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Dos_centavos
Citizen
Username: Dos_centavos
Post Number: 13
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 16, 2006 - 5:04 pm: | 
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Saw this on another website and someone mentioned the possibility of freight trains running on the midtown direct line in the AM…… Has anyone noticed heard about this? It’s probably just a silly rumor that I’m spreading but thought I would put it out there.
I would be very concerned if I lived the tracks. I know they are improving the train station and also putting down new concrete supports on the tracks, could this be to support the increased weight of the cars. My first thought would be that freight trains would produce louder noises and train vibrations than regular passenger cars. If this is true and you own a house near the tracks would you sell? According to one poster, if its true, historically property prices near the tracks could become depressed by 15 to 30%. Would you buy a house near the tracks at a discount?
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kevin
Supporter
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 727
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 16, 2006 - 5:40 pm: |
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Freight trains ran on the M&E and Gladstone for years. There are many buildings that still have remnants of the access tracks on their property.
Many of the houses in these towns were built from kits delivered by train - my house included.
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Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11857
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 6:52 am: |
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The old Erie Lackawanna was a coal line. It was built to bring coal from Pennsylvania into the New York metropolitan area. As Kevin points out, you can see the remnants of the old sidings at a number of places along the line. The most prominent is at the Mitchel Supreme Oil site in Orange. I imagine the site used to be a coal dealer. The siding there was set up so that hopper cars could drop their load into bins under the track.
In those days the railroad ran a yard where freight cars were transferred to barges and towed to Brooklyn. A business associate's father was the captain of the last railroad owned tug in the harbor until he retired maybe fifteen years ago and the service was discontinued. Cap'n Ed was a real character and I think all the local news shows did a feature on him.
I know some old freight tracks are being reinstituted in Cranford, Springfield Elizabeth, Summit, etc. and this may be the reason for the rumor. I don't think there are any factories left on the Morris and Essex or Gladstone lines that would make freight service economical and I don't think the tunnels into Manhattan used by MTD and Amtrak are set up for freight. Also, the old freight yard near Penn Station has been closed to the best of my knowledge.
I kind of doubt the rumor is true. |
Larry Seltzer
Citizen
Username: Elvis
Post Number: 47
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 8:37 am: |
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One old coal line in Maplewood came in from Union and terminated at Wooley Coal (now Wooley Fuel). If you drive down Rutgers south of Burnett in the industrial zone you can faintly see a bump to the sides of the road that once was the rail bed. |
ken (the other one)
Citizen
Username: Ken
Post Number: 408
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 8:45 am: |
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Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11858
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 9:16 am: |
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I think the line that ran through Hilton is part of the same network that is being reinstituted in Springfield, Union, etal. However, I think I read that a bridge or something was removed making it very expensive to include it in the new railroad line.
I am not 100 percent sure of the above btw. I read something, somewhere.... |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 3386
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 9:27 am: |
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There is an attempt to run a freight line through union county (springfield, summit, etc.) on the old tracks there. There is pretty stiff opposition from locals, but who knows if the state or county will listen. Could that be related to what you heard? |
kevin
Supporter
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 731
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 11:07 am: |
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Millburn Coal -- It's now the town's public works lot.
Both photos courtesy of the Millburn historical society. |
Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 9900
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 11:36 am: |
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A week ago I saw a freight train on the line at about 7pm crawling along. About 5 -7 cars. It was going so slowly I was walking faster than it.
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ken (the other one)
Citizen
Username: Ken
Post Number: 409
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:05 pm: |
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Back in the day the DL&W RR had it's major freight runs on the Boonton branch. The M&E line, which runs through Maplewood, was designated soley as a commutter line, except for some several small freight runs along the line.
The freight trains of 100 cars or so won't ever be placed on the M&E line, cause there is no place for these freights to go. You may see a small 4-5 freight car run every now and then, which is usually the Morristwon & Erie renting the NJ Transit tracks for their connection in Morristown. Anything thing above Denville is going to use the Boonton branch.
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Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11861
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 12:06 pm: |
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A freight train or a maintenance train? Sometimes they are hard to tell apart. |
tabby
Citizen
Username: Tabby
Post Number: 324
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 4:26 pm: |
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Even if freight trains are run on "our" tracks, they usually travel sooo slowly so the noise level is minimal. With the heavy commuter usage the only time freight could run would be overnight 12 midnight to 5 am.
I used to work in Union next to part of the old line that was being reactivated. New track was installed so it looks like it is more than just open for discussion. |
KRNL
Citizen
Username: Krnl
Post Number: 81
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 7:18 pm: |
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I bet you saw a maintenance train. Currently they are doing track maintenance/reconstruction east of us and some of the cars are freight cars--probably carrying the fresh gravel and 'railroad ties' they are laying. I saw them today when we took the train into NYP.
Ken, those are great photos.
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Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 7602
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 - 1:06 pm: |
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Freight trains on the Midtown Direct line doesn't necessarily mean freight trains running past Newark or even past Kearny. It may be possible that the railroad is considering running freight trains along part of the Amtrak rail which Midtown Direct uses to get to Penn Station. I doubt we will see many freight trains running past South Orange or Maplewood train stations in the near future.
Another point to consider is when in the AM? It is doubtful with the concentration of commuter trains from about 6:00 AM on and with the opening of the draw bridge during certain hours that these trains would be using this track during commuter hours. In the AM is apt to mean in the very wee hours of the morning when the commuter trains don't run and there is little if any shipping traffic going under the bridge. |
Bill232
Citizen
Username: Bill232
Post Number: 182
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 - 4:24 pm: |
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Relax Dos Centavos. Freight trains have been running on the line through town for many years.This is not anything new. There are still small businesses that occasionally need service on the line. The trains are run at off hours and are useually no more than a half dozen cars. The long 100 car trains are on long distance main lines in other areas of the state. |
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