Freight operations on NEC

AceMacSD wrote: ↑Sat Jun 03, 2023 1:19 pm The red caboose was painted red for the santa claus train back when we were still running it. It was CR then painted for CSX then red. They were gonna use it fir the ballast loading at OI that's been going on but it required an extra move sooo it's still sitting where it's been sitting.

I don’t know if it’s the same one but the one I’m referring to was red but fully lettered for CR with the logo. I remember the one used on the Santa train only had reporting marks.

CR 21303 http://rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=67 Was repainted red right at the end of Conrail. She was assigned to Manville Yard and used mostly by the NS local. She was then reassigned to Dover for use on NS H02 and served their until C&D took the work. I do not know it's current status.

AceMacSD wrote: ↑Sat Jun 03, 2023 4:08 pm What NS trains are you talking about? The auto train? The NS used to run an auto train from OI stopping in Linden and Metuchen. They'd continued down the corridor to around Philly then headed West off the corridor.

25A ran from Croxton, at Stock when down to Lane and onto the corridor. This was in the 02-03 timeframe I beleive.

MS99 was a NS local from Morrisville that ran to Metuchen with cars for the Ford Plant.

CR7876 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 03, 2023 5:19 pm CR 21303 http://rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=67 Was repainted red right at the end of Conrail. She was assigned to Manville Yard and used mostly by the NS local. She was then reassigned to Dover for use on NS H02 and served their until C&D took the work. I do not know it's current status.

That’s the one

Haven't seen that caboose.

I recall a MV local that ran to ME using the corridor. There was an NS job that went from OI down the corridor which stopped at the auto plants. I worked the Garden and we'd have to get their power onto the empty racks then we'd build the Lehigh line NS train. The NEC train required CSS and LSL, Lehigh train had no special requirements. Round that time it was hard getting engines at all and we'd build the trains with whatever we had on hand. NS would've figured out their power issues themselves. That NEC train didn't last long. Often recall it not running cause of no power for it.

“Often recall it not running due to lack of power”

Interesting. I know it’s also more expensive to run on the corridor than the usual route to Atlanta, but are these the only reasons, besides lack of double stack clearance, that these test trains never became regular trains? In the sense of going that far south wouldn’t the corridor be more direct? Going to Atlanta on NS seems to take the trains out to Harrisburg first before heading south.

I think all of NS's connections to the NEC south of NJ are on tracks leading towards Harrisburg or are to isolated parts of their system. Since NS has only one NJ-Atlanta train daily, it probably does not make sense to negotiate slots and trackage rights with CSX between Washington and Alexandria for that one train or to keep crews trained for those parts of the NEC that NS otherwise would not be using.

Ballpark mileage wise, it's about 225 miles from Newark, NJ to Manassas, VA using the NEC, versus about 390 miles using the present NS route. Big difference, but probably not worth the hassle. When NS did that experiment, they took half a dozen or so ex-Conrail GP40-2's and slapped Cab Signal and LSL equipment on them, which NS had removed previously. It cost a lot of money per engine. NS used the GP40-2's because they were known to have sufficient clearance for the entire trip along the NEC.

Interesting, but why put such tech back in engines when they already had gp38s with the required systems in them? Seems kinda counterintuitive IMO.

Wonder what the operating costs of these trains were if they still didn’t do it despite being so much shorter of a route. Guess the cost to run on Amtrak really adds up after a while…

Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:19 pm Interesting, but why put such tech back in engines when they already had gp38s with the required systems in them? Seems kinda counterintuitive IMO.

Wonder what the operating costs of these trains were if they still didn’t do it despite being so much shorter of a route. Guess the cost to run on Amtrak really adds up after a while…

The 40’s are more HP- 3000 vs the 2000 of a 38. I’m just guessing as to why. The 40’s used on that train had their horns moved to the side of the cab roof too.

Bracdude- I did forget to mention GP40’s were used for intermodal trains way more than the GP38 maybe that’s also why. They were very common on the CR ones before the wide cabs came along.

This weekend I was talking with one of my guys who went over to NS after the split. He was telling me about the NS intermodal that ran the corridor. NS had 4 CR GP40-2s rebuilt for this special test service. The CR GP40s were geared for running intermodal trains when they were new to CR. They'd met the height requirements to operate in the low clearance areas around Philly only the horns had to be moved for the restrictions. Cars could only be single stack with a single can or trailer. Train was measured by AMTK personnel prior to leaving Jersey or Atlanta. He'd said the engines were supposed to be in captive service. That ended when the NS yardmaster in NJ split the engines and ran them in local service when the NEC job wasn't running. The local crews beat those engines up so bad they'd no choice but to borrow AMTK engines. The AMTK engines weren't the best of the fleet and service ended after two or three runs with AMTK power. It wasn't worth the investment.

What was the benefit of running intermodals on the NEC anyway?? I can't imagine it's much cheaper. Sure, the distance might be shorter than having to go further out West first, and then south, but if you have to have special engines and have to essentially double the length of the train with no double stacking, sounds like it was a lot of hassle.

AceMacSD wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 8:38 am That's right the caboose is being repainted. Last I'd heard, the group's trying to get some CR stencils for it.

Back to the NEC freight, I hadn't run out their since before the split but there’s a freight that comes out of Morrisville to work in Trenton. I think there may be a job that occasionally works nights to get onto the light rail but I'll have to ask my south Jersey guys.

Read here a lot but don't really post. Being in the Trenton area I figured I'd join the discussion. There is a job out of Morrisville that crosses the river on the NEC into Trenton and serves Diversified Steel on the Wye near I believe it is Fair? Interlocking. Not sure what symbol they run under or how often they run over there, it's a short trip just across the river and run thru Trenton Station onto the Wye where Diversified is.

Someone posted they hear horns at night on the NEC that sound like freight. Probably Amtraks ballast train. Not freight but Amtrak seems to have a yard between Trenton and Hamilton Station now where they keep their MOW equipment and a bunch of cars from the ballast train. Driving back home from a friends some nights when driving under the Trenton Delaware River Bridge after exiting Route 1 I will see the ballast train heading out. So between the yard in Hamilton, Adams, and the other MOW base in Morrisville, as well as the freight that occasionally serves Diversified Steel in Trenton(not often), the area probably stays pretty busy at night. EDIT: just saw ACEMAC post about the Amtrak Stone trains as well.

JohnFromJersey wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:44 pm What was the benefit of running intermodals on the NEC anyway?? I can't imagine it's much cheaper. Sure, the distance might be shorter than having to go further out West first, and then south, but if you have to have special engines and have to essentially double the length of the train with no double stacking, sounds like it was a lot of hassle.

AMTK was doing away with their mail trains at that time. This was to keep the $$$ flow running. The train lengths weren't doubled BTW, they'd ben restricted to a short length so they'd can clear up easily. My guy also told me they'd be good for 70 or 85 mph. After those local jobs got a hold of those engines, they'd flattened the wheels on them and they'd only be good for 40 mph or just beat to hell.