{"id":21489,"date":"2017-04-30T21:10:08","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T01:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/?p=21489"},"modified":"2024-09-05T09:09:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T13:09:58","slug":"2024-ridin-the-rails-for-free-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/?p=21489","title":{"rendered":"2024 – Ridin\u2019 the Rails for Free! (Part 1 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (ignore April 30, 2017 publish date – this was published on September 3, 2024)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the background:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.northjersey.com\/story\/news\/transportation\/2024\/08\/25\/nj-transit-fare-holiday-free\/74943626007\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Although I can see and hear every Pascack Valley Line train going by (3 blocks from my kitchen window), I have never had occasion to ride in one. In fact, I can\u2019t recall riding\u00a0any <\/i>train ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

This may be my only chance to ride the rails\u2026\u2026\u2026..and it\u2019s free!<\/span><\/p>\n

So I downloaded a schedule and mapped out my plan. I\u2019d like to do one complete end-to-end trip, so the only way to do that was to go the closest endpoint (Secaucus Junction – 10 miles south), then head north 27 miles to Spring Valley, NY and finally go back home (17 miles south to the Anderson St Station)\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..shooting all the way (Shooting what? Station signs?).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Here are the marked-up schedules:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had an open day on Friday, August 30, so I took a 6-minute walk to this place:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

As you can see, thousands of New Jerseyans are lined up to take advantage of this deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While I waited for the train, I counted cigarette butts near my waiting area seat:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The train showed up and the first thing I decided to shoot were\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026station signs! (Hey, kids – collect \u2018em all!) But it\u2019s not as easy as it sounds. The train is whizzing by the initial ones and doesn\u2019t always stop where ones are in view. And I\u2019m certainly not leaving the train to get a shot of a station sign.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another, WAY bigger problem: the train\u2019s windows are absolutely HORRENDOUS!<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though there were about 3 people in my car, it was almost impossible to sit next to a clear window! ALL of the windows on one side of the car had such a thick haze (or something) that you could not see ANYTHING through them. Naturally, I picked the car side that was half-hazed and half-FILTHY. Wait\u2019ll you see some of the upcoming gems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, there were things to see and shoot on BOTH sides of the car, so I got plenty of exercise hopping back and forth from one bad window to the next, shooting between dirt spots (or at least trying to).<\/span><\/p>\n

The first station – Essex St in Hackensack – didn\u2019t come out too bad. Plus, it included almost the entirety of the Hackensack University Medical Center (\u201cHackensack Hospital\u201d to us locals) in the top middle:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Teterboro was real exciting:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

(You DID hear the sarcasm in my voice on that one, right?)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wood-Ridge shows the first dirty window:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jumping to the left side of the car, I noticed MetLife Stadium, what I think is a Hilton Hotel, and the American Dream Mall (which has become a REALLY big deal in New Jersey) as we whiz by:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Did I mention that it was a pretty cloudy day? That only helped when the sun didn\u2019t illuminate the dirt on the windows (see next pic).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Yuck! <\/span><\/p>\n

(That\u2019s a ferris wheel in the middle.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manhattan started coming into view:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So did the swampy meadowlands on the other side of the train:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I purposely picked the last car of the train to shoot from, so I could take pix out the rear window and not be restricted to just side shots, but I forgot something.<\/span><\/p>\n

When these trains head north, the engine is naturally the lead car. But when they head south, they don\u2019t have anywhere to turn around, so they have to stay in the exact same position: the engine pushes the entire train south and is now the last car.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consequently, there\u2019s an engineer (I’m guessing) in a tiny compartment that\u2019s inaccessible to anyone else – in that last car that\u2019s now first.<\/span><\/p>\n

