Line connecting West Trenton and Trenton

Having just returned last week from a S. Jersey family visit via rail I actually wanted to see the possible feasibility of this connection. I took the R-3 Septa to W Trenton and then a cab ride to Trenton Station. I know just before W Trenton this R-3 line passes over an abandoned line tuned railtrail. I had biked this before and this trail heads toward Trenton's Capitol building area which is supposedly only 3 miles from that point. We maybe came within a mile or so and then turned around because we came to a very "seedy" area. I know the river line is supposed to extend to this capitol area and I was wondering if this abandoned railtrail could be linked from downtown through the "seedy area" and turn up to the West Trenton Station.

Where exactly did this abandoned line end up in Trenton? Did it link to the NEC? If so, Where? I do plan to finish the ride one day and maybe see. This line parallels Rt 29 also. A connection would be great. The cab was pretty cheap considering and downtown Trenton Station is seemingly close to W. Trenton Station

Sounds like you're thinking of the Pennsylvania RR's Belvidere Branch. There are still connecting tracks between it and the Northeast Corridor, IIRC. It's a rail-trail between Trenton and Lambertville (where the Black River & Western still has some tracks) and vacillates between rail-trail and abandoned trackage north of Lambertville through places like Frenchtown up to Phillipsburg, where it turns into the Belvidere & Delaware RR (a BR&W-owned short line which, unfortunately, is slated for abandonment right now).

Irish Chieftain wrote:Sounds like you're thinking of the Pennsylvania RR's Belvidere Branch. There are still connecting tracks between it and the Northeast Corridor, IIRC. It's a rail-trail between Trenton and Lambertville (where the Black River & Western still has some tracks) and vacillates between rail-trail and abandoned trackage north of Lambertville through places like Frenchtown up to Phillipsburg, where it turns into the Belvidere & Delaware RR (a BR&W-owned short line which, unfortunately, is slated for abandonment right now).

There was a connection from the northbound Bel-Del to the eastbound NEC prior to WWII, I believe. Part of that alignment is in use for the light rail.

There was also a connection via the Barracks yard (north of Trenton passenger station) which looped through the industrial back of Trenton.

Assuming the right-of-way is still there, a better connection might be via the old Reading Trenton Branch, which split where the R3 ends at West Trenton, and ended in Trenton near the south end of Pennington Rd (Route 31). Maybe the River LINE could be extended this way.

Hmmmm Now I am bit confused about the abandoned rail line I had biked which parallels the canal. Like I said, It goes from Lambertville south to Trenton. It goes under the R-3 Septa line then it supposedly ends at (Park St, Parker St). And this is where I saw a marker stating 3 miles to Trenton. We went a bit further but it got real seedy with some characters hanging on the trail by some boarded up row houses. However after that cab ride I took and followed along the trail it seems a bit further and we would have made it into the capitol district which seems to come out of nowhere.

The bike ride sounds like the Bel-Del. I believe some of the right of way near Trenton was removed for the route 29 freeway / tunnel / money pit, but Bel-Del originally ran alongside the canal from Stockton (IIRC) to Trenton

Yeah, the Bel-Del is along the canal, except where the canal curves south between Warren and Hermitage; the railroad crossed the canal at each end of those curves. The Bel-Del ended by going over US 1 just north of Perry St and merging with the Millham Branch (the original Camden and Amboy Trenton Branch to New Brunswick). Then the C&A line was moved to its current location, the loop coming off the old track at Southard St and merging with the main line at Chambers was added, so Bel-Del trains could stop at the new Trenton station.

Route 29 in downtown had nothing to do with the Bel-Del; the part near the Capitol is too close to the river, and the Bel-Del didn't go far enough south for the tunnel to affect it. The only railroads down there were the Bordentown Secondary (original C&A Trenton Branch) along Route 129 and spurs from it towards the river.

Thanks for all the info. So a final question... If I continue on this trail to Trenton... Where exactly will I end up? NEC eventually? One of the other ROW's? What's this area like?

Almost forgot... So a light rail connection ( riverline ) from Trenton to West Trenton is possible???

