Railfan in S.Jersey

[NJ Vike]

Hello fellow NJ railfans

Every so often, I visit the in-laws in Manchester Twsp, I would like to see any active service in S. Jersey. Can you recommend a place that is less than 2 hours from here? Manchester is near Brick.

I normally visit there on the weekends.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ken

[chuchubob]

Ride the NJTransit River LINE the whole way round trip between Camden and Trenton.

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/04_08_07_27

It's an interesting ride, with street running in Camden and Burlington

http://community.webshots.com/photo/118 ... 5562guThct

http://community.webshots.com/photo/118 ... 8962cWoqiq

and it runs adjacent to Burlington Yard

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album58/04_08_22_23

and Camden's Pavonia Yard.

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album58/04_08_22_74

Don't let NJT police see you taking pictures from NJT property, though.

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/3501_G

[NJ Vike]

Ride the NJTransit River LINE the whole way round trip between Camden and Trenton.

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/04_08_07_27

It's an interesting ride, with street running in Camden and Burlington

http://community.webshots.com/photo/118 ... 5562guThct

http://community.webshots.com/photo/118 ... 8962cWoqiq

and it runs adjacent to Burlington Yard

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album58/04_08_22_23

and Camden's Pavonia Yard.

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album58/04_08_22_74

Don't let NJT police see you taking pictures from NJT property, though.

http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/3501_G

Thanks for the info. Who stuck their hand in that one trolley shot?

Ken

[chuchubob]

That was an NJT police officer who yelled at the photographer that photographing NJT is not permitted.

[NJ Vike]

That was an NJT police officer who yelled at the photographer that photographing NJT is not permitted.

That's unfortunate. Looks like it's time to invest in a nice zoom lense.

Ken

[chuchubob]

Several months ago the NJT Gestapo was telling railfan photographers that they were not permitted to photograph NJT equipment from public property. They were subsequently informed that the US Constitution's Bill of Rights supercedes NJT police silly ignorance, and they now permit photography from non-NJT property.

These photographs are all "legal":

from PATCO property: http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/04_05_30_01

from PATCO property: http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/04_05_30_03

from city parking lot: http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/04_05_27_22

from PATCO property: http://www.subwayspot.com/gallery/album50/04_07_17_008

Many people (including me, twice) have asked NJT for written notice of their anti-photography policy and the state law authorizing such policy. A response has not yet appeared.

[JJMDiMunno]

You can just head to the general area around Camden if you'd like...would you be around on a Saturday? Saturday, here's what happens:

CA-11, leaving Camden around 4:00AM southbound, Camden to Deepwater local / freight. Leaves Deepwater northbound approx. 9:00AM if on time. May be late (frequently now). Re-arrival at Camden, at 1:00PM if on time. CA-11 crew on-duty time is 1:30, recrew necessary at Deepwater or Paulsboro if late.

MI-61, leaves Millville northbound at 2:00AM, arrival at Woodbury at 3:30AM, waits for CA-11 usually before heading north. Arrival at Camden at 5:30AM. Leaves Camden for Millville at around 9:00AM. Millville to Camden and return local / transfer.

SRNJ SASB / SBSA, Salem RT local, depart Salem at 9:00AM. Very slow (7MPH max) running from Salem to Swedesboro. Arrive Swedesboro around 12:00 noon. Depart Swedesboro / CR interchange at 1:30PM. Arrive Salem around 4:30PM. Times may vary.

MI-61 second crew, "Woodbury Transfer", leave Camden around 9:00PM with road power (six-axle generally, sometimes inbound NS 38G power), arrival at Woodbury at 9:30PM, drops entire train on storage tracks, proceed north light engine(s) at around 10:00PM. Arrival at Camden around 10:30PM.

Potentials:
CA-31X stone train for Winslow Junction, NJ. Utilizes Beesley Point Secondary. On-duty time varies.
CA-31X loaded coal train for Palermo, NJ. Utilizes Beesley Point Secondary. On-Duty time varies.
CSX V779 (or substitute V776, V777, V778) loaded coal train for Palermo, NJ. Utilizes Beesley Point Secondary. On-Duty time varies.
CSX E747 empty coal train from Palermo, NJ. Utilizes Beesley POint Secondary. On-duty time varies.
NS 502 loaded coal train for Palermo, NJ. Utlizes Beesley Point Secondary. On-Duty time varies. Many times disguised as CA-31X.
NS 503 empty coal train from Palermo, NJ. Utilizes Beesley Point Secondary. On-Duty time varies. Many times disguised as CA-31X.
NS 506 (NS 507 empty set) loaded (empty) coal train for (from) Deepwater, NJ. Utilizes Penns Grove Secondary. On-duty time varies, crew from Abrams, PA. Sometimes disguised as CA-11X when re-crewed in Camden.

