The other day I had to go the the bank which is in Upper Montclair, NJ. Usually it is quite simple and does not involve crossing the railroad track but this day there was a surprise. The police had closed off Bellvue Avenue which leads to the bank so I had to turn right. There were no detour signs. After a couple of blocks I turned right hoping to get back to Valley Road, the street my bank is on. But there was no street sign and the neighborhood was unfamiliar. Finally I came to the railroad tracks and, with a sigh of relief, crossed them. Now at least I knew where I was and how to get back to where I wanted to be. Coming around I had to again cross the tracks but suddenly the lights flashed and the bells rang. The guy in front of me speeded up and made it across. I stood on my brake and managed to stop. Suddenly–the gates were not quite down–there was the train. (This is a quite zone with no train horn). Was it twenty seconds? It seemed to me more like 5 seconds. But I was stopped and I was safe to write my post.
The whole thing was an anxious experience so I don’t really know if my time estimate is correct. But looking back I really wonder. And I wonder if there is any way to check.
Was the train sitting fairly close to the crossing and had he been sitting there long enough for the gates to go up?
We watch similar circumstances where the trains are waiting for a board to proceed with the lights off and gates up and when they get ready to move, the lights and gates work as they should.
The best way to check is to park there and time the gates as a few trains go by.
Depends on how busy the track is there as to how long you may have to wait for a couple of trains to pass.
Pack a picnic lunch and a book or game to while away the time between trains I take my laptop PC and sometimes use my cell phone as a private WiFi hotspot so I can surf the web between naps and trains.
The so-called “20 second minimum” time for grade crossing signals only applies to “normal operation of THROUGH trains before the grade crossing is occupied by rail traffic” 49 CFR 234.225 (emphasis supplied) . With a modern constant warning time (CWT) system, a train that has come to a stop in the approach circuit, and then starts moving may give much less than 20 seconds advance warning. I’m not familiar with this particular installlation, but my guess is that the train started moving close to the crossing and was moving at very low speed. In this case, rai
It’s one of NJ Transit’s ex-DL&W commuter lines - the Montclair-Boonton Line, double track and electrified - so trains are very frequent.
The Bellevue Ave. grade crossing is at about these Lat./ Long. coords. (per ACME Mapper 2.0): N 40.84138 W 74.20937
There are several other grade crossings in the vicinity to the north - Lorraine Ave. and Jerome Place are the next 2 - but none for quite a distance to the south, as the tracks cross Valley Rd. and Watchung Ave. on bridges.
The suggestion above to find a safe place and time the signal operation is ‘spot on’.
When did this occur ? Which track/ which direction was the train moving ? Might the electrical resistance in the signal circuit have been disrupted or affected by the heavy rains of last Thurs. night / Friday morning ?
If the timing is too short as you suspect, you would be entirely justified in calling the ‘800’ number that should be on the side of one of the signals or their controls box at that crossing to report the problem. You’ll probably get the NJ Transit Police Dept. initially, so don’t be surprised or alarmed at that. You’ll also likely be asked for the signal location and crossing ID number, all of which should be on the signal or the control box as well.
If you do follow through on this, let us know what you find out, OK ?
Bellvue Ave is on the Ex Erie Greenwood Lk. Div. now NJT’s Montclair-Boonton Line at Upper Montclair and Special Instruction 138-8 is in effect: “Due to arrangement of circuits for fast and slow speeds, trains or engines approaching such crossing will not accelerate speed when within one mile of such crossing. Trains or engines.that have been stopped, delayed or switching within one mile of crossings with automatic gates or flashers will approach such crossings prepared to stop and not proceed until gates have lowered. To ensure that gates lower, a stop should be made as close to the edge of crossing as possible. Crews should not, at any time, enter a crossing with automatic gates until they have lowered, except in case of failure of crossing devices, and then only under flag protections.” All that being said, I am sure that in order to keep a schedule, a train will move through the area as the gates drop but under control…probably not legal, probably winked at in order to keep traffic moving. It is also going up grade, so even today an engineer wants to keep going. And the neighborhood wanted a quiet zone installed rather than train warnings, so this is what they get.
I don’t want to cast an aspersion on the engineer simply because I was caught by surprise. The train was going slow. I’m just glad I was able to stop in time. Had the bells rang and the lights flashed a bit earlier that would have helped.
I’m sure the neighborhood wanted a quiet zone. Everyone wants to live within walking distance of the train but no one wants to know that it is there.
If he was going slow, his lights flashing and bell ringing then he was probably in compliance with the operating rules. That is assuming that he was operating at a slow speed and prepared to stop. That would mean most likely 5-10 mph depending.
20 second rule does not apply in Long Island City.
It is a yard with trains waiting to hit the railroad for the evening rush hour.