The trail follows the canal as if curves thru the city & turns back to run thru Lawrence, etc. on it's way to New Brunswick. There is interest in 'cleaning up' the section thru Trenton.

They just constructed a pedestrian bridge over Rt one [bypass] in Lawrence, where the highway crossed the canal & used to cut off the towpath. There are loads of places to access this section & the part near Lake Carnege is also near some old ROW that went thru Kingston...

wis bang wrote:The trail follows the canal as if curves thru the city & turns back to run thru Lawrence, etc. on it's way to New Brunswick. There is interest in 'cleaning up' the section thru Trenton.

They just constructed a pedestrian bridge over Rt one [bypass] in Lawrence, where the highway crossed the canal & used to cut off the towpath. There are loads of places to access this section & the part near Lake Carnege is also near some old ROW that went thru Kingston...

This is a different right-of-way, on the canal northeast from Trenton. The south side was the original C&A Trenton Branch, and the north side was the towpath.

The one being talked about here is northwest from downtown Trenton, parallel to the river.

Bobby S wrote:Thanks for all the info. So a final question... If I continue on this trail to Trenton... Where exactly will I end up? NEC eventually? One of the other ROW's? What's this area like?

If you use the trail next to the canal, you should end up at a bridge over US 1 north of Perry Street, with the Millham Branch on the other side.

If you follow the old line from West Trenton, you'll end up near the south end of Route 31. I have no idea how walkable this one is; it looks like from aerials some track still exists near West Trenton.

http://www.terraserver-usa.com/image.as ... on%7cnj%7c shows both lines.

Bobby S wrote:Almost forgot... So a light rail connection ( riverline ) from Trenton to West Trenton is possible???

Yeah, in theory. It could continue straight from the Bordentown Secondary onto the Millham Branch, and cross US 1 on a new bridge and run along the canal for a bit. A couple blocks of street running or new ROW would take it to the old Reading line to West Trenton.

There is a great historical map (posted as another topic in this forum) which shows the line from Trenton Junction (West Trenton) to Trenton as it existed in 1887, with glorious stops like Asylum, Reform School, and Millcrest (or is it Hillcrest?).

http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/HISTORICALM ... _of_NJ.jpg

Looking at maps and aerial photos, it looks like the
ROW of the ex-Reading branch from West Trenton (end of SEPTA) to
downtown Trenton is intact (not built on, don't know about rails)
about half way from West Trenton to Trenton. Starting at Homan Ave,
it looks like houses were built on the ROW.
Anyone know when this happened?

Regarding extension of the River Line light rail, when it was built
there was great interest in extending the line from the
main Trenton station across route 1
to the area of the statehouse on State Street, because of the many
office jobs there, and riders now have to transfer to a bus or other. It would clearly have involved street running.
But for lack of money or other complications, it never happened.
Extending it to that area and then on to West Tretnon (and Septa),
either via the Bel Del (probably cant displace the very very popular
trail, however) or Reading Trenton branch would be a grand slam
Someday service to New York via the Reading line from West Trenton
will happen again -- it is on the NJ Transit long term list -- that service ended about 1981. So maybe when that happens there will be
motivation to shoot for this grand slam. JS

"There is a great historical map (posted as another topic in this forum) which shows the line from Trenton Junction (West Trenton) to Trenton as it existed in 1887, with glorious stops like Asylum, Reform School, and Millcrest (or is it Hillcrest?). "
A great Map! Thanks for referring to it.

That is the Reading's line from the present West Trenton to a terminal in the City of Trenton at Warren Street. Passenger terminal is gone but the freight depot is still there near the Battle Monument in Trenton. Asylum is the present Trenton Psychiatric Hospital. Reform School is the old State Home for Girls, now used by NJ Dept of Corrections as administrative offices. It is Hillcrest Avenue. Hillcrest is a section of Trenton. There is an auto repair shop there which may be a railroad structure.
The Bel-Del ran parellel along the canal. The Bel-Del had also had a stop at the hospital called Dix Haven, named for Dorothea Dix, mental health reformer.[/u][/quote]