CNJ mainline-west of High Bridge

Tommy5 wrote:I noticed today that the section of the cnj from asbury Ludlow station road to the bridge over asbury west portal road has been cleared. There was a nj transit brush hog sitting on the main by the bridge. Not sure what's going on with the tracks being cleared.

Hmmmmm thats interesting - last time I was out there, that was REALLY overgrown. How far east (on the NS side of things) was the track passable? I remember them storing cars out there a few years ago and it seemed like they weren't THAT far from Ludlow Station Road...anyone remember exactly how far east the cars were stored?

Just for info, Ludlow station road is the division point inbetween NJT and NS for the "Central Running track" I believe its called. Surprising that it would be an NJT piece of equipment.

Jtgshu wrote:

Tommy5 wrote:I noticed today that the section of the cnj from asbury Ludlow station road to the bridge over asbury west portal road has been cleared. There was a nj transit brush hog sitting on the main by the bridge. Not sure what's going on with the tracks being cleared.

Hmmmmm thats interesting - last time I was out there, that was REALLY overgrown. How far east (on the NS side of things) was the track passable? I remember them storing cars out there a few years ago and it seemed like they weren't THAT far from Ludlow Station Road...anyone remember exactly how far east the cars were stored?

Just for info, Ludlow station road is the division point inbetween NJT and NS for the "Central Running track" I believe its called. Surprising that it would be an NJT piece of equipment.

Maybe NJT is readying to run express service to NY with ALP45's from Bloomsbury to New York City making all stops to Raritan then express into NY-Penn station!!
Sorry I just had too!!!

That's strange... I'll be out that way next week, so I'll have to check it out.

The section has been cleared to the bridge over asbury-west portal road. The brush hog was sitting 300 feet from the bridge and it was definitely nj transit. The section from the bridge to the valley station road crossing is still overgrown and at one point the tracks are buried

Tommy5 wrote:The section has been cleared to the bridge over asbury-west portal road. The brush hog was sitting 300 feet from the bridge and it was definitely nj transit. The section from the bridge to the valley station road crossing is still overgrown and at one point the tracks are buried

Very interesting - thanks for the report!!

Several years ago I was in this area exploring the old CNJ line. The rails were severed east of Valley Station Rd at a grade crossing on a private driveway off Co Rte 643. This driveway looks like an entrance to a farm, a long gravel road just west of Parker Airport.

K

kman73 wrote:Several years ago I was in this area exploring the old CNJ line. The rails were severed east of Valley Station Rd at a grade crossing on a private driveway off Co Rte 643. This driveway looks like an entrance to a farm, a long gravel road just west of Parker Airport.

K

I saw that the tracks were severed at that private crossing. I hope nj transit knows that before they go thru that section and end up derailing

Jtgshu wrote:

Tommy5 wrote:I noticed today that the section of the cnj from asbury Ludlow station road to the bridge over asbury west portal road has been cleared. There was a nj transit brush hog sitting on the main by the bridge. Not sure what's going on with the tracks being cleared.

Hmmmmm thats interesting - last time I was out there, that was REALLY overgrown. How far east (on the NS side of things) was the track passable? I remember them storing cars out there a few years ago and it seemed like they weren't THAT far from Ludlow Station Road...anyone remember exactly how far east the cars were stored?

Just for info, Ludlow station road is the division point inbetween NJT and NS for the "Central Running track" I believe its called. Surprising that it would be an NJT piece of equipment.

I was there when the cars were stored 2 or 3 years ago. My recollection is that the eastern-most car was within a 2 or 3 carlengths of Valley Station Road. It was overgrown to the east of Valley Station Road.

Some 5 or 6 years ago on a weekend day I drove through downtown Bloomsbury and there were a couple on NJT MOW trucks parked adjacent to the Route 579 (Church Road) grade crossing. Wonder if NJT was doing work under contract for NS?

There was an good discussion of this area few years ago in the NJT forum (long before the recent brush cutting. In the following post (by Transit383) from that thread, there is a link which shows how overgrown it was on one side (the NS side) of the Ludlow Station Rd crossing
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... ow#p622528. JS

I was wondering, and it might be posted in the other thread, I just don't feel like looking through it....who is the owner of the tracks west of Ludlow station road? Is it NJDOT or is it NS or is it NJT?

I always thought NJDOT owned it west of Ludlow Station road (MP60.1 - end of NJT maintenance) and NS was to maintain/operate it as they needed, kinda like the Conrail Southern Secondary.

Is that true or is it some other ownership/agreement?

Jtgshu wrote:I was wondering, and it might be posted in the other thread, I just don't feel like looking through it....who is the owner of the tracks west of Ludlow station road? Is it NJDOT or is it NS or is it NJT?

I always thought NJDOT owned it west of Ludlow Station road (MP60.1 - end of NJT maintenance) and NS was to maintain/operate it as they needed, kinda like the Conrail Southern Secondary.

Is that true or is it some other ownership/agreement?

When we were in Bloomsbury a few weeks ago, wasn't there some kind of NJT sign ("No Trespassing- NJT Police", I think)at the crossing? I vaguely remember seeing something like that and we were wondering about it...

The state rail map isn't of much help (surprise). It shows passenger service ending at High Bridge, with freight service extending to about Glen Gardener. Everything west of there is shown as abandoned: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/g ... lroads.pdf

I know how bad the NJDOT rail map really is. The county maps do get better treatment, though.

The Raritan Valley Line is in service to MP54, its a "station track" from High Bridge station to MP54, which is to allow the passenger trains to stage up there when they used to before the whitehouse siding was built and to access a customer, Ruhl's Fencing I believe was its name, at I wanna say MP53.7 or somewhere around there.

So the map is more or less accurate with regards to that - I dunno when they got service or if they even exist any more, but its still in the paperwork, so a freight could go up there if they needed to.

Ken W2KB wrote:

Jtgshu wrote:

Tommy5 wrote:I noticed today that the section of the cnj from asbury Ludlow station road to the bridge over asbury west portal road has been cleared. There was a nj transit brush hog sitting on the main by the bridge. Not sure what's going on with the tracks being cleared.

Hmmmmm thats interesting - last time I was out there, that was REALLY overgrown. How far east (on the NS side of things) was the track passable? I remember them storing cars out there a few years ago and it seemed like they weren't THAT far from Ludlow Station Road...anyone remember exactly how far east the cars were stored?

Just for info, Ludlow station road is the division point inbetween NJT and NS for the "Central Running track" I believe its called. Surprising that it would be an NJT piece of equipment.

I was there when the cars were stored 2 or 3 years ago. My recollection is that the eastern-most car was within a 2 or 3 carlengths of Valley Station Road. It was overgrown to the east of Valley Station Road.

Some 5 or 6 years ago on a weekend day I drove through downtown Bloomsbury and there were a couple on NJT MOW trucks parked adjacent to the Route 579 (Church Road) grade crossing. Wonder if NJT was doing work under contract for NS?

Found these photos I took a few years ago of this section. Eventually I'll head up to get more recent photos of the line being cleared of brush.


CNJ Valley Station Road West by whrhs2010, on Flickr


CNJ Valley Station Road by whrhs2010, on Flickr


CNJ Farm Crossing West by whrhs2010, on Flickr


CNJ Farm crossing by whrhs2010, on Flickr


CNJ Overpass 2 by whrhs2010, on Flickr


CNJ Overpass by whrhs2010, on Flickr

Tommy -

I love these type shots !

Appears to be 132lb. heavy rail there....great to imagine CNJ trains on'em way back when doing 'track speed' !

thanks for posting them.