I’m building a NJ Transit Layout with the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, and Newark Subway Lines. Any ideas for this layout?
Idk if you are doing this already or not, but do you plan on building Newark Penn, New York Penn, and Hoboken stations? That would be pretty amazing.
Well New York Penn was in the plans but i’ve never thought of Hoboken. Thanks for the idea. And to everyone eles, keep the Ideas comin’.
Bear in mind that you cannot take any photos of this layout since the NJT police have banned railfan photography…
Since when did that happened?
EDIT: I am pretty sure they backed off on that rule this past fall.
Hey from one commuter rail modeler to another, welcome buddy! If I can help you out with anything pleas ask.
The key that I’ve found is wide radius curves, big big wide curves. The other issues is that you’ll probably have to use selective compression on the train length. For instance, GO Transit (Toronto’s commuter line) uses 10 bi-level trainsets. That would be prohibitively long in most scales and the length needed for platforms would make most layouts look very unrealistic.
Operationally, Commuter is very interesting, most American layouts focus upon car routing of freight but a commuter line can focus upon a passenger timetable with freight taking a backseat. This lets you have some very fast paced operating sessions and lots of odd rules.
Also, the difference between locals and express trains is very different from freight lines. On a freight line it’s okay to keep the local on a passing siding for an hour but if NJT kept a train stopped that long there’d be some very angry passengers.
~METRO
The Life-Like Proto 1000 R-17 sets look pretty nice. There are 3 different sets - A silver one, a dark-red with silver roof and a bright red. The last 2 are both referred to as “Redbird,” but the bright red ones look more toy-like in the photos. I just got my dark-red set last week. It runs nicely on the test track, too. I ordered them from Trainworld, incidentally. (Good service. I placed the order Wednesday night, and the big brown UPS truck was at our house on Friday. Standard UPS Ground shipping, New York to the Boston burbs.) They come equipped with interior lighting and directional headlights, and knuckle couplers. Horn-hook (or is it hook-horn?) couplers and drawbars are supplied with each car as well. The set is 1 powered and 3 unpowered units, all illuminated.
Thanks guys…Also what about the new MOM branch any Ideas.
thans for tha help
NTrain
What is the “MOM branch?” What time period are you thinking of modeling?
neva mind
Might I suggest looking at web sites, such as google earth, and the like… It has helped me greatly to learn the territory…
The Coastline (As most people in Transit call the North Jersey Coastline) has been keeping their trains to a six car max for the most part. Of course the new Multi-levels are always the exception with 10 car sets being used with ALP46’s as the motive power, but they only go as far as LongBranch.
The Geeps and their respective coaches and cab cars are starting to be moved off the Coastline and over to the Hoboken Division… being replace by the newer PL42 and Multi-level Passenger Cars (not so commonly known as Comet VII’s) to Bay Head Yard…
The Corridor has Amtrak, NJ Transit, and LIRR coming and going to Penn Station New York
You also have the opportunity to model SEPTA if you were going to Trenton Station or points south
You would be able to have freight as well, NS and Conrail both connect to the corridor just south of Newark Penn Station and different points south, also on the Coastline, at Wood Interlocking is where the Chemical Coast Secondary comes into Transit territory.
Some trains on the Coastline only go as far as South Amboy, and turn at Rare Interlocking on the Raritan Turn Track…
There are plenty of interesting industries that border the tracks, however most of the businesses that once brought car traffic to the Coastline are now Out-Of-Service Sidings
You haven’t specified a specific date or time that you are trying to model, so you could backdate the layout, then you wouldn’t have to worry about the closed down steel mills, they would be open. The Geep’s would be safe, not to mention easier to model, and you could easily modify existing coach models to make the Comets (I do not know if Comet models are available, l
[1] Some in-depth NJ Transit prototype pics inspiration:
New Jersey Transit at Dave’s Rail Pix
[2] NJT’s “Big Red” GG1 #4877 – 28 min. documentary:
Original posts in this thread is four years old, people - not likely that the OP is still waiting for advice …
Smile,
Stein
[banghead] Duh!
Actually, if you have the space & desire – NJT’s a neat prototype.