Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

Train left Red Bank at 7:57 AM
BDRV 752 - DRRV 2005 & Nine cars today.

8:27 AM Hamilton Rd

9:11 am Dang. RB-1 is almost to Asbury Ave already!!
9:12 am They dropped off a car at Extech.

11:44 am Northbound through Downtown Lakewood
12:10 pm Northbound at Victory Rd
12:35 pm Approaching Marl Rd

2:10 pm Back in Red Bank

A lot quicker than the conrail days.

Blink, and you'll miss it !

At least prior to how it was before shared assets. At 25 mph, you could only see the train at one place between Farmingdale and Lakewood.

Then pray you don’t get held in Lakewood chasing to Lakehurst!!

So, roughly 6:15 round trip. Not too shabby.

I wonder what other customers DRRR is looking at right now. Twice a week service during the day (and not night) seems like it would be very appealing. Are they focused on getting more customers right now or FIT-SOUS? And in regards to that, any news on it?

There was rumors that Brick Recycling was looking to get cars again after Farmingdale to Freehold is done, and there was rumors that Stavola in Tinton Falls would as well. Aside from that, haven’t heard anything new.

I’d be surprised if they pick anyone up within the first few months. Also not sure if anyone is gonna fork over the cost for an entire side track to be built.

Today Tuesday July 26, 2022, I took a ride into Freehold Boro, NJ (Main Street grade) and paralleled the Freehold Industrial Tracks. No trains operating today. I did see a crew from Belvidere & Delaware in a hi rail vehicle along those tracks. In front of the hi rail was another employee with a track measuring device (gauge)a nd walking in front to the hi rail. They stopped to mark the rails or ties. They ended up up at the Halls Mills Road grade crossing where the hi rail was taken off the tracks., in Freehold Township, NJ
I don't know the new railroad will extend the right of way past Halls Mill Road, there is still some useable track just past Halls Mill Road. I also rode on Okerson and Fairfield Roads the former right of way is over grown. I know there is supposed to be a connection to Farmingdale, wonder how that will be done in the future?

Plan is to connect from Freehold to Farmingdale in the not too distant future. The D&RR will be able to serve the FIT and Southern from one interchange point, and eliminates having to travel on NJT from S Amboy to Red Bank..

There are a million threads about here...

Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 3:41 pm There was rumors that Brick Recycling was looking to get cars again after Farmingdale to Freehold is done, and there was rumors that Stavola in Tinton Falls would as well. Aside from that, haven’t heard anything new.

Brick Recycling I can 100% see getting service again after FIT-SOUS is reconnected - I can see them getting a decent amount of cars biweekly, if not more possibly. I believe they were supposed to get damn near a dozen or so cars at a time until allegedly NJT pumped the breaks on having gondolas full of scrap on the Coastline.

Stavola I can see getting sand as well, but that's only if Lakewood-Lakehurst is fixed; that would also have to be a separate operation from RB-1 since the cargo would go between Woodmansie and Tinton Falls and back; maybe NJSL could get operating rights or something? Big stretch but would be easier for all parties involved. Would be nice to see Lakehurst's yard make a return as an interchange though...

I do know that they are rebuilding the switch into the ex-plastics plant across the way from Collingswood. I don't know if that's for the tile place there, the restoration place, or both, but that's happening. There's a landscaping supply place in Tinton Falls that still has the siding but no switch, there's Haddon House in Howell that still has the siding but no switch, etc. but they would probably want 286K cars which is impossible until FIT-SOUS is reconnected.

Let's not forget the likely possibility that a transloading yard happens too.

Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 3:41 pm I’d be surprised if they pick anyone up within the first few months. Also not sure if anyone is gonna fork over the cost for an entire side track to be built.

A siding is a lot of money, but long term, it would be cheaper for Stavola to put a siding in and get rail cars than pay for a fleet of trucks and their drivers to haul sand back and forth, especially with diesel prices right now.

Maybe potential customers could finance it somehow?

The track is used past Halls Mill Rd almost to Okerson to service Prestone, which gets about a car a week. Car(s) cannot be seen from Halls Mill or Okerson because there is a siding going sharply north. Try looking at it on google maps.

pdtrains,

Thank you.

CharlieL.

Thank you.

One thing that confuses me when I read comments about NJT not wanting certain type cars on the Coast line is that if the the FIT-Southern connection gets replaced/repaired, that only means cars will go to Browns yard rather than Red Bank for interchange. Any cars in Browns yard are not going in/out thru Monthmouth Junction onto the Northeast Corridor. They are still going back out to the Coastline to get over the Raritan even if they head up the Chemical Coast.

On NJT coastline is still on the NJT Coastline. Kind of hard to say policy prohibits scrap gondolas, or anthing else, on the NJT Coastline if they are still using NJT rails across the Raritan from Parlin.

What am I missing?

@CJPat There appears to be differences in what’s allowed on the Coast Line depending on the section of track and the length of which freight will use it for.

Scrap gondolas frequently travel the 1.8 miles from WOOD to ESSAY on the Coast Line, yet aren’t allowed past South Amboy. Apparently it’s something to do with the bridges not being able to take the weight? That’s what I’m told.

I have, however, also heard Brick Recycling may have gotten in trouble for loading their cars over the 263,000 limit imposed by NJT, hence them not being allowed to get cars anymore.

The whole situation is rather confusing. Especially when you start getting into what’s allowed on the Hoboken Division vs the Newark Division. The Hoboken Division seems much more accepting of freight…

Mod Note: I believe we have cooled of & figured out there is no need to preach to the choir, nor getting into pissing matches about actions of those that call Lakewood home. David and & will work on appropriate cleanup from the prior page(s).

If it spirals, the locks come out again.