by mthner
How often is NEC's section between Trenton and Deans used for freight operations? I know that trains serve a couple of customers in Deans and go north/eastbound thru New Brunswick. Being a few miles away from NEC and Princeton Junction, I sometimes hear the horns of Amtrak and NJ Transit trains approaching Princeton Junction, and as a frequent train rider, I can usually distinguish NJT and AMT horn sounds.
What confuses me, and the reason I am starting this thread, is the louder (diesel engines?) and longer and different horn sounds I have occasionally been hearing at night, usually around 11 pm. My guesses would be either Amtrak's GP38s that go between Adams Yard in North Brunswick and Morrisville PA or some freight operations that I am unaware of. The only other active tracks are in Dayton, and I know that the customers are served during the day, and it's a little too far for me to hear horns from there.
I know that there aren't freight customers in NJ south of Deans, so are there freight trains passing using NEC tracks to pass through? I remember seeing non-passenger cars when I was driving under the NEC on Nottingham Way in the late evening back in 2020 (here: https://goo.gl/maps/FsoLGtJiVrAUuj9D9), but I couldn't pay too much attention, so I am not sure if it was a freight train or Amtrak hopper cars.
What confuses me, and the reason I am starting this thread, is the louder (diesel engines?) and longer and different horn sounds I have occasionally been hearing at night, usually around 11 pm. My guesses would be either Amtrak's GP38s that go between Adams Yard in North Brunswick and Morrisville PA or some freight operations that I am unaware of. The only other active tracks are in Dayton, and I know that the customers are served during the day, and it's a little too far for me to hear horns from there.
I know that there aren't freight customers in NJ south of Deans, so are there freight trains passing using NEC tracks to pass through? I remember seeing non-passenger cars when I was driving under the NEC on Nottingham Way in the late evening back in 2020 (here: https://goo.gl/maps/FsoLGtJiVrAUuj9D9), but I couldn't pay too much attention, so I am not sure if it was a freight train or Amtrak hopper cars.
MT