Hackettstown train today

I know transit runs nothing west of dover on the weekends, but I am positive I heard a train go through hackettstown today. Anyone know why?

Freight returning from Dover to Washington, perhaps?

Maybe, because just a few minutes ago (10:00PM) something again blew a horn for the high street crossing. So maybe this was the train heading back.

Which freight co. uses the Hackettstown track? and where does it go?

NS runs a turn from Allentown to Hackettstown, and another turn from Washington to Dover. There's a thread somewhere about the various shippers.

Lackawanna484 wrote:NS runs a turn from Allentown to Hackettstown, and another turn from Washington to Dover. There's a thread somewhere about the various shippers.

Is there some sort of schedule to these occurences?

NS doesn't operate from Allentown to Hackettstown. That drill terminates in Washington. The dover drill runs out to Washington and picks up the cars for points east, including M&E interchange.

H65 (Monday through friday, rare saturdays) Runs from A-Town to Washington. H-74 Does it on Sundays.

H-02 Runs M-W-F from Dover to Washington.

washingtonsecondary wrote:NS doesn't operate from Allentown to Hackettstown. That drill terminates in Washington. The dover drill runs out to Washington and picks up the cars for points east, including M&E interchange.

H65 (Monday through friday, rare saturdays) Runs from A-Town to Washington. H-74 Does it on Sundays.

H-02 Runs M-W-F from Dover to Washington.

yeah, typo on my part, as I was commenting on the exchange in Washington.

Sorry if I sounded like one of those know it all rail fans. I actually wish there was a customer or two in Hackettstown, atleast there would be something to watch when they switched.

washingtonsecondary wrote:Sorry if I sounded like one of those know it all rail fans. I actually wish there was a customer or two in Hackettstown, atleast there would be something to watch when they switched.

M&M/Mars has a plant/ Headquarters in Hackettstown last I was up there I saw railroad tracks running it the direction of the factory, I would think with all candy they make daily that they would have raw goods shipped up to them via rail and not all by trucks.

I noticed last year that NS was pretty consistent in the Washington area on Friday evenings at around 5:00 and the same for Sunday. Are they still consistent there at those hours?

I thought NS did have several customers in the Hackettstown area? Oh, well.

M&M does have a track that runs into the plant, although it does not get used often. I've heard conflicting stories as to why. One was because when the Allentown to Washington local was leaving cars in washington yard, people were breaking into them. Potentially contaminating food product. I heard this from an NS employee, so I tend to believe that. The other is that M&M wants larger cars, and the bridge in P'burg over the washington secondary won't allow for real high cars.

As for trucks versus trains, they most likely have some killer rates (in a good way for them) from trucking companies, or their consingees are paying the freight, so the don't care how it gets out.

Last Sunday the local worked in Washington in the 1 - 3pm area.

M&M was unloading product at a transload facility, on the NYS&W just south of the Route 15 grade crossing- now bridge, near Sparta Junction. Then trucking it from there to Hackettstown.

I have to imagine that the NYS&W takes some enjoyment from taking business away from NS.