After my successful trip a few weeks ago getting a lot more of the Gladstone Branch and Morristown Line done I decide its time to head out to Jersey for another trip to get more (but not finish, it would be a 7 mile walk for the Gladstone Branch done). My plan is to leave the house as early as possible but I wake-up to an e-mail and task I need to finish, and this wastes nearly an hour.
I finally leave around 9:40 and get on the A train that is immediately arriving. As I sit on the train I have this feeling of wishing I had walked over the bridge and taken the bus to the light rail down to Hoboken just to be different and the fact I want to start on a Gladstone Branch to get a 9 minute layover at Short Hills (and finish this station) before getting on a Midtown Direct train behind it. I arrive at 10:06, just missing a Morristown Line train. I head to an NJT TVM and buy a ticket to Short Hills for $8.00 followed by one from Short Hills to Morristown for $4.75. A through ticket from Penn Station $13.00, so my stopover is saving me a total of a quarter! (NJT fares don’t make sense!).
I then head into the ClubAcela for a Cinnamon Roll (its all they have), some coffee and a nice time relaxing for 10 minutes eating before starting my day. The track posts 10 minutes before and I quietly get up a few minutes after. The train I’m starting the day with is a Midtown Direct Montclair Train to Newark-Broad St for the transfer. Its on Track 13E The 10:33 Trenton Local train has just been announced on track 14E , (the same gate). I go down to the platform that has LIRR destination signage. It’s doing a half-decent job for an NJT departure but some of the graphics could be better. The platform is full of people walking since the crew has decided to open only a few Comet Cars cars at the front of the train, I have to walk up from the Amtrak concourse and those boarding from the NJT Concourse have had a very long walk to board this train.
At 10:31 the doors beep close and I zoom through the tunnel (on a not all that crowded, Midday, Midtown Direct Train) through the tunnel, the crew comes almost immediately to give my ticket the required punch. I’m in New Jersey at 10:36.
We stop at Secaucus Junction at 1o:34 and I notice Pepsi has already put up “Whatcha Doin’ on 2/2/14?” For the SuperBowl that will be held at the Meadowlands.
I get off at Newark-Broad Street at 10:48. A human announces that due to a disabled train all trains in and out of New York-Penn Station are subject to 15-20 minute delays, did this just happen? We’re right on time. My connecting train to Gladstone comes in right on time about five minutes behind with the usual few Arrow Cars. We soon pass an unusual looking train with a NJT locomotive pulling a couple freight cars.
The train makes local stops through the Oranges. We stop in Mountain Station at 11:09 as I notice a train of Arrow Cars stoping the other way on the Middle Track leaving. I then see a yellow vested NJT employee closing the gate to the boarding area for the middle track. I didn’t notice any construction equipment but did see another train passing on the middle track, guess track work is going on. At South Orange there is a platform closed sign on the side platform.
11:14 – As we leave Maplewood (also platform closed signs and then see the high-railers the conductor collects my cancelled ticket acting as a seat check.
I get off at Short Hills–(31 Photos) at 11:20 and use the underpass to get some proper exteriors of the station house on this platform.
Feeling like I’m doing SEPTA, running around before the next train and finish retuning to the platform as my trains scheduled 11:29 departure time arrives. The train then comes in maybe a minute late. My ticket is collected (and replaced with a seat check) before we even leave the station. We stop in Summit and as we leave the conductor takes my seat check. I want to change seats, a kid is playing his music way to loudly but can’t.
The train makes all local stops and at 11:48 we go over the first grade crossing of the day and stop at Convent Station.
I get off at Morristown at 11:52 and start my photo essay. The station reminds me of the other brick Morristown Line Stations except the shelters are all closed off. Soon that train I noticed leaving Newark with tank cars passes, its the Aqua-Train that operates during the fall power washing the tracks to avoid leaf residue causing trains to lose traction on the rails avoiding slippery rail.
I also enjoy photographing the new townhouses built on top of a parking garage that claim to be NJTs first transit oriented development. My original plan is to take the bus (google transit made it look like there is decent service) up to Morris Plains. I photograph and wait for the 12:18 train to stop and leave to get the single-level waiting room empty. I check the Google Transit and find out the next bus to Morris Plains isn’t until 1:30. I decide to start walking and then scrap that plan when I realize I might as well go straight ahead and accomplish the second goal of my day, getting more of the Gladstone Branch.I go back to the station and buy a ticket to Lyons for $3.25 (it’s the same price as a ticket to Summit!). I also make a diesel train from Hackettstown (that is in addition to the normal hourly Midtown Direct Service) that will reduce my Summit Layover to 15 instead of 45 (the normal layover between the inbound Midtown Direct trains and Gladstone Branch trains) and will give me enough time to get a decent amount of daylight time.
