Firelock76 I just picked up the latest, action-packed exciting edition of "Railpace" magazine, January 2013. Wow, does Tom Nemeth do a rip job on NJ Transits directors, about "Sandy" and a few other things.
I just did some net surfing to see what I could find out about Railpace and Tom Nemeth. As far as I can see the magazine is available at hobby shops. Unfortunately none of the hobby shops are near me.
When it comes to Sandy NJT's directors substituted their judgement based on historical experience for local weather reports, reports that were available not only to them but to anyone in the state. Certainly this decision is pretty easy to criticize. But NJT directors do not have to satisfy Mr. Nemeth. They have to satisfy elected officials in our state government who are charged with overseeing the agency. So far those officials have not publicly voiced any displeasure with NJT. Frankly, I surprised that there should be no criticism of such an obviously wrong headed decision but there isn't.
I can only wonder if Mr. Nemeth's editorial will come to the attention of anyone able to act on his criticism of NJT directors.
WHOOOOO-WHEEEEEE! I just picked up the latest, action-packed exciting edition of "Railpace" magazine, January 2013. Wow, does Tom Nemeth do a rip job on NJ Transits directors, about "Sandy" and a few other things. Usually Tom's editorials only run a quarter-page, this one has his usual quarter then runs a full half-page on page seven.
Rip, rip, rip, rip rip! If you've got a place available to you that stocks it pick it up, it's well worth the $5.95 "admission cost." I won't say what's in it, why spoil it for you, but oh wow...
It's a good thing people can't get lethal injection for stupidity, especially if Tom's holding the needle!
a very interesting article that I am unable to post came from NARP's bulletin. It states that AMTRAK opened the north river tunnels ( Hudson ) when the storm surge backed thru the LIRR west side access. This enabled AMTRAK to prevent serious damage to Penn station. It was easier according to the article to pump out the tunnels. If this is true then flood gate(s) need to be installed on the LIRR tracks to prevent water from entering again ? I wonder if this back up was what filled the east river tunnels ?
Here is PART OF the NARP BULLETIN
A post-Superstorm Sandy briefing
given to Congress revealed that quick
thinking by Amtrak employees likely
prevented catastrophic flood damage to
New York Penn Station that would’ve
take a full year to repair.
During the extreme storm surge seen at
the height of the hurricane, large swaths
of Manhattan were flooded. Resourceful
Amtrak workers decided to leave flood
gates to the Hudson River tunnels open,
with the aim that the tunnels would create
a reservoir to draw water away from
vital equipment in Penn Station.
When water flooded through the West
Side Yard throat and through a Long Island
Rail Road vent shaft, that’s exactly
what the North River Tunnels did, filling
with millions of gallons of sea water.
The tunnels were flooded, but Penn Station
was saved. That may have proved
to be the crucial difference that allowed
Amtrak to restore service in mere days
as opposed to months.
While that quick thinking proved crucial
in preventing catastrophic damage,
precautionary investments to upgrade
infrastructure were just as important. A
standpipe system installed as part of a
Fire and Life Safety Program materially
aided in pumping a total of 13.6 million
gallons of water out of the Hudson and
East River Tunnels. Upgraded ventilation
systems allowed diesel pumps to
operate, speeding recovery. And while
80 trees had to be removed from the
Northeast Corridor right of way—and
15 repairs made to the catenary system—
230 miles of tree trimming and
removal prevented the storm damage
from being much worse. There was also
work done to improve culvert and ditching
along the NEC, preventing water accumulation
and washouts.
Much of above work was funded by
the 2009 Recovery Act, and it emphasizes
why Amtrak’s $336 million Superstorm
Sandy request—part of a $60
billion emergency response bill moving
through Congress—is so critical. $190
million will go towards short-term Gate
What strikes me is that the national Senate held a hearing and the New Jersey Assembly also held a hearing. Both took testimony from James Weinstein and did not further pursue any issue. Yet the Record is not willing to forget the issue. The Star-Ledger reprinted the same article although inside the paper rather than the front page headlined article. There has been a lot of public comment and most of it is critical. I wonder if the issue will continue to be with us.
I would guess the director read the executive summary where I would assume he noted the part about having 20 years before the weather became a problem, and figured it would be the concern of the person who replaced him after retirement. Also the fact that it was a climate change report makes it problematic in an organization subject to the political process.
