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The CSX River Subdivision
Infrequently Asked Questions
Copyright © 2007 Lewis Bogaty
Where the Revolution and The River Sub Meet
You can’t help bumping into the American Revolution while traveling the River Line, and an enjoyable day can be spent combining an historic tour with your train watching. Just north of the traffic circle in Bear Mountain, on Route 9W, you come to the Fort Montgomery Battle Field, recently restored. If you are at track level, the Fort Montgomery tunnel goes right under the battlefield. From the battle field itself, you have a spectacular view of the river, the Iona Trestle, and the train passing under the Bear Mountain Bridge. The newly built pedestrian bridge below connects Fort Montgomery to another fort site of the period, Fort Clinton. Across the river, you can watch Metro-North Hudson Line trains pass through the tunnel in the mountain known as Anthony’s Nose. It was here that Washington’s army strung a chain across the river to sink British ships. (The British cut the chain.)
Further south on 9W, in the town of Stony Point, you can tour the Stony Point battlefield, where the Americans surprised the British in a memorable battle. The tracks run directly through the site, and northbounds stop right there, at CP35, if they are waiting for southbounds.
From Tappan to West Point to Newburgh to Kingston, and north, the train follows the American Revolution, with a variety of sites open to the public.
IAQTest yourself on these infrequently asked questions:
1. Where is Milepost Zero?
2. How many passing sidings are there on the River Line?
3. How many defect detectors are there on the River Line?
4. Where is the steepest grade on the River Line?
5. Where is the sharpest curve on the River Line?
6. How many tunnels and trestles are there on the River Line?
7. Where are the yards on the River Line?
1. Milepost 0, the measuring point for the River Line mileage, is a “was,” not an “is.” Milepost 0 was at the south end of the Weehawken Tunnel, in Weehawken, New Jersey, directly across the Hudson River from the Empire State Building and very near the spot where Alexander Hamilton succumbed to Aaron Burr. Many years ago, the New York Central had a large yard there, which is why the River Line started in what now seems like such an unlikely place. In recent times that section of track south of the North Bergen yard was not really considered a part of the River Line, but was known as the South River Line. Nonetheless, the milepost 0 sign remained in place. However, in 2002, the track connecting the Weehawken Tunnel to the North Bergen yard was severed, trains heading south were rerouted over the Northern Branch, the Weehawken Tunnel was closed forever to freight traffic, and a century of coal dust and diesel oil was cleaned off the walls and ceiling of the tunnel as freight trains gave way to a newly built New Jersey Transit light rail line.
2. In 2001 and 2002, the line was double-tracked on the section from CP7 into the North Bergen Yard. From CP 7-10 the line is triple tracked. From CP 10 north the River Line is single track with controlled sidings at CP 22—26, CP 33--35, CP 52--55, CP 66--69, CP 87--90, CP 102--106, CP 118--121, CP 128—CP-SK. A new siding has recently been constructed in the area around West Park, from mile 76 to mile 80, with a switchover at mile 78. In August 2006, work began leveling the ground for yet another double track between new CP 43 in Fort Montgomery and new CP 45 in Hyland Falls. The siding opened in March 2007.
3. The 9 defect detectors (hot box and dragging equipment unless specified) are in Bogota NJ (high car detector—northbound only prior to the completion of the double-tracking project; now both directions), Orangeburg NY, Stony Point NY, Roseton NY, Hercules (Esopus) NY, Saugerties NY, Catskill NY (dragging equipment detector only), Athens NY, and Ravena NY (high car, hot box, and dragging equipment). As of October 2004 all detectors still say “Conrail” and report a place location, except for Bogota and Catskill which now say “CSX” and report a milepost location.
Southbound manifest freight, CSX Q417, with leased engines, hits the Stony Point, NY, defect detector on May 7, 2007.
4. The most extended steep grade on the River Line runs between Highland Landing, NY, on the south and West Park, NY, on the north, as the tracks rise from water level to make their way inland to the Kingston Yard.
5. Peg’s Point, a U-shaped turn just south of CP 66 in Milton, NY, boasts the sharpest curve on the River Line.
6. The 4 tunnels are the Haverstraw Tunnel, the Fort Montgomery Tunnel, the West Point Tunnel, and the Kingston Tunnel. The major bridges are the Overpeck Creek trestle in Ridgefield Park, the Iona Trestle and the Popolopen Creek Trestle at Bear Mountain, the Wilbur Bridge over the Rondout Creek between Kingston and Port Ewen, and the Catskill Trestle.
7. At the south end of the River Line, trains end up at either North Bergen, Kearney, Little Ferry, or Oak Island. In addition, there are small yards along the route at West Haverstraw, Alsen, and Kingston, and at the north end of the line, the massive Selkirk hump yard.