So if I stand away from his windowed door and shoot straight ahead through that and the regular rear window, that\u2019d be OK, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNO! NO! You\u2019re not allowed to do that!\u201d, he said gruffly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, yeah? This is that forbidden, straight-ahead view that I shot from 3 rows back as we approached the Secaucus Junction Station:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Various shots inside the station:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Oooo! A double-decker!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From a distance, I had no idea who these gentlemen were. So when I got up close, I still had no clue until I saw the little plaque at the bottom (which I enlarged to make it readable):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of the two, I recognized Roe\u2019s name, but that\u2019s about it. If anyone\u2019s interested, here\u2019s what the NY Times had to say when he died:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/07\/16\/nyregion\/robert-a-roe-new-jersey-congressman-dies-at-90.html<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back to more functions at the Junction:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Hey – I like walking around and taking pictures of interesting places and things I\u2019ve never seen before. They make the whole trip worthwhile (but wait\u2019ll we get to Spring Valley!).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last shot at the Junction……my (same) train – with good ol\u2019 car 6074 now at the rear, will head north (and into New York State) with the engine in the front this time (notice the destination “PRG VAL” under the far-right rear window. Maybe if I stood on the tracks, we’d be able to see that covered-up “S”………or maybe it IS going to Pring Valley.):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First order of business: try to get some better MetLife Stadium shots on a still-cloudy day, starting with the American Dream Mall – a place I\u2019ve STILL never been to (and don\u2019t feel all that upset about it):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MetLife and the Hilton (I think<\/em> you can see a vertical reflection from the train window opposite mine above the far left side of the hotel) :<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MetLife and some highway signs that I still can\u2019t read (I\u00a0told <\/i>that engineer to stop for steadier pictures!):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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Teterboro – STILL real exciting, even with Rt. 46 included:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in Hack\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026Essex Street (yawn!)\u2026and Court House Auto Body doesn\u2019t help:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yellow school buses having an end-of-summer party just days before school starts up again:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anderson Street\u2026..I live about 3 blocks down that street (another yawn):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026and – as the sign says – I DO live between Spring Valley and Hoboken:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a famous bakery in Hackensack called the B&W Bakery. This is for all you locals who\u2019ve never seen it from a moving train before:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Whoop-de-do!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Same thing for all these cars stopped on Main St for MY train:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up? The New Bridge Landing Station:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

On a semi-related note: I was with NJ Governor Jon Corzine in 2009 at the Bergen County Historical Society when he signed some legislation. Then we all walked two blocks over to the North Hackensack RR Station, where he unveiled the station\u2019s new name.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019s on the right in my picture:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, the whole story can be found in my 2009 \u201cBest of\u201d post (https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/?p=1048<\/span><\/a>), which starts off with the Anderson St Station burning down (Aha! Another RR connection!)\u2026\u2026AND the collapse of Anderson St!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where were we? Oh yeah\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026continuing our trek north through River Edge and Oradell:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Oradell Ave\u2019s backed-up traffic, which I included because my old high school is about a mile up the road from there:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I was surprised that I could see the Oradell Reservoir (and shoot it in time):
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, we continue to parallel Kinderkamack Rd (nice name, huh?) as we hit Emerson, the intersection of Westwood Ave and Broadway in Westwood (didn\u2019t see a Westwood sign),\u00a0\u00a0Hillsdale and Park Ridge:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the line, I missed Woodcliff Lake – horrors! I never saw a sign.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last northern stop in NJ on the PV line is Montvale:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

But the shot of the sign is fuzzy. I looked around for another Montvale sign, but all I could find – on\u00a0very <\/i>short notice – that mentioned the town was this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Hey, punk people! We know someone with that name on the right, don\u2019t we? Some queen-saving guy?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And in case you thought I was making up the name of that street I mentioned above:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

(this was also seen in Montvale)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Time to cross into Rockland County and see NY\u2019s first town north of the border:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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Leaving Nanuet brought about the first (and only) giggle on the train – well, at least in my car – and it\u2019s not in a picture. As soon as the train started moving, a sleeping guy in the seat in front of me suddenly woke up, looked around and started running through the train yelling, \u201cTHAT\u2019S MY STOP!”<\/span><\/p>\n

The train didn\u2019t stop. I don\u2019t know what happened to the guy\u2026\u2026..he probably didn\u2019t find a sympathetic conductor to stop the train until we reached the next (and final) stop, Spring Valley:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But before I get off the train, I need to show you two things in this picture of the seats across from me:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

