New OR Activities Uploading Based on CNJ circa 1974 Today For The Blue Comet Route.

[MMSS]

Uploading after this post a set of activities based on actual summer excursion runs by the CNJ back in 1974. During that year which they were celebrating (If you like to call it that because Conrail was around the bend in a year and a half) their 125 anniversary. The CNJ put into service 2 trains. THE MERMAID which ran on weekends & holidays during the summer of 1974 to the Jersey Shore. And THE RACE TRAIN which ran Saturdays during Monmouth Park's racing season. They both ran from Raritan, NJ to 8th Street Station in Bayonne, NJ. from there it was back over the Newark Bay Draw and down the Elizabeth & Perth Amboy (E&PA) branch which today is known as Conrail Shared Asset's Chemical Coast Secondary. At Perth Amboy, the E&PA joins the New York & Long Branch (NY&LB) for its trips to the Jersey Shore & Monmouth Park.

What really made these trips unique was these were the real last revenue passenger service on the CNJ that used the E&PA. The line was dropped May 1967 after the "Aldene Plan" went into effect. The Aldene Plan rerouted all CNJ commuter trains into Newark Penn Station with a connection to the LV main at Aldene (Cranford, NJ) to the PC's NEC. This then abandoned the CNJ's Jersey City Terminal & ferry service to NYC, also terminated commuter service east of Cranford on the CNJ mainline except for the "Bayonne Scoot" which ran until August 1978.

But for the E&PA, these were the last passenger trains ever to run the line. These services had no stops on them but it was the last hurrah for CNJ fans to ride a route that didn't see a passenger consist in 7 years.

I enclosed a few screenshots below & hope you enjoy the activities (4 In All).

The Race Train heading to 8th St. Bayonne on a rainy race day morning. I guess it is a good start for the "Mudders".


The Mermaid (Bottom Right of Photo) heading out of Bay Head's Loop for its return back north.


A returning Race Train meets a PC NY&LB weekend train on the Raritan River Draw along "Bacteria Beach" South Amboy.


The northbound Mermaid at Point Pleasant Beach station.


The northbound Mermaid passes CNJ JS-1 near Middletown, NJ


The Race Train back in E'port after dropping off in Bayonne's 8th Street Station.


Enjoy.

[CNW 5099]

Much appreciated. Are you still planning to work on activities for the Buffalo Route?

[MMSS]

You are very welcome. And yes I still have plans to do a couple of activities for the Buffalo v2 route in the near future.

I am lucky that one of my best friend's father worked at the Erie Lackawanna's Bison Yard from 1969 into Conrail through the mid 1980's. He has loads of paperwork from his EL days that I have access to for making fairly accurate activities for the route should be easier. Plus his dad in his late 80's is a wealth on knowledge in himself.

Before those I have a few others I want to get out of the way first that were started before I was laid-up. They will be in this order.

1) The PRR's Nellie Bly (NYC-AC) for the PRR-ER route. Based on a 1960 run a year before the All-Parlor car New York to Atlantic City train was discontinued. Each south & northbound runs will be in 2 parts because the PRR-ER doesn't have a complete Bordentown Branch. For payware it uses BLW/ZT PRR & Freight sets along with the PRSL RDC set. this activity is almost done and should be released with 2 weeks from now.

2) A CNJ run from the 1950's based on runs from the Bayonne Navy Yard to NWS Earle at Leonardo, NJ & NAS Lakehurst in Lakehurst, NJ. My dad's friend was a Navy liaison out of Bayonne at the time & use to ride these trains. They were mostly aircraft parts & secret avionics to be tested at Lakehurst. This will use the Blue Comet Lines route because it has the proper sidings for NAS Lakehurst & the proper length & number of piers for NWS Earle. Payware Is the BLW/ZT CNJ set along with the freight car upgrade for it made by Chris Parker.

3) NJ Transit's ACES (Atlantic City Express Service) that ran from February 2009 until September 2011 between NY Penn Station & Atlantic City. It didn't last because of timing with the recession of 2008. This activity will use the PRR-ER for the complete To-And-From runs. It uses Tiger Trains' great NJT ACES & Passenger trainsets.

4) I have a circus train activity to for the updated Seaboard Air Lines route that can be downloaded at http://www.skylinecomputing.com/ .

After those I will be getting down to brass tacks doing a few for the Buffalo v2 route.

I made the foolish mistake a few years back by just buying the BLW/ZT 1970's Northeast Freight Car Set & not buying the BLW/ZT Buffalo Mega Set. I really thought the v2 of the Buffalo route was riding into the sunset & wouldn't be released. BOY, WAS I WRONG. A big mistake on my part.

So before I start doing the activities for it, I will purchase the complete Buffalo Mega Set because it really has everything I will need along with some downloads from here.

So that is the status on what is going to be coming up. There are a few more but these are the ones I want to take care of first. After those, there will be some for the Buffalo v2 Route coming along soon.

[daniellouwrens]

Hi

Thanks so much for the activities for one of my favourite routes.

Regards

Daniel

[CNW 5099]

You are very welcome. And yes I still have plans to do a couple of activities for the Buffalo v2 route in the near future.

I am lucky that one of my best friend's father worked at the Erie Lackawanna's Bison Yard from 1969 into Conrail through the mid 1980's. He has loads of paperwork from his EL days that I have access to for making fairly accurate activities for the route should be easier. Plus his dad in his late 80's is a wealth on knowledge in himself.

Before those I have a few others I want to get out of the way first that were started before I was laid-up. They will be in this order.

