River Line

I used The NJT River Line today for the first time and am confused by two things.

1. Does this line connect to the rest of the national railroad network?
2. Why is it only single tracked?

Sorry in advance if a thread for this already exists! I did a Google search!

theseaandalifesaver wrote:I used The NJT River Line today for the first time and am confused by two things.

1. Does this line connect to the rest of the national railroad network?
2. Why is it only single tracked?

Sorry in advance if a thread for this already exists! I did a Google search!

1) yes, Conrail runs locals along it quite often
2) Not sure

theseaandalifesaver wrote:I used The NJT River Line today for the first time and am confused by two things.
...
2. Why is it only single tracked?
...

The initial cost had to be kept down to a particular level to encourage the legislature to approve the project.

In this photo, NS 39G is on Conrail 2-running. It will turn left at the turnout onto the Delair Branch Connecting Track, which will put it onto Conrail's Delair Branch over the Delair bridge and on to West Philadelphia. The track that goes straight from that turnout merges with the River LINE track around the curve. The next track to the right is 1-running until the turnout, then (continuing straight) becomes New Leg of Wye and crosses the River LINE track (far right track) on a diamond. The River LINE track then merges with the Conrail track around the curve.

The under construction light rail in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario has gauntlet track along part of the route so freight can operate with sufficient clearance vs the light rail platforms. I'm not sure how much of that shared ROW is double track but where it is, only one track is gauntleted and the other plain as the pre-existing line was a single track spur anyway.
http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/io ... st-1053650" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-Late last night (3/23), the Juniata Terminal SW1500 (#9625) left the NJ Transit RiverLine shops with the ex PRR caboose (#477863) to take a ballast train up to Florence, NJ. Seen here passing the RiverLine station at 36th St:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4669577" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-Upon picking up the ballast hoppers at Haines MoW Yard, #9625 proceeded north past the RiverLine station in Palmyra very early this morning:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4669576" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(not the greatest pictures as night action shots are a bit tricky)

Ben

Is there a reason that the schedule was not synchronized with the North East Corridor in Trenton? It arrives 3 minutes after the corridor leaves on the weekends and leaves a few minutes before it arrives.

silverliner266 wrote:Is there a reason that the schedule was not synchronized with the North East Corridor in Trenton? It arrives 3 minutes after the corridor leaves on the weekends and leaves a few minutes before it arrives.

I can only assume it is designed to lower ridership.

The last train from Camden waterfront (popular concert venue) arrives in Trenton right after the last NEC train leaves, making it absolutely useless.

May I make a suggestion? The executive director has been holding public feedback sessions. Why not go to one of them and inquire about this? Make a suggestion that they adjust the schedule. While there is no guarantee, you would be surprised how much can be accomplished if one tries to do something rather than just complain about it. If you cannot go to one of the sessions go to one of the monthly board meetings or just write a polite letter explaining the issue.

While your mileage might vary depending who you contact, how well they understand the issue and how close/far they are from the decision makers on that particular issue, you would do good for many fellow passengers by pointing this out to the people at NJT. My personal experience was that certain schedule adjustment was made about 6 months after I wrote a letter explaining certain overcrowding issues during rush hour.

-Southbound NJ Transit RiverLINE passing the former Philadelphia Watch Case Company in Riverside:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5040699" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ben

Nice!

Northbound 3511 in Amerihealth wrap followed by next southbound 3508 in Rutgers Camden wrap

theseaandalifesaver wrote:I used The NJT River Line today for the first time and am confused by two things. 1. Does this line connect to the rest of the national railroad network?

RiverLine operates on a "timeshare" schedule, with CSAO operating on overnight hours. The north end of the Newark City Subway (part of the Erie Orange Branch) also was on a timeshare when NS served the Hartz facility in Bloomfield from the old Boonton Line (Greenwood Lake) connection. The Orange Branch has since been severed beyond Bloomfield Avenue (just west of the Newark City Subway terminus).

As far as the passenger network is concerned, there is an across-the-street transfer with the NEC at Trenton. (Fun Fact: back in the day, there used to be through trains from New York to Atlantic City which joined the present RIverLINE just after where the present line crosses over the Corridor, as far as just north of the present Pennsauken station, where it ascended a grade to the PRR line coming off the Delair Bridge. On the Nellie Bly it was possible to ride on single track down the middle of Broad Street in Burlington in a parlor or dining car.)

ExCon90 wrote: (Fun Fact: back in the day, there used to be through trains from New York to Atlantic City which joined the present RIverLINE just after where the present line crosses over the Corridor, as far as just north of the present Pennsauken station, where it ascended a grade to the PRR line coming off the Delair Bridge. On the Nellie Bly it was possible to ride on single track down the middle of Broad Street in Burlington in a parlor or dining car.)

There was also The Blue Comet, which achieved the same result.

Ben