Is Millstone Branch up for abandonment?

[carajul]

Trees at Rt 27 xing growing thru rails 20' tall.
Veronica Rd xing paved over - crossbucks removed.
Clyde Rd crossbucks removed.
Crossing flashers on Rt 91 (Jersey Ave) covered in garbage bags (odd because there are still a bunch of customers just past the xing and the track is in good shape).

Think NS is going to abandon the line past Rt 27? No turn of the wheel since 2002.

[ccutler]

Well I haven't been there in a while but there have been a few detection problems with the winter weather causing crossing lights to go off when no train is present. I doubt they would lose all the customers past route 91.

[NYSW2300]

There are still 4 active customers between Jersey Ave and Rt 27. The crossing lights at Jersey Ave have not been placed in service yet, but are new additions.

[carajul]

Can anyone figure why the line was never abandoned west of Rt 27? The ONLY potential customer is Herman Warehouse just past Clyde Rd. From 1972-2001 the line was dormant, then active from 2001-2004, now dormant 2004-present. They have kept that line in for 45 years for 3 years of an active service. Not like a class I these days. Considering the value of land in Franklin Twp I can't imagine why they haven't sold the row.

After pax service to E Millstone ended in 1929 until 1972 the line past Clyde Rd only saw the turn of a wheel once every few weeks with a delivery to the rubber factory in E MIllstone.

[Eric S Strohmeyer]

Hmm,,,,,,, I'm surprised this was missed ..... For those with an interest....

Consolidated Rail Corporation - Discontinuance of Service - In Middlesex County, NJ STB Docket# AB 167 (sub no.# 1192)X

https://www.stb.gov/Filings/all.nsf/d6e ... 233941.PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[carajul]

So what exactly is a 'discontinuance of service' notice mean? Does that mean that the line will be abandoned?

[Ken W2KB]

So what exactly is a 'discontinuance of service' notice mean? Does that mean that the line will be abandoned?

As I understand it, Discontinuance means the railroad is not disposing of the property and it is only terminating its common carrier obligation to serve. Abandonment means the railroad can dispose of the property.

[carajul]

So can they re-activate in the future if needed?

Im assuming that because of the 'deactivation' that's why the state can pave over the grade xings and take down the crossbucks? Almost $12,000 in fees to the STB just to file deactivation paperwork? They could have put in new crossbucks and repaired the track.

[ShoreRoad]

with the new 400k+ sq ft warehouse now going up along the railroad tracks behind the golf center and next to Veronica Road, has anyone heard that this warehouse will be a potential rail customer?

[pumpers]

I don't know about that, but right nearby, what is the facility just south of Jersey Ave staition on the northwest side of the NEC that always has a good sized string of covered hoppers on its siding? And lots of large white "bales" of something (presumably finished product of some sort to be trucked out) in the parking lot - you can see it on Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/zy1YyntFAAc72CvU7 . I don't think it is more than a few years old.

[cr9617]

I don't know about that, but right nearby, what is the facility just south of Jersey Ave staition on the northwest side of the NEC that always has a good sized string of covered hoppers on its siding? And lots of large white "bales" of something (presumably finished product of some sort to be trucked out) in the parking lot - you can see it on Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/zy1YyntFAAc72CvU7 . I don't think it is more than a few years old.

https://www.cal-chlor.com/

calcium chloride products for the oil and gas industry

[pumpers]

Thanks. The web pages say their main customers are the oil and gas fracking industry. So I wonder why they are doing their packaging in central NJ. It’s a few hours by truck to the nearest PA fracking regions, where I imagine land and labor would be much cheaper. Maybe some is for export by ship at Port Newark or nearby? Or maybe the site is to support a side business of consumer de-icer?

[carajul]

A 400k sq ft warehouse? Geese hopefully NS can get a good customer. It will require quite a bit of tree and brush removal. The tracks past Veronica Ave are literally a jungle now. Can't images what the spur behind Herman Warehouse looks like. Even when it was in use it was a jungle back there. Actually it looks like Herman moved out and now a lighting company is using that warehouse, prob not a good candidate for rail service.

There are quite a few warehouses back there behind Veronica Ave that date back to the early 70s I don't know why NS isn't trying to get them on rail service. Looks like all the warehouses near the Jersey Ave station all use rail.

The cement facility just west of Rt 27 is still in business and has a spur. Up until the late 1970s there were always cement cars spotted on their siding. Don't know why they don't' use rail service. Perhaps CR chased them away.

I remem in the late 1970s the entire length of Veronica Ave was a forest and farm land, only thing there was the radio station. Cylde Rd was no mans land.

[tdipaul]

Back in 03 or 04 while on sales calls at doctors offices in the area I was stopped at the Veronica crossing and a GP38 and a couple of boxcars rolled by. One of the last