First, LOOK AT THAT WINDOW! That\u2019s how all the windows on that side looked, although this one DID show a little bit of very cloudy\/fuzzy trees in the bottom left.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other thing is the seats\u2019 position (facing left). For the entire trip, those seats and EVERY seat on this train – including the one I\u2019m still sitting on – faced to the right. As we neared the end of the journey, I heard a loud clattering of some sound behind me (and getting closer).<\/span><\/p>\n

The conductor (maybe he held some other title) was walking up the aisle with his arms extended and pushing all the 3-seatback rows on both sides of the train from right-facing to left facing.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was preparing the interior for the opposite-direction trip back towards Secaucus. It seemed pretty ingenious and made absolute sense, but it\u2019s just one of those things you would never have thought about in a million years if you weren\u2019t a train rider whose destination wasn\u2019t the end of the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the one passenger still in the car and still in his seat (me) spoiled his rhythm by still being in my right-facing seat putting my cameras away (the train hadn\u2019t even come to a stop yet).<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019ll get over it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I finally set foot in Rockland County for the first time in eons. Gotta shoot all these unfamiliar surroundings\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the Spring Valley Station:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Did a train hop the fence?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is NOT an unusual sight in Rockland County:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sitting on a bench, I initially thought I saw things relating to three different religions – the school bus and two structures:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Strange dome on that left one\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Becoming less sure about that structure:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve posted pictures of a church in Hackensack that has a large cross on its roof that has two other crosses attached to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It started to look like that\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026until I zoomed in:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Ooops!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With my head hung low, I noticed something I saw in the Anderson St Station – more ciggie butts:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

I guess if you can\u2019t smoke on the train, you make up for it in the waiting area.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our Spring Valley stop was just before a busy street (I\u2019m not sure, but I think it\u2019s called Main St or N. Main St).<\/span><\/p>\n

In any event, I saw our train (and the 6074 car) sitting a couple hundred feet north of that street. I\u2019m guessing the crew eats lunch there before starting on the reverse ride back to Secaucus:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I still had plenty of time before it was scheduled to head back, so I decided to take a photo walk down this interesting (Main?) street.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if this \u201cVillage of Spring Valley\u201d building is a municipal building or not, but look at those blinds. Are two people peeking at me?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure\u00a0what <\/i>this is\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..a public telephone turned into a garbage can?
\n\"\"
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a colorful window full of\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..hell if I know. What are they?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, as far as identifying any<\/i>thing so far, I\u2019m 0 for 3\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.but that\u2019s what I like about photo walks in new places – keeps me interested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

See you in Newburgh?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As I crossed a side street, I saw this great mural on the side of a building – GOTTA take a shot of this!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Some brothers were standing close to it. I told them I was gonna take a picture of the mural, but said they didn\u2019t have to move\u2026\u2026..they could be in the picture if they wanted. You never saw a bunch of guys scoot away so fast!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next-door neighbors: The Cultural Arts Center and the NAACP\u2026\u2026\u2026..One appears to be in the \u201cTown of Ramapo\u201d and the other is the \u201cSpring Valley Branch\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Is Ramapo in Spring Valley? I asked Google:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpring Valley is a village in the town of Ramapo and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Chestnut Ridge, east of Airmont and Monsey, south of Hillcrest, and west of Nanuet.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, that sure clears things up! So Spring Valley is in TWO towns? Or is one town called \u201cRamapo and Clarkstown\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll bet those blinds-peekers in that \u201cmunicipal building\u201d would know. I\u2019ll find out the next time I take a train to Spring Valley (or maybe take The Last Train to Clarkstown\/Clarksville).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s getting close to departure time, so I\u2019m heading back to the Spring Valley station.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have to wait long.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our good ol\u2019 car #6074 train was returning from its two-blocks-away lunch stop and is now engine-pushed (instead of engine-pulled). It seemed to be going a bit too fast:<\/span><\/p>\n