Jet Powered Budd RDC

Not New Jersey, but I thought you folks might enjoy this article. I thought this was a photoshop joke at first.

http://jalopnik.com/359202/new-york-cen ... ered-train" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I remember seeing this photo many many years ago.... always wondered if it was a "for real" story.... i guess it is!

It is indeed a "for real" story. Go to Fallen Flags, New York Central, and see post by Otto Vondrak dated April 28, 2009, which announces publication of a book on the subject, entitled Flight of the M-497.

Here's a video of M-497 underway….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ZIJFlU ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

santa Express for 2014?

Santa has enough trouble maiking it through the train at the pace we run now. I don't see him doing it in 15 mintues on a jet powered train.

The train speed has to be kept consistent with Santa being able to spend some quality time with each and every child. Up on the Naugatuck this season, with the Santa trains and the Northern Light specials, this translated into a great deal of four and five MPH running, on what is normally a 25 or 30 MPH railroad.

I'm sure NJT would LOVE to have us running at 5 mph in between their regularly scheduled revenue trains.

If we can get a section of railroad with nothing else running on it, NJT would be happy to run at 5 mph but there's no customer base in those areas so we operate at track speed.

What Santa operation is Kilroy talking about? CMSL uses RDCs between Tuckahoe and Richland, but the last time I was down that way NJT wasn't operating that far South, only on the AC line. It has been awhile since I've been down there so things may have changed .

We run between Raritan and Westfield on the RVL.