New Jersey Transit spent close to $50,000 to commission this report. Yet Executive Director Jim Weinstein says he "did not study it." Here is a comment one person made about the report:
Joseph Clift, a regional rail advocate and a former director of planning for the Long Island Railroad, said he is concerned about the agency’s decision-making, particularly its gamble on the 1-in-5 chance Weinstein said existed that the rail yards would flood.
“If someone said there is a 10 to 20 percent chance you’ll get hit crossing Route 1, would you?” Clift said. “That’s basically the equivalent risk they took in the Meadowlands.”
Clift said NJ Transit could have moved rail equipment to higher ground, including tracks at Newark Liberty International Airport or downtown Newark.
I don't know. 80-90% chance of not vs billions of dollars of equipment. Moving costs maybe less than 100 thousand dollars but not moving cost billions. Which is the safest bet? Some say it was to save overtime pay, another poor reason. The more you look at it, read it, hear it the less it makes sense to have ignored the warnings and the more it becomes poor judgement.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
Bergan record takes another swipe at NJ TRANSIT.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/Report_warned_NJ_Transit_officials_of_flood_risk.html?page=all
If the director never read the report either he was too busy drinking coffee to read the report, thought it was not correct, or if an underling never forwarded it to him then management is slip shod.
I think you are correct. My information on NJT highest speed was old. MARC's Penn Line now clearly has the title.
The Jersey Journal must be closely following restored PATH service. That is reasonable because the newspaper covers Hudson County which includes Hoboken and Jersey City. Today (Wednesday evening) commuters are reported to find the service "flawless" and want only for it to run 24 hours a day.
http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2012/12/hoboken_commuters_verdict_path.html#incart_river_default
The Jersey Journal reports PATH service between Hoboken and 33rd Street will begin at 5 am tomorrow, Wednesday December 19. Service will stop at 10 pm to allow for further repairs. There will be no direct service to the World Trade Center.
Here is the link: ttp://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2012/12/path_to_resume_limited_service.html#incart_m-rpt-1
aegrotatioI believe the MARC Penn Line holds that title. Cheers!
Correct; if you look at the northbound schedules ( southbound AMTRAK schedules have arrival times pads ) AMTRAK NEC regional are slower than MARC. Some MARC 35 minutes WASH - BAL. ACELAs are carded for 30 minues. Those fast MARC trains are powered by electric motors that run at 125 I am told.
It is easy to believe that the stations farthest apart on the NEC are New Brunswick and Princeton Junction. Of course, that ignores Jersey Avenue; howerver, as far as I know no train that stops at Princeton Junction also stops at Jersey Avenue. If you want to get to Jersey Avenue from any point south of it you have to go to New Brunswick and change trains to go back one stop.
Looking at NJT employee schedule for the Newark Div. the longest leap is New Brunswick to Princeton Jct at about 15.7 miles. As for non stop trains...there are four Princton Jct to Newark each way during rush hours only, and couple with New Brunswick stops etc., not enough for NJT to worry about investing in 100+mph equipment at the cost of other equipment.Post
Economics still precludes real high speed...over 100 mph...commuter operations. It costs too much in equipment and track to really be practical. Despite the speeds being achievable on the Corridor, it still not economical for NJT to be concerned. If, however, there were NYP-Newark-Trenton only trains, then it might be considered. But to buy and maintain equipment for one or two trainsets is out of the question when they need to spend more for what the whole system needs and is practical for them.
Dave, if the Corridor is the only reason, then probably NJT can claim that in some places. But MNRR has several 30 or so mile non stop runs to and from GCT to Harmon, White Plains North, and Stamford which have a continuous high speed. And the NJT-MNRR run Hoboken to Harriman non stop produces a good speed. LIRR has quite a few flyers on their schedules. Speed, in commuter area terms, is not done by peaks but by continuous, non stop runs. I think what clouds NJT's speed image is that Amtrak is zipping by at 100 mph or better while NJT's trains are slowing for a stop or just leaving a station.
I understand that NJT's operation on the NEC is the fastest commuter operation in North America.
