Lackawanna Cut-off

If you interested in this subject, the book store in Newton on Spring street has only several copies left of:

"A Penny View... an album of postcard views: Building the Lackawanna Cutoff in Sussex and Warren Counties,NJ

The work that went into this project is simply amazing.

There are two other books still in stock at the bookstore in Newton or in the bookstore in Byram (located next to the Shop rite) that has two volumes of "Railroads in Sussex County"

Great old pictures of what the county was like and the trains that ran through these counties

Speaking of the scenery on the Cutoff, here's a photo of the former Lackawanna Cutoff arch bridge over the Delaware River
23 Oct 2004 Photo by Jeanne, Piloting of Cessna 172 N75715 by Ken

Where do we stand on reconstruction of The Cutoff? Right when you hear the State and NJT are on the verge of it, the issue falls off the scope.

Dieter.

I wouldn't say we were on the "verge" of getting the Cutoff restored. NJ and PA are both broke, plus PA has an expensive Septa crisis. It seems to me that the restoration of the Cutoff was mostly pushed by Pocono real estate interests. Right now, it seems to have no influential constituency in NJ. I think it will take many years for the restoration to get funded and built.

Five years ago, I was convinced it would happen. Three years ago, I had a few doubts. Two years ago, I held out hope. Today, I'd bet respectable money that the Cut-Off will never be restored. Sorry, because it really hurts to say that...

Don ,t lose hope about the cutoff that it will never get completed. I,m sure there are people in Jersey and in Pa sayin why can ,t are project for rail service or whatever get funded?Point blank there is not enough money to fund evry project.

They way things are going I won't belive the cutoff wil lbe restored at all if the enitre WTC complex is rebuilt and ready in 2009 or the Olympics coem to NYC in 2012 and not one thing has happened to the cutoff. Then I'll know that it's not goign to happen. We talk on how it'll happen but if it's 2009 and the WTC is rebuilt or 2012 where the Olympics come to NYC and yet not one thing happens to the cutoff then I guess this project will never happen.

If you think traffic on 80, 10, 46 and 15 is bad now wait til around 2009 or 2012.

I'll tell ya this would be a nice through route for CPR to the New York area, but NS will never allow that.

Actually it wouldn't dave....east of Dover, N.J. there's no place now for thru freights to go since the Montclair Connection was completed.

...TRISTATE TOM...there is no place for freight trains to go now that NJT operates over the old DL Montclair branch...and that should be underscored so that those who fear freight trains over the Cut Off will deminish thier quality of life will understand that their fears are unfounded.

Agreed henry....and additionally, can't see any operating advantages/opportunities that would develope with/between the M&E and the D-L either.

Actually yes, fix the bridges over the Passaic River and Hackensack, and reconnect the NYGL with Croxton yard, basically a strait run from PA. Listen guys this a pipe dream that won't happen, but I still think makes perfect sence.

...But congestion against NJT traffic would preclude being able to successfully (whatever freight had to be run, whenever fright wanted to run) operate freight trains. Plus the Boonton Lne would need more sidings and probably a signaling upgrad or adjustment. No, freight will come into the old DL service area from Allentown and then locally distributed from Dover or Lake Jct. But the NYSW/NYGL combination should become the feed for local traffic on the east end. Through freights would of course go over the NYSW to the yards and then back. There is no advantage and no reason to anyone wanting to operate overhead or through traffic either over the Cut Off route or over the Pascack Valley line.

I was at the public meeting in Monroe County, PA in 1984 when they were trying to come up with the $6 million to buy the Cutoff from Conrail. A D&H representative was there and they were willing to contribute some (not all) of the money. They wanted to build an intermodal facility at Port Morris.

Today the only way I could see through freights working would be to rehab the northern end of the Greenwood Lake Branch so that freight could move off the ex-DL&W at Mountain View and then onto the Susquehanna at Pompton Jct. Or for those with even more money you could rebuild the Sussex Branch to Andover and the L&HR to Sparta Jct. and then onto the NYS&W. But then I guess you could just run over the Erie.

dave -

1) You're under catenary wire now from Great Notch east to the Pine St. 'Montclair Connection'

2) NS owns the now single-track east of Pine St. on the old Boonton, nee Greenwood Lake branch.