1) The PRR's Nellie Bly (NYC-AC) for the PRR-ER route. Based on a 1960 run a year before the All-Parlor car New York to Atlantic City train was discontinued. Each south & northbound runs will be in 2 parts because the PRR-ER doesn't have a complete Bordentown Branch. For payware it uses BLW/ZT PRR & Freight sets along with the PRSL RDC set. this activity is almost done and should be released with 2 weeks from now.

2) A CNJ run from the 1950's based on runs from the Bayonne Navy Yard to NWS Earle at Leonardo, NJ & NAS Lakehurst in Lakehurst, NJ. My dad's friend was a Navy liaison out of Bayonne at the time & use to ride these trains. They were mostly aircraft parts & secret avionics to be tested at Lakehurst. This will use the Blue Comet Lines route because it has the proper sidings for NAS Lakehurst & the proper length & number of piers for NWS Earle. Payware Is the BLW/ZT CNJ set along with the freight car upgrade for it made by Chris Parker.

3) NJ Transit's ACES (Atlantic City Express Service) that ran from February 2009 until September 2011 between NY Penn Station & Atlantic City. It didn't last because of timing with the recession of 2008. This activity will use the PRR-ER for the complete To-And-From runs. It uses Tiger Trains' great NJT ACES & Passenger trainsets.

4) I have a circus train activity to for the updated Seaboard Air Lines route that can be downloaded at http://www.skylinecomputing.com/ .

After those I will be getting down to brass tacks doing a few for the Buffalo v2 route.

I made the foolish mistake a few years back by just buying the BLW/ZT 1970's Northeast Freight Car Set & not buying the BLW/ZT Buffalo Mega Set. I really thought the v2 of the Buffalo route was riding into the sunset & wouldn't be released. BOY, WAS I WRONG. A big mistake on my part.

So before I start doing the activities for it, I will purchase the complete Buffalo Mega Set because it really has everything I will need along with some downloads from here.

So that is the status on what is going to be coming up. There are a few more but these are the ones I want to take care of first. After those, there will be some for the Buffalo v2 Route coming along soon.

Great, can't wait to play them!

[R. Steele]

Mark, wonderful news about the Buffalo Activities. (...that mega set is a fine collection.) Thanks.
When I downloaded the Activity Generator Templates...I took the time to change them over to use all the BLW_ZT Buffalo Equipment.
Again, thanks for taking your time to make activities...it's hard work to produce the types of acts you like to make.

[MMSS]

Mark, wonderful news about the Buffalo Activities. (...that mega set is a fine collection.) Thanks.
When I downloaded the Activity Generator Templates...I took the time to change them over to use all the BLW_ZT Buffalo Equipment.
Again, thanks for taking your time to make activities...it's hard work to produce the types of acts you like to make.

Thanks Gerry and everyone else. It looks like I will be getting a jump on some of the Buffalo activities a bit sooner than I thought. First because I going to go pick my friend's dad brain a bit. He use to work for the EL & Conrail at Bison Yard from 1969 to the mid 1980's. Has a ton of paperwork from both the EL & CR that I can go through & scan. I love to make these activities at prototypical as possible. So I am going to meet up with him at the beginning of next month to start my research with him.

And the big reason is I was going to release a few activities for the PRR-ER before I started these. But with the news that Vince has been painstakingly been reworking the route and all it's major flaws (Phantom signals have always been a huge problem, a big one is at Trenton on the NEC), I will wait to release them. I much rather have them run correctly & realistic, not jump over 4 to 6 tracks to bypass a signal then back again. You can read on Vince's progress with his work on the PRR-ER here: https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...se-needs/page2

So I am going to hold on the ones in progress until Vince is done with the rebuild & beta testing. Then rework the ones I have been doing so they are proper and then release then. So putting these on the back burner, I can get a jump on ones for the Buffalo activities a bit quicker.

I do have a few for Steve Durham's Blue Comet Lines route I will be releasing soon in the meantime. Two freight and two passenger I believe they are. And one for the newer Seaboard Air Lines route (V2.0) by Carey Stevens that can be downloaded at http://www.skylinecomputing.com/

I will be using some payware in the Buffalo ones I make. The ones based in the 1969 to 1976 era you must have the BLW/ZT Buffalo Mega pack. That will be the mainstay for running them. Like I said in a prior post, don't make the same mistake I did in just purchasing the rolling stock pack and not the whole set ( Forgive me, I turned 50 at the time I did ). Myself I will be purchasing the set within the next 2 weeks so I can make them.

For the early Conrail era, I will still be using the Buffalo Mega Pack along with the BLW/ZT Conrail EMD pack for the main activities. All pre & post CR activities will have a multitude of downloads from here too.

I will even have a set of acts for Diesels West Conrail U Boat set for those who have the set. After all in the late 70's to early 80's Buffalo was Conrail's U Boat country.

So I figure I give you all a head's up on the one's for Teemu's great Buffalo v2 route. Myself I am excited about them too. As always you will have the right to switch out any payware for freeware stock if you like. I have no problem with that. But a word of warning, you might have quite a bit to switch out including loose consists. I do use carstrings in the further sidings & yards. But in the closer sidings and yards I do use regular stock for appearance & feel. Plus like with most of my activities I do and release, I do love AI traffic so expect it. And like always, they will be made and run for Open Rails, I no longer use MSTS personally but still keep an old P4 PC with it in the spare room just for it. But I do not test them in MSTS, so I cannot guarantee they will work in it or screw something up on your PC using them in MSTS.

I am going to be laid up a bit after mid November so it does give me something to do during those cold late fall & a winter nights in Jersey. Oh, and a thanks to Chris Parker for a few words of wisdom and rethink. But see what you got me into?

I will keep everyone posted on developments on these & if I need any beta testers for the, I will post it on the forum here. Thanks again.

[derekmorton]

I appreciate the work that you are doing.