The Main/Bergen/Port Jervis Line Thread

[trainbrain]

Just read the travel alerts on the NJT website and it says 1173 is cancelled due to a mechanical problem. It also says passengers to train 1125, which is 18 minutes behind it and makes the same stops between Ridgewood and Suffern. Since 1173 is a Bergen Line train and 1125 is Main Line, I hope no one got on it trying to go to Bergen Line stations. Those people would have to wait for 1175 which is 40 minutes after 1173. It doesn't mention 63 running local on the Bergen Line (which is 20 minutes after 1173), so I assume those passengers just had to suck it up and wait.

Is it ever the case that a Port Jervis train (or Suffern semi express) runs local instead of express to replace a cancelled train?

[trainbrain]

I remember seeing signs a while back at Ramsey Route 17 station that said a morning eastbound would always arrive on the westbound track. I can't remember which train it was and the signs have been gone for a long time. Depending on the spotty announcements at the station, wrong railing a train could leave a lot of people on the wrong platform when the train arrives.

Looking at the schedule, it looks like 44 can run on the normal inbound track, and then pass 1148 in the Waldwick-Ridgewood section. Train 50 (the Harriman express) is the one that wrong rails. It has to pass 1154 while it is boarding at Suffern. Since it makes no stops till SEC, it doesn't matter what track it runs on. It likely switches to the middle track at Waldwick.

My impression is that most of the deadhead moves are to Waldwick only. The Suffern trains during the morning rush mostly come out of the yard, although there are a few deadhead moves. 1158 is the set from one of the early morning Port Jervis trains (it runs a full MNCR set) which deadheads out to Suffern. 1103 looks to be a possible turn to 1154 or 1156, so the other either comes out of the yard, or deadheads out. Not sure about the rest.

I believe I've figured out the Suffern turns for the evening rush. The Waldwick turns are much harder to figure out because there are more deadhead moves.

1161-1122
1163-1124
1165-1180
1167-1128
1169-1130
1171-goes to yard
1173-deadhead
1125-goes to yard
1175-1132
1127-1134

After 1127-1134, there are no more revenue runs beginning at Suffern. The rest of the trains either have to deadhead back, or go to the yard. If all trains 1129 and after go to the yard, there are 7 Suffern based sets. I've driven past that yard on weekends and one of the trains is always multilevel and the rest single level.

[EuroStar]

Is it ever the case that a Port Jervis train (or Suffern semi express) runs local instead of express to replace a cancelled train?

Yes, Port Jervis expresses have been run local in NJ when there have been disruptions in the past. I do not know what was done yesterday though.

[trainbrain]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't done last night. There was no travel alert mentioning 63 running local. All the peak hour express trains can run local if need be as they are unopposed west of Suffern. 51 cannot run local because it has to meet the set from 49 as it runs empty back to Hoboken. That meet must be upheld because the deadhead is slotted in between local trains and needs to make it back by a certain time for the set to run on 63. 65 also cannot run local because it meets 68 at Otisville.

I think it's pretty interesting that they were able to design the schedule to have only 1 deadhead to/from Suffern in both the morning and evening rush.

[trainbrain]

Does anyone know what happened today at Ridgewood? The travel alerts say that all trains are up to an hour late due to police activity at Ridgewood.

[EuroStar]

A pair of sneakers walked into the station ... seriously, sneakers abandoned under a bench caused a security scare.

Someone had asked in the past if a Port Jervis express train scheduled to run on the Main line has ever run on the Bergen line and the other way around. I am being told that this occurred yesterday with the westbound 57. I do not know why.

[trainbrain]

I think 57 always takes the Main Line.

Looking at the public schedule for outbounds, 47, 49, 57, and 59 are the express trains that take always take the Main Line. 51, 53, 55, 61, 63, and 63 take the Bergen Line. 43 can go via either line as there are no conflicting local trains on either line. 45, 67, and 41 are local and must take the line in which they make stops on.

