Railroad Ghost Towns

[RussNelson]

What about Maybrook, NY? It was once the largest railroad yard in the east. Now ... nothing.

[Marty Feldner]

What about Maybrook, NY? It was once the largest railroad yard in the east. Now ... nothing.

Not quite nothing- NS still uses the Maybrook Running Track from Campbell Hall to, through, and slightly beyond the former yard. A couple of customers there, serviced once or twice a week.

Certainly nothing like what was there before the Poughkeepsie Bridge was burned in '94, though...

[rhallanger]

What are some of the biggest railroad ghost towns in the U.S? I am referring to towns that have lost all of their railroad service. Xenia, OH would be my best choice. It once had SEVEN lines trasversing it, and today nothing remains except some ballast and telephone poles.

I have a book about railroad "Ghost Junctions", where he listed towns where more than one railroad intersected and both (or more) lines are completely gone. It's sad to see so much of our rail network gone and empty spurs into factories.

[CJPat]

For a little Jersey flavor, my favorite is Whiting, NJ. Once it had 3 different rail lines intersecting at almost the same exact point: The CNJ, PRR, and the Tuckerton RR. Tuckerton was first to go in the early '30's, followed by the PRR in the later '40's, and finally CNJ (converted to a private ROW and served by Conrail) went OOS 20 years ago.

Ocean County Parks & Recreation led an archeological tour of a number of RR areas around the County (thanks to RR.Net forum member German - Great Tour!) which also allowed us to explore this locale by foot. We saw the foundation of the former CNJ station, the half filled in turntable well for the Tuckerton, and the PRR/CNJ diamond (steel was stamped 1945).

The real positive light is that the former CNJ ROW has been partially cleared between Woodmansie to Whiting and off towards Lakehurst (no apparant work done for the last 2 weeks). Rumors abound about the return of sand trains to the former CNJ Southern Division (now Southern Secondary).

As a second note, we were also able to explore the extensive former locomotive and car service areas off in the woods that used to exist in Lakehurst. Must have been something to see way back then.

[scottychaos]

Sayre PA, Scranton PA, Binghamton NY, and Port Jervis NY all come to mind. While they still see SOME rail service the level of current service is nothing compared to what it once was in these towns.

interesting..
to me, Binghamton is still a very major railroad town!
very busy (as to RR activity), and served by three railroads.
CP, NS and Susquehanna...vey far from "ghost town"..
And Sayre is busier now than it was 20 years ago.
Norfolk Southern is refurbishing the yard in fact..

I think EVERY town and city in America could be said to have less railroad activity now than it once did..but that doesnt mean they all qualify as ghost towns..For example, Chicago...but I dont think anyone would include Chicago in this thread!
sorry, but IMO those towns dont even remotely rate inclusion in this thread.

the original poster of this thread said:
"I am referring to towns that have lost ALL of their railroad service."

Last time I checked, (last week) Binghamton still had a lot trains rolling through it!

Scot

[jmp883]

Ya got me Scotty.....should've read that first post more closely!

True, Binghamton and Sayre are still active rail towns, I was just thinking along the lines of what once was compared to what is now.

[RSD15]

unless something changes Norwich ny.DL+W/NYO+W.

Cadosia ny NYO+W.

Manchester ny LV.
anything left there?

charles

[RussNelson]

Malone, NY used to be the meeting point between the Rutland and the NYC. Now, there's only two rail-trails. Moira, NY used to be the meeting point for three railroads: the Rutland, The New York & Ottawa, and the Bombay & Moira. Only the Rutland has been kept open; the other two are either used as roads, or have become brushed over. http://www.rutlandtrail.org/

[TB Diamond]

RSD15: Not much left in Manchester, NY. All the yard tracks were removed many years ago. A portion of the roundhouse and the engine service building still stand but are in rough shape. The Ontario Central still operates through Manchester, but there are no customers left there that I know of.

[U-Haul]

What about the towns served by the Delaware & Northern Railroad?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_a ... n_Railroad

[ExEMDLOCOTester]

Rutland Illinois appears to have rusted away since the IC demolished the trackage from Olgelsby to Bloomington. Lots of corn silos abandoned and the downtown area gone.

[Jtgshu]

Although not much more than a blip on a map, Atlantic Highlands, NJ had a very interesting and elaborate CNJ operation. Trains came in from the East and West on teh CNJ Seashore Branch, and met ferry boats "The Swift Way Across the Bay" at a huge pier and terminal built out in Sandy Hook Bay, with like 10 tracks and a wye all built out over water. There was a relatively large yard and shops in town, and the railroad made Atlantic Highlands one of the most popular resorts on the east coast in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Of course, NOTHING exists anymore - part of the ROW is a bicycle trail through town, and the municipal marina ate up most of the pier. Part of it still exists abandoned, but it was burnt in a huge fire in the mid-1960's.

[amtrakhogger]

How about Andover NJ (JCT DL&W Sussex Branch and the L&HR?)

[CJPat]

What always struck me about the Atlantic Highlands area was the way they built so much into the side of a relatively steep incline. Granted it isn't exactly a cliff side and the facilities won't match what was accomplished in Colorado, but it still is very impressive to say the least.

[new england flyer]

When I read the title - my first thoughts came to the town of Thurmond WV along the banks for the New River - see the NPS link - once a busy coal and steel center - when the C&O went to the dark side (diesel) the town was no longer necessary - it's now abandoned and operated by the park service as a tourist attraction.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/neri/thurmond.htm