history of NJCL frieght operations

Wow - I had no idea. Thanks NY&LB!
I'd love to catch it after it splits off at Rahway and heads toward the Amboys... Always liked those bridge shots.
Much Appreciated.
BigDell

The trains that serve the Southern Sec usually come from Browns yard, and enter the Coast Line at Church interlocking in South Amboy, so the bridge shots you could get with it are Morgan and the Navesink River Bridge (thats a good shot, from the marina on West Front St.)

A drill crew from Linden yard comes down i think only once a week, ive only ever heard them on Thursday mornings (I think its thursdays - my days tend to blur into one another ) to serve Cutters between Wood interlocking and Woodbridge station.

But there is a lot of interchange traffic between the Amboy Sec and the Chemical Coast, so there are freights that will go between Wood and Essay interlockings, and those will have bridge shots at River. Don't forget about the steel plant that gets served daily at Perth Amboy.

Unfortunately, Builder's General in Little Silver doesn't get directly served by rail anymore, but it was cool to sit at Little Silver station westbound and watch them drill the siding right in front of you, as the switch is right on the other side of Sycamore Ave, and the station. So now, there is no more frieght west of Red Bank.

Two more tidbits.

The large gas holding tank referenced earlier in this thread would not originally have been built for natural gas storage. These tanks were actually pressure regulators for city gas, coal gas / carburated water gas that was manufactured prior to the completion of the interstate pipelines and conversion to natural gas in the 1950's. While the tanks primarily were for pressure regulation they had a limited amount of storage capability, generally pegged at half the capacity.

That said, the manufactured gas plant would have at one time been served by rail for delivery of the coal or in some cases kerosene, that was used as raw material for manufactured gas.

Finally, at least to the 1970's the remant of the PRR switch and track that went south off the NJCL at Bay Head Junction (and was BHJ for that matter) was still there and used as a team track for freight deliveries - transfer to a truck for consignees that did not have their own siding. It was probably little used by then, but probably saw an occasional car. There was even a gantry block and tackle over the track, if I recall correctly. The track and gantry was in about the middle of the present commuter parking lot across from the station.

Finally, at least to the 1970's the remant of the PRR switch and track that went south off the NJCL at Bay Head Junction (and was BHJ for that matter) was still there and used as a team track for freight deliveries - transfer to a truck for consignees that did not have their own siding. It was probably little used by then, but probably saw an occasional car. There was even a gantry block and tackle over the track, if I recall correctly. The track and gantry was in about the middle of the present commuter parking lot across from the station.

While it was still in place, I don't remember ever seeing the gantry used during the late 60s or 70s. Once in a blue moon, a MOW vehicle or car would be parked there.

I remember, once back then, a flatcar. But that could have been a mow car. Someone with access to a freight station directory from the era might be able to provide a definitive answer as to it being available, though not if or how often it was used by then. If an occasional car was spotted there it may not have remained more than a day or two.

In March Jtgshu mentioned a steel plant that gets
served daily in Perth Amboy.
Is that Raritan Co-steel just south of the PErth Amboy
NJ transit station (on the west side of the tracks)?
Or is it something else?
THanks, JS

Also, what plant is it on the far east end of the ex LV perth Amboy
branch (east of the NJCL) that gets cars

not in march, sorry

Yea, thats Co-Steel Raritan just west of Perth Amboy station, right on the river. They have their own switcher in there, it looks like an old Conrail unit, and it brings the cars up to the siding next to the main, and the Conrail crew comes and hooks up the airhoses and then takes the loaded cars away.

I think they get served every day, and usually its about 15 to 30 gondolas (when ive been able to count the cars, that about what they are) that are picked up.

Co Steel ( now called Gerdau Ameristeel ) has ex conrail sw1200 ( 9277? ) and they just picked up another switcher from Relco. It is an sw1200 and it is painted in a dark blue scheme with yellow stripes.

Ah yes! I realize many of my bridge shots were of activity by the steelyard on the shore by Perth Amboy... wow that was long ago - I have to dig up those slides and see whats there. So that is active daily! Good to know! I think that might be worth a trip... Is it a morning drill? Afternoon? Intermittant throughout the day? I'll peruse back through this thread and see if its mentioned.
Many thanks!
BigDell

Jtgshu wrote:Yea, thats Co-Steel Raritan just west of Perth Amboy station, right on the river. They have their own switcher in there, it looks like an old Conrail unit, and it brings the cars up to the siding next to the main, and the Conrail crew comes and hooks up the airhoses and then takes the loaded cars away.

I think they get served every day, and usually its about 15 to 30 gondolas (when ive been able to count the cars, that about what they are) that are picked up.

A lot of times I come in on the South Amboy Local that arrives in Perth Amboy from NY around 5:30 I think (or is it 6:30?) and the crew has hooked up their engine(s) to the cars on the siding and are waiting for the oncoming traffic to pass to proceed.