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13 14 15 16 <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> 17 <meta name="Author" content="Stephen & Jennifer Bradley"> 18 <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Mozilla/4.76 [en] (Windows NT 5.0; U) [Netscape]"> 19 <title>Effects of Conrail</title> 20</head> 21<body text="#FFFFFF" bgcolor="#3366FF" link="#FFCC00" vlink="#993366" alink="#FFCC00"> 22<font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>This page 23will cover the freight aspect of Conrail. For information on passenger 24operations on the North Jersey Coast Line, <a href="conrail-passenger.html">click 25on this link</a>.</font></font> 26<center><img SRC="Signal.gif" height=88 width=61><img SRC="crossing3.gif" height=82 width=56></center> 27 28<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>As mentioned earlier, 29the fate of the Main Line was clearly in the hands of Conrail. Sand 30continued to be the main commodity for the CNJ, but would it continue for 31Conrail? Even before Conrail operations began on April 1, 1976, the 32battle was on between shippers, local politicians, and Conrail leaders 33as Conrail looked to cut what they deemed as excess</font></font> 34<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>trackage. In 35early 1974, Conrail leaders were prepared to list the Main Line south of 36Woodmansie, the Barnegat Branch south of Toms River, and the NY&LB 37south of Asbury Park as excess trackage. An agreement was made where 38Conrail would continue to run all excess trackage lines for one year, 39then make a decision on future operations.</font></font> 40<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>With that agreement made, 41the CNJ, in preparation for Conrail, upgraded the Main Line from Red Bank 42to Chatsworth. Work began in late 1974 and was completed in early 431975. Tracks were replaced with 140/6 welded rail (which the entire 44Main Line received), newer ties were put in, the rail bed was placed with 45new ballast, and the Lakewood siding was shortened. All</font></font> 46<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>signals along the line 47were removed. Upon completion of the work, most speed restrictions 48between Red Bank and Woodmansie were lifted. Upon the formation of 49Conrail, the CNJ became</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Central 50Jersey Industries, Inc. and focused on selling its real estate properties 51not</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>included 52in Conrail.</font></font> 53<p><img SRC="Track.gif" height=21 width=954> 54<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>On April 1, 1976, Conrail 55officially began operation. By June, Conrail had continued running 56the sand extras five times per week and continued the Red Bank to Lakehurst 57locals two or</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>three 58times per week. By mid-summer, all Bridgeton traffic was rerouted 59through Camden via</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>the 60former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line with the exception of about twenty-five 61loads</font></font> 62<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>of glass sand. 63These carloads were destined for northern New Jersey deliveries and continued 64to use the Main Line. This decision would have been made regardless 65of the condition of the</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Main 66Line as it would make more economic sense for Conrail to route everything 67destined for</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>south 68Jersey via Camden. On April 1, 1977, which was Conrails first birthday, 69they</font></font> 70<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>abandoned the Barnegat 71Branch between Beachwood and Pinewald (Bayville) as very little freight 72traffic moved on the line south of Beachwood. The line now terminated 73at South Toms River. The CNJ's local service on the Main Line was 74done two or three times per week, with a very erratic schedule on the Barnegat 75Branch, depending on whether Conrail had traffic for the Barnegat Branch 76or not. Conrail picked up the CNJ's schedule for these lines.</font></font> 77<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Clayton Sand and Gravel 78Company bought the Glidden site in 1977 and the Hollander site in 1978 79and continued business via the sand extras. By early summer of 1978, 80almost all north to south traffic had been diverted over the PRSL via Camden. 81As a result, the last revenue train from Winslow Junction to Lakehurst 82was on August 3, 1978. Ironically, one of the two</font></font> 83<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>locomotives was of CNJ
84heritage (GP-7), ending ninety-seven years of service on the line.</font></font> 85<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>On February 18, 1981, 86Conrail notified New Jersey of its intention to abandon the unused track 87between Woodmansie and Chatsworth, which occurred on December 22, 1981. 88The former CNJ Main Line, now referred to as the Southern Secondary, now 89ended at Woodmansie. In that same</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>year, 90Conrail cut the Toms River Branch back to Ciba Geigy due to the condition 91of the</font></font> 92<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>bridges over the Toms 93River. (The track was removed in the late 1980s.) Central Jersey 94Industries Inc. auctioned off the abandoned right of way between Toms River 95and Barnegat. Today, the right of way still exists and can be used 96as a pedestrian/bike path in certain areas. Beachwood did pave their 97portion for pedestrian usage. All bridges on the line still stand 98with the exception of the ones at Toms River, which were removed in the 99late 1990s.</font></font> 100<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>In the fall of 1982, 101Red Bank Yard was closed, and all service along the Southern Secondary 102and Toms River Branch originated out of Brown's Yard. The CNJ had 103wanted to close Red Bank Yard and make an agreement with the PRR to share 104Brown's Yard, but that plan never came through. Up through 1982, 105Conrail still worked freight on the NY&LB to Bay Head. My father 106recounts</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>catching 107the train on his way into work in Point Pleasant Beach early in the morning. 108Conrail ran about one train per day, five days per week. Conrail 109ceased freight operations south of Asbury Park on January 1, 1983, when 110New Jersey Transit officially took over passenger service on the former 111NY&LB trackage. Bay Head Yard is now under the operation of New 112Jersey Transit.