New Jersey is home to some pretty good music, and within 40 minutes of this location you can find Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Deborah Harry, Sebastian Bach and Peter Criss, original Kiss drummer, all at home (if not on tour). You can also find a different type of rock & roll, this kind on the rails of the Conrail Shared Assets Operations Southern Secondary. The Southern is a lightly used rail line which sees just one train a week, and maintenance has been deferred for many years. Because there has been no new wooden ties installed or tamping (the act of slightly raising the individual tie and pushing ballast underneath so that all ties sits level) occurring on the route since the late 20th century, the rail tends to dip an inch or two in certain spots, usually at the joints of each 39 foot section of rail. It is for this reason that we see this day’s weekly freight, Conrail WPSA-31, leaning slightly as the train makes it’s way southbound through Tinton Falls, NJ. This line has seen a speed restriction (10 mph) for many years, so there is no fear that the train will topple over…it just makes for a crooked locomotive every now and then. You see, there’s more than one way to rock & roll in the Garden State.
Image recorded on September 6, 2018
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