News-

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11-19-00

New Jersey Transit- NJT has demolished the Franklin Ave. Station for the Newark City Subway and has created a new terminal at Branch Brook Park.  This is all to make way for the new Light Rail cars replacing the PCC Trolleys.  The Hudson Bergen Light Rail has extended to Newport Mall, extending the run by two stops.  NJT is also building a new station on CSX's Lehigh Line, east of Roselle Park.  The new station will either be named Townley or Union and will be similar to Roselle Park with an island platform.  A new yard is being built in Morrisville, PA for NJT to use as storage so more trains can originate from Trenton.  The project is scheduled for completion in 2002.

New York & Greenwood Lake- NYGL has announced a proposal to buy the remainder of the Boonton Line from NJT once the Montclair Connection is completed.

Amtrak-  The Acela Express Maiden Voyage is scheduled for November 29.  The train will run from Washington to Boston in the morning, stopping at Trenton (7:00AM), Newark Penn (7:28AM), and NY Penn (8:03AM).  The return trip from Boston to Washington will stop at NY Penn (8:03PM), Newark Penn (9:41PM), and Trenton (10:07PM).  A test run was completed last week and the train reached 135 MPH through Edison.

Norfolk Southern- NS will file a "notice of intent to abandon rail service" on November 14 for its "River Route" between Jersey City and the Weehawken Tunnel. The move is a prerequisite for extending Hudson-Bergen Light Rail along the right-of-way.  As compensation, Norfolk Southern and competitor CSX Corp. are benefiting from road/rail separation projects west of the Palisades cliffs in Hudson County, paid for as part of the HBLR project.

Updates-

Photo Galleries:

Passenger Railroads:  Added NJT and Metro North at Hoboken

Restored Equipment:  New Gallery Online!

Train Logs: New Section Online!

Amboy Secondary/ Browns Yard: New Schedule Online!

Southern Secondary:  New Schedule Online!

10-10-00

New York & Greenwood Lake- The NY&GL has added a 2nd GP9 their roster.  The unit, former Fort Smith RR (Arkansas) #1902 will be painted into Erie Railroad colors.  The line runs on about 5 miles of former Erie trackage through Passaic. The roster now includes an RS3, SW9 (ex NJT 436), and 2 GP9s.

Conrail-  The Browns Yard Division is now controlled by the South Jersey Dispatcher, located in Mt. Laurel, NJ.  The lines changed are: Chemical Coast (Port to Wood), Amboy Secondary, Southern Secondary, Dayton Branch, Freehold Secondary, and Hightstown Branch.

Updates-

Photo Galleries:

Passenger Railroads:  Added NJT at Hoboken Festival 2000.

Freight Railroads:  Added CSX/NS at Browns Yard.

Tourist Railroads:  Added Morristown & Erie at Hoboken.

Out of State Railroads:  Added Virginia Rail Investment at Hoboken.

Light Rail:  Added NJT's City Subway and Hudson Bergen Light Rail.

Railroad Maps:  Added map of NJT's projects through 2020.

Freight Yards of NJ:  Updated!

8-13-00

News-

Hoboken Festival Update- IT'S OFFICIAL!  NJT will be hosting the 2000 Hoboken Festival on Saturday, September 16, 2000 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Hoboken Terminal.  The festival was cancelled last year due to the ongoing construction at Hoboken Terminal.  New guests this year include the USPS "Celebrate the Century Express".  This train is decorated with Postal Service items and includes an Amtrak P42 locomotive, Amtrak Coaches, and a restored RPO.

New Jersey Transit-  Farewell to the Comet IIs.  As NJT recieves the new Comet V delivery, the Comet II fleet will be sent to the AAI Corporation in Maryland.  Every Comet II (both cabs and coaches) will be converted to a Comet V coach lacking central doors.  The Lakewood Line was recently approved .  NJT Executive Director Jeffrey Warsh says that as soon as the line gets federal dollars, it will be given a green light by NJT.  The line must first undergo a year and a half study to propose the best route.  Routes include: Lakehurst- Midway or Lakehurst- Red Bank.

Conrail-  All rail lines that serve into Browns Yard are in the process of being upgraded.  These lines include the Amboy Secondary, Dayton Branch, Freehold Secondary, Southern Secondary, and Hightstown Branch.  Conrail is expecting a major increase in service over these lines.  Improvements include grade crossing upgrades, new ballast, and new ties.

