Woodbury Jct

[rrbluesman]

I don't know if this is the right forum to ask this question, the moderator can move this if necessary. I was in Woodbury around the railroad station, walked the couple of blocks that parallel the tracks. It's nice to see position light signals working. Where are they controled from? Do they still control the switches and the traffic on the main to Millvile? I also noticed MOW equipment on the siding across from the ConRail maintenance trailer. Is this for routine MOW now or is the junction being altered in some way? I am sure this has an obvious answer, but my track diagrams are boxed away so I can move, was there always the one track to the west of the station or were there a track on both sides, like one side was exclusively for Northbound traffic and one for Southbound? Is the small shanty that sits near the station of railroad in heritage or something the city built later? And finally on the west side of the tracks is now Woodbury parking for the court, was there somehing railroad related there before the parking or just grass?

[JJMDiMunno]

OK - I'll answer the questions in order.

1. The position light signals there are the last in operation in the South Jersey District of CSAO. There were formerly similar PL signals at MILL and BROWN, but they've all been replaced. Likewise, the distant signals at Wenonah (for the Millville Branch) and the West End (for the Penns Grove) were position lights at one time...they've been replaced. Also, the distant signal for CP BROWN at milepost 4 (Gloucester) on the Millville Branch (Vineland Secondary) was a position light until a few years ago...that's been replaced by modern signal 5N / 5S at Brooklawn. Everything is controlled by the Conrail South Jersey Dispatcher in Mt. Laurel. Those signals you see at Woodbury are for the interlocking and the 261 trackage on the Vineland Secondary (Millville Branch) only...all trackage south of CP WOODBURY (the interlocking you were looking at) is DCS territory, meaning it's controlled by issuance of form D's for movement permits. This includes the Millville Branch south of Woodbury (now the Vineland Secondary) and the Penns Grove south of Woodbury as well.

2. The MOW equipment on the storage track across from the trailer is being used for the current track work program going on between CP WOODBURY and Millville. It's not exactly routine - it's tie replacement, and welding of rail in a number of locations between the two aforementioned points. The junction is not being altered.

3. There was never a track on the east side of the station. However, there was a yard where the parking lot on west side of the track now stands. I believe it was either the late 70's or early 80's when they pulled that yard...I'm pretty sure it was in the Conrail era, not necessarily the PRSL era.

Mike DiMunno

[rrbluesman]

Thanks, now I know what's happening