CSX Trenton Line?? And is there any update on the Royce Runner?

bbobes327 wrote:Joe

A new powered switch replaced the hand thrown one at Kyle.

I don’t know if it is controlled by the dispatcher or if it is remote controlled.

The crossover track hasn’t been connected from the West track to the East track, just West/South of Kyle, as of yet.

Joe[/quote]


Is Kyle the name for the South/West end where Manville Yard joins the CSX Trenton Line?? And is there any update on the Royce Runner?[/quote]

Wolfboy’s diagram shows the Kyle switch at the South side of Manville yard.

The new crossover switch is between Kyle and the Royce Creek bridge.

Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/a5nspvd

Joe

Cool, thanks! Drove on Bridge Street yesterday and saw the track was installed as far as the eye could see. It did look like there were some MOW equipment on the new main South of Kyle. How exactly is the new main connected to Port Reading JCT? In other words, what is the track layout of the junction now?

I haven't seen it since there was the single track bottleneck but ive heard they changed it a few years ago.

bbobes327 wrote:Cool, thanks! Drove on Bridge Street yesterday and saw the track was installed as far as the eye could see. It did look like there were some MOW equipment on the new main South of Kyle. How exactly is the new main connected to Port Reading JCT? In other words, what is the track layout of the junction now?

I haven't seen it since there was the single track bottleneck but ive heard they changed it a few years ago.

Newsletter of Railroad Construction Company, Inc.
http://www.railroadconstruction.com/fil ... l_14_2.pdf
Page 5

Also: http://www.railroadconstruction.com/fil ... lle_NJ.pdf

For info and pictures.

Joe

What a great link, thanks for posting!

Since PRJ - Sunnymeade is now double tracked, is there any chance NJT can come in with their West Trenton - Newark line idea? They would probably need to double track a large majority of the rest of the Trenton line but at least this is a start.

Would it make sense to put the diamond back in at PRJ too?? I don't think it would considering the junction was just completely given a remodel....

So why not just have the trains take the Lehigh Line until Bound Brook where local trains could take the RVL connecting track to stop at Dunelle, Garwood, Netherwood, and Cranford. Then just have express trains take the Lehigh Line to Aldene.

If that ever happens, maybe we can see a 3rd main between Aldene and NK??? =D

Supposedly, CSX is going to cut (CP)-Mead in service this weekend. Although i'm unsure if the new track will be in service.

wolfboy8171981 wrote:Supposedly, CSX is going to cut (CP)-Mead in service this weekend. Although i'm unsure if the new track will be in service.

I'm guessing they are doing all this work because CSX expects an increase in traffic soon???

Also, any idea when the loaded oil trains to Philly are supposed to use this route??

Thanks!

Check out the "New Jersey State Rail Plan" ...
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/f ... /plan.shtm

Dec 2012 draft: page 5-19 shows 12.8 miles of proposed double track on the upper TREL (on 27 miles of track between PRJ and West Trenton), to be conductive for passenger operations. Total cost $219 million (assuming it is for passenger stations/parking as well), cost for 2nd track $76.5 million (as stated on page 5-27). The project is currently unfunded, and just a suggestion in the plan.

JoeRailRoad wrote:

bbobes327 wrote:Cool, thanks! Drove on Bridge Street yesterday and saw the track was installed as far as the eye could see. It did look like there were some MOW equipment on the new main South of Kyle. How exactly is the new main connected to Port Reading JCT? In other words, what is the track layout of the junction now?

I haven't seen it since there was the single track bottleneck but ive heard they changed it a few years ago.

Newsletter of Railroad Construction Company, Inc.
http://www.railroadconstruction.com/fil ... l_14_2.pdf
Page 5

Also: http://www.railroadconstruction.com/fil ... lle_NJ.pdf

For info and pictures.

Joe

The main track was severed North of Sunnymeade Rd. and swung over to connect to the new single main.
The new track is now connected to the original main track at Sunnymeade.

The switches were being thrown at Port Reading Jct. and signals were being observed by maintainers.

The crossover switch from the new single main at Kyle is still not connected but I presume it should be soon.

Joe

Trainlawyer wrote:We need to remember that the State Rail Plan is frequently more of a dream sheet than a working document, and that DOT's idea of what NJT ought to do is frequently not in sync with NJT's concept of what they think they need.

First, NJT's plan for West Trenton Line Service not only politely ignores the reality of through ridership originating in Pennsylvania, but actually acknowledges that a significant portion of new ridership (I believe over fifty percent - I don't have a copy within reach so please feel free to correct me if you do) will come from the additional trains stopping at Bridgewater on the Raritan Valley Line. Any moderately competent analyst can figure out that the cost of installing a center track long enough to hold one or two trainsets for turnback will allow that portion of the ridership increase with a far lower investment, both in real dollars and dollars-per-additional-passenger, than the extending into West Trenton - and not Oxford Valley/Woodbourne Road - will do.

Second, A diamond in the middle of an already interesting interlocking?? This may well be a railfans' dream but it is also an operator's nightmare. The entire reason for the improvements is to increase the fluidity of the junction. If a diamond is added then this fluidity will be lost during rush hours since everything on the Lehigh Line and possibly the Trenton Line (this depends on the final design) will have to stop while NJT is crossing. NJT's stock answer has been that they will build a flyover. This will of course increase the need for cubic truckloads of money which NJT does not have for far more vital projects.

NJT seems to have been opposed as a matter of policy to even consider running any passenger trains on the Lehigh Line. Phillipsburg, and even A-B-E, trains when they have been considered have been planned as running on the CNJ via the Alpha connector rather than the Lehigh despite the considerably better times and the ability to directly serve Flemington. At least on NJT rep is alleged to have claimed that if they did run to Flemington Jct or Three Bridges the trains would have to move to the Raritan Valley at Bound Brook and that Flemington service would have to be considered separately from Phillipsburg.

The idea of running West Trenton trains on the Lehigh to Bound Brook or even all the way through to Aldene is a sound one as long as they are really intended to serve West Trenton and are not merely an expensive way to jack up Bridgewater ridership numbers. The diamond is unlikey and the flyover is probably a nonstarter so do not hold your breath.

GME

Your point about the diamond is exactly how I feel,

and I'm pretty sure it would be cheapest for NJT to upgrade the single track at bound brook so that trains can jump off the Lehigh Line and join the RVL at CP Brook. This would give a good reason to upgrade to high-level platforms there too (im not sure if they are even considering doing that)

but one thing running trains on the LL from Port Reading Jct to Aldene will do is cut travel time for those West Trenton riders. Im sure the last thing they want to do is stop every handful of miles. Express is the way to go!

An hourly local train (joining the RVL at CP Brook) in and out of West Trenton and maybe every 2 or 3 hours have an express train that stays on the Lehigh the whole way...

doesnt seem like a terrible idea to me.

Yet MEA, the fact that it is on the DOT's radar is a good enough notion that somebody is thinking 'bout it and placing some resources into it ... Dream sheet or not, it is not a "foamers gone wild" sheet and has some merit regardless.

Q034 was the first [non work / mow] train to head through the WING - PRJ area today after the first day of work. Expect several more working days of cutover and signal testing.

Learn to say hello to CP-MEAD ...