Official Rahway Valley Thread

[mrtransportation]

Rails to trails project receives state support
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
SUMMIT -- A proposal to convert former freight train tracks to walking and biking trails has come a step closer to reality.

"This is the best news we've had on this for a long time," Mayor Jordan Glatt said at the Wednesday, June 4, Common Council meeting. "The State Commissioner of Transportation said he would support a study."

A letter from Commissioner Kris Kolluri states that NJDOT "shares concerns" and "would support a feasibility study" to convert a portion of the Rahway Valley Railroad right-of-way into a bicyclist and pedestrian trail. He asked that NJDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager Sheree J. Davis be kept informed of the proposal and said she would participate on a technical advisory committee.

The mayor said the concept is "a political hot potato." The Morristown & Erie Railroad has contracts with Union County and the state to reactivate the rail line for freight traffic. Portions of the rail line in eastern Union County are already complete. However, state funds have run out and plans to continue the reactivation through Springfield and Summit have come to a halt.

Mayor Glatt has been working with Summit residents Bob Sheehan and Hugo Pfaltz to develop contacts with NJ Transit to work toward creating trails on the currently unused tracks.

The dormant rail right-of-way enters Summit near Briant Park; snakes its way through quiet residential neighborhoods; passes through the center of the Celgene Pharmaceutical Campus; and climbs the hillside below Overlook Hospital before joining NJ Transit's active Morristown Line at the Summit train station. Opponents say the Summit portion of the right-of-way poses special problems for freight reactivation due to its steep terrain and sharp curves. In addition, three overpasses would need to be rebuilt: at Baltusrol Road on the border of Springfield, one at Broad Street and one at Morris Avenue.

In 2002, a coalition of Union County communities formed a Stop the Freight Train movement and members pleaded with the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C., to intercede in stopping the freight train reactivation. However, those attempts failed and the only thing that has kept the rail reactivation project from western Union County has been a lack of money.

Converting abandoned freight lines to hiking/walking trails may protect Summit from the advent of freight trains, according to Mr. Pfaltz. "Now is the time to move," he said at a council meeting last fall.

Mr. Pfaltz said the national rails to trails effort has supported many communities in providing bicycle, hiking and cross-country skiing trails that are level and attractive. He supported coordinating efforts with the Union County Parks Commission. "Let's get it going," he said.


Here is the full article if looking to read it from the original article. http://www.nj.com/news/independentpress ... ml&coll=18

Here is my two cents on this article. Here we go again with the misinformed Nimby's and Stop the Train Coalition, Mayors of both towns, etc efforts in Summit, Springfield and rest of Union County. I hope this effort fails like the rest of the times have for this group. There only thinking of themselfs only and not everyone else in Union County and the State of NJ. But don't realize the taxes we could get for the project, jobs that could possiblity come to the county to name a few good points, etc. Another point I will make, I guess the traiffic and high gas prices have not hit them yet or specially the high taxes in there towns!!!

[Don Maxton]

A rails to trails project for the RVRR was attempted immediately after Delaware Otsego sold the ROW to the state. I remember that the mayor of Summit at the time supported it, but the NIMBYs in Roselle Park, Springfield and Summit were dead set against it. What they obviously want is the status quo, with no activity of any kind to disturb their encroachments on the line. I also remember that the local police forces protested, citing safety reasons and the projected trail's inaccessibility for police vehicles. It should be interesting to see what develops this time.

[mrtransportation]

Here is a another big reason why Summit does not want this Rahway Valley to come back period. Is the Summit's Mayor, Town Council, people against in summit,etc. Because Summit has a proposal or idea of building new condo's where the Salerno Duane Car Dealer is now. The dealer is moving at some point in the future from there to another place in Summit. And if they build new condo's there and the Rahway Valley Railroad is complete and is working they will have trouble buidling them, selling them and making make a big profit for selling them, etc.

[CJPat]

I wonder when the developer first approached the Town council with his "proposal"? Developer money talking again? or maybe one or two oversized condo units that will be available with a "municipal discount" for those "helpful" officials, perhaps?

Maybe I am overly cynical, but I see a "Long Branch" type scenario written all over this. Not so much for an emminent domain grab and cash motif, but for the Township officials capitalizing off a developer. Maybe, it is more of a "Machiavelli" issue.

[Don Maxton]

Condos are being constructed (they may be finished by now) on the old Stevens-Miller site, adjacent to the Rahway Valley right of way. Does anyone know if the proximity to the tracks has affected sales of the units?

[rvrrhs]

Chiming in after a brief absence....

I for one hope the rails-to-trails project happens. It has several positive impacts for the reactivation:

1. eliminates the current encroachments
2. clears the ROW of all overgrowth
3. re-grades the ROW as a relatively smooth surface
4. eliminates the possibility that the ROW is sold off for real estate uses

Am I not correct in saying that a rails-to-trails project would not remove the ROW from consideration for future reactivation?

[mrtransportation]

I understand where your coming from with rail to trails, but here is the biggest problem with turning the line into rails to trails. Once they get a hold of the line and turn the rail line into rails to trails there is no way to put back in the rails again. Because the rails to trails people, environmentists to name a few, etc. Will not be flexible with returning the line into a rail line again after they took control of the line from the railroads or local, county, state or federal governments for themselfs. Once they get hold of the rail lines turn them into trails that is the end for the rail line period and you will never see tracks or trains again on that right a way. This has happen in this country alot of places with rail lines going to rails to trails.
I wish it would work like that for real but in reality does not work like that.

[rvrrhs]

In case anyone missed it in the other thread...

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 45#p556134

Thanks, mrtransportation, for posting the article.

