Riverline (Highland, NY) Schedules?

I am a rail fan and now a new N Scale layout builder who is looking for some info on the CSX line that runs along the West shore of the Hudson around Highland, NY (near the Pok RR bridge and Mid-Hudson bridge). I think it is called the Riverline.

I have been there a few times with my camcorder and it is hit or miss catching any trains going by. Can someone give me some idea as to when are the best times and days of the week to catch some traffic here? Also, are there still any industries around the river here that are serviced by CSX?

Also, I was at Selkirk years ago taking photos and would like to go again to get some ideas for my N scale layout but I have heard bad stories about the CSX police giving people a hard time around there. Is this true or can one still go and take pictures without being hassled?

Thank.

Joe

First off you should stay off and clear of railroad property whether you are at Highland or at Selkirk. If you go on railroad
property anywhere around Selkirk you can definately expect problems from railroad police. Being close to moving freight
trains exposes you to unnecessary dangers and can definately ruin your day of enjoyment.
As for trains through Highland, I walked the Poughkeepsie Bridge back in November and on that Tuesday afternoon, I saw
a total of 7 trains through Highland within a 2 hour period. I can't say that you would have the same luck but my guess it
that late afternoon might be quite productive. I met up with a couple of rather interesting railfans around the old station
at Highland and you might meet them there too, maybe they can help you.
Selkirk is busy 24/7 and you should see plenty of activity there. "Ben's" Bridge is closed to vehicles but I don't know whether
you can still walk on it or not. It crosses the mid part of the yard at the engine terminal which is always an interesting spot.
There are various bridges over the tracks and yard in the area and if you park in a safe location off the road, you should be
OK. Enjoy yourself and railfan safely.
Noel Weaver

First, welcome to RR.net. This is a great place for all your railroad hobby interests. Secondly, from one N-scaler to another, welcome to N-scale. I switched from HO almost 20 years ago due to losing the space for my HO-layout. You can click on the www link under my avatar to see my little slice of N-scale.

As to the River Line it is a very busy piece of railroad. The busiest times seem to be in the early mornings, usually between 6am and 10am, and then in the afternoons between 2pm and 8pm. Mid-day is somewhat slower. Of course this is just an observation based on my experiences. I usually railfan the Bear Mountain-Iona Island-Stony Point area and if I'm able to get there by about 7am I can usually count on at least 4-6 trains over the next 2-3 hours. If I can't make it up to Iona Island until the afternoon I try to get there around 3pm and, again, I can usually count on 4-6 trains. If you don't already own one I highly recommend getting a scanner and programming in 160.980 and 160.260, the two frequencies used on the RIver Line. I would also put in 457.9375, which is the end-of-train device frequency. Having a scanner will help you locate the trains and make your time spent trackside much more enjoyable. These are just my experiences...I just haven't been able to get to the River Line since the end of the summer so I'm not sure if traffic patterns are still the same or not.

Check out my photo album, most of them were taken in the Iona Island area, but there is a healthy dose of NJT as well, since I was a train dispatcher for them during most of 2002:

http://goldwing.zenfolio.com/f10723021

Echoing Mr. Weaver's statements do not trespass on railroad property and stay safe. There are plenty of locations all along the River Line where you can watch/photograph the activity without having to trespass.

Enjoy!
Joe

Thanks!

I had a nice 5'x9' HO layout in my basement which I had to throw out because I had to convert the space into 2 rooms for my teenagers who needed their own rooms. It was NYC set in the 1950's.

So now I am starting an N scale CSX layout. Haven't decided on a plan yet but it needs to fit in a 3'x'7' space. I bought 2 CSX GP38s, one with DCC and I have a few coal hoppers. I want to get more so I can have a coal train and I want some tankers as I also have seen a few of those on the mix freights I have seen around here.

If you go to my web page you can see photos of my HO layout and there is a link to my CSX page where I have a few videos and photos of Selkirk, all from a few years ago: http://www.joecool.org/ho_trains.htm

I am a HAM, N2VAC, so I do have a 2 or 3 scanners that I will take now that I got some good frequencies from you. I'll check out your photos; I don't know where or what Iona Island is but I am sure I have past it a million times when I have taken MetroNorth into the city.

Besides Highland another great place I have watched trains has been at Little Falls, NY, as my family is up there. By the old Pizza Hut on Rt 5 there used to be a road crossing and alot of room to spread out. THere the dual mainline CSX track run, the old NYC tracks, along the Mohawk. It was great because the crossing gates coming down signaled you that a train was coming and gave you enough time to fire up the camcorder (just like Highland now). They took out the grade crossing a few years ago so now the trains sneak up on you! It is a great place still as you sometimes get two trains going by at the same time. I even saw one train stop right before the crossing there and run into a 7-11 type store for food! I have it on video.


Joe

jocatch wrote:Thanks!

