The Raritan Valley Line Thread…

BigDell wrote:Well, it's a start. Although it won't do most of us prime-time commuters any good. I'd love to go from Westfield instead of Metropark, but until they have a pre-7am nonstop, I'll just have to wait. Might try a late-morning run, though, just for fun. It IS a step in the right direction.
I wonder how ridership at that time of day is, anyway? I wonder if the plan IS to increase this to prime-time? Or is it strictly off-hours?
If it's posted earlier, my apologies for missing it.

Or you could change trains from Westfield, using the current service.

ACeInTheHole wrote:

Regardie wrote:

ThirdRail7 wrote: Additionally, the dual modes are currently used in one mode under normal conditions. They have not had a routine cycle of changing modes a few times of day. The ALP-45s also have a few little quirks that put them at a slight disadvantage when they spend a prolonged amount of time in electric mode and try to switch to diesel. One of them will mostly matter in the winter, but it is still something to watch.

Have they stopped doing the mode change at Newark Broad Street? There was a period back awhile where it was done many times a day and at least some of the members here have seen it. On the RVL they will spend most of their time in diesel mode and only a little time in electric mode so I don't know if they will hit "a prolonged amount of time" ever.

If one comes in in E mode, theyll change it to diesel mode at Broad because of the policy with the arc prevention, and then those going west of Dover change again at Dover. Any 45 that hits the Morris and Essex in Hoboken service will do a fair bit of mode changing.

The "prolonged period" I was referring to is the long range plan that is being discussed for few rush hour Raritan trains if things run smoothly. However, that is still a work in progress as balancing is still the issue. Forgive me as I was basically thinking aloud and got ahead of the current state.

ThirdRail7 wrote:

ACeInTheHole wrote:

Regardie wrote:

ThirdRail7 wrote: Additionally, the dual modes are currently used in one mode under normal conditions. They have not had a routine cycle of changing modes a few times of day. The ALP-45s also have a few little quirks that put them at a slight disadvantage when they spend a prolonged amount of time in electric mode and try to switch to diesel. One of them will mostly matter in the winter, but it is still something to watch.

Have they stopped doing the mode change at Newark Broad Street? There was a period back awhile where it was done many times a day and at least some of the members here have seen it. On the RVL they will spend most of their time in diesel mode and only a little time in electric mode so I don't know if they will hit "a prolonged amount of time" ever.

If one comes in in E mode, theyll change it to diesel mode at Broad because of the policy with the arc prevention, and then those going west of Dover change again at Dover. Any 45 that hits the Morris and Essex in Hoboken service will do a fair bit of mode changing.

The "prolonged period" I was referring to is the long range plan that is being discussed for few rush hour Raritan trains if things run smoothly. However, that is still a work in progress as balancing is still the issue. Forgive me as I was basically thinking aloud and got ahead of the current state.

Ah, I see now, sometimes I tend to do the same thing.. no worries ThirdRail.

These trains all make Secaucus even though it is not in the timetable, according to information Transit is giving employees.

philipmartin wrote:These trains all make Secaucus even though it is not in the timetable, according to information Transit is giving employees.

it most certainly is in the timetable...if you read it. The direct trains to NYP have the NY symbol above the train. If you drop down to Special Conditions, the NY has the following note:

One seat ride to/from Penn Station New York.
No transfer required. Train also stops at Secaucus Junction.

ThirdRail7 wrote:

philipmartin wrote:These trains all make Secaucus even though it is not in the timetable, according to information Transit is giving employees.

it most certainly is in the timetable...if you read it. The direct trains to NYP have the NY symbol above the train. If you drop down to Special Conditions, the NY has the following note:

One seat ride to/from Penn Station New York.
No transfer required. Train also stops at Secaucus Junction.

Ah you beat me to it. That note is on all of the RVL Station Panel Cards. Also, all transit T&E employees should carry an "employee timetable" which shows Secaucus as a stop.

ThirdRail7 wrote: The direct trains to NYP have the NY symbol above the train. If you drop down to Special Conditions, the NY has the following note:

One seat ride to/from Penn Station New York.
No transfer required. Train also stops at Secaucus Junction.

Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it since I can sell tickets for these trains.

philipmartin wrote:

ThirdRail7 wrote: The direct trains to NYP have the NY symbol above the train. If you drop down to Special Conditions, the NY has the following note:

One seat ride to/from Penn Station New York.
No transfer required. Train also stops at Secaucus Junction.

Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it since I can sell tickets for these trains.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wont tickets sold will be the same for the one seat ride trains as for the trains that terminate in Newark? There arent train numbers printed on NJ Transit tickets like Amtraks... If you want to sell a ticket from Westfield to Ridgewood, that can be done for any type of Raritan train.

