West side of Newark Branch

[Sirsonic]

I believe they brought the car down there on Tuesday night.

[JohnFPorcaro]

My daughter & I took some pictures of the new car at the W.A.S. Terminal today.

Click link:
http://members.aol.com/Porcarocpu/rrpic.html

[dave76]

This line used to be kept in way better shape when Conrail still owned it. You never saw stuff growing between the gauge. I can't understand why Shiffinhouse Box Corperation doesn't get car loads anymore, or hasn't in about 12 years, but why???? But that W.A.S terminal is the only remaing customer? so basically it's hanging by a thread, and NS will OOS this line as soon as it's over, they should of given it to Jimmy Wilson, along with the one customer on the old Greenwood lake/ Orange branch.

[engineerpete]

Attached is a link to some pictures of the drill to the WAS terminal last Tuesday. It was interesting since they used two engines one pulling and one pushing to deliver a single tank car. The lead engine pulled into a siding of an abandoned factory near Chester Ave and waited while the second pushed the rest of the way. Upon return of the second engine they hooked up proceeded back.

http://public.fotki.com/engineerpete/ns ... rie-newar/

My apologies in advance if the pictures aren’t great since I don’t have that much night time photography experience. Night time shots are difficult because either they tend to be dark in order to capture the action or become blurry due to the shutter remaining open longer in order to let in enough light.

[JohnFPorcaro]

I see you live in Nutley, which means you probably heard the train & went after it. I wish I had that same opportunity. When the line was more active, I used to follow it in Belleville. Guttsy of you to go down to some of those areas.
Thanks for the effort and the shots!

[General]

From what I remember from my NS days, this move was always done with a push/pull operation. The one engine would be used to pull down the Newark industrial and the other would be towed behind the cars for use as a marker. Once the crew got down to WAS the engineer would change ends, then they would shove off the cars, put the engines back together, grab the empties, and head back to the main line to do more work before returning to suffern.

[MarkRouters]

Pete
Thanks for the PICs. What time were they taken?

[JohnFPorcaro]

It was by the cyclone fence, now it is down by the factory.
My question is does anybody know how it was moved?
Did an engine go down an move it? Or is there another way
the car can be moved? This probably means it will be taken away soon.
Boy would it be great to get a shot over that trestle.

[engineerpete]

Mark/JohnF

The pictures where taken between 10 pm and 11pm at night. Yes I heard it as it moved through Nutley. And yes it was a little brave, but not as bad as it would have been a few years ago when the Arch Bishop Walsh apartments were still standing. Only one local (female) approached me for a financial contribution.*L She became distracted by the train and then moved on to someone else while I took the pics and then slipped away to my vehicle.

Also noticed the tanker was moved this weekend and don't know how? I was able to get two very poor shots of the engines on the Nutley tressel returning to the main line. I used one night setting in which the engines were so dark only a faint outline appeared. Using another setting they are too blurry while moving. The engines would either have to pause on the bridge for 3-5 seconds or have strong supplimental light (full moon, flood lights etc). Therefore if NS dosen't do this work during daylight hours it may not be possible.

[dave76]

I really hope they take into consideration LRT for line, F the Nutley NIMBYs
There are so many possabilities if that would happen.

[MarkRouters]

Dave76, the line is already in use. I would hope that would make it a little bit harder for the NIMBYS to complain if it was turned into a light rail.

On another topic, Last spring I was near Signature Fitness on Little St. in Belleville. A train went by with an engine on each end, no suprise. What did suprise me was the train was made up of box cars not tanker cars. I'm not sure who the customer was but they were definitly located South of Little St. in Belleville. Does any body wkow who the customer was and are they still getting service?

By the way. Nice quad.

[dave76]

Dave76, the line is already in use. I would hope that would make it a little bit harder for the NIMBYS to complain if it was turned into a light rail.

On another topic, Last spring I was near Signature Fitness on Little St. in Belleville. A train went by with an engine on each end, no suprise. What did suprise me was the train was made up of box cars not tanker cars. I'm not sure who the customer was but they were definitly located South of Little St. in Belleville. Does any body wkow who the customer was and are they still getting service?

By the way. Nice quad.

Yeah I knew it was active, just was wundering about lite rail. As for the boxcars I don't know, my grandfather worked for Shifinghous box corp and he said they used to recieved boxcars of large rolls of paper, but last I checked the siding to the plant was completely overgrown with vegitation, the switch was still intact, but def no rail service in quite some time. With the various industries along that line you would think NS would solicit some business.

[many19]

I drove by Friday and NS parked the tank car a few yards farther then usual.

It got me kind of wondering why? Does Anyone know,

Very dangerous area to be parking it open view from everyone driving by. and anyone crashing into it.

[engineerpete]

Dave76/MarkR

Shiffinhouse sold out to Southern Container about 2 years ago. Attached is link to their website. Check the tab section under NEWS and there is a letter announcing the take-over. Also see the LOCATIONS section for a map showing Newark as a box plant.
www.southern-container.com/contact.

As to speculation why lack of rail service for the past ten years maybe the just in time delivery culture kicked in and Conrail was too slow. NS may be more responsive however with the latest business trend I am just surprised they haven’t tried to move this operation farther south or to a cheaper labor market.

Therefore soliciting buisness on this line will be difficuit since there are not many left. I know a company in Clifton that recieved covered hoppers of platic pellets a few years ago. As for boxcars south of Little street maybe this was Shiffnhouse pulling out equipment or scrape before the takeover.

[JohnFPorcaro]

on the line last night. My friend in Nutley who lives right behind the line
heard(& felt) the train at about 11:00pm & 1:00am.
My guess is the tanker car was picked up.