Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

JohnFromJersey wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:08 pm I'm not sure how NJT would feel about very heavy and somewhat frequent sand trains coming on and off the coastline, in addition to the twice-a-week regular freights, unless they combined those. DRRR would service Woodhaven and whoever else first, and then go down to Lakehurst to drop the sand cars off???

But then you're talking about probably 50 car loads twice a week, would probably need another engine or two, especially if 2006 is having issues.

And that's why I would have expected Freehold-Farmingdale to be done first or at least concurrently: more efficient use of motive power, and no Red Bank-South Amboy traffic on the coast line. If the sand trains are to run at all.

Don't jump to any conclusions yet.

CR7876 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:36 pm Don't jump to any conclusions yet.

Yup. Lots of "ifs".

BTW there are 2 large buildings that look like truck transfer facilities going up near, but not on the FIT:
Fairfield Rd, Howell next to rte 33 bypass in front of the solar farm
Halls Mill Rd between 33 bypass and Willowbrook Rd Freehold Twp.
Neither one accessable by rail

JohnFromJersey wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:08 pm I'm not sure how NJT would feel about very heavy and somewhat frequent sand trains coming on and off the coastline, in addition to the twice-a-week regular freights, unless they combined those. DRRR would service Woodhaven and whoever else first, and then go down to Lakehurst to drop the sand cars off???

But then you're talking about probably 50 car loads twice a week, DRRR would probably need another engine or two, especially if 2006 is having issues.

Most likely Conrail and C&D would do everything on one train. As long as the weight of the cars doesn’t exceed NJTs 263k limit that shouldn’t be a problem.

2005 would need to be repaired (traction motor failed) or C&D would have to find another engine once things get going. There’s not a chance in hell they’ll pull Woodhavens loads pull loaded sand cars with just 752. It struggles with 11 Woodhaven loads already.

Thing is, they don’t have a lot of power to spare right now. The three other GP38s are at Dover and Delaware, 1856 is doing Black Rivers freight, and the remaining engines are in no way capable of pulling what they move down here.

I say they lease engines from GATX. The two ex PRSL GATX engines at Seashore Lines have pulled 90+ car trains uphill in the past, so I’d say that’s working well for them!

@CharlieL Do these places have signs nearby saying what they are or what the names of these places are meant to be?

Looked for but haven't seen any signage other than the contractor.

CharlieL wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 7:17 pm Looked for but haven't seen any signage other than the contractor.

Ok then. Thanks for letting us know about this. I’ll ask my friend if he can go look at these areas next time he’s up there.

CR7876 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:36 pm Don't jump to any conclusions yet.

This forum jumping to conclusions?

Never!

G-d, wouldn't it be nice if just one or two of those conclusions we so rarely jump to had come true? We'd have sand from Woodmansie and NJT to Scranton in my personal book of jumped-to conclusions.

Well, as to the (so far mythical) 50-car sand train(s), is there even room in Red Bank for 50 cars to sit overnite without breakdown and reassembly? That's the better part of a mile.

CharlieL wrote:Well, as to the (so far mythical) 50-car sand train(s), is there even room in Red Bank for 50 cars to sit overnite without breakdown and reassembly? That's the better part of a mile.

No, but I’ve been told they wouldn’t be moving that many on one trip. 50 cars is more like what they’d move in the span of a week, provided we even see that many.

That said, fitting even half of that in Red Bank may be a challenge. Even with Farmingdale to Freehold they are still leaving stuff on the wye in Jamesburg, and there’s even less room there…

Anyone see the train today?

Some types of concrete plants can go through up to 16 truckloads of sand or more daily during the busy season. That translates into roughly 4 railcars. Other types can use similar amounts of sand. Depends on who they are talking to, I suppose, if anyone at all.

A major pour, like rebuilding an Interstate or something, could go through much, much more on a daily basis but would only be "temporary" (1 or 2 years) worth of traffic.

Passing Academy St, Farmingdale at 9:44am

Northbound DCS Lakewood at 12 noon.