I can go into more detail here.
The officials in Passaic first approached the Erie Railroad in 1949 with a request to work on getting the trains out of downtown Passaic. Now, although the Erie was questionably funded at that point, the Erie didn't want to let out of Passaic. So in a deal with the city of Passaic in 1952, new stations were built at Clifton and Main Street Passaic. (Passaic Park and Lake View did not receive such reconstruction.)
Nine years and a very large merge later, the city officials returned to now Erie Lackawanna Railway to work on removing the downtown tracks. As a result of discussion, it was decided that the Main Line trains would be redirected to the south along the DL&W's Boonton Branch, which had a station in Passaic as well. Trains would then be reconfigured by a ramp along the Erie's Newark Branch (via XW Tower) back to the original main line in Paterson. This led to the creation of the South Paterson Station that lived to NJ Transit days. This ramp set the connection we know from Clifton (it was only signed as Clifton, known as Athenia everywhere else).
Now not only did Passaic want changes, the NJ State Highway Department wanted changes as well. The NJSHD wanted rights-of-way for 80, 46, and 21 in different portions. The Boonton Branch was to be abandoned from the new ramp to Mountain View (although some was retained for the Totowa Industrial Spur), and this alignment was chosen to use for Interstate 80, removing the Paterson High Bridge, which was mostly dismantled during 1964 (and was a headache). The site of the Passaic Park station was set to be in the right-of-way for NJ 21's extension northward and now for sure no remains exist as the highway and condos sit on top of the old site.
An unspoken reason for the go-ahead for the realignment was BE Drawbridge over the Passaic River, the steam drawbridge you are hinting to, built in the 1800s. The swing bridge was beginning to age with a boiler, especially because bridge tenders needed a Blue Seal, determining their knowledge of boilers along with the operation of railroads. The boilers were needing desperate replacement. However, an interesting situation. I myself found a New York Times article from 1964 detailing the decision of what to do with BE. When the Passaic Plan (as deemed) went into effect on April 2, 1963, BE was swung open over the river and the mayor was interested in giving the bridge for free to anyone who wanted to cut the bridge out from the river and its approaches. However, the question is will the NJ State Highway Department (the DOT's predecessor) agree to it and is it their land, not the city of Passaic's.
Finally, on April 2, 1963, the stations at Lake View, Clifton, Main Street-Passaic and Passaic Park were closed for good. Clifton and Passaic both had track removing ceremonies and a few days later, the tracks were being razed through Passaic. By what I have seen, Lake View's station and the tracks through there remained, but the station building was demolished in 1964 during a freight train accident. Trains continued on what became the Carlton Hill Branch until July 1966, when service was canned on several different branches (the Newark, Caldwell, Wanaque to name a couple).
Later in 1963, the Erie's Greenwood Lake line's junction with the Boonton Branch was reconfigured in Mountain View. The original Mountain View Erie station was torn down (and replaced with a metal Armco box), and the junction made the the two lines between Mountain View and Lincoln Park one station. Trains from Mountain View, Wayne, Pompton Plains, Pompton-Riverdale, Haskell, and Wanaque-Midvale were done on special occasions, and Mountain View Tower was soon demolished. The stretch from Mountain View to Wanaque-Midvale was canned in 1966.
I hope that this helps you much.
I didn't get into teaching for the promotions or the pension plans or so I could get to the golf course by 3:45. I did it because I wanted to help you kids. I'd forgotten that, till today. -- Principal Peter Prickly.