[Chessie GM50]

well, for anyone following this, one of the bigger critics in this battle

Link: http://stopthetrain.org/

[blockline4180]

well, for anyone following this, one of the bigger critics in this battle

Link: http://stopthetrain.org/

Yup, we can safely say they pretty much succeeded in stoping the RV activation through Springfield and Summit. I'm sure the mayor of Springfield played a major role in it as well!
However, I'd say there is still a 10% chance the line will be rebuilt to connect with the NJT line in Summit. Anyone taking bets???

[the missing link]

this site of theirs is full of misinformation, b.s., and smokescreen scare tactics. a severe case of cranial-rectal inversion.
#1 creosote is toxic. in its raw liquid form yes, as they misquote from 'authoritive' source. BUT NOT IN TIES. and they don't leach toxins either
#2 oh no, theyre gonna haul trash! o.k., lets run a convoy of garbage trucks past your house and see if you can think of an alternative.
#3 and the railroad could make taxes actually go up. your taxes will go up anyway. they might not go up as fast if you have some new real business in town, let alone new jobs that generate taxes as well.
#4, illegal garbage facility. sorry nimby. if it goes by rail its federal.
it goes on, but thats just a sample. someone has to show up at these 'meetings' and take them to task

[GOLDEN-ARM]

I've visited the site, that was enclosed in the link, and I've considered the "report" that was made. While the info seems flawed, and there isn't anything good to gained by falling in with those folks, I'm going to allow that post to stand. Even though it's anti-railroad, and it's patently flawed, it does relate to the RVRR restoration. Hiding from the ugly facts and foes who will lie to stop this from happening (if the reactivation ever does occur) won't make this go away. Please keep the posts related to the topic, and send your thoughts, and hatemail, to the folks who run that crooked site. Regards

[mrtransportation]

That groups site against the RVRR and SIRR is so totally anti-railroad in Union County. I know I feel a shame to live in the same county as this group is from. I wish they would just go away and stop the wasting of time, money and effort with this project and worry more about other problems going on in that part of Summit and Springfield or Union County instead. One day they will realize it was all invane and was a big waste of there time. I know that site is so misinformed thats not even funny, it really sad. What has this great State of New Jersey and United States America come to! I have alot more to say but I hold it to myself.

[GOLDEN-ARM]

Thanks for holding those thoughts, and let's get on with the RVRR "any news" topic.........

[RS115]

Let me start by saying I love both the M&E and RV, having ties to both. As to the Summit to Springfield (really Union) segment however, a reality check. The RVRR stopped going to Summit in 1976 upon the creaton of Conrail - then GM Bernie Cahill embargoed both the Summit (former EL) and Aldene (former CNJ) interchanges in favor of the former LV interchange in Cranford. The decision as far as Summit was easy - a) it's at the top of a long hard grade b) the interchange track there had little capacity c) by doing so he could stop maintaining several miles (without officially abandoning) of the worst part of the railroad. By the 1980's, crews rarely went north of Union - why - because there were NO active customers needing service. The only customer at Springfield was Best Pencil (if memory serves) who got a few box cars a year that were just spotted on the main. When special passenger trains were run in 1980 to the U.S.Open at Baltusrol the track crew spent several weeks clearing brush, installing an occassional tie and LOTS of gauge bars in hopes of keeping everything on the rails (which did work). The run-around at Springfield hadn't been used in many many years and was not intact, so we hacked our way far enough into the old house track to be able to back the north end engine in there (special ran north from Kenilworth with an engine on each end). We would then shove north from Springfield to the crossing closest to the golf course (right before Rt 78 - Baltusrol Way???) with the other engine and discharge our passengers. The south end engine stayed there tied down for the day while the crew got on the other engine and went and did the day's freight work.) The only other use of this segment of the line was in the mid-80's (?) when the bottom fell out of the per diem boxcar market. Mr. Cahill made a deal to store a lot of them. Lots of cars were shoved up the hill towards Summit and, I was told, periodically a car was intentionally derailed as with the grade and neighborhood kids they weren't relying on hand brakes and a few chocks. The cars were eventually moved out (I suspect at least partially because the towns started complaining about an 'attractive nuisance' issue (which I have to admit isn't entirely beyond the realm) and, to my knowledge anyway, the line saw no further use in the DO/NYSW years.

The prospects of customers suddenly appearing on this segment - the surrounding area having become more residential over the years, strike me as slim to none. The Broad Street Bridge at Summit was a rickety antique then and in addition to being replaced by a more substantial structure, track through the area would almost certainly be required to be raised as it was way low clearance at street level. Put up all the signs you want - your bridge is still going to get hit and no matter who pays for the repairs - you're still out of service till it's fixed. (Just ask the M&E about their problems with the low - iron - bridge on the High Bridge line.)

The only reason to put this segment back is to facilitate engine moves from Morristown to the line and on to Bayway. If the line was intact - great idea. But given the current conditions - you can pay for a lot of ferry move charges - even execute a haulage agreement if that's really what you want - before you approach the cost of service restoration here. Put the connection back in at Aldene so they can get from the RV to former SIRT - create a secure place to stash an engine or two on one side or the other - and work out how the traffic will actually flow to the national network (see discussion regarding interchange at Bound Brook) but get on with it. The connection issue on the RVRR side is less than a 1/2 mile of track. Beyond that, lots of ballast cars and tamping and from the segments I've seen anyway, you've got yourself a functional railroad with all good wood. On the RV side anyway the only place there ever were (inadequate as discussed elsewhere) crossing protection was Route 22. Put something decent there and beyond that flag em and lean on the horn - it's not an Acela hell-bent for Washington - flagging a few crossings isn't going make a difference. It's a shortline switching operation, not a through route to Scranton or whatever other pipe dreams there are out there - but it never was.

To borrow a pre-CSX/NS division slogan - Let the Rahway Valley be the Rahway Valley.

Just my 2 cents.