Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

There is a survey crew working along the tracks at rte 524 in Farmingdale. It looks like they may be flagging buried utilities (communications cable) headed from the road westbound. There have been several iterations of markouts there in the past 6 months or so. May be totally unrelated to the railroad, other than ROW.

CharlieL wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2022 10:29 am There is a survey crew working along the tracks at rte 524 in Farmingdale. It looks like they may be flagging buried utilities (communications cable) headed from the road westbound. There have been several iterations of markouts there in the past 6 months or so. May be totally unrelated to the railroad, other than ROW.

The nature of the infrastructure being marked out can be determined by the color of the markings paint.

If it said AT&T in orange it probably doesn’t mean much. Along the Southern AT&T wire is always marked.

Without adding to taking away from the current Speculation, the rebuilding/ construction of grade crossings on the out of service Freehold IT are the responsibility of NJDOT, or the County Road Dept. Utility Markings would be associated with that. I'm not saying that's what is going on here, but grade crossing work could possible start before any other work does.

Great minds think alike

CR7876 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2022 11:33 am Without adding to taking away from the current Speculation, the rebuilding/ construction of grade crossings on the out of service Freehold IT are the responsibility of NJDOT, or the County Road Dept. Utility Markings would be associated with that. I'm not saying that's what is going on here, but grade crossing work could possible start before any other work does.

I'd imagine that you'd want the crossings done and upgraded long finished before there's any potential chance of trains rolling over them.

I'd also imagine it would make the MOW guys' jobs easier if they didn't need to stop at every paved over crossing

@JohnFromJersey When Seashore Lines came in and started rebuilding the line to Clayton they did it in reverse. Line was cleared first, then new crossings were put in. C&D or whoever may end up doing this could do the same.

My point was merely that the work would/could be independent of each other. The order doesn't matter, and neither does the line operator.

So here we are 1/3 of the way through 2022 and nothing...
I recall some post back in oct? 2021 something like mark my works work will strart before the end of Dec. 2021 I have info. I've already said too much.
I guess the info we all get is never written in stone.
I'm really hoping this post sparks the work to start, you all know when something is missing is the mail and you make the call and its delivered that day. Happens all the time... LOL

That's me. I'm guilty. I know they watch this form.

@Tanker1497 From what I’ve been hearing it sounds like C&D is having to solve one thing after another in regards to getting this project going. Weirdly I am still hearing about land disputes! Something about that substation on Howell Road. I know that’s been discussed on here before but I haven’t heard anything about it until now. I’ve also heard that the tracks are too close to Stavolas entrance road further east, Sooooo that’s gonna fun to figure out!

The other thing I’ve been hearing is that C&D has been denied the ability to interchange with Conrail in Red Bank Yard by NJT. Still waiting for confirmation of this one, but if it is true then C&D would need to get Farmingdale to Freehold open first before they can become the operator. (NJT refused to give them trackage rights from South Amboy to Red Bank)

Just on any sort of progress with this project, I did see survey markings for the location of a gas pipeline and AT&T wire on Adelphia Rd, but nothing else. No markings on the track or for where they would cut the road to put a new crossing in, or for where they’d put crossing lights. I did see signs saying the land on the east side had been sold for more affordable housing to be built so maybe it’s for that? Idk

As for the encroachments, it's not the railroad's problem if in fact there are problems with Stavola's access road. It's Stavola's. And it does not appear to me from looking at satellite images that the substation or it's adjacent power poles encroach on the ROW. Likewise, if they do encroach, it's not the railroad's problem.

As for NJT not allowing D&D access to NJCL or Red Bank yard, D&D could work around by taking over traffic from Brown's except for the Southern, refurb the FIT to Farmingdale and then take over the Southern, with CRSA servicing the Southern until the refurb is complete.

I suspect the problem is the current economic climate is such that the cost of the refurb makes the refurb no longer economically viable.

In reference to the above, this morning there is a NJTransit truck and several other vehicles looking at the FIT where it crosses 524 and south towards Southard Ave.. This is a NJTransit crew, not a survey / markout crew.

CharlieL wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:47 am As for the encroachments, it's not the railroad's problem if in fact there are problems with Stavola's access road. It's Stavola's. And it does not appear to me from looking at satellite images that the substation or it's adjacent power poles encroach on the ROW. Likewise, if they do encroach, it's not the railroad's problem.

As for NJT not allowing D&D access to NJCL or Red Bank yard, D&D could work around by taking over traffic from Brown's except for the Southern, refurb the FIT to Farmingdale and then take over the Southern, with CRSA servicing the Southern until the refurb is complete.

I suspect the problem is the current economic climate is such that the cost of the refurb makes the refurb no longer economically viable.

Well said. With respect to the utility poles within the railroad right of way, JCP&L would have obtained a license or easement for placement of same, and the terms and conditions of that legally binding document would govern the rights and responsibility as to the facility's removal or relocation. It is highly likely that the poles and associated conductors, etc. were located in proximity to one edge of the right of way so as to not impede the use for railroad operation on the remainder of the right of way property, and thus there is no impediment to reactivating the line.

CharlieL wrote:As for the encroachments, it's not the railroad's problem if in fact there are problems with Stavola's access road. It's Stavola's. And it does not appear to me from looking at satellite images that the substation or it's adjacent power poles encroach on the ROW. Likewise, if they do encroach, it's not the railroad's problem.

Correct. It looks like the ROW stays to the North of the pole line.

As for NJT not allowing D&D access to NJCL or Red Bank yard, D&D could work around by taking over traffic from Brown's except for the Southern, refurb the FIT to Farmingdale and then take over the Southern, with CRSA servicing the Southern until the refurb is complete.

Conrail would not allow C&D access to the Amboy Sec, not NJT. The lines will be operated as two separate lines at first.

I suspect the problem is the current economic climate is such that the cost of the refurb makes the refurb no longer economically viable.

No. Not rehabbing the FIT makes the entire C&D plan no longer economically viable. NJT/NJDOT wins when freight is moved off the NJCL, C&D wins when they can operate both lines as one complete Railroad.