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  • The Main/Bergen/Port Jervis Line Thread

  • Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.
Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.

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 #1433986  by trainbrain
 
We've discussed improving weekday service quite a bit on here, but I was also interested in improving weekend service as well. Right now there are 7 revenue round trips and I believe that schedule can be operated with 4 sets. The equipment for trains 70, 72, 74, and 76 should be on it's first run of the day as there's no revenue moves that arrive at Port Jervis before 76 departs.

Many of the current trips are local, meaning that it takes way too long to reach Secaucus and Hoboken, likely deterring much potential ridership. I see train 74 as the most important trip to make express, given how well it's timed for people going into the city on weekends for leisure purposes. I always take train 72 when I go in on weekends because it's the only express in the morning. If what I'm doing in the city doesn't fit with that departure, I either change it so it does, or don't take the train at all. I see no reason for 82 or 69 to become express, and the rest would benefit, but aren't quite as important as 74 IMO. BTW, train 77 is usually pretty busy, so the demand for increased service is definitely there.

There's no obvious place for the 71's equipment to go, so I'm guessing it just finishes at Port Jervis at around 11:30am. That equipment could be used for another revenue run that departs around 2 hours before train 78 does, but timed to meet any opposing moves at the sidings to fill in that 4+ hour gap between 76 and 78 arriving at Hoboken. The set could return to Port Jervis on a train that was between 79 and 81, with 81 being pushed back about 30-40 minutes and being made express. Adding one extra trip and having some or most of the existing trips start running express would probably increase ridership quite a bit.

Another thing I noticed with the weekend schedule is that many of the 2 hour gaps in local service are caused by a Port Jervis train making local stops in the other direction, so a trip made to fill in a 2 hour gap wouldn't have a revenue return trip. This is the case with the gap between train 1719 and 1723. If there was a train between them, it would depart Hoboken at about 2:25pm, arrive Suffern at about 3:40, and return to Hoboken on a trip departing Suffern at 4:08. However, train 78 is covering most of the stops from Suffern to Ridgewood so there's no return trip really necessary. This means that making a Port Jervis local into an express and adding a local trip to cover the skipped stops would likely eliminate a 2 hour gap in local service on it's run in the other direction.
 #1434364  by SecaucusJunction
 
The 2 hour gaps are the main reason I don't take the train from west of Waldwick on weekends.

The schedule has always been a bit bazaar. The westbound service to Port Jervis has 4 express and eastbound only 2 that run at odd times. When the schedule was first expanded back in the early 2000s, 77 was a local run but that was really the only change in Port Jervis trains in the past 15 years.

Not only are there 2 hour gaps, but a few times during the day, there are two westbound locals to Suffern within a few minutes.

The thing that makes the least sense is 1735 and 81. Before the service cuts, 1735 (or whatever number it was called back then) used to terminate in Waldwick and then make a revenue run down the BCL. It was then extended to Suffern with the eastbound revenue run cut from the schedule. (81 runs local west just a few minutes later). The set would deadhead back to Hoboken empty on Saturday nights but stay in Suffern for the next morning rush on Sunday nights. Now it deadheads back to Hoboken on both nights. I don't understand how that makes any more sense than running the train in service from
Waldwick. Talk about a failed cost saver!
 #1434401  by trainbrain
 
1719 and 75 are pretty much scheduled exactly the same way as 1735 and 81. I find both quite odd. They must have it scheduled that way to allow people who get on at stations between Ridgewood and Suffern access to the Port Jervis Line.

I always try to avoid taking local trains past Suffern. I've taken 67 on weeknights a couple times because I'm in the city in the evening and that tends to require your inbound trip to be during rush hour. I avoid driving anywhere in or near the city during rush hour at all costs. It doesn't matter which direction you are going. Traffic will suck no matter what and what should take 1:30 to 1:45 takes 2-3 hours. I can usually take an express on the inbound trip and I'll gladly take a local on the outbound trip to avoid the previously mentioned shit show.

Unrelated, but I've been seeing quite a bit of NJT equipment on Port Jervis trains lately. Not sure why that is.
 #1445481  by riffian
 
Road the Main and Bergen County lines earlier this week after a lapse of over 10 years. I was surprised to see who many lineside businesses no longer use rail and how few customers NS has left on these lines. Former active shippers such as the ink plant in Rutherford and the lumber yard in Garfield are obviously moribund and appear to have been so for some years. Even more surprising was the former NS Thoroughbred transload facility in Paterson appeared completely abandoned and weed choked. Did it relocate, or just quit the service offering?
The only truly active shippers appeared to be the spaghetti plant across from the Broadway station and the plastics companies in Hawthorne and Clifton. The track leading down to the Nabisco plant in Radburn appeared to be regularly used, so they must still be a customer. Are these four customers all that left on these lines? Is it still the H56 that serves these lines? If so how often is it now running.

