Trains on the Newark Industrial...

This kinda got started in the M&E Frieght thread, but it was going to go way off topic if I asked there...

How often is the Newark Industrial branch drilled from Suffern off the Main Line? I have never once seen anything on the western side of the Passaic River moving ever.

If anyone knows what kind of schedual this branch has, that would be awesome.

The only thing I ever saw on that entire stretch of tracks was a small NJT work train that was moving towards DB Draw on the Eastern side of the river crossing over Schyler Ave in Kearny.

Last summer i saw a four car freight going through Belleville late at night.

daytime mvts on that line are rare, I know for a fact. Since I live so close to that line, I actually wouldn't mind photographing it. If there are daytime freights, when do they pass. I would probaly set up for a photo at the Kingsland Ave grade crossing.

I saw a train working that line in July about 3:30-4:00pm. And caught it crossing Washington St. It had a couple of tanks and some hoppers.

I was past the south end of the line last night around 12:30 AM and encountered the local finishing up at the chemical company in Newark along Route 21. I was on 21 and was taken by surprise. The power consisted of 1 GE and 1 EMD unit. Couldn't get the model or road numbers (no place to stop on 21 north without taking my life in my hands) but 2 units on that job is unusual. Oddly, the EMD unit was left about 1/4 mile form the end of track with a covered hoppper. Who get covered hoppers on hte Newark branch. As far as I knew, only the chemical company in Newark got any service. Would be nice to see some other customers on that line. I remember EL commuter trains on that line when I was a kid (age wise that is, still a kid at heart).

Dougster wrote:I was past the south end of the line last night around 12:30 AM and encountered the local finishing up at the chemical company in Newark along Route 21. I was on 21 and was taken by surprise. The power consisted of 1 GE and 1 EMD unit. Couldn't get the model or road numbers (no place to stop on 21 north without taking my life in my hands) but 2 units on that job is unusual. Oddly, the EMD unit was left about 1/4 mile form the end of track with a covered hoppper. Who get covered hoppers on hte Newark branch. As far as I knew, only the chemical company in Newark got any service. Would be nice to see some other customers on that line. I remember EL commuter trains on that line when I was a kid (age wise that is, still a kid at heart).

Hmm... never knew EL ran commuter service on that line. As for the covered hoppers, the best I can say is maybe the Chemical Plant gets hoppers of plastic pellots or something like that.

When did the EL stop running commuters on this line? Any pictures anywhere?

As for old customers, I remember some place along Rt. 3 that was by the Home Depot in Clifton used to get two boxes all the time. I once saw an old GP-38 drilling the customer while driving past. Anybody else know what I'm talking about. Its right by the Tick Tock dinner on 3, right across from Hoffmann Laroche. I don't know if they get service anymore, but I think their tracks are still there. Must have been an intresting customer to server considering the tracks are about 50 ft below and the customer as at grade with the highway.

Well, they were still running passengers in 1965 (see the timetable)

http://kearnyalumni.com/nwkbranch.html

Seems it ended July 1966 (see following site, an interesting list)
http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/Lib003/NJPASS.TXT

js

There was a cardboard box company that got some boxcars by the TickTock Diner. But I can'nt remember the name.

The commuter trains ceased in 1966 when EL retrenched is commuter network.

The chemcial plant in Newark deals only with tank cars.

I remember the box company on Rt. 3 but I also do not remember the name. they haven't received cars in years. I think the building is for sale or lease now. There was a place, no longer there, in Belleville that got covered hopper in the 1980's. There are some industries in Newark between the Belleville town line and Rt 21 that had sidings in the past. Do any of them get cars?

That photo of the SW that was in the web site you included was taken on the Newark Branch in Kearny from what appears to be the 1960's.


I remember the manual gates.

Dougster wrote:.

I remember the box company on Rt. 3 but I also do not remember the name. they haven't received cars in years.

Union Camp --->International Paper ---->Shorewood (Div of IP)

You're right. I believe the property is for sale. Will prob become a Wal-Mart, or other big box retailer.

Lackawanna484 wrote:

Dougster wrote:.

I remember the box company on Rt. 3 but I also do not remember the name. they haven't received cars in years.

Union Camp --->International Paper ---->Shorewood (Div of IP)

You're right. I believe the property is for sale. Will prob become a Wal-Mart, or other big box retailer.

Great, another Wal-Mart.. just what we need. Not like we dont have one covering each square mile of the state already...

Happy Thanksgiving guys, the place that used to recieve the covered hoppers in Belleville was a plastic plant, they recieved plastic pellets, They moved about 10 12 years ago. Shiffenhous box co. in Newark I think still has the siding going into there plant, but I don't think they recieve cars anymore. They used to recieve box cars, and sometimes flat cars with giant rolls of paper on them. Up in Belleville again EL served Walter Kittie fire extinguishers, and directly on the other side of the ROW they served another plastics plant up till the early 80s, and just up a little below Pathmark they served other plant, I don't know the name or industry, Were Pathmark stands EL served Westinghouse prior to 1979. There are numerous other small sidings along the branch in Belleville, (long disconnected) that served smaller industies. Supposeidly in the mid 60s this branch saw about 100 trains a week. Now on a good week we see if were lucky 3 trains, and they run at night. NS isn't begging for service either.

Friday I saw four tank cars on the Erie team track in Newark. Foot of Third Street, just off NJ 21. I didn't drive down to check if there were more in the track pocket just north of the crossing.

How bad could the old Bascule bridge be that they don't reactivate it and serve the plant from the west?

The bascule bridge hasn't been operated in something like 15 or 20 years. I doubt it still works without major maintenance. In my 16 years in Newark, I've never seen it moved.