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From: JG at graytrainpix graytrainpix AT hotmail DOT com
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 21:14:40 -0400
Subject: Rutherford Team Track -- Question on NJ Customers
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Joe,


I do indeed remember those green Maine Central boxcars that showed up at the Rutherford team track (which was actually in East Rutherford, as you mention) during mid December, back when families bought and put up their Christmas trees just before the 25th, sometimes even on Christmas Eve; and not the weekend after Thanksgiving, as seems to be the custom today. Good memories.


The RV team track was still pretty busy into the mid-70s, but by then, a lot of the cars you would see were "constructive placements"; which means that a car arrived on the RV Drill from Croxton, but the factory or warehouse was not ready for it yet, as they were still unloading other cars. A lot of the constructive placements were for the Grand Union warehouse just a half mile west on the Bergen County Line, just across Paterson Plank Road. But there were lots of other small factories and sidings between there and the Curtis Wright plant up at "Saddle River", where NJT is supposed to be building a new station today; cars for them could also be "constructively" placed at the team track.


For the sidings on the Main Line side, e.g. Flintkote or Bell Container or Royce Chemical or Standard Bleachery / later Frommer, constructive placement (temporary storage) was done on the "New Siding" just west of BJ Tower, under the Maple Avenue bridge. About a day or two after a constructive placement, the agent would tell the Drill crew that the customer was ready, and they would grab the car off the team track or New Siding and place it at the final customer, probably after grabbing the car or cars that was / were just emptied.


Here's a crummy shot I took from the cab of a 400 switcher on the RV Drill, looking toward the west side of the RV team track around 1971. Lots of cars that day, mostly 40 foot boxes (ah, the memories). Sorry about the blurry spots, but that was from prototypical dirt and smudges on the window of the switcher.


Jim Gerofsky
former Carlton Hillian


Jim-

There was also two team tracks in East Rutherford just west of the freight
house and across from the BJ Tower. Many unloadings of food stuff were
done there as well as Christmas trees in season.

- -Joe Jordan, former Rutherfordian


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