by JohnFromJersey
R&DB wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 1:05 am The MDL joint base spur only extends a couple hundred yards into the base. It's miles from there to Ft. Dix and McGuire. The spur was last used hauling out radioactive waste from the old Bomarc missile accident site in the early 2000s.My personal opinion is Union Transportation should have been included in Conrail fpr use of the military in Ft Dix.That was always a weird one, Union Transportation. Not too much about it on the internet, though I know they existed for a bit after they were excluded from Conrail, but not for long. Tracks were still there for a while too if I'm correct. I'd imagine if they preserved it via Conrail they would also preserve the Philadelphia and Long Branch RR portion from Camden up until where it crossed the SOUS at Whiting? Would also be nice for NJT, not only do you get MOM to NYC but a quick way to Philly for those same commuters; might as well connect the whole thing down to Winslow so you can throw AC (maybe even the airport too) in there.
But in the NJT MOM plan the spur would be expanded into a small NJT yard to store trains overnight.
There is also the way they could've come from Windsor from what is now the Hightstown Industrial Track, but I'm not sure if that switch is/was on the abandoned portion. Either way, in this hypothetical scenario there would be another South-North connection freight and/or passenger rail could use without using the NEC or Trenton Subdivision.
Doesn't matter now, Union Transportation's track, as well as most of the P&LB, is now a rail trail and that will never be converted back.