CMSL service Rio Grande to Cape May

I will be down for Labor Day weekend, hopefully they will run past the posted dates as the Hawk Haven trip would be worth taking from Cape May.

I was driving by Sally Marshall crossing in Lower Township and I noticed yesterday they were clearing thr ROW and checking the signals. Glad to see they are going to resume a limited schedule. Does anyone know why they are not stopping at Cold Spring Village? Also where in Rio Grande is going to be the station? Will it be the old CMSL yard or using the parking lot of the mall. Either way good luck to them and glad to see the train back in the southern part of county.

So is this trip shorter? I can't remember. I mean to ask... Was the trip from Cape May City to Cape May Courthouse longer?

I am reluctant to ask, but I'll ask anyway... Tuesday, Weds., Thu., Friday... Why no Saturday or Sunday service?

-otto-

I Believe the Large Mall at Route 9 and Route 47 has a lot to do with what has happened in the past with CMSL. They pull in alot of tax dollars and jobs.

Otto Vondrak wrote:I am reluctant to ask, but I'll ask anyway... Tuesday, Weds., Thu., Friday... Why no Saturday or Sunday service?

-otto-

That question was asked by northjerseybuff on page 2; glennk419's answer is appropriate.

Bob

Bobby S wrote:So is this trip shorter? I can't remember. I mean to ask... Was the trip from Cape May City to Cape May Courthouse longer?

Yes, this trip is roughly half the distance of the previous route. Hopefully this is a stepping stone to resumption of longer trips in the future, I'm just happy that they're running.

The CMSL is staged for Cape May service w/ 407 & 410 ...

(all pics)

Nice! Very well-lit area!

The first train, train 401, departed Rio Grande on the advertised and arrived at the Cape May station without incident.
train 402 crossing the canal bridge

Getting to the train is convenient, as it departs from the former Rio Grande yard location, and access is through the CMSL property with free parking available on site.

Awesome. Thanks Bob.

Still planning to be down this week to see in person and ride.

Very encouraging news. We will be down next week to ride again. Meanwhile I hope that the railroad gathers enough interest to keep it going. The pics were great. Just as I remember it five years ago with the exception that the RDC's are not running under their own power.

I am reluctant to ask, but I'll ask anyway... Tuesday, Weds., Thu., Friday... Why no Saturday or Sunday service?

This is just a guess but if they are using the mall parking lot, middle township may wish to have all the parking available on weekends or it may be a traffic issue or it has something to do with a compromize reached with the politicos or the canal traffic might be too busy on weekends and that the core of engineers wants it open all the time. Again all just guesses. I will be down in Cape May next week and be on the train around noon.

Great to see the train getting into Cape May City again. Does anyone know what the problem might be with the RDC's being unable to run under their own power? Cost of maintenance issues or lack of spare parts availability?

hutton_switch wrote:Great to see the train getting into Cape May City again. Does anyone know what the problem might be with the RDC's being unable to run under their own power? Cost of maintenance issues or lack of spare parts availability?

To the best of my knowledge, the RDC's are capable of running under their own power but usually have just one engine running to provide "hotel" power for lighting and HVAC and are locomotive hauled. I assume this is to preserve the hardware rather than have something fail and have the cars totally out of service.

glennk419 wrote:

hutton_switch wrote:Great to see the train getting into Cape May City again. Does anyone know what the problem might be with the RDC's being unable to run under their own power? Cost of maintenance issues or lack of spare parts availability?

To the best of my knowledge, the RDC's are capable of running under their own power but usually have just one engine running to provide "hotel" power for lighting and HVAC and are locomotive hauled. I assume this is to preserve the hardware rather than have something fail and have the cars totally out of service.

The RDC's are able to operate on their own. The rust on the rails is so thick that they would not have activated crossing signals without the added weight of a locomotive.