The Freehold Secondary Mystery

CTL10D wrote:As far as restoring service from Freehold to Farmingdale, im sure $$$ plays into it from all aspects. Conrail not wanting to spend the coin to restore it, and I`m sure transit gets a cut for letting Conrail have trackage rights.

So the tracks are still there, but with trees and brush covering over the gauge?? OR is it a trail now?? MY SPV RR atlas from 1998 has this portion abandonded.

blockline4180 wrote:

CTL10D wrote:As far as restoring service from Freehold to Farmingdale, im sure $$$ plays into it from all aspects. Conrail not wanting to spend the coin to restore it, and I`m sure transit gets a cut for letting Conrail have trackage rights.

So the tracks are still there, but with trees and brush covering over the gauge?? OR is it a trail now?? MY SPV RR atlas from 1998 has this portion abandonded.

the tracks are still there, just OOS and overgrown.

Here's a shot of the OOS Freehold Secondary through Howell in November 2007:

Fairfield Road, Howell

One interesting thing about this crossing is that it is not marked EXEMPT, so school buses must stop and look both ways before crossing.

Havent heard the train . Any one seen or heard it ?
Jim H

Nope nothing this week. I'm guessing will see it tomorrow, which will make for some interesting photos if anyone else is brave enough to go out in the "storm".

Kaback9 wrote:Nope nothing this week. I'm guessing will see it tomorrow, which will make for some interesting photos if anyone else is brave enough to go out in the "storm".

I'll be out early to check the cars at BG. May come back home to give a report for those who can get out during a "snow emergency". I have a really strong feeling they will run tomorrow but hopefully at their usual 1PM call time not like Wednesday.

Kaback9 wrote:Nope nothing this week.

They did run this week, on Wednesday morning and returned to Browns in the afternoon. Power was NS 5290.

transit383 wrote:

Kaback9 wrote:Nope nothing this week.

They did run this week, on Wednesday morning and returned to Browns in the afternoon. Power was NS 5290.

Aww darnnit. You're using my comment as your signature. This shows you that anything you say can be subversed into anything!

JADes718 wrote:So after my last post I decided to grab my camera and go get some pictures for you guys. I missed the train at Mt Vernon Rd. but caught up with it at Station Street. I got some decent shots considering the weather. Check out the first shot. Talk about total disreguard for ones life. I thought he was going to buy the farm, so what did I do.....closed my eyes and depressed the button.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff17 ... MG1992.jpg

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff17 ... MG1994.jpg

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff17 ... MG1996.jpg

Great action shots. I was a kid once too, and came within 6 inches of getting wacked on my bike once, crossing over the tracks near Browns Yard on Old Bridge Turnpike. I was about 14, and just didn't expect the train to be moving so fast. I actually heard the engineer yelling "sob...SOB...SOB!!!!" as he passed me, as I was so close. I never did that again.

But back to the pictures....
Where exactly were these shots located? Who is the customer? Where is the customer located, in relation to the picture. What was/is in the box car?

Thanks.

Tom those look as if they were shot in Englishtown, the single boxcar was for Builders General in Freehold and is full of some kind of lumber product.

Tom, those picture were taken in front of Rex Lumber on Station Street in Englishtown. The boxcar was going to Builders General in Freehold, and has lumber products. BG is railroad east of that location maybe @ 5 miles . Oh, and that dude was about 40.

Kaback9 wrote:Sounds like you had a nice day OC!

I did. And it wouldn't be the SA31 if it didn't involve a will goose chase at some point and time! Here are a few photos from the day.

First, in Jamesburg, making a brief stop before crossing the intersection:
http://octrainguy.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1427666

Coming off of the wye at Jamesburg and onto the Freehold Secondary:
http://octrainguy.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1427667

And through downtown Jamesburg:
http://octrainguy.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1427671

Heading east through Englishtown as dusk approaches early due to the clouds:
http://octrainguy.rrpicturearchives.net ... id=1427672

It's only the fourth time I have seen the SA31 working the Freehold Secondary. Will try again next year.

Great photos, its really hard keeping track of the train in the freehold area. Sometimes I'll run into it by chance on the way somewhere and of course I will not have my camera, those of course are the days when its Black NS power of course...I seem to have the luck of catching it with either CSX paint or Conrail paint when I do have the camera with me.

Drove by Builders today on the way home from PJ and there were no cars. If it was not for the lumber on the platforms there, I would have thought something had happened to Builders. On another note and with the for lack of a better word, the team track out side builders did have one large boxcar, not sure what was in it though. Also noted that there were hoppers down at the industry by the Manalapan Village Green, the name of the company back there escapes me at the moment. So I'm wondering when was the last time they ran down this way?

Kback,

The business there is Bayshore Vinyl. They always have cars there because they do not have storage bins for the PVC. Last time I saw a car on the "team track" it was full of bricks for the Clayton dealer across the street.