NX Draw - Newark, NJ

My photos of NX Draw over the years:

NX Newark
Under The Bridge
Reach For The Sky I
Reach For The Sky II
Belly Of The Beast
Urban Decay
Axis Of Rotation
Climbing The Annie Bridge
Old Rails
Newark Industrial MP 7.96
Steel Monster, Small Bird
Destroyed Machinery
Wood & Steel

I always enjoy your photos, Sully. Nice to see an Artist's work.

Here is a rare view of NX in the closed postion.

The photo is from a Kearny High School Alumni site, that site also includes the final passenger schedule for the branch (May to October '66).

Although the fire in the bridge tenders shack wrecked what was left of the bridge equipment, the electrical mechanics to open and close the bridge were destroyed during the first summer that the bridge was OOS (1978). The tenders shack became a popular Kearny hang-out, and a family friend ran the Jeep dealership that used to be next to bridge. One day that summer he heard stuff being thrown into the river, and being a rail fan himself he went to check it out and discovered it was most of the control panel that wound up in the drink.

Needless to say when the Annie filming took place there was no attempt made to lower the bridge.

He also told us that there was a plaque just above the tender shack that stated, Erie Railroad, and gave the date of opening. I wonder if that is still there.

Ken

Again, note the resemblance to HX. They are virtual twins.

peconicstation wrote:Here is a rare view of NX in the closed postion.

The photo is from a Kearny High School Alumni site, that site also includes the final passenger schedule for the branch (May to October '66).

Although the fire in the bridge tenders shack wrecked what was left of the bridge equipment, the electrical mechanics to open and close the bridge were destroyed during the first summer that the bridge was OOS (1978). The tenders shack became a popular Kearny hang-out, and a family friend ran the Jeep dealership that used to be next to bridge. One day that summer he heard stuff being thrown into the river, and being a rail fan himself he went to check it out and discovered it was most of the control panel that wound up in the drink.

Needless to say when the Annie filming took place there was no attempt made to lower the bridge.

He also told us that there was a plaque just above the tender shack that stated, Erie Railroad, and gave the date of opening. I wonder if that is still there.

Ken

Great insight, as always. Do you know what kind of maintenance, if any, was done to the bridge before the Annie filming? Also, does anyone know anything about Conrail formally abandoning the line near the bridge (my question as the last post on the previous page)?

Poster 'erielackawanna' sent me this message about NX:

I know that bridge really well from my childhood, going all the way back to the 1960s... (well, maybe 1970s is the earliest on that one), but here's the funny thing about it... I can't ever remember seeing it down.

My dad and I used to talk about it and how it was only lowered if a train was coming. By the time I was interested there were no more passenger trains on that line (and even when there were, they were rush hour only, so I wouldn't have seen them, or cared, being a toddler).

My dad's office was in Newark and we would drive past that bridge a lot. There was a watchman's tower at the grade crossing just at the Newark side too. I assume that's been gone for thirty years now.

transit383 wrote:Great insight, as always. Do you know what kind of maintenance, if any, was done to the bridge before the Annie filming? Also, does anyone know anything about Conrail formally abandoning the line near the bridge (my question as the last post on the previous page)?

As for the Annie filming, the crew painted the rails silver, and put new warning lights on it (the batteries were long dead from the Conrail years).
I would also think that the film crew reinforced, or at least check out the counter weights to make sure they were secure. During the filiming they had
stunt people climbing up the tracks, so I would think they wanted to ensure that the bridge would not start to close.

The branch was active in the Conrail years (save for the bridge), and only in the last 2 years or so did NS (the current owner) file a petition to have the
Newark Branch East listed as OOS (out of service), but not abandonded. The petition also included the lower Boonton Line.

Ken

You're a wealth of knowledge! I know the east side of the bridge doesn't see rail traffic anymore, since the Boonton Line was abandoned, but did Conrail/NS abandon the branch at any point from NX westward (on the Newark/Belleville side)? The reason I ask is because there is a company on the west side of NX that encroached on to the old ROW and fenced in their entire area, including the old ROW. There is a guard shack controlling entry into the property, and the fence restricts any access to the piers and west approach to NX Draw.

The thread below is the Neark Branch West.

Aside from the approach to NX, the west side of the Newark Branch is alive and kicking.

The only peittion filed was back in the day was when NX was taken OOS.

Ken

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 27&t=28054

Interestingly enough, the 1954 aerial of the area from HistoricAerials.com shows NX in the lowered position:

NX, 1954

Lots of industry surrounding that bridge in '54!

Here is one of the last Newark Branch passenger shcedules.

It's from the Spring Timetable Change in April 1965, the last commuter trains were in October of 1966.

Ken

I can't access the schedule(would like to).

Here is the link to the Kearny Alumni site where the Time Table can be viewed.


kearnyalumni.com/nwkbranch.html

This past Saturday I took a group of freinds to visit the Newark Museum, and we came from NY via Broad Street Station.

I noticed that when we crossed over the Passaic River that someone pitched a large US Flag on top of NX Draw.

It would take a very brave (and stupid) person to climb that relic and do this, for that matter it is amazing that no one has ever been
hurt (or worse) hanging out there.

Prior to the Newark Museum we stopped at the Newark Library, and on the 3rd floor, in the NJ Research Room there is a large photo mural of the
Passaic River showing NX in the closed position, the Stickel Bridge when it was brand new, and the now gone H & M Bridge when it's upper level
was used for automobile traffic. The H & M Bridge was the original route for the Hudson Tubes (PATH) Newark line.

Ken

I've always wondered about the previous alignment of PATH to Park Place in Newark... interesting stuff.

peconicstation wrote:This past Saturday I took a group of freinds to visit the Newark Museum, and we came from NY via Broad Street Station.

I noticed that when we crossed over the Passaic River that someone pitched a large US Flag on top of NX Draw.

It would take a very brave (and stupid) person to climb that relic and do this, for that matter it is amazing that no one has ever been
hurt (or worse) hanging out there.

Prior to the Newark Museum we stopped at the Newark Library, and on the 3rd floor, in the NJ Research Room there is a large photo mural of the
Passaic River showing NX in the closed position, the Stickel Bridge when it was brand new, and the now gone H & M Bridge when it's upper level
was used for automobile traffic. The H & M Bridge was the original route for the Hudson Tubes (PATH) Newark line.

Ken

I vaguely recall being in the car with my parents and going over the former H&M bridge from Newark. The lower level was used by PRR to serve freight customers along the river in Newark.