by cjvrr
It was the PRR.
CV the Civil E
Railroad Forums
Moderator: railtrailbiker
raytylicki wrote:The Wikipedia mentions Exchange Place Station--Of Course I know the Path Station now but I cant find a picture of the old PRR Exchange Place Station as it existed in 1962.There's a good photo of it (tracks and platforms) in a book called "Triumph III" (one of a series). I can give you the page number and publication data on Wednesday, when I'll be able to check. (Although, as umtrr-author pointed out, "you couldn't get there from here"). Morning Sun Books has a two-volume set of photo books on railroad facilities in New York Harbor which almost certainly contains at least one photo of the waterfront terminal reached by the line that used the embankment; look for Harsimus Cove. It had float bridges and a lighterage pier.
An abandoned elevated railway known as the Sixth Street Embankment has been the subject of a litigious preservation effort for more than a decade. Local groups and city officials want to transform the half-a-mile long stone structure into a grassy, landscaped park with skyline views, spanning Jersey City's gentrifying neighborhoods.
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Even with Conrail's approval, the Jersey City version of the High Line may be a long way from reality. Initial construction could begin next year, Mr. Matsikoudis said, but designs haven't been finalized for the 110-year-old structure, formally known as the Harsimus Stem Embankment. The city would likely hold a design competition.
Still, hopes are high. It is "equal to or better than New York's High Line," said city Mayor Jerramiah Healy in a statement.
The sandstone-and-granite structure rises to 27 feet at its highest point and once carried Pennsylvania Railroad freight trains along seven tracks to the Hudson River waterfront. Conrail took over the embankment in the 1970s, but rail traffic ceased and nature took over. Ivy covers the walls and the structure is now a regular way station for monarch butterflies migrating from Canada to Mexico.
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Advocates want a "grand entrance" to the park's eastern section, while the western section would return to ground level and connect to the Bergen Arches, a railroad tunnel that runs through the Palisades.
JPhurst wrote:The position of the Embankment Preservation Coalition has been open to rail, but the clear desire is for a park.The High rise developments along the back have already started...
Re: Bergen Arches, back around 2001 or 2002, there was a study to determine transportation uses for the Bergen Arches, and one of the questions was, of course, what to do once you get out of the Arches. Continue along the Embankment to Newport is one, cutting North to Hoboken would be another.
You are correct that there is a lot of development around the "back" of Newport which could use light rail. I would also note that the area East of Marin Blvd where the Embankment ends is also slated for development. Right now it is largely big box stores (Bed Bath Beyond, Shop Rite, Pep Boys, BJs), but the city's master plan allows for high rise residential and mixed use. That may be a ways down the road but it is what is eventually in the cards. So rail could be useful there too.
Having said that, the park has potential to be a real beautiful amenity.
Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) sold its Harsimus Embankment in Jersey City to developers. The City, together with others interested in the historic and environmental value of the Embankment, sued Conrail, alleging that the sale was unlawful because Conrail failed to obtain authority from the Surface Transportation Board to abandon the property. The district court, which has jurisdiction over this case because of the unique nature of the Harsimus Branch—it was transferred to Conrail as part of the Penn Central bankruptcy—dismissed the case for lack of standing. For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we reverse.http://www.embankment.org/
The Jersey City City Council gave initial approval tonight to changes to a Downtown redevelopment plan that would allow a developer to build two towers on a portion of the historic Sixth Street Embankment.
The changes are required by a tentative settlement the city reached last month with developer Steve Hyman, who has battled the city for years over ownership rights to the embankment. As part of the agreement, the city would purchase most of the roughly mile-long parcel for $7 million, while Hyman would retain one block.