It is true, Henry, that as you get close to New York on the NEC stations are close together. However, NJT operates express trains. Some are not even during the rush hour. Typically they stop and Newark, Newark Liberty Airport, maybe Metropark, New Brunswick, Princeton Junction, Hamilton and Trenton. There is certainly space to build up some speed.
John
Right now there is hourly service on the Morris and Essex line during the weekends. Montclair--Boonton is every two hours which is what it was before Sandy.
Last Saturday I've heard there was a Santa Claus convention in Manhattan. It sure looked like it when I took the train home at 8:11 pm. Every third or fourth person was Santa. That includes people on my train. It was an unusually large number of passengers for a Saturday evening.
Corridor is just a small segment of NJT. Wires to Dover, Gladstone, Great Notch, and Long Branch are much bigger bites. Newark to Trenton is riddled with about a half dozen stations less than five miles apart with only the leaps from Princeton Jct to Hamilton and Hamilton to Trenton being longer and still probably no cost effective for 100+ running for commuter trains. I think there may be two trains that go Newark to Trenton non stop anymore as Newark Airport and Metro Park I believe are mandatory.. And since the Corridor is Amtrak property with a different schedule, yes, anything can go track speeds as long as Amtrak accepts it. But, NJT can't that equipment for just two or three trainsets.
henry6 But top speed is not the major factor in commuter operations....it is how quickly a train can accelerate up to speed and decelerate to a stop.
But top speed is not the major factor in commuter operations....it is how quickly a train can accelerate up to speed and decelerate to a stop.
Henry for the short hop all stops; acceleration is everything so EMUs are the best solution but on the NEC rush hour non-stop trains from Newark - Trenton then 125 MPH can be important for fluidity for AMTRAK trains..
Good to hear people are riding trains...Not glad to hear that NJT is saving money again by not running enough trains so that overcrowding could be avoided or at least alleviated. They used to do half hour service on weekends at least for the holiday period...mid November until after New Years from Dover. There is so much service not being rendered....
For the first time since Sandy I actually rode New Jersey Transit trains.
On Saturday I took the 7 am train from Bay Street Station (Montclair--Boonton Line) and, by changing trains at Broad Street, ended up at New York Penn Station. At 8:11 pm the process was reversed. Going home the first train (to Dover) was crowded to the point of standing room only. As far as I can see NJT is operating a regular schedule but both ways the trains were Metro North diesel locomotives and cars. Aside from the crowding the trip was uneventful.
Another aspect of the electric system adopted by NJT that I don't understand (nor like) is the inability to jump over gaps to feed adjacent sections. Both the PRR and DL&W had that ability so that even if Hoboken sub station was down, the cat could be fed from the West End sub station. I know Denville could feed past the Morristown sub and as far as possible although there would be a decrease in the amount of power as one went away from the sub station. PRR used to be able to feed Sunnyside Yard from Wilmington, DE at almost full power. Why these islands today with no means of jumping?
But top speed is not the major factor in commuter operations....it is how quickly a train can accelerate up to speed and decelerate to a stop. A top speed of 100 or 200 miles per hour mean nothing when you have to stop every half mile to even 5 miles...attaining and being able to maintain it for any length of time to be valuable almost non existent and therefore a unneeded expense or cost in train, track, and signaling. I'm not opposed to high speeds, but it has to be cost effective to the operation...no use spending money for something you can't use or are never going to.
Henry although I do not know the allowed top speed of the NJT bi-levels it may be that they are planned to meet AMTRAK's 125 MPH speeds on the NEC using electic locos. I believe the ALPs are certified to 125 ?. I know that the last time I rode the EMUs to Trenton they did not exceed 100.
BiLevels may carry more people but often still only have two doors per side available to load and unload...takes longer to put say 100 people into or out of two doors than it does to do 70 people at at time...thus you have shorter dwell times at stations getting a train in and out faster and keeping traffic moving. Also, MU's have quicker acceleration and deceleration. Both the dwell time and acceleration/deceleration moves all traffic faster allowing for higher line capacity in given time periods.
As for vestibule riding...at one time is was normal, eventually for smokers only. The problem with vestibule riding now is that the floor can drop out from under you coming into a low platform station.
