M&E Railfanning

RS115 wrote: There has been activity by RR Construction this past week on the east side of S. Jefferson Road - grading for what appears to be another track though still hard to tell exactly what they're up to. Why they would need or want another track in this area escapes me, there's nothing there but vegetation and power lines all the way in to the old Eden Mill property.

Perhaps for a possible new customer in that vicinity??
E&S Foods maybe?

sounds like everyone had a good time.

test

This 4 minute youtube video of Morristown & Erie with some E8's and Comets near Whippany on one of these trips. We see several trips and the crew returning the cars to Dover yard. Number 18 hauling #ss on transit.

click here---> http://www.youtube.com/user/Sean70z

I received a tip off that Lake Junction was visible from an unknown road. From looking at Google Maps, it seems to be Mill Road.
Is this the road, and is it worth checking out?

My father caught the M&E 18 or 19 on the D&R today..He said it looked like it was pulling a centerbeam car of lumber.. I didn't realize 84 Lumber was getting cars again.

Maybe they've stolen a customer away from the truckers... small railroads are a lot better at gaining trackside business than the big class ones. While shortlines will service places as many as 2 times per day... class ones are lucky to service 2 times per week. NS and CSX could learn a lesson or two from the M&E sometimes. They're too busy worrying about their big but not so profitable intermodal.

ns3010 wrote:I received a tip off that Lake Junction was visible from an unknown road. From looking at Google Maps, it seems to be Mill Road.
Is this the road, and is it worth checking out?

Lake Junction is an interesting site. It used to have a crossing with the CNJ Wharton and Northern with some crossing tracks still in place and a call box . You also have the tracks that go to the WN and the track to Hercules(some of which was removed by the M&E). They have about 4 track's in the yard and a through track back up to transit. Photos show they had some of the Erie Mining equipment stored there and interchange traffic with NS. About 5 year ago they built a new siding just south/west of the yard on the branch.

You can't see anything from mill road because of the grade. What you can see from Dewey Ave is about 1/4 of the site. It is blocked by a warehouse, trees and other industry. I would not advise parking along mill road and walking in because you would be trespassing on an active RR.

If you are in the area it might be worth a drive by...

The 18 and 4240 (all tagged up) rolled east, multiple light, through Dover on Track 1 at 5:45 yesterday evening. 18 was leading, and 4240 was trailing. They stopped just east of the station where we overtook them.
Dunno why the 4240 was out and about, though. Last I knew, it was in storage forever...

If I had to make a guess, I suspect they needs some part or parts from the 4240 for the 4216. It probably won't be in Morristown too long.

Sandy

the 4240 had a do not start tag in it when the bought the 3,it was a parts unit,for a little shortline they got alot of cool stuff

There's slowly been work done at Lake Junction to expand it's capacity, I'd guess the 4240 is just getting in the way now and will stripped and scrapped soon. There is a high-rail chipper sitting at the west end yard throat (where the W&N continues north under the NJT boonton line) and all tracks have been cleared to this point as well. There is also a new switch on the yards east end to reconnect the third track so the entire yard will be usable soon, they'll at least be able to run a locomotive around all the stored junk and not have to pull a string of derelict equipment out onto the transit main in order to get at one car. The new passing siding at S. Jefferson Rd. in Hanover is also now cut-in on both ends - very nice to see the M&E expanding, but where is the traffic necessitating these upgrades coming form?
-Ryan