I think I am uniquely qualified to answer your question John, I worked for Nestle for 20 years. Nestle had a long double siding against the building in the back of the plant for rail shipments. At one time, up to six railcars of instant coffee a day were shipped, and, green coffee beans were delivered as well. As a warehouse worker when I first started there in my early twenties, I loaded finished goods (instant coffee) and unloaded green beans ( 1000 150# bags per railcar, mostly new Raritan River boxcars in the seventies). I had a great opportunity to see the RS 11 Penn Central units come in the plant every day, and the engine crew would allow me on board while switching cars. We used to give the crew two cases of Tasters Choice every Xmas. The engineer for Penn Central was very friendly and always wanted us to give him empty burlap bags that he could take deep sea fishing, which we (myself and another railfan named Dennis K.) always did. Because of our relationship with the engineer, if the train was late after work hours, we would always go and board the engine and ride with him while Brockway Glass was switched with loaded covered hoppers of sand, and, on one occasion, enjoyed a cab ride back through downtown Freehold to the yard on Throckmorton St. near Builders Square.
Fast forward to the mid to late eighties, I am now the salaried Division Mgr. for all warehouse operations, by now rail had diminished to nothing due to corporate strategies shifting to trucking. As a result, Conrail notified me that we would have to pay a monthly "switch maintenance fee" of $ 1,200.00 or the switch would be removed. Based on our decision, I had the sad distinction of signing the paperwork confirming the decision to remove the switch from Nestle in 1989.
At one time Nestle saw the railroad as a free warehouse and did not see finished product as time sensitive, this all changed in the 1980's. The corporate folks I worked with despised the railroad and didn't want to do business with them at all. Two things I remember that stand out : Nestle had a strike in 1974 and some workers tried to lay down on the track leading to the plant to stop incoming shipments of green coffee. The engineer told Nestle he would not cross a picket line, and two Penn Central white shirts came to the plant, told the engineer to get out of the engine, blew the horn and came right into the plant without hesitating, as the guys got up off the tracks in a hurry ! Another was how the engine could not get up the grade to the plant every year when tall weeds would get on the rails and the big RS 11 would sit there and spin all its wheels until the heavy sanding got traction, incredible to see a stationary engine all revved up not moving.
Without question, the most amazing experience was riding the engine during a "flying switch" where the engine with six to ten cars went east past the Brockway siding about half a mile and reversed and accelerated back towards town, while the brakeman on the ground set the switch for Brockway. Another brakeman on the engine upcoupled the moving cars from the engine which slowed down as the cars kept going and went into the Brockway siding. Once they were in there the brakeman threw the Brockway switch to the mainline allowing the engine to go past it on the mainline and stop. He then reopened the Brockway switch as the cars rolled by gravity back out onto the mainline picking up speed. After they passed the switch, it was set for the mainline and the engine sped up and chased the rolling cars, coupling to them and coming to a stop before heading west back to Browns yard. They did this routine on a daily basis, no splat or going through town in cars first back then. It was amazing to ride the engine during this effort, I asked the engineer if the cars had ever kept going and I remember he said " Hasn't happened yet".