Sometimes All You Need is 30 Minutes…
Railfanning is a waiting game. The heritage unit that reportedly departed the yard 40 miles away? Now stopped due to a dragging equipment warning. The Amtrak service with the private car on the rear? Held up by a coal train struggling to make the grade. Now the crew is out of hours. These are typical of stories that can be echoed by just about every railfan. It should be said that if you plan to spend an hour trackside, you’ll usually need three. Sometimes though, just sometimes, the stars align and everything falls into place at just the right moment. January 25th, 2023 at Suffern, New York was one of those days…
Suffern is a major stop on the NJ Transit Main Line. Sitting on the border with New Jersey, it’s the final station for most Main Line trains, with ownership transferring to Metro North for the continuation of the route to Port Jervis, served by select runs. While staying in the area during a business trip, I had planned to spend some time trackside. Being assured of multiple commuter trains each hour, I didn’t feel the need to set aside a specific time, and instead aimed for some point during rush hour. I was aware that Suffern also hosted a small Norfolk Southern freight yard and an industrial track that split eastward to serve various industries, but I wasn’t counting on seeing anything operating, especially during daylight hours.
January 25th was the beginning of a cold snap for the northeast region, and Suffern was under a winter weather advisory. Just as the forecast had predicted, snow began falling around mid-afternoon. After an hour or so, the ground was mostly covered, and large flakes continued to fall. This was the perfect opportunity to get some dramatic footage, so I headed out to the tracks. Not being too familiar with the area, I headed to the junction between the mainline and the industrial track (a remnant of the Erie Railroad Piermont Branch). While turning into the parking lot, a headlight caught my attention under the adjacent I287 bridge. An NS Geep was exiting the yard with a small cut of boxcars! I hastily found a location to set up, just in time for the short freight to be cleared towards the NJ Transit station.
As the train moved south, I noted a second Geep at the rear of the consist. Could this mean a run up the industrial track? It was confirmed when the train reappeared heading northbound on the closest track; the only track which directly connected with the spur. The consist pulled north to allow the conductor to line the switch, while movement from the south again caught my attention. A consist of Comet Cars appeared around the curve with NJ Transit’s CNJ heritage unit leading! Not being prepared, I, unfortunately, botched the video shot as it moved into the yard, but there was no time to waste if I was going to find a good spot to capture the NS local hitting the somewhat interesting Orange Avenue crossing. While the conductor walked the train to access the switch, I set up the camera at the crossing, which actually bisects the intersection between Orange Avenue and Wayne, making for an interesting traffic arrangement. Before too long, the train moved forward onto the branch, and approached the crossing just in time for a southbound Port Jervis Line train to pass in the background with an ALP45DP on each end of the consist - fairly rare! The freight slowly passed, and I contemplated chasing but decided to stick to the goal of capturing the mainline action instead.
I walked back to my original setup point near the switch and found the consist with the CNJ heritage unit already lined to return south out of the yard. The cab car would be leading, but it would nevertheless be a second chance for getting a decent shot of the unit. Once clear of the yard, the train was held ahead of the station while the main track was given the right of way. Before too long, a consist of Metro North Comet V cars came roaring through with an F40PH-3C on the rear. Not entirely unexpected on this line, but still a good catch, considering there are only eight on the roster, and, well, it’s an F40. Moments after the Metro North train passed, the NJ Transit consist got its signal and departed south. The rails fell silent. With the snow turning to sleet, I looked at the time. It had only been 30 minutes! But with the amount of interesting action that had transpired, it was time to get out of the cold. I would later find out that H33 (the job that runs up the industrial track) only operates once or twice a week. Talk about timing!
Sometimes you wait all day for the perfect shot. Sometimes you get more than you bargain for in 30 minutes!