CMSL Cape May (NJ) Seashore Lines Non-Passenger Operations

monmouthrunningtrack wrote:Back around 90 they had the 2 ex-Conrail GP9’s- (74)32 and (74)33-. I caught them once laying over in Lakehurst. I believe they were owned by Ashland at that point and know at least one of them was still working for them in Ohio within the last 5 or so years . There might have been a 3rd loco but never saw it

Yup. Ashland owned but idk if they are still around. Ashland was contracted to run the line after Clayton bought it I believe. Purchased around 85-86.

Still can't find out anything on this "Pine Belt" company. David do you have any pictures of them at all you can share?? I'm not sure how/why two different companies were down here at once unless those engines were Ashland owned had a different name on them.

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One thing to note is, the SRNJ wanted to buy/restore whatever was left of the Southern from Woodmansie/Clayton's end, to Winslow Junction. Apparently, there was a lot of government red tape that said no to them, and this was maybe 10 or so years after the Southern below Woodmansie was abandoned. So much for the state's railbank program.

I am surprised NJSL has not tried to at least get some sort of railcar storage down here. 13 miles of track to operate on, with no customers to worry about blocking, would be quite lucrative, and CMSL does a lot of that anyway on lines down south.

At the present, there is no way to bring cars to store on the 13 miles of improved and restored trackage. Waiting for the Lakewood to Lakehurst clearing.

They've a better chance of getting service from Winslow to Clayton.

AceMacSD wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 7:32 am They've a better chance of getting service from Winslow to Clayton.

It's a shame that SRNJ was prevented from doing that back in the 90's.

Since nobody is pointing fingers at each other at the STB. Clayton, NJSL,CR,DRR are happy with each other, and the current level of service.

Bit a stretch to talk about Clayton and NJSL and "the current level of service," there is currently nothing going on between those two and the tracks between Lakehurst and Woodmansie.

That's the current level of service, no?

jdh823 wrote:That's the current level of service, no?

Yes, you get it.

CR7876 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:20 pm

jdh823 wrote:That's the current level of service, no?

Yes, you get it.

Some here don't.

How much would it cost to say, repair Winslow to Woodmansie?

10s of millions and that's probably just to the point where you can run on it at 10 mph

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As a guess based on the cost of the work done on the southern / Freehold, $1-$2M per track mile, depending if they have to clear down to and re-stabilize the roadbed. Would need the promise of a significant amount of traffic.

Yeah, like JS-1 and SJ-2 coming back as a North to South transfer. Pity there's really no need anymore. SRNJ is only getting a few cars here and there and WW and CMSL are only getting larger trains every once in a while now, plus with how their traffic is routed before coming to South Jersey taking the Southern would really only make sense if it came from a certain direction to go down there as a direct route from the North, and even then they stopped doing that in 1981.

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I have been writing a study regarding the restoration on the Southern Division for Freight and Passenger Service. The cost of repair per mile is going to range from $2.5 to $3.5 million. Between Woodmansie and Elm, while the terrain is fairly level, the forest has reclaimed the ROW and there are seemingly unending culverts and small to medium size wooden bridge that will need to be removed and replaced. Fortunately there will not be a lot of need for Industrial Sidings but there will be a need for new and restored passing sidings and public delivery tracks.