JohnFromJersey wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2020 3:29 am
Crazy to think that 20 years ago, the line had a lot more activity than now. Do you think we'll ever see that many trains on the Southern Secondary again? I wonder how many trains would be operated a week if the Clayton sand trains actually start running.
Realistically, I wouldn't hold my breath. The whole sand train frenzy has not yet come to fruition, at least the way see it. The extras for Woodhaven seem to be the best we can get until the Chesapeake & Delaware takeover, which is slated to occur sometime in the next 12 months, give or take. The sand rumors have been tumbling for the better part of years, and the only thing that has come of that is a few crossing replaced, which could very well be mandated by the NJDOT due to their poor condition. In addition, if Conrail really saw potential to make a few bucks, they would have gotten moving on the lime between Lakewood and Lakehurst. A lot of this project has been done with use-it-or-lose-it grants, which clearly haven't been able to do the job for this project sufficiently. As I said, I wouldn't hope for much more until next year at least. What CJPat said is very true as well, unless there is a large customer or project (like the Hudson tubes) who needs sand that can justify the use of the line, there really is no incentive or reason to operate the line just to lose money.