Route 1/Edison Area Rail Service Question

Hey guys,

I recently moved to the Edison/Highland Park region in NJ. Every day on my way to/from work, I pass over a set of railroad tracks that cross route 1. The tracks are marked by overhead crossing lights but no gates, and the crossbucks have an "exempt" sign on them (I'm assuming this last part is because they don't want school buses stopped on a road that people routinely do 60+ on). I have lived here for about 4 months and have yet to see a train. The tracks pass directly next to Clayton Concrete, not sure if they are a customer or not...

This morning, much to my surprise, I was stopped by flashing lights and a loud horn. A train emerged from Clayton side of the road and proceeded across a very busy route 1, heading east.

The train was led by a red/black SW series switching locomotive, followed by a BNSF (!) GP series locomotive coupled to it elephant-style. I was quite surprised to see this lash-up rolling across route 1 right in the middle of the morning rush. Following the two locomotives was a consist of about 6-8 loaded centerbeams and 1 boxcar at the end.

What rail line is this? I could not make out the writing on the switcher. Is it common for this line to see foreign power like the BNSF GP-40 or -38 that I saw? Also, is it normal for these guys to run across route 1 during the height of rush hour? I pass by the same time every day and this is the first time I've seen this. Really backed up traffic!

Thanks for reading and for any info you guys may have.

I'm surprised you haven't read this thread yet Metuchen Yard Operations and Vicinity, or perhaps you forgot about it - you've been around this board since 2011 after all.

Anyway, I believe these guys (Raritan Central Railway) are your culprits.

Sir Ray-

You are absolutely right-- I have read that thread. Many times. My brain simply didn't associate what I saw today with that thread. I guess I was under the impression that trains originating out of Metuchen Yard were run solely by NS or CSX. I also tend to associate those trains with the infamous "blue caboose," which obviously was not a part of this particular consist and seems to only be used on ME-2, which I have seen run many times before. Also have never seen the BNSF Geep or the SW on any trains in the area before.

Sorry for not putting two and two together. I was mostly curious about the engines used and the rail line they were associated with. That and their decision to run across route 1 during the morning rush.

EDIT- Upon further research, it appears that this duo is most likely what I saw from a distance this morning. With the SW leading the Geep.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 206&nseq=3

I've only seen 1 train in 25 years crossing there on Rt 1, but the rails are always shiny and well maintained so I'm sure that line is used quite a bit. That line comes out of Metuchen Yard and goes south over Rt 1, under the Turnpike, and into Raritan center. Google maps shows quite a bit of activity there. Lots of cars spotted at various warehouses.

On another note... when the xing lights are active the traffic lights on Rt 1 at the intersections nearest the xing also turn red and stay red. This prevents cars from getting up and close to the xing. That's probably why there are no gates.
You live in Edison and your last name isn't "Patel" amazing!

carajul wrote:I've only seen 1 train in 25 years crossing there on Rt 1, but the rails are always shiny and well maintained so I'm sure that line is used quite a bit. That line comes out of Metuchen Yard and goes south over Rt 1, under the Turnpike, and into Raritan center. Google maps shows quite a bit of activity there. Lots of cars spotted at various warehouses.

On another note... when the xing lights are active the traffic lights on Rt 1 at the intersections nearest the xing also turn red and stay red. This prevents cars from getting up and close to the xing. That's probably why there are no gates.
You live in Edison and your last name isn't "Patel" amazing!

I have noticed in the 3 months I've been living here that the rails are almost always shiny and always well-maintained when I cross over them in the morning, so my guess is that they must run most times across route 1 at night? Like I said, I cross those tracks every morning and have never encountered a train. Which is why I was shocked to see one during rush hour this morning. Seems unusual. Also was shocked to see a (former) BNSF engine crossing a major highway in central NJ. Strange sight to behold. I did also notice the lights staying red on either end of the crossing while the train was going through, pretty neat system.

And yes, I am an anomaly in the land of Patels. I stick out like a sore thumb during the morning commute haha.

it's been a while, but i used to commute through edison daily, coming home on rt 1 through this area anywhere from midnight to 4 am. i would be stopped pretty frequently at this crossing so i assume it has pretty frequent service at night.

trains run at all different times. You can usually catch the Raritan Central running up to Metuchen Yard between 6 and 7am . I have also seen Shared Assets run to Raritan Center in the early afternoon.