Hackettstown service?

Yes, but how many stations compared to the 7½ miles between Millburn and Green? (Don't know the NEC well, but would imagine it is less).

geoffand wrote: Well then build it! whoops... I used that word again... build. Millburn to Green is a long stretch on a passenger railroad to not have a switch, especially with 3 tracks. Having a switch in the middle would allow a skip-stop to get around an earlier skip-stop or a disabled train. It would also give the conductors a terrific workout by making them run up and down the train opening up and closing the hi-levels for each side as they switch tracks. Of course, I'd still rather see "Essex" locals make all stops and have "Morris" and "Gladstone" trains run express to Summit.

There are three stations Mountain, Highland Ave. and Orange where trains on Track 1 cannot stop. Trains on track 1 can stop at Maplewood, East Orange and Brick Church. So how about skip stopping so that trains running on 2 or 3 stop at Mountain, Highland Ave. and Orange, and trains running on 1 stop at Maplewood, Brick Church and East Orange. That can already be done with the current layout. So one can wish and scream all one wants but a crossover between Millburn and Green is just not going to happen anytime soon. There is better use for that money elsewhere.

But another crossover between Green and Milburn is a must to increase the ability to move traffic in both directions at the same time. It is a bottleneck which has nothing to do with hop scotching stations but rather moving trains both ways!

rbenko wrote:

madmage wrote: I commute daily from Hackettstown to Hoboken (and then on to 14th street, NYC via PATH) ...

Dude, you are hardcore - That is one long commute!

ehh... you get used to it. good thing i've got a bagfull of toys to keep me occupied.

It would make sense to have 872 make a quick stop at Mountain Station instead of funneling the 200 Seton Hall Preps off train 872 at Summit and onto a local. Why NJT can't figure this out? I dunno. I also propose making a special "Prep school car" at the back of the train for the younger noisier brats.

872 now runs the track that allows it to stop at Mountain Station. I say run this train to Mountain, let the kids off, then express it to Newark. It CAN be done. The time saved would be in Summit, allowing 872 to roll into Newark at its current scheduled time.

geoffand wrote: 872 now runs the track that allows it to stop at Mounatin Station. I say run this train to Mountain, let the kids off, then express it to Newark. It CAN be done. The time saved would be in Summit, allowing 872 to roll into Newark at its current scheduled time.

not always tho. last thursday we were on the gauntlet track again. (hmm, think it was thursday)

madmage wrote:

geoffand wrote: 872 now runs the track that allows it to stop at Mounatin Station. I say run this train to Mountain, let the kids off, then express it to Newark. It CAN be done. The time saved would be in Summit, allowing 872 to roll into Newark at its current scheduled time.

not always tho. last thursday we were on the gauntlet track again. (hmm, think it was thursday)

Why does it switch tracks like this?

geoffand wrote:

madmage wrote:

geoffand wrote: 872 now runs the track that allows it to stop at Mounatin Station. I say run this train to Mountain, let the kids off, then express it to Newark. It CAN be done. The time saved would be in Summit, allowing 872 to roll into Newark at its current scheduled time.

not always tho. last thursday we were on the gauntlet track again. (hmm, think it was thursday)

Why does it switch tracks like this?

Don't know. All I know is that I'm so glad that I only take this train between Hackettstown and Denville. Well, sometimes I take #1020. The Hackettstown-Montclair shuttle has one of the best crew on the NJT system!

blockline4180 wrote:

geoffand wrote:

madmage wrote:

geoffand wrote: 872 now runs the track that allows it to stop at Mounatin Station. I say run this train to Mountain, let the kids off, then express it to Newark. It CAN be done. The time saved would be in Summit, allowing 872 to roll into Newark at its current scheduled time.

not always tho. last thursday we were on the gauntlet track again. (hmm, think it was thursday)

Why does it switch tracks like this?

Don't know. All I know is that I'm so glad that I only take this train between Hackettstown and Denville. Well, sometimes I take #1020. The Hackettstown-Montclair shuttle has one of the best crew on the NJT system!

<shrug> who knows. also, sometimes as of late the 649 from Hoboken will take the outside track when it will normally run on the gauntlet.

Well I know this may be a bit irrelvent,but I don't think its worth starting a new topic for,but lets say a train from Hackettstown or Mount Olive is headed to Hoboken via the M&E,would passengers bound for New York change at Dover or Newark,because I never understood why Dover wasn't used as a Transfer Station like Long Brnach or MSU for NY bound passengers

Bay Head Local wrote:Well I know this may be a bit irrelvent,but I don't think its worth starting a new topic for,but lets say a train from Hackettstown or Mount Olive is headed to Hoboken via the M&E,would passengers bound for New York change at Dover or Newark,because I never understood why Dover wasn't used as a Transfer Station like Long Brnach or MSU for NY bound passengers

my feelings are thus: if/when they resume service to Phillipsburg, they should run from p-burg to dover. period. make us change at dover. we'd probably get better service in the long run, and maybe.. just maybe weekend service. sigh. pays to dream, eh?

Like said before, if there is ever service to Phillipsburg, expect it to run via the RVL. Hackettstown would take too long. Plus, the RVL does 79 in many places, and it's the closest line that would currently bring you to P-burg.

Bay Head Local wrote:Well I know this may be a bit irrelvent,but I don't think its worth starting a new topic for,but lets say a train from Hackettstown or Mount Olive is headed to Hoboken via the M&E,would passengers bound for New York change at Dover or Newark,because I never understood why Dover wasn't used as a Transfer Station like Long Brnach or MSU for NY bound passengers

Depends on timeing....changing at Dover usually speeds up the trip by up to 30 minutes. If you like different scenery, then go the Monty Boon and maybe change at both MSU and Newark. Or not if you are going to Hoboken. It is probably as much the customer's choice as anything. You can also effect a change at Denville for that matter!

As a railfan I go down to Jersey just to ride trains so I like go to H'twn to MSU to wherever then do M'town Line back to Dover just for the variety of it.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:Like said before, if there is ever service to Phillipsburg, expect it to run via the RVL. Hackettstown would take too long. Plus, the RVL does 79 in many places, and it's the closest line that would currently bring you to P-burg.

yea, you're probably right.

I was told that IF service ever did return to P'burg it would be via the old CNJ alignment. However, there are talks that service may go west another 9 miles to Washington. All this probably won't happen for another 20 years!