You can also risk harassment by the Gestapo (Transit police) and go shoot photos of the Atlantic City Line...

Here's my latest NJT story. Shooting photos near the Hammonton, NJ station a little while ago on my way home from a seashore trip, Transit cop comes over and tells me I can't shoot photos from that public sidewalk I'm standing on. I tell him he's violating my civil rights if he wants to tell me that. He insists he's not. I tell him fine, go ahead and call the real cops on me, I'll be right here. Dummy goes and does it. So a Hammonton cop shows up, asks what the heck is going on...now another Transit cop has joined us, so it's me, the two Transit guys, and the Hammonton local man all having a jolly good time. I tell him the whole story...he tells the Transit cops there's NOTHING HE CAN DO ABOUT IT! So here the dinwits go, they walk away and go sit in their truck there and watch me...all the while I'm thinking "good, go ahead...watch me take pictures of your equipment...see? I'm shooting MANY of them...not just one or two guys, look at this, I've got the camera on multi-exposure, I'm firing 'em off like mad!). So after the train I was waiting on passes, I go back to the "Train-Interceptor" (my car), give the Transit folks a nice little smart wave (no, a real wave, not the finger), and go merrily on my way. Man, that one just made my month...had to share it. A victory for all railroad fans...heck, a victory for all Americans that like freedom in general is more like it...

And oh yeah...it helps that the Hammonton cop was a railfan sort of guy...I gave him the business card, he may be a member of SJRA by now...

Mike DiMunno

[hutton_switch]

Mike,

Loved your NJT cop story! I'll keep this procedure in my mind as an SOP whenever I'm railfanning.

[glennk419]

ONE of these days these guys will figure out that we railfans are not the enemy. I guess the good news for our overall safety is that security measures are in place, even if they are a little ham-fisted during these times.

[NJ Vike]

Mike,

Thanks for the information. I was fortunate enough to make it to Pavonia Yard and just asked to be let in. I did get some shots but there was very little action.

Thanks again for the reply.

Ken

[1st Barnegat]

Hello fellow NJ railfans

Every so often, I visit the in-laws in Manchester Twsp, I would like to see any active service in S. Jersey. Can you recommend a place that is less than 2 hours from here? Manchester is near Brick.

I normally visit there on the weekends.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ken

Manchester, NJ, as in near Lakehurst?

If so, you could look for ConRail Shared Assets train SA31 as it shoves freight from Browns Yard in Middlesex Co. into and through Lakehurst. Some freight even traverses what is left of the Barnegat Branch! Seems to run once or twice a week, and has been known to operate on Sundays. See http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... &start=240

This is a good web site on trains in the Lakehurst Area: http://octrainguy.com/

Also see CR on the Southern Secondary on this railroad.net. It's under New Jersey Railfan.

[NJ Vike]

Hello fellow NJ railfans

Every so often, I visit the in-laws in Manchester Twsp, I would like to see any active service in S. Jersey. Can you recommend a place that is less than 2 hours from here? Manchester is near Brick.

I normally visit there on the weekends.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ken

Manchester, NJ, as in near Lakehurst?

If so, you could look for ConRail Shared Assets train SA31 as it shoves freight from Browns Yard in Middlesex Co. into and through Lakehurst. Some freight even traverses what is left of the Barnegat Branch! Seems to run once or twice a week, and has been known to operate on Sundays. See http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... &start=240

This is a good web site on trains in the Lakehurst Area: http://octrainguy.com/

Also see CR on the Southern Secondary on this railroad.net. It's under New Jersey Railfan.

That's the place. I have done plenty of exploring in this areas of the old Southern Division from Lakehust to Winslow Junction; usually by SUV but plenty be foot. After a while, I would like to see active lines so I look at Union Avenue in Lakehurst every so often but I don't see anything. So, I went to this lubmber yard in Lakewood that I read about and perhaps I will try there too.

Thanks for the suggestion and the web site. I will give them a try.

[louisfols]

Nice book "Steam Era in NJ 1930-1945" by Journal Square Pub..
Email [email protected]