The CNJ Seashore Branch in its final years (NATCO Secondary)

CNJ4104 wrote:I walked the NY&LB ROW from Matawan Station and then walked the GSP ROW. Try that now with a camera in hand without getting arrested and put on the naughty list.

CNJ4104

You WALKED on the Parkway?

R36 Combine Coach

No, but i did walk on the hillside along the Parkway inside the fence that separated the GSP from an apartment complex.

GSC

Thanks for reminding me of that, it was the Lily Tulip Cup Plant. My mom use to buy those all the time for use in our bathrooms. Lily Tulip was across Rt 35 from Delicious Orchards I believe. I'm guessing thats all gone now? It's amazing how little things spark other memories.

CNJ 4104
Scott

CNJ4104 wrote:R36 Combine Coach

No, but i did walk on the hillside along the Parkway inside the fence that separated the GSP from an apartment complex.

GSC

Thanks for reminding me of that, it was the Lily Tulip Cup Plant. My mom use to buy those all the time for use in our bathrooms. Lily Tulip was across Rt 35 from Delicious Orchards I believe. I'm guessing thats all gone now? It's amazing how little things spark other memories.

CNJ 4104
Scott

I remember the huge Cup watertank - that was cool - and yes it was LILY TULIP!!! hahahaha There was even a handcrossover there (i don't remember if it was 1 or 2) called "Lily" i believe on the coast line (or was it tulip? hmmmm)

Yes, unfortunately, its all gone - about 1995 or so id say, the Delicious Orchards site (im not 100 percent it was delicious orchards, but whatever it was, on the NW corner of 35 and Laural) was developed into a you guessed it, shopping mall (which due to poor construction, of some of the buildings, is half empty and sinking). Soon after the Lily Tulip factory was torn down, and whole huge lot sat empty for a little while, but by about 2001, the HUGE "front yard" was developed into another shopping mall, while the back part, where the plant was, is now age restricted housing. There is absolutely NO remains of what was there, except the remains of the 2 sidings off the coast line.

that area is a huge cluster$$#^#...... and the closest thing this area has to a Bricktown like traffic jam. it sucks. I remember when both those corners were empty and the ONLY thing on Laural Ave between Middle Road and Red Hill Road was Bell Labs..... and it was still a 2 lane road.

Two-lane Laurel Ave.

JT, remember when there were "roller coaster" hills on Laurel heading south toward the NY&LB bridge? Going to work one night, my Dad came across a bad accident there, where a car flew off the last hill and actually hit the overhead railroad bridge! Not long after, the hilly road grade was cut back.

Lily Tulip was quite an operation in its day. No trace of it left there now.

GSC wrote:Two-lane Laurel Ave.

JT, remember when there were "roller coaster" hills on Laurel heading south toward the NY&LB bridge? Going to work one night, my Dad came across a bad accident there, where a car flew off the last hill and actually hit the overhead railroad bridge! Not long after, the hilly road grade was cut back.

Lily Tulip was quite an operation in its day. No trace of it left there now.

Nah, that was before my time - i started driving in 95, but i remember hearing stories - I believe one of those hills was a "gravity hill" from what I have read?

We used to get our kicks on Sunnyside and Red Hill Roads before both were re-aligned but still do on Takulosa Dr

And of course Whipperwill Valley and Cooper Rds in the Chapel Hill section - THEY were fun too! Ruined now becuase they are so popular from wierd NJ

Yes, straying from topic sorry, but on Cooper Road, you cross the oringal Dand RB mainline in a very deep cut along Sleepy Hollow Rd where the power lines are! (trying to get back to some kind of railroading reference before we get yelled at!)

Jtgshu wrote: that area is a huge cluster$$#^#...... and the closest thing this area has to a Bricktown like traffic jam. it sucks. I remember when both those corners were empty and the ONLY thing on Laural Ave between Middle Road and Red Hill Road was Bell Labs..... and it was still a 2 lane road.

+1

Oh, and I conquered Takolusa Drive and some of the other streets in the area on my mountain bike this past summer! Usually I look at the houses around there and wonder, man, where did I go wrong? I picked the wrong career path!

Thinking of oiling up the ol' 10-speed and doing some serious cardio for a change, I'd like to bike the Henry Hudson toward AH this spring. How close does the trail start near Matawan? Where's a good safe place to park the truck and unload the bike?

GSC wrote:Thinking of oiling up the ol' 10-speed and doing some serious cardio for a change, I'd like to bike the Henry Hudson toward AH this spring. How close does the trail start near Matawan? Where's a good safe place to park the truck and unload the bike?

I actually rode almost the entire thing this past summer, from down past the old Marlboro airport all the way to the tip of Sandy Hook! (Did one 56 mile ride this past summer, another that was 52 miles, and several in the 40 mile range.) Unfortunately, the trail is not continuous, and you have to go through Matawan to get from the southern portion to the northern portion. But the seashore branch portion begins at the intersection of Clark St and Lloyd Rd, and there is a parking lot there by the baseball field. You can take the trail as far as Atlantic Highlands, where the trail has a discontinuity. If you turn left onto Avenue D at the end of the trail, and then right on Bay Ave, that'll take you to the pier and the beginning of the Bayshore Trail which follows the old ROW along the shoreline. That will take you into Highlands, and if you wish you can then follow the streets there to the new Rt 36 bridge and go over to Sandy Hook, where there are some nice bike/pedestrian trails.

When riding the trail, don't forget to stop at Kevin Smith's Quick Stop at Leonardo.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:When riding the trail, don't forget to stop at Kevin Smith's Quick Stop at Leonardo.

Yep, Quick Stop is right along the trail: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... 1532817447

The trail in Highlands were it comes out into town is actually still on the ROW. Shore Drive is built on the ROW. Now that the Highlands bridge is done, you can take a ride/walk up and over the bridge and pedestrian bridge to get out to Sandy Hook.

There is no signage in Atlantic Highlands at the end of the Henry Hudson trail on where to go, but as Matt said, make a left on Ave D, follow it down about a 1/2 mile or so, and make a right on Bay Ave. Follow Bay Ave down towards downtown and as soon as you cross over a wooden bridge, the trail will pick up on your left. This is also the ROW - to the right (south) was the yard and station complex inbetween Bay and Highland Ave's. West Ave is also built on the ROW. There is signage for the trail here, but its known as the Bayshore trail here, for whatever reason. The Bayshore trail goes through the Atlantic Highlands Marina close to the ROW of the old "main" to Highlands, but remember most of the marina complex is fill that filled in the wye and out towards the pier.

For those of you who are Clerk's freaks, yes, its a block north of the trail on Leonard Ave in Leonardo........

Thanks for the info, guys. Sounds like a nice-weather plan.

A little more info about IFF: there were 5 spotting stations where tank cars could be unloaded. Some of the chemicals that were brought inbound were ehthylene oxide, hydrogen chloride, pinene, and some oil extracts. The last train I ever caught on the branch was CR GP15 1607 with 1 covered hopper (for Kerr in Keyport) and 2 tank cars for IFF. This was in Feb 1982.
I thought I would also mention that the Atco Ceramic Tile factory in Keyport was a good customer back in the mid 70's up until at least early Conrail. This is why the Keyport to Union Beach line was not initially targeted in the Conrail line rationalization plan unlike the Freehold branch which only had two customers: Imperial Oil in Marlboro and Dunlop and Lisk in Matawan.

Thanks for the info can you post pics?

redbaron3067

Don't forget Matawan Lumber on Rt79. I remember seeing cars parked right on the Freehold main to be unloaded. Where was Dunlop and Lisk?

CNJ4104