Re: (erielack) Water spur

[Dlw1el2_@_aol.com]

In a message dated 2/9/2006 10:34:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
hoboken_@_ezrs.com writes:

NJDOT  might have required NS to contribute something towards an upgrade, 
and NS  decided that the revenue stream from the cars didn't support it.   
Many water utilities have gone to dry chemicals trucked  in.






The whole branch was owned and maintained by the Water Company.  Thus  all 
track maintenance was their responsibility.  They were the ones that  eventually 
decided to throw in the towel.   CR wouldn't fix the  crossing boxes or 
wanted a lot of money to do it? and the brush was ALL  WAYS a big problem.  The 
branch was constantly in need of track work.
Eventually the balance sheet on dollars needed to be spent, verses  money 
saved in getting chlorine via rail prevailed.  
 
CR wanted out of it, because it was a big hassle to get over there.   Crews 
were not real fond of going. If you were just doing Passaic Valley  Water, it 
would be an hour move over and back.  A second customer  would only add on to 
that time. YES crossing Rt 46 was always a fun filled  adventure.   Usually 
with over head lights going, one man throwing  fuses, and the engineer laying on 
the horn big time, you would started  across.   That would usually be followed 
by screeching rubber wheels  in both directions, and occasional rear ender.   
 The last 10  years or so, maybe 15, it was done at night.  The traffic 
wasn't real bad  at between 2 and 4 AM but sometimes you wouldn't come back across 
till close to  5 or 5:30 AM ( or later on occasion ) and then things were 
tougher.   You had to manually put the over head flashers on, on one side and turn 
 them off manually on the other side.   This was done by keying them on  and 
off at the two boxes on either side of the crossing.
 
For many years when  I went there,  all three customers were  active so you 
had to have every thing lined up properly.   Two were  facing point, and one 
was trailing point.  You could make a drop of cars at  the first customer, if 
the Conductor decided to do it that way.  Every  Conductor does things a little 
different.   Before the Cabooses  disappeared you usually shoved over Caboose 
first.  After they disappeared,  it could be a long cold or wet shove for one 
of the train crew.  Dodging  brush all the way.  I think by the end the Dover 
Job that went there was  using two engines so, then you would go push pull 
style.   
 
For many, many years the patch of woods which is now part of the Cadillac  
dealers parking lot, was used as a crow roost.   Meaning thousands of  crows 
would gather there every night.
Are nocturnal passage would always rile them up.    Some  things never 
change, for in the past couple of years during commutes down Rt 46  in the AM  the 
crow roost has seemed to have shifted only about a mile to  the east, just 
before you start up the hill to Great Notch 
 
I did photograph the last train over and back.  In the daylight.   :)
 
Pretty sure it was Ron Mc Donald Conductor,  Dick Eppley Engineer, and  Mike 
Perna, Brakeman.
 
Bob Bahrs
 
PS.  One of the two old style Lackawanna metal signs from the Rt  46 
crossing, with the letters STOP, cut out of  the metal, now resides in my basement.  :)


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