Port Reading Secondary train symbols (pre-1998)

Does anybody know some of the train symbols for the trains which ran on the port reading secondary (pre-1998) and which industries they served?

Off the top of my head...


Mid 1990's saw OIPI - CCAL - CCPI through freights go west from the Chemical Coast for awhile at night.

The afternoon Manville job WPMA xx(12?) worked the west end, Union Carbide/Bakelite (or whatever the place was that received covered hoppers and the flat cars with 4 carbon black containers). That job handled all the customers (the few) from the Manville Yard, spending hours switching at Union Carbide/Bakelite alone. Then they'd do whatever else was out there, sorry, I can't remember any names, but there weren't more than 2 or 3.

Not sure of the Port Reading yard jobs (YPPR xx) that worked someone on the east end as required, not much (if any at all) industry on the eastern half by then, and virtually nothing in the "middle". I seem to recall one of the YPPR's getting a Form D from Port Reading to the first DCS sign in order to serve one customer, whose name escapes me.

Hope this helps.

No this helps greatly. thanks for responding. The industry that the YPPR-X worked, would that be the Bay Way Refinery?

When Conrail drilled Bayway, the jobs that worked the refinery were YPBY-01 and YPBY-03; the BY-01 switched "outside" the refinery in the yard along side the Chemical Coast, and BY-03 switched "inside" the refinery. Both jobs were "daylight", going to work between 06:30 and 08:00. BY-01's crew signed up in a small, old shack along side the Chemical Coast and BY-03 signed up in a small building inside the refinery.

Port Reading jobs signed up in Port Reading yard office, and worked all industries on the Chemical Coast between Bayway and NJT's Coast Line to Perth Amboy, including any work on the Port Reading Secondary. There were quite a few jobs in Port Reading, all yard jobs (YPPR-03, YPPR-21, YPPR-30, etc), so their work varied over the years.

In summary, as I recall, the Chemical Coast was worked by Port Newark jobs (YPPN-xx) from Oak Island to Bayway, Bayway itself by YPBY-01, refinery by YPBY-03, Port Reading jobs YPPR-xx Bayway to NJCL Perth Amboy and Port Reading Secondary (east end).

thanks Rob, your help is greatly appreaciated

Rob, don't forget we also ran those ConveyorTrains, out of Port Reading Yard, as well. Up the Port Reading Secondary, to Manville, then onto the CNJ, for the trip over NJT to the quarry, over Rt. 22. Then, down to the Southern Secondary, again via the Port Reading branch, for dumping of rock, then picking up of sand, only to start the cycle all over again. In the late 80's, early 90's, we switched the entire length of the line, from Port Reading. The Star Ledger, a lumber yard, and several paint and chemical companies, as well. Never ran a through freight over the line, except for the ConveyorTrain. All those Manville jobs I worked, none ran the Port Reading Branch, as I recall. It was all CNJ work, and LV work, with NO RDG work covered, except for the Trenton Line. We did run the Port Reading as a day job, and a night job, before the "J" was replaced by the "P", i.e. YJPR-01 instead of YPPR-01. When we ran from Port Reading Yard, we did actually take cars into Manville Yard, to set them out for interchange, as well as picking cars up. This eliminated the need for OI-60 to stop and work the long leads, into and out of Port Reading Yard, and made for a single pick-up/set-out for a train heading to/from Oak Island. Regards

When I was on Conrail we worked the Port Reading secondary out of Manville. This was in the 1990-98 time frame. I remember serving all the places mentioned above,and we never went on the NJT side to work.