Thanks in advance for any info/clarification.
 #1445612  by waldwickrailfan
 
riffian wrote:Road the Main and Bergen County lines earlier this week after a lapse of over 10 years. I was surprised to see who many lineside businesses no longer use rail and how few customers NS has left on these lines. Former active shippers such as the ink plant in Rutherford and the lumber yard in Garfield are obviously moribund and appear to have been so for some years. Even more surprising was the former NS Thoroughbred transload facility in Paterson appeared completely abandoned and weed choked. Did it relocate, or just quit the service offering?
The only truly active shippers appeared to be the spaghetti plant across from the Broadway station and the plastics companies in Hawthorne and Clifton. The track leading down to the Nabisco plant in Radburn appeared to be regularly used, so they must still be a customer. Are these four customers all that left on these lines? Is it still the H56 that serves these lines? If so how often is it now running.

Thanks in advance for any info/clarification.
Here's a list of active customers I know of:

3 Sidings near Kingsland
XL Plastics in Clifton
Van Ness plastics in Clifton
Black Prince in Clifton
Bay state in Passaic
Nexus in Hawthorne
Beldon in Saddle Brook
Zerega near Broadway
Nabisco near Radburn
Rock Salt in Waldwick (seasonal)
Dyke's Lumber in Tallman,NY
Manhattan Beer in Airmont,NY

There are a handful on the Tier near Middletown that still gets served by H08 out of Hillburn yard M-F. Also a few customers on the Crawford Industrial in Middletown
 #1445850  by EuroStar
 
Today there are at least two sets on the line with two engines -- the cab cars are shopped for PTC installation. One set is three cars with 4204 pointing towards Hoboken and 4504 away from Hoboken. The second set is longer with two Metro-North engines. The one towards Hoboken is 4914, but I could not get the number of the other one.
 #1445912  by trainbrain
 
Ahh that's why there were so many NJT cab cars on MNCR trains over the summer. They must've had some shopped for PTC installation. On the 3 car set, do they actually run both engines or do they use 1 and have the other just act as a cab car? I assume on the longer set they would use both.
 #1445983  by blockline4180
 
trainbrain wrote:Ahh that's why there were so many NJT cab cars on MNCR trains over the summer. They must've had some shopped for PTC installation. On the 3 car set, do they actually run both engines or do they use 1 and have the other just act as a cab car? I assume on the longer set they would use both.
From what I have observed on the NJT sets is that both engines are running with full HEP and all.
 #1446100  by CentralValleyRail
 
EuroStar wrote:Today there are at least two sets on the line with two engines -- the cab cars are shopped for PTC installation. One set is three cars with 4204 pointing towards Hoboken and 4504 away from Hoboken. The second set is longer with two Metro-North engines. The one towards Hoboken is 4914, but I could not get the number of the other one.
4202 and 4109 were the sets today pointing towards Hoboken... Not sure if they swapped out the MNRR engines because both of the sets were NJT. One of them was a 3 car set and the other was a 4 car set. One of the sets had a Dual Mode on the one end and the other had an Alstom Diesel engine...

One was running as the 11:17 to Suffern (BCL) the other was running as the 1:32 to Suffern (Main).
 #1446112  by time
 
On the Morris & Essex line I've now seen three trainsets with locos on both ends, so the idea that the cab cars are out for PTC installation is the most likely situation.
 #1446396  by CNJGeep
 
EuroStar wrote:Today there are at least two sets on the line with two engines -- the cab cars are shopped for PTC installation. One set is three cars with 4204 pointing towards Hoboken and 4504 away from Hoboken. The second set is longer with two Metro-North engines. The one towards Hoboken is 4914, but I could not get the number of the other one.
4908
 #1448223  by EuroStar
 
Apparently an NJ stone train is suspected in starting a mile long fire in the town of Glen Rock. The claim is that the train was dragging something, possibly a coupler, that caused sparks that ignited the grasses. While NJ transit is investigating and has not confirmed what started the fire, I am inclined to believe the local accounts that the train was dragging something and I feel for the employees that last touched the train as scapegoats are likely to be searched for and found eventually.

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017 ... think.html
 #1448324  by Backshophoss
 
There's a habit of using a tie as a spreader bar when dropping ballast,somebody forget to pull that tie off ?
Or the was a very old work train car that' starting to fall apart?
 #1448379  by CentralValleyRail
 
EuroStar wrote:Apparently an NJ stone train is suspected in starting a mile long fire in the town of Glen Rock. The claim is that the train was dragging something, possibly a coupler, that caused sparks that ignited the grasses. While NJ transit is investigating and has not confirmed what started the fire, I am inclined to believe the local accounts that the train was dragging something and I feel for the employees that last touched the train as scapegoats are likely to be searched for and found eventually.

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017 ... think.html
Would love for them to post the video from the passing commuter train, then we can all armchair quarterback it! which i'm not being sarcastic about it's fun to speculate these things since a real answer may never be known.
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