Demolition of Ridgefield Park, NJ NYSW Station Platform.....

Today, November 21, found a crew working to demolish the overhang on
the NYSW side of the Ridgefield Park, NJ Station. The portion on the
NYC(Now CSX side)is still intact, and the station is used by a few
businesses, and is in excellent shape. there used to be an under
track tunnel between the station and the NYSW platform(long since
filled in), and while this is not the original station in Ridgefield
Park, it is still in excellent shape, including the platform and
overhangs. it is the overhang and platform on the NYSW side that is
being torn down this afternoon.....

The NYSW Ridgefield Park trainshed is being demolished so that the access road can be widened to allow Crystal Clear employees and emergency vehicles to access the Crystal Clear Property when trains block the Bergen Turnpike and Mt. Vernon St crossings. While the West Shore side has remained in good condition throughout the years, the NYSW side had been neglected for 38+ years and was showing its age. The middle and Susquehanna platforms had dissapeared long ago, possibly when the middle trainshed was demolished and the tunnel entrances were filled in. The Ridgefield Park Station once hosted three railroads. The New York Central, The New York Ontario and Western, and the Susqueahanna. The first railroad to cease passenger service was the O&W in the mid 50's. The New York Central ceased passenger service in 1959 and the last regularly schedualed NYSW passenger train stopped at the station in 1966. The trainshed was partially collapsed by late morning and by dusk only masonry and shattered pieces of the wooden roof remained.

rcbsd45 wrote:Today, November 21, found a crew working to demolish the overhang on
the NYSW side of the Ridgefield Park, NJ Station. The portion on the
NYC(Now CSX side)is still intact, and the station is used by a few
businesses, and is in excellent shape. there used to be an under
track tunnel between the station and the NYSW platform(long since
filled in), and while this is not the original station in Ridgefield
Park, it is still in excellent shape, including the platform and
overhangs. it is the overhang and platform on the NYSW side that is
being torn down this afternoon.....

The Crystal Clear issue is a huge problem on Friday afternoons as a number of employees have a religious obligation to be at home before sundown. Because CC is waterlocked on three sides, the Bergen Turnpike crossing is the only way in or out.

I was present at a minor derailment a few years ago which demonstrated the point. A minor derailment on the NYSW side (loco drifted into one of the SD45s, puncturing the fuel tank) blocked the crossing with several railcars. EMS, HazMat and lots of cops were on the scene.

After waiting about forty minutes without progress, one car of CC people headed north along the NYSW service road, crossed over the fueling tracks, and drove out the service road toward the station. Railroad personnel then blocked the driveway with a truck, causing loud shouting and irritation among others who tried to do the same exit.

That's an unsafe alternative for CC people, for railroaders, and for the public. Had an emergency occured at the seaplane terminal, or CC, or the other buildings, there would be no way to reach them.

Glad I got pictures of it when I did. Its kinda sad they never restored those sheds along with the station itself...

Another historic relic is taken away from New Jersey Railfans...

The Friday obligation to be home by sundown is not Crystal Clear's only concern. There are now more trains drilling across Bergen Turpike both on CSX and the NYSW sometimes blocking the crossing for extended periods of time which disrupts Crystal Clear's business as there are always trucks and employees in and out throughout the day. There have been rumours of some grand plans to solve the problem such as bridges across the tracks at Bergen Turnpike or MT. Vernon St. but these plans would have been very expensive if not physically imposssible to do. The widening of the NYSW access road and the realignment of the NYSW main to allow Crystal Clear to access the road north of the engine facility without crossing the NYSW tracks is indeed the best option to solve the problem for all concerned. It also gives Crystal Clear three ways to get out of thier property.

Lackawanna484 wrote:The Crystal Clear issue is a huge problem on Friday afternoons as a number of employees have a religious obligation to be at home before sundown. Because CC is waterlocked on three sides, the Bergen Turnpike crossing is the only way in or out.

I was present at a minor derailment a few years ago which demonstrated the point. A minor derailment on the NYSW side (loco drifted into one of the SD45s, puncturing the fuel tank) blocked the crossing with several railcars. EMS, HazMat and lots of cops were on the scene.

After waiting about forty minutes without progress, one car of CC people headed north along the NYSW service road, crossed over the fueling tracks, and drove out the service road toward the station. Railroad personnel then blocked the driveway with a truck, causing loud shouting and irritation among others who tried to do the same exit.

That's an unsafe alternative for CC people, for railroaders, and for the public. Had an emergency occured at the seaplane terminal, or CC, or the other buildings, there would be no way to reach them.

The Friday obligation to be home by sundown is not Crystal Clear's only concern. There are now more trains drilling across Bergen Turpike both on CSX and the NYSW sometimes blocking the crossing for extended periods of time which disrupts Crystal Clear's business as there are always trucks and employees in and out throughout the day. There have been rumours of some grand plans to solve the problem such as bridges across the tracks at Bergen Turnpike or MT. Vernon St. but these plans would have been very expensive if not physically imposssible to do. The widening of the NYSW access road and the realignment of the NYSW main to allow Crystal Clear to access the road north of the engine facility without crossing the NYSW tracks is indeed the best option to solve the problem for all concerned. It also gives Crystal Clear three ways to get out of thier property.