As you say, there are no train numbers printed on tickets. Also they are good 'till used, even if that's years from now. You buy a ticket between Raritan and New York. You ride a rush hour train and get off at Newark, with your ticket, and run to track 1 or 2 and ride a train from there to New York with that same ticket; or you can ride one of the through trains all the way with that ticket.
People don't buy a ticket from Raritan to Newark, and another from Newark to New York. That would be more expensive.
I had a guy yesterday buy a ticket from Middletown to Rahway for $7.00. Then I found out he was going to Trenton, so I took the $7.00 ticket back and sold him a ticket from Middletown to Trenton, via Rahway, for $9.00; a saving of several dollars.
You can buy a ticket from Westfield to Ridgewood, via Secaucus, one ticket. The price would probably be the same as Westfield to New York, (and the ticket would be good to New York also.) That's the way it is with Coast Line tickets, but there are exceptions that someone on here brought to my attention a few weeks ago. I don't have my ticket machine in front of me now, so I can't get actual prices. The type of train, whether it terminates at Newark and you have to take two or three more trains, with the same ticket, to get to Ridgewood, or a through train, that takes the as yet non-existent shoe-fly at Secauscus doesn't affect the price. (That will be the Raritan-Suffern local.)
Also on Transit, tickets are good on other lines where the zones and fares are the same; and if your ticket is short, you can buy a ticket for the rest of the distance.

philipmartin wrote:As you say, there are no train numbers printed on tickets. Also they are good 'till used, even if that's years from now. You buy a ticket between Raritan and New York. You ride a rush hour train and get off at Newark, with your ticket, and run to track 1 or 2 and ride a train from there to New York with that same ticket; or you can ride one of the through trains all the way with that ticket.
People don't buy a ticket from Raritan to Newark, and another from Newark to New York. That would be more expensive.
I had a guy yesterday buy a ticket from Middletown to Rahway for $7.00. Then I found out he was going to Trenton, so I took the $7.00 ticket back and sold him a ticket from Middletown to Trenton, via Rahway, for $9.00.
You can buy a ticket from Westfield to Ridgewood, via Secaucus, one ticket. The price would probably be the same as Westfield to New York, (and the ticket would be good to New York also.) That's the way it is with Coast Line tickets, but there are exceptions that someone on here brought to my attention a few weeks ago. I don't have my ticket machine in front of me now, so I can't get actual prices. The type of train, whether it terminates at Newark and you have to take two or three more trains, with the same ticket, to get to Ridgewood, or a through train, that takes the as yet non-existent shoe-fly at Secauscus doesn't affect the price. (That will be the Raritan-Suffern local.)
Also on Transit, tickets are good on other lines where the zones and fares are the same; and if your ticket is short, you can buy a ticket for the rest of the distance.

Hey all, it's your old friend Cruiser here. Few things used to give me more pleasure than to point out the inaccuracies of Philip Martin's post. He's a gentleman who seems to have held every single job possible on the railroad while never actually being good at a single one of them. Here, he has made 2 very blatant errors which would appear to be very integral to his job. First he didn't read the the timetable properly before taking a jab at the company for not printing the timetables correctly. Then he goes on to illustrate how he heroically saved one passenger's day by explaining that transferring passengers pay the longer of their respective two travel segments. As we're all thanking our lucky stars that there are ticket agents with the knowledge of Philip Martin out their, he then says that a ticket from Westfield to Ridgewood would be the same price as a ticket from Westfield to NYPS; neglecting that Westfield is zone 8 and Ridgewood is zone 9 therefore making the price of said ticket $9.25 and not $8.75. I'll be sure to recommend the finance department conduct an immediate audit of the MIddletown station ticket office.

philipmartin wrote:Also on Transit, tickets are good on other lines where the zones and fares are the same; and if your ticket is short, you can buy a ticket for the rest of the distance.

Does this apply for say, a HOB-Suffern monthly being used to Morristown? Both are zone 14 but the former is subject to the MNR hold-down rule.

Amtrak7 wrote: Does this apply for say, a HOB-Suffern monthly being used to Morristown? Both are zone 14 but the former is subject to the MNR hold-down rule.

That hold down rule on the Erie side might make the prices different. I have a card at work that fare collectors use to determine equivalencies on the various lines. About a month ago a rider showed me a ticket from an Erie side station and asked if it was valid at Middletown (NJ.) I guessed and said yes. Later I looked it up and the answer was no for Metro North area tickets. When I get back to work next Monday, while the snow is falling, and everything is stuck, I'll look it up again in the Revenue Policy Manual, and give you a better answer.

Amtrak7 wrote:

philipmartin wrote:Also on Transit, tickets are good on other lines where the zones and fares are the same; and if your ticket is short, you can buy a ticket for the rest of the distance.

Does this apply for say, a HOB-Suffern monthly being used to Morristown? Both are zone 14 but the former is subject to the MNR hold-down rule.

The way it looks to this ticket agent a Hoboken-Morristown monthly ($291.00) would be good to Suffern because it is more expensive than a Hoboken-Suffern monthly ($283.00,) but the Suffern ticket would not be good to Morristown because it costs less. The Suffern ticket would be good to Madison (Hoboken monthly $273.00) and pay $2.25 for a one way Madison to Morristown.
This is what I get by reading the Revenue Policy Manual and punching up prices on my machine. You can do the same on a TVM.
Suffern is an NJ Transit station. West of it, you're on Metro North, just as west of Montvale you're on Metro North, and there are different rules for acceptance and non-acceptance of those tickets on NJT.

3235 just went by with the 4534 on the point. I'm surprised. I thought all the 45s would be on the Raritan Valley starting today, (not realistic since there are only five round trips on the RV.)

philipmartin wrote:3235 just went by with an ALP45. I'm surprised. I thought they'd all be on the Raritan Valley starting today.

They only need 5 for the current schedule, unless they establish a protect in Raritan. They will not establish a protect in NYP. I'm getting into the pool to see how long it takes for someone to manipulate the consist incorrectly and attempts to send an ALP-46 to Raritan by mistake. Tehre's also a pool to see how long it takes the crew to catch on!