Updates-

Photo Galleries:

Passenger Railroads:  Added NJT at Matawan and at Rio Grande

Tourist Railroads:  Added CMSL and B&M at Rio Grande.

4-25-00

News-

New Jersey Transit- Hudson/Bergen Light Rail opened on April 15.  This was the first portion of the line, with the full line from the Vince Lombardi Service Area to Bayonne to be completed in 10 years.  The Montclair Branch will be seeing diesel service as the connection moves forward.  The Lakewood Line is moving forward, despite objections from the townspeople of Jamesburg, South Brunswick, and Monroe.  NJT Officials are comparing the new line to the existing shared Pascack Valley Line, claiming that there won't be service disruptions with NS/CSX/NJT.

Susquehanna- Intermodal Service was discontinued as the trucking company that runs with NYSW pulled out earlier this month.

Conrail- Upgrades to the Amboy Secondary will be taking place on May 12, 2000.  This will involve trackwork and grade crossing upgrades between Browns Yard and Jamesburg.

U.S. Navy-  Excursions will be run from the pier at Sandy Hook to the Naval Weapons Depot during the weekend of June 24/25.  This will be the first excursion since 1981.  No word yet on motive power or coaches that will be used.

Updates-

Photo Galleries:

Passenger Railroads:  Added photos of NJT and MTA at Hoboken.

Freight Railroads:  Added photos of NS and CSX at Browns Yard.

Tourist Railroads:  Added photos Carrol Park & Western at Allaire and Cape May Seashore Lines at Cape May.

Railroad Vehicles:  New Gallery Online!

Railroad History:  Added history of Carrol Park & Western.

Equipment Timeline:  Updated!

Freight Yards of New Jersey: Upgraded and updated!

Browns Yard Facts has been taken offline.

2-21-00

News-

New Jersey Transit- Make way for the Lakewood Line! Final discussions between NJT and the townspeople are taking effect this month. NJT is also in the process of working out schedule arrangements between NS and CSX.

Metro North- F40PH-2CAT #4192 has been delivered! Both units are now in operation on the NJT/MTA pool lines.

Conrail- An access road has been built along the Amboy Secondary, reaching from Old Matawan Road in East Brunswick to Spottswood. A wide variety of renumbering styles are being applied to ex-Conrail units by NS and CSX. NS has the white reflective tape with black numbers or black paint with white numbers. CSX retained the blue background and applied orange numbers, or just didn't apply any numbers except for the front/rear numberboards. Witness all of these styles in the Freight Railroads Photo Gallery !

Updates-

Photo Galleries:

Freight Railroads:Added new photos (first ones from 2000!) of CSX and NS renumbered Conrail Units.

1-16-00

News-

Y2K- NJT and Amtrak both stopped their trains at the nearest station last night 10 minutes before midnight for Y2K preparation. Trains started rolling 20 minutes after midnight. Conrail rang in the new year with a chorus of whistles at Browns Yard at midnight.

New Jersey Transit- New look for timetables- NJT has released new color coded timetables for each line. Some of these represent their original railroad colors- Main/Bergen County Lines- Erie Yellow, Morris & Essex Lines- Lackawanna Green, Northeast Corridor- Pennsylvania Red . The Boonton Line schedule now includes the Montclair Branch, in anticipation of the Montclair Connection. Work has begun on the connection, including tree clearing and upgrades at Great Notch Yard. Comet Vs are on the way. NJT's order of new coaches consisted of 230 single level Comet V coaches, all of which should be in operation by 2002.

Conrail- Getting in gear for NS' RoadRailers on the Amboy Secondary, all grade crossings have been upgraded and ties have been replaced along the entire length of the line. A tank car owned by the Old Bridge Chemical Co. started leaking at Browns Yard two weeks ago and could not be moved. Two Conrail employees were hospitalized for breathing in the fumes. Freehold Secondary upgrades are also in action. Upgrades on the line are slowly moving east. Two weeks ago, an NJT hi-rail vehicle (pickup truck) sped down the line past Freehold.

Metro North- F40PH-2CAT #4191 has been delivered! 4192 is currently in Altoona.

Norfolk Southern- From 7868 to 2923. Conrail GP38 #7868, painted in the Philadelphia Logo scheme was renumbered to NS #2923. This unit pulled Conrail's "Safety On Wheels" Theater before the breakup.

Updates-

Photo Galleries:

Passenger Railroads:Added photos of NJT at New Brunswick.

Freight Railroads:Added photos of Conrail at Browns Yard.