Lackawanna484 wrote:The Crystal Clear issue is a huge problem on Friday afternoons as a number of employees have a religious obligation to be at home before sundown. Because CC is waterlocked on three sides, the Bergen Turnpike crossing is the only way in or out.

I was present at a minor derailment a few years ago which demonstrated the point. A minor derailment on the NYSW side (loco drifted into one of the SD45s, puncturing the fuel tank) blocked the crossing with several railcars. EMS, HazMat and lots of cops were on the scene.

After waiting about forty minutes without progress, one car of CC people headed north along the NYSW service road, crossed over the fueling tracks, and drove out the service road toward the station. Railroad personnel then blocked the driveway with a truck, causing loud shouting and irritation among others who tried to do the same exit.

That's an unsafe alternative for CC people, for railroaders, and for the public. Had an emergency occured at the seaplane terminal, or CC, or the other buildings, there would be no way to reach them.

The Friday obligation to be home by sundown is not Crystal Clear's only concern. There are now more trains drilling across Bergen Turpike both on CSX and the NYSW sometimes blocking the crossing for extended periods of time which disrupts Crystal Clear's business as there are always trucks and employees in and out throughout the day. There have been rumours of some grand plans to solve the problem such as bridges across the tracks at Bergen Turnpike or MT. Vernon St. but these plans would have been very expensive if not physically imposssible to do. The widening of the NYSW access road and the realignment of the NYSW main to allow Crystal Clear to access the road north of the engine facility without crossing the NYSW tracks is indeed the best option to solve the problem for all concerned. It also gives Crystal Clear three ways to get out of thier property.

Lackawanna484 wrote:The Crystal Clear issue is a huge problem on Friday afternoons as a number of employees have a religious obligation to be at home before sundown. Because CC is waterlocked on three sides, the Bergen Turnpike crossing is the only way in or out.

I was present at a minor derailment a few years ago which demonstrated the point. A minor derailment on the NYSW side (loco drifted into one of the SD45s, puncturing the fuel tank) blocked the crossing with several railcars. EMS, HazMat and lots of cops were on the scene.

After waiting about forty minutes without progress, one car of CC people headed north along the NYSW service road, crossed over the fueling tracks, and drove out the service road toward the station. Railroad personnel then blocked the driveway with a truck, causing loud shouting and irritation among others who tried to do the same exit.

That's an unsafe alternative for CC people, for railroaders, and for the public. Had an emergency occured at the seaplane terminal, or CC, or the other buildings, there would be no way to reach them.

Now once the widened road is put into use what will be used to make sure that people driving through the yard are real CC employees and not just railfans?

I dont think the police will have a problem identifying the railfans since most of Crystal Clear's employees are Hassidic Jews. Nuff said.

trainfreak wrote:Now once the widened road is put into use what will be used to make sure that people driving through the yard are real CC employees and not just railfans?

P.S.
To anyone thinking that Crystal Clear's use of the access road will make it OK to take pictures from that access road, dont. Crystal Clear management is just as tough about tresspassing as the railroad is, maybe worse. If they see you on that road they WILL call the cops. Trust me, I have seen it happen firsthand down at CP-5 a few years ago.

trainfreak wrote:Now once the widened road is put into use what will be used to make sure that people driving through the yard are real CC employees and not just railfans?

I drove through there the other day and it appears they have some kind of retail outlet on the property. What exactly does Crystal Clear sell?

Crystal Clear sells glass figurines, Lenox glasswhere and crystal. They usually have a warehouse sale at this time of year.

I rode the NYS&W self-propelled rail cars in the early 60's several times as a kid with my mom, from mid-town Paterson. It's a faint memory. There's also a triple bridge over (I believe) Waganaw Road in Hawthorne that used to advertise the fares to NY (45c one-way, 90c round trip). Also used to go down to the North Hawthorne yards on my bike back then and roam around. Any sites with pictures of the old passenger service or more info? I used to spend a lot of time in Paterson back then. Many trolley tracks still showed through in the streets, though the service was long gone. I have an old timetable from Public Service from the 30's with a picture of a trolleybus. I'd like to find some old pix of that service, but haven't seen any on the net. Also I remember the old Lackawanna Marshall St. station in Paterson when it was still open, and the high bridge over the Passaic River (McLean Blvd.). I used to haunt the old trackbed as a kid just before Route 80 was built.
This is my first post, I discovered the forum a week or so ago. I'm 50 now, but have some old classic photos of some NJ stuff I'm hoping to post at some point. Great forum, guys...

Once the private road construction is complete, it would be easy enough to fence it with a locked gate beyond the business property, at the south end. If trespassing is viewed as a concern.

Well i got my first look at the destroyed train shed today and man it looks different. All the brush that it had by is all cleared out and you can see straight across to the other building now. Times are definatley changing.