After the CNJ ended PA operations in 1972 I know the LVRR used the PA lines but what became of the CNJ main from High Bridge, NJ to P'Burg, NJ? Was it used at all? I know the CNJ sent some trains up the High Bridge branch to get to PA via the DLW. Did they use their old main past High Bridge at all?
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CNJ main past High Bridge in 1972
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CNJ still ran to Pburg til CR, and AFAIK still into Allentown (via LV from Pburg or Easton?), as CNJ-Rdg pool train still ran to Rutherford til Conrail....pix are in the Morning Sun Rdg in color book of that train on the Rdg side. Psgr service also ran to Pburg til a few years after CR (1979-80?) There was a Tri State "farewell to the Pburg" trip in the early 80's that crept along west of High Bridge at 15mph, E8's and all, went to Easton just after CR cut over the LV main to use the ex-CNJ bridge. Here's a view from 1975 of the mid-day Pburg train at High Bridge-full length train with about 3 people on it west of Raritan-usually deadheading CNJ crews!
pburg2.jpg (115.44 KiB) Viewed 6838 times
pburg1.jpg (72.77 KiB) Viewed 6838 times
Carajul you should check out the postings in the yahoo group CRRNJ in 2005 which specifically address your question. Frank Reilly is one of the key inside guys from the CNJ in describing what happened. To save everyone from having to look...CNJ wanted to interchange at Phillipsburg/LV wanted Oak Island. They went to court, and the result was interchange at Oak Island yet revenue split as if it happened at Phillipsburg.
CNJ still interchanged some freight at Phillipsburg with the Pennsy until the end in '76.
You may want to read through the other years' materials as well. There is a wealth of CNJ material posted there by former CNJ employees.
CNJ still interchanged some freight at Phillipsburg with the Pennsy until the end in '76.
You may want to read through the other years' materials as well. There is a wealth of CNJ material posted there by former CNJ employees.
mitch kennedy wrote:CNJ still ran to Pburg til CR, and AFAIK still into Allentown (via LV from Pburg or Easton?), as CNJ-Rdg pool train still ran to Rutherford til Conrail....pix are in the Morning Sun Rdg in color book of that train on the Rdg side. Psgr service also ran to Pburg til a few years after CR (1979-80?) There was a Tri State "farewell to the Pburg" trip in the early 80's that crept along west of High Bridge at 15mph, E8's and all, went to Easton just after CR cut over the LV main to use the ex-CNJ bridge. Here's a view from 1975 of the mid-day Pburg train at High Bridge-full length train with about 3 people on it west of Raritan-usually deadheading CNJ crews!Mitch,
I really enjoyed your narrative and your photos. Thanks!
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Some of the fondest memories I have of the CNJ were from 1974-1976 in Hampton. I saw the usual two nightly commuter jobs when at my aunt and uncles house. Twice that I remember, I saw a local freight heading west. Both times there were only a handful of cars but 2 cabooses,one on each end. I also saw the CNJ/RDG pool train in December 1974. I have seen home movies of post '74 commuter trains between Ludlow-Asbury and Phillipsburg.
The last passenger service to Philipsburg was NJT in 1983 (F40 and Comet IIs at the end). The CNJ main line was partially severed in the late 1980s during the construction of I-78 into Easton, PA (including the new toll bridge), which opened in late 1989.
Since my friend continues to chain smoke nonstop, she is probably an Alco.
The Morning Sun book Conrail Atlantic Division has pictures of CR freights using CNJ west of High Bridge. Seems CR was detouring trains over CNJ between Easton and probably Aldene due to track work. I clearly remember road jobs using CNJ main after CR started in '76. Was at High Bridge carnival and one long freight went by. Did not go up the branch.I beileve branch was finished by then. I don't recall seeing many more(if any) after summer '76. Also, picture in Scott Hartley's Conrail Vol. 1 book of freight at Warren Glen. Think that was from '77.
I remember when I-78 was expanded past Alpha, NJ to P'burg. It was 1984 I believe or mid-1980s. Had my beat up old Ford wagon at the time. I drove it on opening day. There were news cameras on all the overpasses. My kids were little at the time and there were amazed by the 'modern' street lights. We were also amazed as the walls that were built with the square shaped cages with rocks in them.