</font></font> 113<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>During the winter of 1141985-1986, Red Bank Yard was removed as was the two-track connection with 115the NY&LB. A new single-track connection was built along with 116a two-track yard. Red Bank tower was also taken out of service by 117New Jersey Transit. In the summer of 1986, Conrail sold the line 118from Lakehurst to Woodmansie to Clayton Sand and Gravel Company. 119Clayton opened the line in September 1986 and rebuilt the track to 10 miles 120per hour standard by the spring of 1988. After a June derailment, 121Clayton decided against additional repairs and shut down the line. 122(The derailment was one of many reasons for their decision.) The 123Southern Secondary now</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>terminated 124at Lakehurst altogether. Also in 1986, Clayton's former Glidden site 125in South</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Lakewood 126closed as deposits were exhausted.</font></font><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1></font></font> 127<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>In 1987, Conrail initiated 128a self-unloading, conveyer-equipped train than ran from Chimney Rock (near 129Bound Brook) to the Glidden Site at South Lakewood. The train carried 130sand from Glidden to Chimney Rock and crushed stone from Chimney Rock to 131Eatontown. Unfortunately, Conrails efforts for the train did not 132quite make the appeal to customers and the train was discontinued.</font></font> 133<br> 134<p><img SRC="Track.gif" height=31 width=928> 135<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Since then, very few 136changes have been made to the Main Line. Some of the old CNJ mile 137markers still exist, as do all W signs. A rusty rail condition 138exists on the former Main Line and Toms River branch. Conrail removed 139the connection with the South Lakewood siding and they no longer serve</font></font> 140<font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Ciba Geigy as the plant 141closed. The siding in South Lakewood at Whitesville Road still</font></font> 142<font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>exists, but its connections 143with the line have been removed and the line was cut at</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>Whitesville 144Road. One can see the siding partially hidden by brush. Lakehurst 145to Winslow Junction is nearly</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>intact, 146despite parts of the line not being used in almost over two decades. 147Construction sand, so vital to the CNJ in the 1970s, is now moved strictly 148by truck. The line is drilled about twice a week. Motive power 149is usually in the form of GP38, GP38-2 or GP40-2 locomotives, usually paired. 150Current speed</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>restrictions 151result in 25 m.p.h. from Red Bank to the Lakewood-Howell border, then 10 152m.p.h.</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>through 153downtown Lakewood, and back to 25 m.p.h. from Route 9 in Lakewood to Lakehurst. 154The Weyerhauser facility, located in Howell, closed in November 2000. 155On</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>the Toms 156River Industrial Track, many grade crossings are simply crossbucks, resulting 157in</font></font> <font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>the crew 158having to stop and flag. The line ceases at Route 37, trains only 159cross the highway to back cars into a lumber yard. Freight on the 160former NY&LB no longer moves past Red Bank.</font></font><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1></font></font> 161<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>July 1999 saw the breakup 162of Conrail and the first non-Conrail locomotives in twenty-three years. 163Some locomotives still wear Conrail blue, but are sub-lettered for either 164Norfolk Southern or CSX. The Southern Secondary is part of the Shared 165Assets area, meaning Conrail operates the line for CSX and NS. Conrail 166and Builders General Supply in Little Silver and Toms River reached an 167agreement to receive those shipments to their Freehold location (circa 168July 2000). Now, only Columbia Propane remains on the Toms River 169Industrial Track, and they are seasonal. That results in the trackage 170being unused for most of the year at this time.</font></font> 171<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>In June 2002, work was 172completed on reconnecting the Lakehurst Naval base with the Southern Secondary. 173The spur was rehabbed to allow the Navy to move soil taken from the Bomarc
174missile site via rail. PolyOne, one of the bigger customers based 175on carloads received, located near Collingswood Auction, closed in the 176latter part of 2002. Some of the areas of the old South Lakewood 177sand pits are now being developed. One such development is called 178Renaissance. In June 2003, plans were announced that builder H.K. Hovnanian 179would build 2,400 homes in the old Heritage Minerals site in Whiting. 180Another area seeing more development is Lakewood. In October 2003, 181the land was cleared and foundations started along the tracks one block 182north of DiNaso & Sons. Also in June 2003, the SA35 was abolished. 183The Southern Secondary local is now run by the SA31, which also operates 184on the Freehold Secondary. As a result, obviously, the run times 185of the train have changed. </font></font><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1></font></font> 186<p><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>The future holds some 187promise for the Southern Secondary. The Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex 188passenger line is finally moving forward. With track upgrades, the 189speed restrictions will be lifted and the running time for freight service 190will decrease, which may bring more shippers along the line. Only 191time will tell what will happen to the former CNJ Southern Division Main 192Line.</font></font> 193<center><a href="May03-Lkt02.jpg">Photo 1 of rehabbed spur</a> 194 195<a href="May03-Lkt03.jpg">Photo 2 of rehabbed spur</a> 196<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1>May 2003 Photos of the 197Glidden spur: <a href="glidden.jpg">Photo 1</a> <a href="glidden2.jpg">Photo 1982</a></font></font> 199<br><font face="Courier New,Courier"><font size=-1><a href="index.html">
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