CR on the Southern Secondary

Yes, they are nuisance fees, but not really. I doubt they cover the expenses involved. The carrier needs to dispatch a body to the site, figure man-hours, interrupted work schedule which adds costs, and travel expenses. If they need to run an engine down to the site, add fuel and maintenance costs as well as crew. I don't know how often they need to perform maintenance or rebuild an engine but there is a significant cost-per-mile to run one of those things.
As for the standards for a siding or spur, the carrier needs to be sure it does not incur expenses for events which are out of their control. A derailment or other accident on a poorly constructed or maintained siding is a significant expense, for labor, time loss, and loss of use of the equipment (car(s)) involved. Short haul carriers are unlikely to have deep pockets.

While most of us don't like change, none of us wish to see anyone that contributes here to have there lively hood effected. What we should be real focused on is they are bringing back a 5.2 mile stretch of track back from OOS. This is something we rarely see! This result can only be a positive out come to the southern.
This no matter who's running the rails. It could have just gone the other direction and stopped all service all together. IMHO

Tanker1497 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 4:35 pm While most of us don't like change, none of us wish to see anyone that contributes here to have there lively hood effected. What we should be real focused on is they are bringing back a 5.2 mile stretch of track back from OOS. This is something we rarely see! This result can only be a positive out come to the southern.
This no matter who's running the rails. It could have just gone the other direction and stopped all service all together. IMHO

Yeah well said. I just won’t be too happy if Red Bank to Tinton falls becomes inactive. Other than that (if that ever happens) I’m happy

RailsEast wrote: ↑Sat Jul 03, 2021 10:04 pm This will probably get me suspended again, but Dear God Bracdood, if you WANT CHANGE on the railroad, hire on. Start as a conductor trainee, then conductor then engineer trainee, then move to engineer. Forward your career from there. Maybe graduate from college with a degree in engineering or business.

C&D will probably be the best thing to ever happen to this line, but it's years off.

RR tariffs are there for a reason, it's flipping expensive to run a railroad these days. $22.00/hour per man is the minimum wage (per person) for track gangs these days. I would guess your average track gang is probably 6-8 men, so 8x22= $176.00/hr. $176/hour x 8 hours is $1408.00 per day. This is for labor only. What about the tens of thousands of dollars of investment in brush cutters, tie cranes, tie inserters and tamping equipment? Perhaps an RJ Corman can come in to perform these duties with their own equipment. Wow, what would be their hourly rate be for these services? I know grants are in place, this is for general information only.

Conrail will lose dozens of positions when the transformation takes place, but many CR employees may be offered jobs as a result. Many others will not. This is progress, and no one can stand in the way of progress.

Just my .02 worth...

What do you, personally, think we will see happen to the Southern Secondary under C&D's leadership over the next few years?

I know the last was not aimed at me; I know little of railroading, just like trains. But I'll chime in anyway. Shortline / small operations are hungry. In most of the cases I've heard about or am familiar with the operators go out of their way to increase their business and are more often than not successful. Whether D&D does well is in the future but just the fact they are trying, while CRSA did not seem to encourage new business gives me hope. Maybe if the FIT / Southern is well run they will attract new businesses to the road. Anyway, that's my hope.

Jersey Rail FIlmmakers wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:53 pm

Tanker1497 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 4:35 pm While most of us don't like change, none of us wish to see anyone that contributes here to have there lively hood effected. What we should be real focused on is they are bringing back a 5.2 mile stretch of track back from OOS. This is something we rarely see! This result can only be a positive out come to the southern.
This no matter who's running the rails. It could have just gone the other direction and stopped all service all together. IMHO

Yeah well said. I just won’t be too happy if Red Bank to Tinton falls becomes inactive. Other than that (if that ever happens) I’m happy

Just me here... But I'm thinking that since the only entry I can see to Earle is just RR East of Rt 34 and into the yard. And NJT wants no freight on its precious Coast Line. That leaves a mile or so ride from Farmingdale to Earle. Red Bank to Earle might be doomed!?

Tanker wrote:

But I'm thinking that since the only entry I can see to Earle is just RR East of Rt 34 and into the yard

Earle was established during WWII. The feds wanted both the CNJ and the PRR to be able to supply the base (for redumdancy) so PRR was granted trackage rights from Farmingdale to Earle. Conrail inherited both the CNJ and PRR. The two other former rail entrances to Earle are now redundant as they recieve almost nothing by rail. The last incoming shipment was 2 Genset enginies in 2014-15. (I had photos of both that I lost in a hard drive crash!)
Earle supports 4 ammo/resupply ships for the Atlantic/Med fleets. Not a lot of ammo use in those areas, hence not a need to re-supply Earle.

Hearing some sort of train horn near Farmingdale right now. I believe the train returned sometime over the weekend, no? Might be Earle that I'm hearing.

R&DB wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 9:29 pm Tanker wrote:

But I'm thinking that since the only entry I can see to Earle is just RR East of Rt 34 and into the yard

Earle was established during WWII. The feds wanted both the CNJ and the PRR to be able to supply the base (for redumdancy) so PRR was granted trackage rights from Farmingdale to Earle. Conrail inherited both the CNJ and PRR. The two other former rail entrances to Earle are now redundant as they recieve almost nothing by rail. The last incoming shipment was 2 Genset enginies in 2014-15. (I had photos of both that I lost in a hard drive crash!)
Earle supports 4 ammo/resupply ships for the Atlantic/Med fleets. Not a lot of ammo use in those areas, hence not a need to re-supply Earle.

Even still, DOD has made numerous documents stating their desire to have rail connections available to all bases as some sort of backup that could be used or needed when something happens.

Either or, Earle will still have access to the national rail system via the new Freehold-Farmingdale connection. What really should be the question is if the base(s?) in Lakehurst will elect to bring back their former rail connections during this whole project.

#1575107 by JohnFromJersey
Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:00 pm

John, quite right. Lakehurst NAEC onlly has a stub-end siding. MaGuire and Dix lost their rail with the demise of Union Transpotation years ago. Theoretically they have service by the renaming of the three as 'Joint base MDL'. But that doesn't bring a rail car anywhere near Wrightstown or Pemberton.

R&DB wrote:

#1575107 by JohnFromJersey
Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:00 pm

John, quite right. Lakehurst NAEC onlly has a stub-end siding. MaGuire and Dix lost their rail with the demise of Union Transpotation years ago. Theoretically they have service by the renaming of the three as 'Joint base MDL'. But that doesn't bring a rail car anywhere near Wrightstown or Pemberton.

Nor does it bring aq car anywhere near Lakehurst's warehouse section.

Would be ridiculously easy for the GOVERNMENT to run rail from that stub to just about anywhere in MDL One road bisects, 539, and the area is billiard table flat. Or am I missing something? Not unusual, for me.

For Lakehurst, it would take building about 1-1/2 miles of rail to where they would need to go. Of course the obvious observation is that Lakehurst hasn't had rail to their warehouses since the 60's-70's. But you are right, it is absolutely flat.

Extending rail to Dix or MacGuire would be fairly complex since Lakehurst borders Ft Dix's Range area (particularly their Tank Ranges) and I doubt the gov't wants to cross thru their impact area with a train. Easier to come up thru Pemberton again.

“Red Bank to Earle might be doomed!?”

Yeah I’m praying that’s not the case. Even if it was for rail car storage… Wouldn’t be the same not seeing the SA31 going through there, if all of this did actually happen.