I recall seeing the CR bridge and was wondering what happed to the CNJ track? It was severed
I recall seeing the CR bridge and was wondering what happed to the CNJ track? It was severed
When did freight service cease on the CNJ Phillipsburg Branch? The graphite mill that I am restoring in Asbury used to get freight deliveries at Asbury-Ludlow Station. One old timer claimed that they were still getting graphite deliveries up to 1988. Does that sound right? Another old timer confirms that passenger service stopped in 1983.
I am very interested in that line and would like to see some old photos of the line in operation. Does anyone know where I can find some?
I am very interested in that line and would like to see some old photos of the line in operation. Does anyone know where I can find some?
The [passenger time is correct. Dec. 30,1983 was last passenger train out of Phillipsburg. Not sure about the freight. I do know Conrail built a new connection west of Bloomsbury from the former Lehigh Valley to connect the CNJ after 78 was built and the underpass in Alpha was torn out. They delivered freight cars to the plant that was off 173 until about 2004 or so.
I would estimate train HJ-2 Harrisburg- Jersey and HJ-1 it's westbound counterpart were the last thru freights to operate between E port and Allentown via the CNJ main line. Time frame around March of 1978. The only other freight that went west of Raritan yard was the famous Maybe officially symboled MH-1 that worked its way out of E port to High Bridge and return. I was working the Oak Island engineers extra board and caught the HJ-2 in February of 1978. We signed up in Oak Island and were taxied out to Phillipsburg to bring it east around 2 am one bitter cold morning. Allentown yard was so plugged up they had a yard crew drag it out of the yard to make room and park on the CNJ main in Pburg as they had no rested Allentown road crew to bring it east. IIRC around 50 cars and two GP-40's. We set out one hot car in the SIRT interchange at Cranford and then yarded the train on 6 main in E port.
One month prior to this I was called for Meadows -Chicago TV-11 sign up at 9 pm in the Meadows. The crew dispatcher asked me if I was qualified on the CNJ main from EXCEE to Allentown yard ( I was ) which I thought strange. He informed me that there had been a sideswipe at South Plainfield and the normal ex LV route was down and out for at least 12 hours. We ran our normal route from the Meadows to CP ALDENE and dropped down the ramp to a stop signal. EXCEE called up on the radio and said not to pass the Martine avenue overhead bridge in Fanwood until we were met by the Oak Island trainmaster at that location. We pulled up to Fanwood and the trainmaster swung up the ladder and told us the Movement director couldn't get anybody in the office to verify if the bridge clearances were still valid as no one could remember the last time a solid piggyback train ran over the CNJ main. The trainmaster instructed to work via the radio and to proceed at 2 mph as he checked each trailer as they rolled under the bridge. We cleared it and had no problems all the way to Allentown yard. What surprised me was several hours late Portside -Chicago TV -61 was 20 minute's behind us and also going to Allentown via the CNJ. West of Raritan it was a 40 mph railroad, had no struggle climbing the grade from Whitehouse pulling 70 pigs to MP 62 just west of Hampton with four SD-40's two of them were brand new. MP 62 was the crest of the westbound grade as it was all down hill to Pburg. The CNJ main from Easton to JU tower was really beat up with a 25 mph speed limit as it was on the chopping block and CR had no interest in fixing it.
We rolled down the main thru Allentown yard and were relieved at R tower by a Reading crew. We only had 5 hours on duty and saw a unit coal train, headed by 5 six axle SD 45's and 40's facing east in the park, and figured correctly we were going to turn for Port Reading. Same deal go back via the CNJ main. The jitney gave me and the head brakeman a lift to the coal train. I looked over the airslip and waybills 13000 tons plus. TV-11 was now gone and TV-61 rolled up the main to R tower. As we were leaving I heard R tower calling HJ-2 on the radio but it was garbled. So at least four big trains traveled over the old CNJ main that night. We left Allentown around 2:45 am and had a clear shot right into E port. Once we got east of Somerville I let er rip to 50 mph as track 1 had a 60 mph passenger train speed limit on it from Raritan to Cranford and had been recently surfaced. Approaching Dunellen some early bird commuter was eyeing us up figuring a nice warm passenger train was heading towards him. The look on his face was priceless as 5 notched out screaming diesels and a swirling toxic cloud of coal dust engulfed him and the station. EXCEE to PORT was 25 mph, we went around the wye at PORT tower and headed down the Chemical coast branch to Port Reading and yarded the train in the coal yard next to the heatersheds and dumper. It was only 7 am so the dispatcher wanted the power back in Oak Island as we still had 2 hours time left under hours of service rules. It was very quiet as no trains had come over the LV for at least 12 hours. With no standard morning log jam to contend with we ended up in 91 Bay and went off duty around 8:45 am an 11 hour and 45 minute tour of the CNJ country side most likely never repeated again.
