Hillside/Irvington industrial branch

[Sir Ray]

There is another shipper in Hillside on Long Ave on the Irvington/Hillside Industrial Branch that the OI-10 also serves called Hillside Plastics Co.

Yeah, I mentioned that in my Sept 11 post before: "Oasis Foods on Ramsey (Tank Cars) and Hillside Plastics on Long Ave. (Covered Hoppers)", right before I wandered into the discussion of that abandoned passenger coach

However, your mention of "another shipper on Coit St" is intriguing. as I cannot detect any active looking sidings via the two aerial mapping sites (Google & Bing) - do they unload on the main? Where?
BTW, Historic Aerials starting working again for me, and I can readily see the difference in Nye Ave transload between 1995 (when I was in the area from time to time), which shows the yard reasonable full of covered hoppers (maybe 12, 14?), and 2007 which shows the yard empty as all heck. Since I personally haven't been in the area in over 8 years, I have no idea what the situation on the ground currently is (I do remember It in the 1990s filled with covered hoppers), but current aerial sites show an empty transload, and clearly in the not-so-distant past the yard would be full of hoppers for unloading - now not so much it seems.

So as of Fall 2014, there might be at least 4 active shippers on this branch:
Oasis Foods
Hillside Plastics
*Manufacturers Reserve (via Nye Ave. transload yard)
*Another plastics firm at the transload facility (unknown name)
(*Maybe)
And the unknown Coit St. Shipper.

If I am incorrect, then let me know so I can make corrections...

[Joseph DeLuisi]

You are correct Sir Ray, you did in fact mention Hillside Plastics in your post dated Sept. 11 2014. As far as the Nye Ave Yard in Irvington, it is used infrequently at best, but it is used. Also, wouldn't the two shippers in Newark, Pioneer Lumber and AMG Resources, and the public team track that is used by a produce company named M. Bross, which are all on Frelinghuysen Ave, count as customers on the Irvington/Hillside Branch? They are all served by the OI-10 local job.

[Greg]

There is another shipper in Hillside on Long Ave on the Irvington/Hillside Industrial Branch that the OI-10 also serves Since I personally haven't been in the area in over 8 years, I have no idea what the situation on the ground currently is (I do remember It in the 1990s filled with covered hoppers), but current aerial sites show an empty transload, and clearly in the not-so-distant past the yard would be full of hoppers for unloading - now not so much it seems..

I had a customer in the area that I used to visit frequently with a previous position (07-12) and I recall covered hoppers in the transload yard on several occasions during that time frame.

[Sir Ray]

As far as the Nye Ave Yard in Irvington, it is used infrequently at best, but it is used.

Cool, and poster Greg seems to agree with you. Still, seeing the yard filled with covered hoppers like I used to see in the 1990s is still a lot better from a railfan perspective (and probably from a railroad business perspective too).

Wouldn't the two shippers in Newark, Pioneer Lumber and AMG Resources, and the public team track that is used by a produce company named M. Bross, which are all on Frelinghuysen Ave, count as customers on the Irvington/Hillside Branch? They are all served by the OI-10 local job.

No, I don't think so. Aren't those Newark customers more or less right off the Leigh Line, while the Irvington Branch (which comes off the Leigh line) is, as its name implies, a separate branch? That nowadays one job can serve both areas just tells me that New Jersey does a real lousy job of heavy industry retention, and CSAO shared assets is not too ambitious in generating new customers... (looking at the historic aerials of the area, I'm guessing that Leigh Valley had several locals serving the area back in the day, say 1970).

[myfavscr]

There is also a customer on the opposite side of the branchline from Oasis Foods that receives a Boxcar ( not sure if it's daily). Do not know the name of the customer but I believe that the siding was installed a few years ago.

[Sir Ray]

There is also a customer on the opposite side of the branchline from Oasis Foods that receives a Boxcar ( not sure if it's daily). Do not know the name of the customer but I believe that the siding was installed a few years ago.

You seem quite correct. Judging by Google & Bing, it's one unloading spot, a Asian Grocery company named Seoul Shik Poom. Looks as if the siding was added around 2007, judging from Historic Aerials...

[Joseph DeLuisi]

Seoul Shik Poom is in the wholesale seafood business. They are on Montgomery St. in Hillside.

[Erie Limited]

I have an interesting sighting to report. For at least the second day in a row HLCX 4215 (ex-SP GP40-2 in patched IC&E paint) led OI-10 up the Irvington I.T. I caught the train at the Hillside Ave. crossing during the snow storm today:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=523940

Very unusual to see "foreign" power on this line!

Rob

[ccutler]

Did you happen to catch the freight consist? Was it all vegetable oil tank cars or did it appear to include other customers?

[Erie Limited]

Did you happen to catch the freight consist? Was it all vegetable oil tank cars or did it appear to include other customers?

I see OI-10 just about every day. On this particular day they had a mix of veg oil tank cars (for Oasis Foods) and covered hoppers. The day before it was only tanks but I noticed they picked up the box car that had been spotted at Seoul Shik Poom (assuming that is the correct name for the customer at that siding) for the last several days. The three most active customers seem to be Hillside Plastics, Oasis, and Seoul Shik Poom.

Rob

[CarterB]

As far as the Nye Ave Yard in Irvington, it is used infrequently at best, but it is used.

What is Nye Ave yard used for now? and how frequently?

[CarterB]

By chance, when I was returning from EWR airport yesterday, at approx 5pm a CSX diesel pulling two tank cars and two covered hoppers was going North crossing Lyons Ave in Irvington.

[myfavscr]

CarterB wrote,
What is Nye Ave yard used for now? and how frequently?

I believe at one time Nye Ave yard was used to transload covered hoppers. They use to also run the loco around the train there. Not sure how often they do that now. I've seen the crew run a reverse move many times.

[Erie Limited]

I believe at one time Nye Ave yard was used to transload covered hoppers. They use to also run the loco around the train there. Not sure how often they do that now. I've seen the crew run a reverse move many times.

They've been using the run-around fairly often, including today. I was able to get a shot of them crossing Chestnut Ave in Hillside after running around a cut of veg oil cars at the yard:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/erielimit ... /lightbox/

I've also noticed several 50' box cars headed up the branch recently, sometimes in pairs. I assume the paper company near the yard gets cars sporadically. Note that this is in addition to the box cars spotted at Seoul Shik Poom.

[ccutler]

Thanks for the update, and encouraging to see box cars up on the branch