Abandoned ROW under Rt 80 in Fairfield

Great thread! I live in Ocean County, but have in-laws in Bloomindale. I've been looking for places to paddle/railfan with my kayak during some of my many weekend stays up there. Thanks for the ideas!

CGRLCDR wrote:Could I have been looking at the Jersey City Aqueduct running under Rt 80 in Farilfield versis a RR ROW? I was just looking at some more old maps and there is a aqueduct somewhere around there.

I think you've answered your own question. It seems to start at the Reservoir and head towards the southeast.

Take a look at the Microsoft Terraserver aerials

www.terraserver.microsoft.com

Type in Fairfield, NJ then look around for the location we are discussing. If you zoom in until you are on the third hash mark up from the bottom, you can see this pretty good.

Heading southeast, that "row" continues in a straight line to the Essex County Airport (running right alongside Runway 27). It disappears east of there, perhaps buried in the hill?

And going west from Horseneck, you can follow it back into Lake Hiawatha before it turns due west across the Knoll Country Club to the dam at the Jersey City/Boonton Reservoir.

To keep this on-topic, this dam was built with stone quarried in upper Montville and carried to the dam site by the Rockaway River & Montville RR. Dave Phraner has an excellent presentation on this line which he has presented at various rail groups recently.

I just got back from a drive up Fairfield Rd along the Pompton River up as far as Lincoln Park. There's some very shabby river front homes up that way - I'm surprised anyone lives there. Along there must be some pretty serious flooding up that way; there's flotsam and river junk way up in the trees.

I guess I should warn you that what looks bad from the road looks even worse from the river...and just be aware of a homeless camp around the area of the Morris Canal crossing. Nothing dangerous, but just an FYI. This is all flood zone, so a lot of these houses are in pretty bad shape. Most of them were vacation homes in the past. I don't exactly know the deal (I'm sure someone here does) but I think its something like the government bought out most of this property so it can't be resold. So when the people finally end up abandoning the houses the government will demolish them. The tore down quite a few several years ago. Someone correct me if I've got that wrong...

Anyway, don't worry, its a safe area no matter what it looks like. You shouldn't have any problems. If the weather ever gets nice again I'd like to do that paddle again myself.

Jim

jsx wrote:

I just got back from a drive up Fairfield Rd along the Pompton River up as far as Lincoln Park. There's some very shabby river front homes up that way - I'm surprised anyone lives there. Along there must be some pretty serious flooding up that way; there's flotsam and river junk way up in the trees.

I guess I should warn you that what looks bad from the road looks even worse from the river...and just be aware of a homeless camp around the area of the Morris Canal crossing. Nothing dangerous, but just an FYI. This is all flood zone, so a lot of these houses are in pretty bad shape. Most of them were vacation homes in the past. I don't exactly know the deal (I'm sure someone here does) but I think its something like the government bought out most of this property so it can't be resold. So when the people finally end up abandoning the houses the government will demolish them. The tore down quite a few several years ago. Someone correct me if I've got that wrong...

Anyway, don't worry, its a safe area no matter what it looks like. You shouldn't have any problems. If the weather ever gets nice again I'd like to do that paddle again myself.

Jim

Mostly correct.

The Feds did a buyout in the 1990s of people in the Hoffman Grove (Feeder Canal) area, and people in the area west of the Erie railroad. About 20% of the eligibles took the deal. The others demanded to be paid what their houses would be worth if they were up on the hill. They're still along the river.

I believe that their failure to take the buyout means they cannot get flood insurance. It will only take a good tropical storm to wipe them out for good.

I just went into Terraserver and found the ROW. I can see it pretty clearly in the area I was exploring, but I can't tell where it came from or where it went. However, I am happy to accept that it is an aqueduct ROW for now. But this is really an interesting area with the Boonton Branch, the NYGL, the Morris Canal and the Feeder Canal. I'm retiring this summer and expect to be exploring this area extensively by kayak and mountain bike.

We're lucky to live in such an interesting part of NJ from a transportatiopn perspective. Now, if I could just get my wife interested....

JLo, it's flood city now! It's ironic that we were discussing this topic just a few days ago and now they are flooded out again, with more flooding expected this weekend.

A smart-ass friend who knew I was exploring up there, called me last night to say that they were building a deep draft seaport in Lincoln Park for cruise ships. Of course, he was kidding, but I can't imagine living in that area worrying with every rainstorm and snow melt if they were going to get flooded out again.

CGRLCDR wrote:JLo, it's flood city now! It's ironic that we were discussing this topic just a few days ago and now they are flooded out again, with more flooding expected this weekend.

A smart-ass friend who knew I was exploring up there, called me last night to say that they were building a deep draft seaport in Lincoln Park for cruise ships. Of course, he was kidding, but I can't imagine living in that area worrying with every rainstorm and snow melt if they were going to get flooded out again.

They had some decent flooding this week, but not on the scale of the 1937 flood when all of Mountain View was under six feet of water. The pix in the Wayne Library show the Erie right of way as a causeway through the lake, meeting the DL&W on its own causeway.

Among other misfortunes, that flood wiped away a lot of the Canal remnants. The Canal had ben formally abandoned in 1925, IIRC.

I remember riding the Boonton Line, not sure when but it was behind steam so must have been @1950, when the only thing not underwater through that area was the DL track! Indelable impression.

CGRLCDR wrote:JLo, it's flood city now! It's ironic that we were discussing this topic just a few days ago and now they are flooded out again, with more flooding expected this weekend.

A smart-ass friend who knew I was exploring up there, called me last night to say that they were building a deep draft seaport in Lincoln Park for cruise ships. Of course, he was kidding, but I can't imagine living in that area worrying with every rainstorm and snow melt if they were going to get flooded out again.

YUP, expect between 2 and 4 inches of rain with locally 5.00" inches in some spots....This is not an April Fool's Joke......Flooding in Morris County may be a problem this weekend........

Steve

This could be a huge problem.

I took a short ride before to check out the Passaic River at Eagle Rock Avenue in East Hanover (6.5 foot mark, with minor flooding) and at Old Mount Pleasant Rd in East Hanover (minor flooding) and near Morristown airport (lots and lots of looding in the swamp, which is good).

Get that ark ready...

What you've seen is the Morris Canal....