This train arrives at 12:46 with just two open cars. Riding back to Summit I’m disappointed I didn’t leave earlier to do my original plan but also happy to have gotten at least not Morristown done. The conductor comes and says nothing to me, as he collects my ticket, no “Please Change in Summit Sir”. There is a confused man trying to go to Manhattan as he keeps saying and asking.
I get off at Summit–(32 Photos) at 1:07 and slowly get some more photos just of the station platforms, and the overpass. there is music playing in the staircase down to the side platform. I discover a staircase up to the street through the station house that I didn’t know existed (and have modifed my description accordingly).
At 1:25 the Gladstone-bound train comes in just 3 Arrow III Cars, the conductor collects my ticket and starts flipping the seats. It’s a nice empty midday train.
1:32 – Stop in Murray Hill, someone is waiting on the platform.
1:39 – In Gellete I see an NJT crew I believe washing the bus shelter, the station’s only amenity.
I get of Lyons at 1:50, the only staffed ticket office left on the Gladstone Branch that has closed at 1:05. It’s basically a ticket window onto the wistle stop cafe that takes up most of the space (and has tables in the middle of the waiting room). The Wash crew arrives (a guy that seems to be dusting the TVMs) arrives while I’m at Lyons with a decent parking lot.
Next I start walking to Millington, the road I take even turns into gravel. I get my photo essay of this station and the next westbound stopping. I keep walking ending up on a neat path through a park. I realize I’m getting to Stirling, the last stop of this walk just 5 minutes after the 3:24 inbound train has made its station stop, I’m there closer to 10 minutes after because I slow down when I see the train pass off in the distance (I’m still aways from the staion). There goes getting Murray Hill and New Providence today both in daylight.
While I wait at Stirling I look at the timetable and realize I still want to get off at Murray Hill again (there will be enough daylight) because my train is scheduled to arrive at 4:22 while a westbound is due at 4:23, I can photograph a meet! I also realize the layover will save me a quarter over a through ticket to Hoboken, and if I walk to New Providence 75¢! I get the previous westbound train making its station stop and the trash crew visits, maybe spending ten minutes emptying the trash cans at this tiny station.
My next eastbound train comes in on time at 4:10. At 4:22 we stop and I get up, were on the siding and I think we’ve arrived. The conductor tells me “Were not there yet!” He then announces “We will arrive in Murray Hill as soon as the westbound train passes.” Were clearly on the siding and waiting even though were scheduled to arrive one minute before it as we did. How strange! The westbound passes after doing its station work on time at 4:23, and I at least get to get off on the siding track. Guess this isn’t the way to try and photograph a meet of Silverliner trains (I have one of the diesel trains used after Sandy due to the fried catenary system into Hoboken already).
I decide I might as well walk to New Providence to save the quarter and also get photos of this station (even in the dark) that will let me start the section on the Gladstone Branch. I arrive to the strangest waiting room, there no benches in the little open station house. I finally ask one of the commuters (she’s a nanny going home from work, there a few other people waiting and they mostly seem to know each other) and she explains that the floor was just redone last week.
My final Silverliner comes in at 5:40, the last train out of the Gladstone Branch for 4 hours. Here (and at Murray Hill) I have access to bus route 986 that goes between Summit and the Plainfield rail station (that isn’t that far away). Waiting I decided to try mobile tix and buy my final ticket of the day. I flash my cell phone to the conductor who rips NWK in a seat check with barely a glance. I feel like a monthly ticket holder, just flashing something.
We get to Summit at 5:42 and the train gets crowded. This train will run non-stop in South Orange before becoming a local train through the rest of the Oranges (such a strange stopping pattern). They also open the rear coach that I decide to move to for some more quiet. Although only half the seats are flipped.
I get off at Newark-Broad St–(3 Photos) at 6:19. I also snapped a first photo of the fact the station has departure monitors for Newark-Penn Station by the light rail station, there is also a monitor for Newark-Broad at the entrance to the City Subway.
It’s time for my normal walk to the Harrison PATH station I get a few night photos passing the Newark City Subway Stations at Altantic Street–(3 Photos) and Washington Park–(2 Photos)
At Harrison I got on PATH and decided to stop to transfer at Grove Street-(3 Photos) and get off at 14 Street-()