For inbounds, 46, 52, and 54 are the express trains that must take the Main Line. 48, 50, 56, 58, and 64 must take the Bergen Line. 44 can go via either line as there are no conflicting moves on either line. 42, 62, 66, and 68 all make at least some local stops on either line.

On weekends, there are more locals which must take the line they stop on, but the express trains can all go via either line.

[CentralValleyRail]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't done last night. There was no travel alert mentioning 63 running local. All the peak hour express trains can run local if need be as they are unopposed west of Suffern. 51 cannot run local because it has to meet the set from 49 as it runs empty back to Hoboken. That meet must be upheld because the deadhead is slotted in between local trains and needs to make it back by a certain time for the set to run on 63. 65 also cannot run local because it meets 68 at Otisville.

I think it's pretty interesting that they were able to design the schedule to have only 1 deadhead to/from Suffern in both the morning and evening rush.

you do realize that a train can run local without there being a travel alert right?

everytime you post something you put 1000 things in there stick on point...

[trainbrain]

Doesn't necessarily have to be a travel alert, since everyone going to the normal stations will still get there on the same train. I thought they'd put it up as one because the train that made extra stops would be late getting to it's destination, and because that would be a travel alternative to those on a cancelled train.

[trainbrain]

Is there a multilevel set that finishes at Suffern? If I drive past the yard on weekends, there's always one sitting there, among the normal Comet V sets. I think they started doing that when they got a 3rd set on that line. The original two always finished at Hoboken.

I read somewhere that multilevels were only stored at yards with inspection pits due to clearance under the cars and Suffern does not have one. If that was the case, I guess they changed the policy.

[srock1028]

Yes, 1131 finishes and starts as 1154 the next morning. I think ML sets can go 3 days in-between getting over a pit. Think about the two Gladstone sets that finish out there Friday night, sit all weekend and then are used Monday morning. Same concept.

[trainbrain]

Thanks for the info.

The rotation must put that set in Hoboken for an extended period of time mid days to get it over the pit. 1207-1216 uses ML's, but I'm not sure if it's the same set. I know 1161-1122-1173-x112 is the same set. If it does run on 1207-1216, that would put it in Hoboken for almost 4 hours between 1216 and 1161. If not, it would be in Hoboken for 7 hours. The other ML sets finish in Hoboken and from the evening rush they are 1167-1128-1277-1280 and 1169-1130-1281-1234. Not sure where they go in the morning rush or mid days. 1210, which deadheads out to Waldwick, 1207-1216, and 1213-1220 are also Multilevel, but I don't know exactly which set is which.

[trainbrain]

Apparently trains 47 and 66 were operated with Multilevel equipment yesterday. Looks like it happened because the rotations were messed up due to 50 and 59 not running on the temporary schedule. 45 and 64 ran with a 7 car set the same day, which likely came from 52 (they normally use the 5 car set from 50).

[EuroStar]

The siding to the US Ink (or is it Sun Chemical?) plan in East Rutherford has been severed with the redoing of the grade crossing with Central Ave. The last time I saw them receiving cars was about 4 years ago and clearly they do not plan to receive any more in the future. I guess the refurbishing of the grade crossing sped up the removal. There are other sidings on the line that have not seen cars in many more years. I wonder if they remain because MOW can use them from time to time, while this one was on a private property.

[trainbrain]

Rode train 64 and 67 yesterday 5/9. 64 was really empty. Only two cars open and many empty seats. I've seen that train on Black Friday and it was as crowded as a rush hour train with shoppers from Woodbury Commons.

67 is pretty well ridden and has 4 of 5 cars open, but it seems that most passengers get off by Ridgewood. Probably less than 30 people left on board when I got off at Tuxedo.

My guess is that while 64 is well timed for those spending the evening in the city, there really isn't the late evening outbound service to support more ridership. 67's ridership to the stations east of Suffern is probably enough to have it's own train, but who knows if ridership to the Port Jervis Line stations would increase enough to have it's own train if that departure were made express. Would probably improve ridership on 64 and 66 if it did because some people would take the train who would've used other means of transportation both ways.