NJT/LACKAWANNA RR LOCATIONS

Greetings, all.......

I have a few questions about two current day locations on NJT's old Lackawanna (Morris and Essex) line.

First, what is thw wye at Denville used for? is it just a place for NJT to store MOW equipment, or does NS use it to wye local freight jobs? It looks like the entire wye is usable, but that doesn't make it so!
Also, is the old tower used by NJT as a MOW crew building?

Moving east, where is the old Harrison yard located? I am curious to know after looking at pictures in my Lackawanna Tabor book. Is it all gone, under the ROW of today's route 280? I can't say I've ever seen remnants of it on my travels to Hoboken!

Thanks in advance,

R.A. Heiss
S. Plainfield, NJ

The yard in Harrison is still in use. NS local H-84 services this trackage a few times a week. You can view the area by going down Harrsion Ave. towards Kearny and making a right just before ducking under a railroad bridge. Don't go down too far as the trucking and stone people are not too friendly.

Ralph,

I've seen the wye at Denville used by NJT, NS and M&E. It doesn't get used often, but it does get used.

The tower is used by NJT maintenance personnel, I believe it is the Communications group. (ie. PA systems and Radios)

There was a pretty good thread in the old RR.net forum about the Harrison-Kingsland branch and Harrison Yard, too bad it's not handy now.

Basically Harrison Yard no longer exists - I-280 is where much of the yard was. The yard was contained within a wye; a portion of the west leg of the wye remains, but does not connect to anything on the west end (this is where the freight customers are located - I think there are two).

Access to this trackage is off of M&E Track 3. There is a hand-operated switch that leads to the Harrison=Kingsland branch; this connection actually ties into the former east leg of the wye, which is abandoned east of the new connection.

There is still a diamond in this track, located just north of the I-280 overpass.

NJ TRANSIT owns all of this right of way; the State acquired the Harrison Kingsland line as part of the "900 Day Option" that was part of the legislation that created Conrail, I believe the state closed on the option in 1978. The State did not acquire the bulk of the former yard property that was located south of I-280; I believe this was retained by the EL Trustee and later sold off.

I've just reread this, not so sure it reads too well, I'll draw you a map the next time I see you at Jerry DZ's.

As metman stated, NS' H-84 serves this trackage. They usually come over from Croxton via the Northern Branch - P&H to Karny - Center Street Branch to Kearny Jct onto the M&E. Once in a while I've heard them use an all-NJT route (out of Croxton via HX, reverse to West End, then west on the M&E). Service is less than daily.

Thanks guys!

Will add that the Denville Wye was extensively refurbished a couple years ago with new ties and ballast....

DENVILLE WYE, UNTIL 1948/49 was for the Rockaway Branch from there to Rockaway and back to main line about a quarter to half mile west of Franklin Ave. overpass. Originally the Morris and Essex route from Morristown to Dover line crossed the Boonton line when built and then was connected to the Boonton line westbound on approxitmate current alignment. Another wye, I belive to be the first, was from where RT 80 crosses Boonton line to past the "Firemens Field" behind original firehouse along Indian Lake Road. I ahven't looked in many years, but believe there still is a sort of path on this alignment for part of the way. You can still see where the branch went across Indian Lake Rd and the embankment for the north or west leg of the wye is under the fill of RT80 while the south or east leg went across to behind the A&P property...I have not seen the new construction in the area in the last year or so, but you might get a bearing from this. Also check Tabor's other two books plus Lowenthal's LACKAWANNA IN NORTH JERSEY and MINING RAILROADS OF NEW JERSEY. Histories of Denville also contain maps and pictures: DENVILLE DAYS from circa 1955 and a later one from the 80s or 90s. And don't forget that the Morris CountY Traction ran parallel to the M&E virtually from just west of Madison-almost Convent on the westbound side, then the eastbound side from west of Morristown to Rt10 overpass, then back to westboud side to Denville before going onto Main St. through town and on into Rockaway. Books in New Jersey libraries, hobby shops, museum shops, or local NRHS chapter.

I worked the denville tower in the summer of 1971 and used to turn around a local freight each nite. it would come through around 1- 2 am westbound up the booton branch and then head east. One night I was in the tower and the freight conducter got of the train it had stopped right under neath my tower. he came upstairs and wanted me to take him through the siwth and signal approval moves on "the board" b4 he would move his train. It seems the night b4 a "posting Operator" totally screwed up a simple turnaround through the wye and the train had to sit and cool its heals for about an hour till the the circuits would clear and they could move through the Wye.

The good ol days! Didn't the boonton line also feature a good 5-10 through freights in the early 1970's? The denville towerman must have had his hands full then!! I wish someone had a log book of EL trains through Denville interlocking in 1974....When did the NY100/NY-99 come through??

I have a serveral time tables from 1964 to 1971. The 1964 table is for the Erie Lackawanna New York Division Scranton Divsion. New Jersey & New York Railroad. (Horace Banta Trustee)

Thats what it says on the cover.

During those halcyon days, esp. between 1973, when all non-Maybrook freight was rerouted down the Scranton side between Binghamton and Croxton, there were sometimes up to 20 freight trains a day on the Boonton Line. Throw in a half-dozen locals, and it was a pretty jumping place.

Of course if freight trains were at their zenith, passenger trains were at their nadir. During the early 70s, there only about six or seven westbound passenger trains, compared to the 37 westbounds (originating and terminating at various stations) today. The first left Hoboken at 4:30 p.m., and the last one left at 7 p.m. Not a lot of flexibility.