NJCL Shore Express

I'm surprised this escaped mention (unless I'm just an idiot and didn't notice this last year)... there is a second new express train this year, from NYP to Long Branch, only stopping at Nwk Penn: 7227.

Quite a lovely train, I worked it once, gets to Long Branch about 10am, unless its held by drawbridges, particularily Morgan.

Stupidly enough, this train doesn't stop at SEC.......

But it had quite a number of people on it (6 cars worth) when I worked it

Yeah, I noticed that train in the schedule. Now that is the kind of train they need for people going to the shore- or railfans going to Bay Head. And I didn't notice it didn't stop in Secaucus. Seems really dumb to me.

Does anyone know if any Shoreline express trains have operated with either Comet I's or full Comet IB trainsets?? I know the Pony Express has, but how about direct Hoboken-Bay Head trains??

Thanks,
Steve

njt4172 wrote:Does anyone know if any Shoreline express trains have operated with either Comet I's or full Comet IB trainsets?? I know the Pony Express has, but how about direct Hoboken-Bay Head trains??

Thanks,
Steve

Sure. Solid Comet IB sets are pretty common on the Hoboken to Bay Head trains. I have a great shot of one (a solid 6 car IB set) coming accross the Raritan Bridge at Perth Amboy. As for Comet Is, no, they don't operate on the Hoboken to Bay Head trains. In fact, I don't think the Is have ever operated on the Bay Head to Hoboken trains although I could be wrong.

Nick,

Comet I's use to operate to Bay Head in 1986 and part of 1987 when they ran the Bergen Shore Express trains from Suffern to Bay Head. I have a slide of a U-34CH/Comet I's sitting in Bay Head yard in September of 1987...

Steve

Im suprised they don't run the Bergen-Shore Express anymore. You'd think it was a money maker, so why not try it out again.

njt4172 wrote:Nick,

Comet I's use to operate to Bay Head in 1986 and part of 1987 when they ran the Bergen Shore Express trains from Suffern to Bay Head. I have a slide of a U-34CH/Comet I's sitting in Bay Head yard in September of 1987...

Steve

Yeah, I've seen that too. They would have to take the train from the BL to Bay Head via the cab and then bring it around the loop and head back to Bergen with the cab again because the UBoats couldn't operate on the NEC because it wasn't equiped with the proper cab signal equipment. But Other than that, I don't think any Comet Is have served to Bay Head.

njt5140 wrote:Im suprised they don't run the Bergen-Shore Express anymore. You'd think it was a money maker, so why not try it out again.

I am too! They can simply run from Suffern to Bay Head via the West End Wye and the Waterfront Connection! Mainly an Express only stoping at like Suffern, Mahwah, Ramsey, Waldwick, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, and Rutherford then run express after Newark.....

Steve

Here is a nice rare picture for you all to see!!!

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=62485

Steve

Ah, the good ol' U-Boats. Too bad I never got to experience them in person. I never got why they used U-Boats on the BSX. I do remember seeing photos of them using F40s for it. This would seem to make more sense this way they wouldn't have to always have the cab end leading on the train.

njt4172 wrote:

njt5140 wrote:Im suprised they don't run the Bergen-Shore Express anymore. You'd think it was a money maker, so why not try it out again.

I am too! They can simply run from Suffern to Bay Head via the West End Wye and the Waterfront Connection! Mainly an Express only stoping at like Suffern, Mahwah, Ramsey, Waldwick, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, and Rutherford then run express after Newark.....

Steve

Oh you silly silly people...........you have to think like NJT does. If they were to run BSX trians, then they would loose the revenue of people transferring at SEC (remember those are New York fares) to go down to the shore!!!! And there have been a good number of people transferring at SEC for Coast Line trians going/coming form the beach.

Jtgshu wrote:

njt4172 wrote:

njt5140 wrote:Im suprised they don't run the Bergen-Shore Express anymore. You'd think it was a money maker, so why not try it out again.

I am too! They can simply run from Suffern to Bay Head via the West End Wye and the Waterfront Connection! Mainly an Express only stoping at like Suffern, Mahwah, Ramsey, Waldwick, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, and Rutherford then run express after Newark.....

Steve

Oh you silly silly people...........you have to think like NJT does. If they were to run BSX trians, then they would loose the revenue of people transferring at SEC (remember those are New York fares) to go down to the shore!!!! And there have been a good number of people transferring at SEC for Coast Line trians going/coming form the beach.

Glad to hear it. They do need to make more express trains available during the "beach rush hours" in "peak beach direction" that stop at Secaucus to really grab folks and make it worth NJT's and beachgoer's wild.

Jtgshu wrote:If they were to run BSX trians, then they would loose the revenue of people transferring at SEC (remember those are New York fares) to go down to the shore

Well, since BSX trains would operate via SEC's lower level, then they could market a transfer there to NYP if they did things right insofar as customer awareness...

And wasn't it NJT's thinking that resulted in the original BSX in the first place anyway...?

These NJCL schedules on the weekend are ridiculous. An idea would be to have hourly trains from 8:00am til noon going down and hourly from 4:00pm til 9:00pm coming back. They could leave NYP at 8 past the hour and run express from Newark to Long Branch. 11 past the hour could go to Dover, 14 to Trenton and then run a 17 past to Long Branch local. This would provide a shorter commute to the beach for many NYC residents as well as Main and Bergen Line residents. On the way back Local from Long Branch gets back to NYP at 32 past, Dover at 35, Trenton at 38 and Express at 41. As it stands now, North Jersey residents not only have to stop at every station on the way to SEC, but every station south of Newark as well. Even with traffic on the Parkway, the trains cant be time competitive.