The switches are manual and there are switchmen on the ground. They align the switches, and when the train begins to move they pull a switch on the wall that lowers the crossing gates. Needless to say the gates may be down several minutes before the train arrives. But if you are responsible for the gates, then you want them down and no problems. People do not race past because the gate tenders is standing there watching them. This is not a busy street.
LIC is a yard limit. It is an anachronism. It is antiquity by rail. It is a fascinating place to watch work during the morning or evening rush hours. Hand lamps swinging signals and hand radios echoing the responses. It is such a step back in time yet so efficient it can’t be stopped. There are a few trains which take passengers into and out of LIC via Hunterspoint Ave. Station. Only one, I believe, left going into LIC from Jamaica (lv Jamaica 8:16AM?) via the Lower Montauk Branch or the old main through Fresh Pond Jct., no eastbound ride,though.
He was going slow with flashing lights and ringing bells. Also, the station is in a suburban shopping area with a fair number of people and I’m sure the engineer is well aware of that. As I say, I don’t want to cast an aspersion because I was surprised.
Bloomburg suggested that several years ago when Christie blocked the NJT tunnel project. I’m against the 7 train going to NJ. I would rather see the PATH extended from 33rd St. to Secaucus instead. Then loop to Marion and go either west to Newark or east to Journal Sq. and maybe 33rd St. Or, use the Greenwood Lk Div or other Erie bridge across the Passaic into the northern reaches of Essex Co. into Newark and the Oranges or the likes. But PATH would have to do it, not MTA if only because PATH already has the authority to operate trans Hudson so that would eliminate a lot of red tape and lawyer’s huge fees.
Your idea of running PATH trains up the Morris & Essex line really boggles my mind. If the No. 7 line were run into New Jersey I assume there would have to be a partnership between NY and NJ. But right now both states are partners on the Port Jervis line. You no doubt know more about this than I do but I understand NJT running to Scranton is only a matter of time.
First, my idea is not up the Morris and Essex but rather over the present Journal Sq to Newark segment of the PATH or on old, abandoned Erie lines into North Newark and the Oranges. As a rapid transit system it would have to be under the present authority of the Port of Authority of NY and NJ as owner and operator of PATH. The authority to build and operate trans Hudson for rapid transit service is totally within that organization. NJT and Amtrak have the authority to operate interstate rail passenger service. The arrangement of MNRR with NJT is a forced agreement as NJT is owned and operated by the NT Department of Transportation with no authority in NY state. MNRR decided they were obligated to serve the residents of NYS and made an agreement with the state of NJ through NJT to pay for the service by leasing the track from CR and NS, providing equipment to conform to NJT’s operating standards, and pay for the crews. MNRR decided to help with service to and from Spring Valley on the same basis.
Scranton service is a matter of time…a long time. Environmentalists have put up a squawk over some wet land swamp near Roseville Tunnel near Andover which formed after the EL and CR abandoned the property. And money for the Pennsylvania portion has been withheld for political posturing. So it will take more time before it gets going. I had had hopes we’d have had in by 2006 but now I know I won’t see it before my time is up…
But we already have the Newark Light Rail which goes through north Newark and into Bellville. The last part of it runs on Erie’s old Orange line. That line still exists and extends to West Orange; it could be refurbished and the Light Rail just continued to the end. And of course the Light Rail begins as Newark Penn Station where PATH ends.
I think environmentalists are misguided for opposing passenger rail. The problem is more and more vehicles; not passenger rail. But until environmentalist are willing to give up their own vehicles they will never see that.
Yes, but look at how you get there…have to get to Newark Penn or Broad, then the Newark CIty Subway. BUt what if you could get a one seat ride from 33rd St. to the Oranges or or Nutley even with by extending the PATH from 33rd St back across the River into NJ? Would alleviate NJT/Amtrak crowding at Penn, too.
Granted, Henry, you do have to get from 33rd Street to Newark Penn Station. But the PATH will take you there. Yes, you don’t have a one seat ride but you change from the PATH to Newark Light Rail at Newark Penn.
I don’t suggest traveling via Broad Street Station unless you can’t avoid it. The Broad Street–Penn Station shuttle runs only every half hour. Both PATH and the Light Rail to Grove Street are more frequent.
Perhaps the reason that the police had closed Bellevue Ave. in the first place was because its crossing signals and gates were malfunctioning ?
Since the signals are often interconnected, that may also have affected the signals at the crossing that you were using ?
Seeing how ‘unimportant’ those other 2 crossings are, I could also believe that their maintenance isn’t quite up to snuff. There was a study and an AREMA presentation a few years ago about grade crossing signals that were interlocked with nearby traffic signals in Austin, TX I think it was - 17 of 17 crossings did not conform to their designed timings !
Bellevue Avenue was closed at Grove several blocks south of the tracks because a tree had fallen braking the electric wires so the traffic signal was not working. The Police might have put an Officer at the intersection to direct traffic. Instead they just closed the intersection to through traffic and left people to fend for themselves.