Lodi Branch Rehab?

Quickly passed over the Essex St crossing of the Lodi branch / stub and noticed there was a large front-loader on the ROW to the north/west of Essex St with all the trackage removed. Anyone there know the extent of this project? I'll assume they aren't removing the branch since the far end was rebuilt just a few years back for storage of their C&D cars. Thanks.

As far as I know, there are no active customers remaining on the Lodi spur. The last customer, Bearbags (plastic pellets) to my knowledge hasn't received a car in a long time. I believe the tracks at the end of the spur were rebuilt as part of a sewer project. There has been no filing for abandonment, but I can't imagine any reason to "rehab" the Lodi Branch. All three branch "remnants", (Lodi, Passaic, Edgewater) are inactive and probably very close to formal abandonment.

toxic soil cleanup

Are they going to replace those rails once the cleanup is done?

I just passed by this site yesterday, and from what I could see as a driver without stopping was that it seemed a lot of new ballast was placed down.

Im sure the rails and all will be put back. A couple of those properties on gregg st in lodi are posted for sale. I havent' seen them like that before. These all used to have rail service.

Does anyone else remember, maybe 8 years ago, signs on Gregg St in that area, I think by the southern-most siding crossing on Gregg St. (where the building is curved where the siding comes in) alerting motorists that rail traffic would resume. I think instead the building became some sort of auto auction outlet (no rail freight needed), but I really can't recall - I just remember the warning signs...

riffian wrote:As far as I know, there are no active customers remaining on the Lodi spur. The last customer, Bearbags (plastic pellets) to my knowledge hasn't received a car in a long time. I believe the tracks at the end of the spur were rebuilt as part of a sewer project. There has been no filing for abandonment, but I can't imagine any reason to "rehab" the Lodi Branch. All three branch "remnants", (Lodi, Passaic, Edgewater) are inactive and probably very close to formal abandonment.

What's left of the Passaic and Edgewater branches are used frequently for car storage - something the railroad can make some money on. The Edgewater branch ends right before the highway overpass near the tunnel portal. The tracks in the tunnel are gone, and the riverside portal is a heavy equipment yard. Lodi was still being unused, but with the restoration of the tracks I'm sure the railroad could use it for more storage.

I hope that if the branch is back in use that trains aren't going to try to cross route 17 during any time except the wee hours of the AM. Any other time would be absolutely insane, albeit comical. I have seen trains crossing there, many years ago. Nobody wanted to stop for them. I was in the parking lot of one of the stores, not driving, so it was kind of funny to watch. Too bad I didn't have a camera that day.

FW

About a year ago they crossed rt 17 during rush hour.

I would love to see a train cross route 17. All the years I've driven past that crossing, I've never seen a train go by there. It's sad too, because if you go down that street to get to the lodi dmv, there's alot of sidings in that area.

There's 1 siding along the lodi branch now. Everything else has been torn up or paved over. You can see where they all used to be going across gregg street. I have pictures of a ballast train crossing rt 17 in 2006. Was a sight indeed. Nobody stopped and when they did the person behind him almost didn't.

Last I checked, acouple weeks back, all the track & roadbed from Essex St, north, had been removed as far I could see back toward the main.

its for soil remediation from contamination. Trackwork will all be put back.

Steve F45 wrote:its for soil remediation from contamination. Trackwork will all be put back.

Do you have a source for this information or is it speculation on your part??