I had a nice 5'x9' HO layout in my basement which I had to throw out because I had to convert the space into 2 rooms for my teenagers who needed their own rooms. It was NYC set in the 1950's.

So now I am starting an N scale CSX layout. Haven't decided on a plan yet but it needs to fit in a 3'x'7' space. I bought 2 CSX GP38s, one with DCC and I have a few coal hoppers. I want to get more so I can have a coal train and I want some tankers as I also have seen a few of those on the mix freights I have seen around here.

If you go to my web page you can see photos of my HO layout and there is a link to my CSX page where I have a few videos and photos of Selkirk, all from a few years ago: http://www.joecool.org/ho_trains.htm

I am a HAM, N2VAC, so I do have a 2 or 3 scanners that I will take now that I got some good frequencies from you. I'll check out your photos; I don't know where or what Iona Island is but I am sure I have past it a million times when I have taken MetroNorth into the city.

Besides Highland another great place I have watched trains has been at Little Falls, NY, as my family is up there. By the old Pizza Hut on Rt 5 there used to be a road crossing and alot of room to spread out. THere the dual mainline CSX track run, the old NYC tracks, along the Mohawk. It was great because the crossing gates coming down signaled you that a train was coming and gave you enough time to fire up the camcorder (just like Highland now). They took out the grade crossing a few years ago so now the trains sneak up on you! It is a great place still as you sometimes get two trains going by at the same time. I even saw one train stop right before the crossing there and run into a 7-11 type store for food! I have it on video.


Joe

Little Falls is a great spot for train watching. If lyou have a scanner with you maybe you will be able to receive the hot box
detector which is west of Little Falls but reads out as Herkimer. It is a couple of miles west of the old Lock Street Crossing
at Little Falls.
Enjoy
Noel Weaver

jocatch... also if you want to head alittle south of Highlands you can head down to Newburgh. There's a parking lot near the waterfront area, I believe it's Carpenter road, (just north of the old Newburgh train station) or even Washingtown Ave. The river line is only feet away on the other side of a low iron fence. You get a nice view to the north of the Newburgh-Beacon bridge and you can see the trains coming south along the river and if you have a scanner (which I highly recommend) you'll be able to hear the Roseton detector around MP 60. You can also drive down toward Warex terminals near the NYC yard. The local has been taking out numerous gondolas loaded with dirt from a construction site in the area out of the yard. As stated above it's hit or miss with when the trains are running but after going out acouple of times and listening to a scanner you'll figure it out.... For instance, I was off today, had the scanner on and heard them replacing a switch at CP55 (Newburgh). They had both the siding and the main out of service for over two hours. I then happened to overhear that they had put in a 10 mph speed restriction in and had let two northbound trains go. The dispatcher then told the Maintenance crew that there was to be 7 southbounds. I rushed over to Newburgh and caught the K-644, Q-118, Q-417, Q409, Q-268, Q-156, Q-439, and then Northbound Q-434 in about 2 1/2 hours. So you never know, there have been other days I've sat around for 3-4 hours with nothing. Also CSX within the last six months has changed there channel for the river line. The road channel is still 160.980, but the dispatch channel is now 160.620. Happy Hunting

jocatch wrote:I am a rail fan and now a new N Scale layout builder who is looking for some info on the CSX line that runs along the West shore of the Hudson around Highland, NY (near the Pok RR bridge and Mid-Hudson bridge). I think it is called the Riverline.

I have been there a few times with my camcorder and it is hit or miss catching any trains going by. Can someone give me some idea as to when are the best times and days of the week to catch some traffic here? Also, are there still any industries around the river here that are serviced by CSX?

Also, I was at Selkirk years ago taking photos and would like to go again to get some ideas for my N scale layout but I have heard bad stories about the CSX police giving people a hard time around there. Is this true or can one still go and take pictures without being hassled?

Thank.

Joe

Check out this site........
www.georgiarailfan.net

When you go to that site, reference the following trains........

Manifests: Q-409/410/439/438/433/434/417/418
Trash: Q-702/703
Intermodal: Q-100/108/109/110/112/118/153/156/157/159/161/162/163/164/169
Autoracks: Q-268/271
Unit Ethanol: (Runs as needed) K-646/655/678/682
Locals: C-712 (Kingston Yard based local, services River Sub customers from Bergenfield, NJ north to Kingston)
Extras: Can run on the schedules as any of the above listed trains on the days the regular trains do not run (i.e. S-439, S-417, etc.)

And much as Noel Weaver stated, STEER CLEAR of being too up close on the right of way!! Not only do CSX railroad police make visits, but town/locality authorities enforce trespassing laws too!! Stick to public accessible areas alone the right of way....there are TONS between Selkirk and North New Jersey. Most of all, while I do definitely encourage no trespassing BY ANY MEANS, do have fun!! If you have a scanner...... 160.980 MHz and 160.260 MHz will give you good play by plays heads up!!