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  • The Atlantic City Line Thread

  • Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.
Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.

Moderators: lensovet, Kaback9, nick11a

 #617530  by BadAddetude
 
Kaback9 wrote:NJT delays? NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! :wink:
HEY! The ACL is probably toe only NJT line that doesn't experience extreme hour long delays EVERY DAY. Perhaps it because its in the middle of nowheres...

I'll take my tea strong, women hot, engines big and my trains on time, please.

On a side note, replacing ties doesn't actually allow trains to move faster on the line correct? Or is it due to the ML's being used?
 #622692  by WaitinginSJ
 
Does anyone know if it will ever be possible to speed up the time it takes to get from Philly to A.C. on the ACL?
 #623640  by TheTroll
 
WaitinginSJ wrote:Does anyone know if it will ever be possible to speed up the time it takes to get from Philly to A.C. on the ACL?

Yes, it is possible. Just do not make any station stops. That should cut about 10 minutes off the travel time. Come on, now. There are only 7 stops. The train runs max speed (80 mph) for almost the whole length of the line. Yes.. I know, there are a few speed restrictions. The biggest problem to add time to the trip is when the Delair bridge is open.
 #623714  by Jtgshu
 
TheTroll wrote:
WaitinginSJ wrote:Does anyone know if it will ever be possible to speed up the time it takes to get from Philly to A.C. on the ACL?

Yes, it is possible. Just do not make any station stops. That should cut about 10 minutes off the travel time. Come on, now. There are only 7 stops. The train runs max speed (80 mph) for almost the whole length of the line. Yes.. I know, there are a few speed restrictions. The biggest problem to add time to the trip is when the Delair bridge is open.
What a great idea!!! Screw the station stops! That will REALLY speed up the trains!

the ACL is a lot of "hurry up and wait" - gotta run your stones off to keep time, to get to a siding for a good meet (meaning that both trains don't stop) - if one of the trians is a little late, you sit and wait on the siding. "Speeding up" the line would have to speed it up enough to be able to move the meet to the next siding, otherwise you are just gonna be sitting in the siding even longer.

what would REALLY speed it up would be double tracking the line, but it might take a few years for that to happen........... but i wouldn't be surprised if we saw that sooner rather than later, maybe before I retire - hahaahha
 #623787  by TheTroll
 
Jtgshu wrote:
TheTroll wrote:
WaitinginSJ wrote:Does anyone know if it will ever be possible to speed up the time it takes to get from Philly to A.C. on the ACL?


what would REALLY speed it up would be double tracking the line, but it might take a few years for that to happen........... but i wouldn't be surprised if we saw that sooner rather than later, maybe before I retire - hahaahha
We have to wait THAT long?! :-D
 #623986  by mgdemarco
 
Jtgshu, do you think double tracking the ACL line might depend on the future success/failure of ACES service? Also, what would double tracking the ACL involve? What about areas like the Haddonfield cut?
 #624169  by Jtgshu
 
mgdemarco wrote:Jtgshu, do you think double tracking the ACL line might depend on the future success/failure of ACES service? Also, what would double tracking the ACL involve? What about areas like the Haddonfield cut?
Well, of course ACES being successful would be helpful, but I think sooner or later, the line will have to be double tracked, or at least sections of it. If Im not mistaken, the ACL has had the biggest ridership increases of all the lines over the past few years, and that is shown with the 4 car trains down there now.

It would be simple to double track, just connect the sidings. So the Haddonfield Cut would have to stay single tracked, thats not a big deal and could easily be scheduled in so there are no conflicts. Same with Delair (actually from the hand throw switch for the Industrail track) and to Shore, unless NJT and Conrail could work out an operating plan where both tracks could be used by both operations.

While the recent schedule changes down there might not have gone over real well, its showing that NJT has not forgotten about the ACL and is no longer just letting its "do its own thing"
 #624192  by Matt Johnson
 
WaitinginSJ wrote:Does anyone know if it will ever be possible to speed up the time it takes to get from Philly to A.C. on the ACL?
Being that it's dead straight, sure, they could upgrade to 100 mph if they wanted to. Or, perhaps 150 mph if NJ Transit decided to electrify the line and buy Acela-style trains!
 #624715  by ryanov
 
The tracks were 90mph but NJT, AFAIK, elected not to maintain them to that standard.
 #624856  by Jtgshu
 
It probably had to do more with scheduling than track maintence - running at 90mph might cause longer meets at the sidings, or other conflicts. Again, as far as I know, most higher speed NJT track is maintained to a class higher than the max speed allowed, including the AC Line

What good is running at 90mph if it means you are just gonna sit in a siding longer? Of course, when trains are delayed, etc then it would be helpful, but thats an exception.
 #627689  by blockline4180
 
Is it true the veteran conductors will be working the ACES?? Or it doesn't matter who bids those jobs?? How does the bidding process go for the new ACES service?? Do prior rights men have first dibs?? Not that it matters, I'm just curious.
 #627740  by Jtgshu
 
blockline4180 wrote:Is it true the veteran conductors will be working the ACES?? Or it doesn't matter who bids those jobs?? How does the bidding process go for the new ACES service?? Do prior rights men have first dibs?? Not that it matters, I'm just curious.
there were a certain number of slots put up for bid for both trainmen and engineers to qualify over that territory. Of course, it goes by senority in who gets the slots. So more than likely, you are gonna have a lot of senior guys bidding in and qualifying the territory that they either never had or lost long ago.

edit - it looks like most of the trains will be run by regular crews on regular assignments.

block - think about it, how many of these veteran guys are gonna wanna work weekends? :) hahaha
 #628115  by wolfboy8171981
 
Jtgshu wrote:
mgdemarco wrote:Jtgshu, do you think double tracking the ACL line might depend on the future success/failure of ACES service? Also, what would double tracking the ACL involve? What about areas like the Haddonfield cut?
Well, of course ACES being successful would be helpful, but I think sooner or later, the line will have to be double tracked, or at least sections of it. If Im not mistaken, the ACL has had the biggest ridership increases of all the lines over the past few years, and that is shown with the 4 car trains down there now.

It would be simple to double track, just connect the sidings. So the Haddonfield Cut would have to stay single tracked, thats not a big deal and could easily be scheduled in so there are no conflicts. Same with Delair (actually from the hand throw switch for the Industrail track) and to Shore, unless NJT and Conrail could work out an operating plan where both tracks could be used by both operations.

While the recent schedule changes down there might not have gone over real well, its showing that NJT has not forgotten about the ACL and is no longer just letting its "do its own thing"
I would gladly share the Delair Branch from the Hand switch on the ACL to Shore, if the old X-over was put back on the Jersey side of the span so I could use the ACL Line to get someone around a train working at Frankfurt Jct.

Unfortunally they just replaced all the switches at Shore from the Delair to the ACL/NEC and there all hand throw switches
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