NYSW SU-99 at Midland Park, NJ Sept 5, 2012 . Ralph Bonnano City, NJ) for the installation of welded rail in several locations. This coupled with the arrival of several thousands of ties via gondola and ballast/stone trains all added up to a major capital investment by the railroad in 2012, the likes of which hasn’t been see for several years. The former L&HR portion, from Sparta Jct to Warwick, NY received the greatest attention with new heavy duty welded rail, ties,and ballast making for a much improved ride, and increased travel time for the road trains. Several grade crossings in the area also received replacement and crossing protection upgrades in the process as well. Welded rail was also installed in several places east of Butler as well, notably near/around Midland Park, NJ as well as Hawthorne, NJ. Here too, several grade crossings were upgraded with concrete inserts and upgraded protection as well. The railroad is now in a much improved appearance and ride for the crews and most importantly, the customers. The main line east of Little Ferry to North Bergen, NJ also received the benefits of all the track work with tie and ballast replacement/upgrades all the way to Marion Yard at the extreme east end of the railroad where interchange with NS is made. In a related item, in September, 2012, it was announced that the NJ Dept of Transportation (DOT) approved a grant to upgrade a 10 mile stretch of track of the NYS&W between Butler and Stockholm (Hardyston) NJ. The $875,000 grant, administered by the DOT’s Rail Freight Assistance Program, will fund the replacement of more than 7000 ties, and the renewal of bridge timers on four bridges on the stretch of NYS&W rails. This was one of 25 grants from the DOT totaling more than $11.4 million distributed to a variety of New Jersey infrastructure projects. The NYS&W will fund 10% of the project (approx $97,000) and any cost overruns, according to the 16 press release. The President of the NYS&W, Nathan Fenno was quoted in the press release as stating the repairs were a high priority that the company has had hoped to address for the past two or three years as part of an overall upgrading of the line. “It’s a good thing for the company….it’s a good thing for the state as well”, stated Mr. Fenno, emphasizing the importance and efficiency of rail freight travel, and how it reduces wear and tear on the overtaxed highway system. Repairs are expected to begin in the spring of 2013 after the project is put up for bid. The work is expected to last a few weeks with minimal impact on the driving public. Mr Fenno also noted the importance of railroads in the region, helping to minimize traffic on the already overburdened highway system. “Anyone who drives on Route 23 at rush hour knows full well how the highway system is is reaching its maximum capacity”, he stated. As for operations, on the Southern Division there are still several assignments that operate each day. The WS-1 and 2 are the early morning assignments, with the WS-3,4,5, and 6 signing up in the afternoons. Most jobs are Monday to Friday. Recently there has been two daylight jobs on Saturday, with just the WS-1 being the only assignment on Sundays, primarily to yard the Q008 on its arrival and do any clean up work. Local freight business has been, if anything, steady. The SU-99’s are usually westbound with anywhere from 50-90 cars. Add to this the interchange made with NS at Marion on a daily basis, and the interchange with CSX at North Bergen on a daily basis as well, and traffic is doing well. Its not unusual for most if not all the local assignments to make their 12 hour working limits on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I am suffering from a dearth of news and information from the Northern Division this time around, and I really could use some help in this department. What I can say is that the railroad still runs several assignments out of (Continued on page 17)
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