I’m a question about the North East Corridor.
Are there freight trains on the North East Corridor? And what type of locomotives run freight trains (electric or diesel)?
Thanks
Freight trains do indeed run on the NEC, but they are secondary to the passenger service, both long-haul and suburban. Freight trains are all diesel-powered and service is provided by different freight carriers in different parts of the corridor. I’m sure that other members of this forum can fill in the details.
There are still a number of freight customers that can only be reached off the NEC, so a few freight locals run here and there, and I guess they still run coal trains from Baltimore to that power plant?
But there may be no through freights, running all the way from New Jersey to Washington, or from New York to Boston.
In North Philadelphia a freight main line (?) runs next to the NEC main for a few miles. It looks rather like the fifth track of the NEC, but it’s separate.
Freights that are operated by CSX and NS use parts of the NEC, but they can not go to New York via that route. Amtrak of course would be just as happy to have as few freights as possible and there aren’t that many as far as I know. From New York/New Jersey they bypass the corridor on old Lehigh Valley and reading lines to Allentown and Trenton/Philadelphia. There are still yards on the corridor though with the shut down of a couple of Auto plants they see a lot less usage these days.
On the NEC, the Providence & Worcester Railroad has local freight service from New Haven, CT to Rhode Island. The NEC also has various diesel- and electric-powered commuter rail services that run on it in addition to Amtrak trains.
Actually CSX and NS operate frieght on the Corridor under the Conrail Shared Assets Operation but bypasses Philadelphia on own tracks CSX) as well as not being allowed into or through Penn Station, NY (to Newark, NJ and MEadows Yard then either float across NY Harbor to LI or to Selkirk, NY near Albany then down the Amtrak/MNRR to the Bronx). P&W does provide services in New England. The NEC also hosts commuter operations for MARC, SEPTA, NJT, MNRR, and ConDot’s Shore LIne East.
The yards on the NEC are indeed Shared assets yards, as well as the portion of the Lehigh line to Manville, where they split to their own routes towards Allentown etc. Some freight for New York will go up the River Line to Selkirk then be sent back down the other side on the Hudson Line. It’s an interesting operation.
Norfolk Southern runs some freights on the Northeast Corridor, and they are all diesel powered. Around the Baltimore-Wilmington part of the Northeast Corridor the Norfolk Southern runs local freights during the daylight hours that switch the online industries. Most of the thru freights between Baltimore or Wilmington and the west, and off the Norfolk Southern’s Columbia & Port Deposit branch from the Harrisburg, PA and Perryville, MD, run on the Northeast Corridor at night when Amtrak runs few if any passenger trains.
Occasionally a thru freight train may run on the Northeast Corridor between either Wilmington, or Baltimore and Perryville - the junction with Norfolk Southern’s Columbia and Port Deposit Branch - during daylight hours.
May I note that TRAINS had an excellent article on this subject about one year ago, in an issue devoted almost entirely to peddler (local) freight trains. The title was something like “Freight trains where the shouldn;t be” It covered all aspects of this subject, including the opening of the Delaware state-owned bypass for freights to avoid Wilmington passenger station.
I understand that NS has the right to run through freights from Washington to Waverly Yard in NJ, but does not at the current time use the privilege. Most NS through freight to the New YOrk - New Jersey area and New England goes through Harrisburg.
North of New York City, New England.
All freight enters New England by way of Albany NY or the Canadian gateways. None is ever run through the Hudson Tunnels on The Corridor.
CSX service is to Springfield and Boston via the 1 mile long State Line Tunnel on the old Boston & Albany (NYC). Guilford (B&M) (now called Pan Am Railways, and soon to be the Norfork Southern Patriot Corridor) cuts through the Berkshire Montains in the 5 mile long Hoosic Tunnel to Greenfield and Boston. Vermont Railway, New England Central (CV), Montreal Maine & Atlantic and St Lawrence & Atlantic feed freight from the north.
The Providence & Worcester (RI and CT) and CSX (MA) distributes the freight to local customers, mostly at night.
Does P&W or others use the Hellgate Bridge (NEC) to reach Long Island??? When???
IINM, P&W operates stone trains from quarries in Ct. south to LI
The main freight yard in the North Jersey area is Oak Island, the old LV yard. When you consider how many used to be here it is ming boggling. There are also several ports which both railroads serve, sometimes you can’t keep up with it. DMU is correct about the freight in New England, Selkirk yard handles all CSX New England bound traffic whether it comes off the line from Buffalo or the River Line.
The whole scene changed dramatically, of course in the late 60s-early 70s with the closure of Maybrook Yard and then the Poughkeepsie Bridge fire. Penn Central worked to move all New England traffic by their route through Selkirk and eventually got their wish, not that it helped them anyway.
Correction: Some freight, mostly originated or bridged by NS, some of the CP-D&H, enters New England via the former Boston and Maine line through Hoosack Tunnel, an historic line that parallel’s the CSX former New York Central/Boston and Albany, an average of about 18 miles farther north. This si now operated by Guilford Transportation - Pan American. The route of the old “Minute Man”, which until after WWII was a through Boston - Chicago heavyweight coach and sleeper train with brass rail platform parlor lounge at the end and a diner, interhcnaged with the New Yori Central at Troy.
Possibly the Providence and Worcester operates over the Hell Gate Bridge for interchange with the New York and Atlantic, the private frieght operator for Long Island Rail Road tracks. at Frresh Pond Yard, of few miles south of Forest Hills, where the line to Bay Ridge and the car float service dock there, crosses the secondary Long Island City - Jamaica line. In the old days New York Connecting Railroad tracks stopped at Fresh Pond and LIRR-owned tracks took over - but with the caternary installed by the N&NH&H and maintained by them. This specific track over the Hell Gate is separate from Amtrak and owned and maintained by CSX, which provides most of the frieght service. The CP also has freight rights over the bridge on this track.
Possibly some freight to southern New England goes via the New York Harbor Railway car float service, then the New York and Atlantic to Fresh Pond. However, the majority of the car float freight is to and from Long Island points, including Brooklyn and Queens.