One month prior to this I was called for Meadows -Chicago TV-11 sign up at 9 pm in the Meadows. The crew dispatcher asked me if I was qualified on the CNJ main from EXCEE to Allentown yard ( I was ) which I thought strange. He informed me that there had been a sideswipe at South Plainfield and the normal ex LV route was down and out for at least 12 hours. We ran our normal route from the Meadows to CP ALDENE and dropped down the ramp to a stop signal. EXCEE called up on the radio and said not to pass the Martine avenue overhead bridge in Fanwood until we were met by the Oak Island trainmaster at that location. We pulled up to Fanwood and the trainmaster swung up the ladder and told us the Movement director couldn't get anybody in the office to verify if the bridge clearances were still valid as no one could remember the last time a solid piggyback train ran over the CNJ main. The trainmaster instructed to work via the radio and to proceed at 2 mph as he checked each trailer as they rolled under the bridge. We cleared it and had no problems all the way to Allentown yard. What surprised me was several hours late Portside -Chicago TV -61 was 20 minute's behind us and also going to Allentown via the CNJ. West of Raritan it was a 40 mph railroad, had no struggle climbing the grade from Whitehouse pulling 70 pigs to MP 62 just west of Hampton with four SD-40's two of them were brand new. MP 62 was the crest of the westbound grade as it was all down hill to Pburg. The CNJ main from Easton to JU tower was really beat up with a 25 mph speed limit as it was on the chopping block and CR had no interest in fixing it.
We rolled down the main thru Allentown yard and were relieved at R tower by a Reading crew. We only had 5 hours on duty and saw a unit coal train, headed by 5 six axle SD 45's and 40's facing east in the park, and figured correctly we were going to turn for Port Reading. Same deal go back via the CNJ main. The jitney gave me and the head brakeman a lift to the coal train. I looked over the airslip and waybills 13000 tons plus. TV-11 was now gone and TV-61 rolled up the main to R tower. As we were leaving I heard R tower calling HJ-2 on the radio but it was garbled. So at least four big trains traveled over the old CNJ main that night. We left Allentown around 2:45 am and had a clear shot right into E port. Once we got east of Somerville I let er rip to 50 mph as track 1 had a 60 mph passenger train speed limit on it from Raritan to Cranford and had been recently surfaced. Approaching Dunellen some early bird commuter was eyeing us up figuring a nice warm passenger train was heading towards him. The look on his face was priceless as 5 notched out screaming diesels and a swirling toxic cloud of coal dust engulfed him and the station. EXCEE to PORT was 25 mph, we went around the wye at PORT tower and headed down the Chemical coast branch to Port Reading and yarded the train in the coal yard next to the heatersheds and dumper. It was only 7 am so the dispatcher wanted the power back in Oak Island as we still had 2 hours time left under hours of service rules. It was very quiet as no trains had come over the LV for at least 12 hours. With no standard morning log jam to contend with we ended up in 91 Bay and went off duty around 8:45 am an 11 hour and 45 minute tour of the CNJ country side most likely never repeated again.
Thanks Zeke for sharing that CNJ story from 1978. Interesting to read about the concern about bridge clearances for piggybacks in Fanwood, as the piggyback ramp in Somerville was still operating in 1978. They must have been shifting the piggyback loads to the LV line in Bound Brook? I thought they were running the loads through Elizabethport.
I was a kid at the time and didn't know much about operations.
- Chris
I was a kid at the time and didn't know much about operations.
- Chris
Great stories. I don't think you'd ever see detours like that again. Not with auto racks and double stacks.
You might see detours like that again. I remember a few years back NS ran 212 or maybe 214 over the CNJ as a test. I couldn't stick around to see it so no pictures.
Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?
kilroy wrote:You might see detours like that again. I remember a few years back NS ran 212 or maybe 214 over the CNJ as a test. I couldn't stick around to see it so no pictures.I'm assuming that this was Bound Brook-Aldene, correct?