SLOW TAXI ACROSS RWY; DELAYED OTHER ACFT TKOF.

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EWR-FLL. B727-200. CALLED EWR GND CTL FOR TAXI CLRNC. EWR GND CTL ADVISED US THAT WE WERE #24 IN THE TAXI SEQUENCE FOR TKOF. TO CONSERVE FUEL; WE TAXIED OUT ON #1 ENG ONLY (#2 AND #3 SHUT DOWN) AT APPROX 171000 LBS TAXI WT. WHILE TAXIING TO RWY 4L; WE ADVISED EWR GND CTL THAT WE WOULD NEED THE LONGER RWY 4R DUE TO OUR HVY WT AND WET RWY. RECEIVED AMENDED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO CROSS RWY 4L AT TXWY E; R ON TXWY P TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY A. TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AMENDED AGAIN WHILE APCHING TXWY G (FROM 'OUTER') 'CROSS RWY 4L' AT 'TXWY G' INSTEAD OF 'TXWY E.' PROB AROSE WHILE XING ACTIVE RWY 4L (NOTE -- MD-80 SIMULTANEOUSLY TAXIING INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 4L AT TXWY A). FROM 'OUTER' WE TURNED 90 DEGS L ONTO TXWY G AND PROCEEDED ACROSS RWY 4L. BECAUSE OF SHORT TAXI DISTANCE FROM COMPLETION OF 90 DEG L TURN; OUR HVY ACFT AND PROX OF TAXIING ACFT BEHIND US; WE COULD NOT ADD THRUST AND; SUBSEQUENTLY; ACFT DID NOT ACCELERATE FAST AS WE (OR ATC!) WOULD HAVE LIKED. ACFT ALMOST STOPPED AS WE APCHED MIDPOINT RWY 4L CTRLINE CROWN. DUE TO EWR GND CTL FREQ CONGESTION (121.8) WE COULD NOT CONTACT THEM TO ADVISE OF OUR PROB AND TO SEE IF ANY ACFT WERE BEHIND US SO WE COULD ADD PWR. AS A PRECAUTIONARY CLRING PROC; WE WAITED APPROX 5 SECONDS TO ENSURE THAT NO ACFT WERE BEHIND US BEFORE WE ADDED PWR (WE WERE PREVIOUSLY TAXIING BEHIND SEVERAL COMMUTER ACFT). AFTER THOSE 5 SECONDS; NO ACFT APPEARED ON EITHER SIDE OF US FROM BEHIND; SO WE ADDED CONSIDERABLE THRUST TO PUSH US OVER THE RWY 4L CROWN. CONTINUED TAXI WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AS WE TAXIED OVER RWY 4L CROWN; EWR GND CTL ASKED IF WE NEEDED ANY ASSISTANCE AS IT APPEARED TO HIM THAT WE STOPPED ON RWY. WE REPLIED 'NEGATIVE.' WHILE TAXIING DOWN TXWY P WE INFORMED EWR GND CTL OF OUR SIT AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE DELAY IN XING THE RWY. THE TWR CTLR HAD TO DELAY THE MD- 80 TKOF (THAT WAS NOW IN POS AND HOLD) APPROX 30 SECONDS. AFTER TKOF ON RWY 4R; TWR ASKED IF WE HAD THE EWR CTL TWR PHONE NUMBER TO CALL (WHILE HE WAS SWITCHING US TO DEP). WE REPLIED 'NEGATIVE.' HE SAID 'STAY WITH ME.' HE THEN CAME BACK (PROBABLY AFTER CONSULTING WITH AND BEING BRIEFED BY THE GND CTLR) AND SAID 'EVERYTHING IS FINE; CONTACT DEP.' IN HINDSIGHT; WE COULD HAVE STARTED ANOTHER ENG FOR ADDITIONAL THRUST; HOWEVER; WITH THE AMENDED TAXI CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 4L AT TXWY G; IT DID NOT ALLOW US SUFFICIENT TIME TO EXERCISE THAT OPTION. NOR DID WE ANTICIPATE THE HIGH CROWN ON RWY 4L CTRLINE!