Montclair Terminal - Lackawanna Plaza ( near the end ! )

[Tri-State Tom]

This is where I got hooked on railroads as a kid in the early/mid-1950's.

The link below from the Library of Congress shows several depressing photos of this once grand 6-track rail terminal within a year ( likely 1981/early 1982 ) after service ceased. A new very modest single-track Montclair/Bay Street station about a 1/2 mile to the east 'replaced' this terminal in 1980.

http://montclair.notlong.com

As can be seen, workers at the time have already removed all overhead catenary structures and wire as well as all terminal tracks/ties, ornate platform light fixtures and the black iron 'picket fense' safety fencing ( note remaining concrete footings for same ). The terminal tower is seen still standing in tact out by it's lonesome in what once was a maze of swtches and crossovers. Even in this sad and 'in progress' demolition condition, the original grandeur and signiture DL&W workmanship/artwork with reinforced concrete can readily be observed.

Today, a supermarket occupies most of the area between the Grove St. overpass and the concourse where there were once large concrete bumpers for all 6 terminal tracks. Thankfully, the Bush platform canopies survived and today are part of the ceiling within the market as well as out in the corridor of the adjoining mini-mall of small shops. The main station/waiting room - a designated 'Historic' site - also survives today and is externally intact. Internally it's had several 'tenants' over the last 20 years from a restaurant to a video store.

East of the Grove St. bridge....well, it's all completely gone. Where once was a maze of terminal interlockings, freight sidings, large freight yard, REA Express building, dwarf signals and the stately tower, there is today an expansive parking lot for the mall complex plus 2-3 large 4-5 story condo/apartment buildings all the way east over to Pine St..

Will be happy to field any questions....

[pdman]

What elegance was built back then. And, notions of lasting forever. Even with all the neglect, this really has lasted a long time.

[Ken W2KB]

Was it always 6 tracks? If there were tracks at the outside of the two outside platforms, there could have been 8.

CNJ Newark Broad terminal had 4 tracks.

[Tri-State Tom]

Ken -

Using the first pic and the last one ( drawing ) as references, you can see that the terminal was set-up for only 6 passenger tracks. The first pic is looking from the interlockings west into the terminal area. The last pic is a drawing of the view looking east from within the terminal. In both, the grandeur of the Grove St. overpass is evident.

There was indeed an additional short track adjacent to the extended platform for track #6. It hosted no catenary and was used for freight drills of the yard out adjacent to and behind the tower. This track abutted the east side concrete wall of the Grove St. overpass.

There was also a siding to a fuel dealer client adjacent to track #1's extended platform but an iron picket fense separated it from said platform. This siding had it's own dwarf signal governing exit moves out into the terminal interlocking.

[sullivan1985]

What a beautiful station that was. If only I ever got to see it before it was converted into a mall.

[Sir Ray]

Well, since Mr Sullivan has resurrected this thread , why not post a LiveLocal link to what I believe the OP was talking about Here!.
From the air those canopies really stand out, and look rather interesting. Hey, it's good reuse of interesting and sound architecture...

[carajul]

This is the first I've ever heard of this station. Is this along the NJT line or something? What uses it now and why was everything abaondoned in 1981?

[Sir Ray]

This is the first I've ever heard of this station. Is this along the NJT line or something? What uses it now and why was everything abaondoned in 1981?

Well, remember until NJT joined them in 2001/2002, there was a separate DLW branch which terminated in Montclair (as mentioned in the OP, originally in the ornate terminal which was about 4-5 blocks west of the current Bay St. Station, and then the interium Bay St. Terminal in the 80s & 90s), and there was the Erie Boonton line through Montclair a little bit north of that (much of which was place OOS east of the new connection after the connection was made). Using the LiveLocal link I attached in my previous post, you can quickly get an idea of where things were in relationship to each other (the Boonton line is a few blocks north of the DLW terminal we are talking about), and see the mall/market that now incorporates the terminal.

[henry6]

The DLW reached Montclair inthe 1800's and had a terminal which inlcuded a roundhouse and turntable. In 1930 the "new" station was built with the advent of electrification; it was a stub end terminal. The EL eventually dismantled that station and moved the terminal about a quarter mile east (railroad direction). NJT developed Bay St. as we know it with the idea of connecting to the Greenwood Lake Div. which was finally done about 5 years ago.

[Tri-State Tom]

henry -

The EL eventually dismantled that station and moved the terminal about a quarter mile east (railroad direction).

Actually twas in the Conrail era henry....1980-81.

[CarterB]

Designer Botsford, William Hull
Location Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Date 1913

[Tri-State Tom]

Carter -

If I recall my history correctly, Mr. Botsford went down with the Titanic, yes ?

[CarterB]

Indeed he did. Never got to see his elegant station completed.

[Tri-State Tom]

A poster on another thread has provided this fantastic link....

http://www.historicaerials.com/

Follow the simple instructions and you can RETURN to Monclair in the 1950's for an aerial look at this area !

The quality is a bit blurred but good enough to revisit history !

[Pug]

Indeed he did. Never got to see his elegant station completed.

Nor did he see the Madison NJ station completed . . .

http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/4sustain/awds2007.htm#awd4