njnt4172 wrote:
Since were on the topic has M&E done any work in Springfield by the old station that is depicted in your picture? I'm assuming the line in this area will need everything from ballast to rails to ties....etc, etc?
It doesn't look like anything has been done west of the Rahway River bridge. Around the Springfield station, the track is either gone or buried under the surrounding parking lot. Across Mountain Ave., between the post office and the new fire station, the track is cleared (due to the fire dept. construction), but it's still the old rails that are too light for modern trains. And yes, I believe all the tracks in Springfield (and Summit) will need to be completely replaced down to the ballast.
Here's a curious thing: at the Baltusrol Way crossing (which I pass weekly when visiting my mother in Troy Village), there's a small patch of land between Troy Drive and Baltsurol Way on which there was a "for sale" sign for several weeks. The last time I saw the sign, there was a big "SOLD" banner on it. I wonder what the hell could be built there (other than a cottage or a business the size of the Springfield station). And I hope the buyer is a railfan, because if it's a NIMBY, they're in for one heck of a surprise!