Don't have to be a physicist or engineer to notice the difference. MU schedules are faster. Just ride an MU train then ride the push pull over the same route and virtual schedule. Diesels are slower than electric loco's which ar slower than MU's. Have ridden NYP to Trenton on both and the 10 car MU shows the locomotive up. Try any train out of Hoboken up the Morristown side and compare the ride and dwell times. Speak to any engineer of any of the trains and they'll tell you the same thing...they've told me.
Double Decker MU's? First, there is a height problem which means tight quarters at least. LIRR once had them but with third rail height was not a problem. Secondly, the dwell times would cancel the acceleration and deceleration so nothing would be gained over all.
And let me temper this post saying this is my opinion as much as anything and there are people who will support me tooth and nail and those who will argue my points with clear reasoning
John WR MidlandMikeWith regards to lack of NJT MUs, I understand that while they operate on some lines, they can't make an on-the-fly transition from the ex-DLW lines to the ex-PRR lines which are different voltages and AC frequencies, without stopping and flipping a switch on the outside of each MU car. This is interesting, Mike. When the DL&W installed its electric system it used 3000 volts DC which Thomas Edison recommended. When NJT retired the Edison electric cars it also changed over to AC. Clearly it saw the different frequency issue because it made provision to run its EMU's on either frequency. So why has a method that was acceptable when the cars were put in service suddenly become too awkward to use? It may be because when the cars were purchased Mid Town Direct Service was not anticipated. Another question is why did they use a different frequency on the Morris & Essex and associated lines at all. Perhaps because they have to compromise; 60 Hz is today more widely available and needs no conversion while 25 Hz is really better suited to traction. The ultimately choice to go with 60Hz allows for the easier (and perhaps cheaper) purchase of off the shelf electricity even if it there is a sacrifice of efficiency. All that is speculative but it is the only answer than makes sense to me.
MidlandMikeWith regards to lack of NJT MUs, I understand that while they operate on some lines, they can't make an on-the-fly transition from the ex-DLW lines to the ex-PRR lines which are different voltages and AC frequencies, without stopping and flipping a switch on the outside of each MU car.
This is interesting, Mike. When the DL&W installed its electric system it used 3000 volts DC which Thomas Edison recommended. When NJT retired the Edison electric cars it also changed over to AC. Clearly it saw the different frequency issue because it made provision to run its EMU's on either frequency. So why has a method that was acceptable when the cars were put in service suddenly become too awkward to use? It may be because when the cars were purchased Mid Town Direct Service was not anticipated. Another question is why did they use a different frequency on the Morris & Essex and associated lines at all. Perhaps because they have to compromise; 60 Hz is today more widely available and needs no conversion while 25 Hz is really better suited to traction. The ultimately choice to go with 60Hz allows for the easier (and perhaps cheaper) purchase of off the shelf electricity even if it there is a sacrifice of efficiency. All that is speculative but it is the only answer than makes sense to me.
IIRC at the time they were planning the rebuilding of the DLW electric lines, Amtrak was planning on rebuilding the NEC to 60 Hz. ATK changed their mind about a rebuild, but I think NJT was smart to go ahead with the modernization and be ready for ATK if they ever decide to join the 21st century.
With regard to the single level MU vs engine haul double decker, why don't they use double deck MUs?
But Henry, I think bi-level cars plus locomotives are a sound decision even if they are less efficient. The total number of NJT trains is limited by the fact that there are only two North River tunnels. A new signal system has increased the number of trains that can use them but the tunnels carry as many rush hour trains as is possible. NYP platform length limits the number of cars that can be used on a train. That let NJT to switch to 5 across seating rather than 4 across on its single level cars. But riders hate 5 across seats. It is common for people to stand rather than occupy the center of a 3 across seat. Riding while standing is not just uncomfortable; it is actually dangerous as people can easily be thrown around during sudden and not so sudden stops. They can fall over and fall on each other. Standing riders may have medical issues that impair their balance; yet not be willing to sit in the middle of the 3 seaters. Some trains have so many people standing that it is a wonder there have not been accidents. NJT trains run with people standing in the vestibule which is a violation of law. But NJT ignores the laws.
Bi-level cars provide the greatest number of seats and still have a 2 and 2 seating. So I think the reduction in efficiency is probably worth it.
PS. Do you know how much efficiency is lost by running a locomotive and train of cars rather than a train with multiple units?
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