RE: (erielack) NS Train at Mountain View (NJ) Station

["Tupaczewski, Paul R \(Paul\)" <"paultup_@_lucent.com">]

Charles,

> For the last couple months, I've been able to catch an NS 
> freight at NJ
> Transit's Mountain View-Wayne Station. It seems to run 
> Monday, Wednesday and
> Friday, approaching Mt View from the east between 12-3 PM. I 
> have a couple
> questions:
> 
> 1. Where does this train originate and what's the destination?

The train is a turn thar originates at the NJ Transit yard in Dover, NJ, and
works the industries on the Boonton line. It returns home to Dover usually
around the evening rush hour.

> 2. What is the train symbol/number?

This is Norfolk Southern "H02" (H-zero-two)

> 3. What industries does it serve? The consist always includes 
> boxcars but
> today it had 3 covered hoppers and a corn syrup tank.

Industries on the Boonton Line that it serves (from west to east):

* Georgia-Pacific (Denville) - lumber in boxcars (most likely the boxcars
you saw)
* Caravan/Omega Warehousing (Totowa, Totowa Industrial Branch) - boxcars
* Drake's Bakeries (Wayne) - corn syrup tank cars (like the one you saw)
* Some plastic molder (Cedar Grove) - covered hoppers
* Hartz Mountain (Bloomfield, Orange Branch) - covered hoppers of millet for
bird seed - most likely the cars you saw

Unfortunately, that's pretty much it. Boonton Line freight service has dried
up big-time from the EL days...


> 4. The power is always a pair of GPs (maybe a GE once in a 
> very long while).
> Most days the pair is separated; one at each end of the train 
> facing away
> from each other. Today they were coupled together. Why the 
> change? Is there
> a particular customer siding that causes this?

The double-ending is to allow easier switching on the Totowa Industrial and
Orange Branches. If there is no switching on those lines, there really isn't
a need to split the power. Of course, they could also split the power at the
Lincoln Park passing siding...


> 5. Under the renumber "stickers" on the cab sides, NS has 
> stenciled a city
> name. For example, today's power was PRR #5381 (stenciled 
> "Baltimore") and
> PRR #5387 (stenciled "Suffern"). I've only seen this done with Amtrak
> engines. What does the city name represent to the railroad? 
> What caused NS
> to start writing city names?

The name is usually where the unit is stationed - this is done for
maintenance purposes...

Hope this helps!

	- Paul

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