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  • Freight west of Raritan

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

Moderator: David

 #1346514  by 908rails
 
Discussion: Besides tank cars to Fischer Scientific in Bridgewater west of Raritan that still runs one or two nights a week, when is the last time NS or Conrail ran local freight to a customer west of Raritan on the RVL/ex-CNJ?
I remember the Bradco lumber yard fire around 2006 near North Branch.
Heard about a customer in Glen Gardner in the 2000s up by MP 60. Anyone know what this customer received?
Also does anyone have info on the spur to Mid State Lumber near MP 41 County Line Road/Industrial Pkway?

It's a shame to see such a decline in service but I wonder if anything could pop up again.
 #1346547  by ccutler
 
Perhaps the freight traffic decline west of Raritan is from weak service but I suspect it has more to do with industries fleeing NJ along with the end of the housing boom in western NJ. I remember seeing 10 to 20 car freights going westbound out of Somerville yard [R.I.P.] in the early 1980s to service all the lumber customers west of Raritan.

There was also a potential steel coil customer in Branchburg for the NIMBY's killed NJ Transit's efforts to put in a new siding. I think there may be an old thread here somewhere about that.
 #1346992  by CNJ Fan 4evr
 
The customer in Glen Gardner was Quality Forest Products. they did pressure treating of lumber. They folded in early '90's, I believe because the plant was polluting the ground water, but don't quote me on that. I do know that we couldn't drink water out of the spring down the hill after the plant was put in. So what does that tell you ? Switch/siding was put in around November 1984. I have pictures of the first cars they received. Most times cars were delivered at night but occasionally Conrail would deliver in daytime.
Mid State Lumber off County Line Road in Branchburg got lumber. I worked there briefly in 1988-89.There was a long siding that came off the RVL into the yard. Sometimes as many as 8 cars were there. I had to unload center beam cars. What a pain. They got boxcars with plywood also. I remember one time they put two cars on the ground right next to the main entrance. I don't know when they stopped getting rail deliveries.
 #1347145  by 908rails
 
Thank for the info. Mid State off county line is still in business and has a ton of lumber in the yard, its a shame they do not receive shipment by rail. That siding also splits off and heads toward a warehouse before splitting off to Mid state.

Also at least 5 years ago, I used to hear a train head west thru Readington Road/ County Line every Sunday night around 9:30. I assume whatever it was, possible freight to use the run around track in whitehouse?

It's all just a memory at this point.