Ogden Mine RR and the Edison works.

Carter,
Thanks for the kind words!! glad you like the pics.

Looking at the map that comes in the book, I would say the NG RR was at least a mile long plus, the trackage inside the plant, which went everywhere. Behind the horseshoe pit, there is an area called Davenport cut. According to the book, Edison was planning to take the entire top of this mountain off. Starting there, The NG tracks ran down to Edison Rd. Here there was an engine house. The very bottom stones of the foundation and the ash pit are still there today. From here the tracks crossed the road and then split. One way continued way down into the woods ending abruptly at a huge rock outcropping. This is where the switchback is. The lower track headed back into what's called Iron hill Cut, which is another big quarry.

Back at the split near Edison rd. The track ran into the plant. There were actually two ways to get into the main plant so that trains coming from either cut could get into the plant without reversing. There was also trackage going into the huge quarry right behind the plant. This is the quarry I called the rear pit in my first post. There was also quite a bit of standard gauge track in the plant for incoming coal, machinery, and out going sand, briquettes etc.

There are pics of the locomotive and several of the NG cars in the book. According to the book, The NG cars carried what was called Skips, These skips were loaded with huge pieces of rock from the quarry's. Then they would be taken to the crusher plant, The skips were lifted off by 3 chains, Two in front, one in the rear. The skips went into the crusher building, lowered and then the front 2 chains were un hooked. The rear chain would be lifted again and the skip would dump it's load into the first crusher.
There are also pics of standard RR cars in the plant too, Including a really neat shot of an ancient DLnW box car.

I'd be glad to meet you or anyone else up there sometime for a walk around the ruins. This place is amazing.

my name is bill and I run a website about abandoned places & things in NJ www.lostinjersey.com. I'm currently working on a photography project about ruined and abandoned things. the concenpt essentially is this: "nature doesn't care. if you build it and forget it, nature takes over. metal rusts, wood rots, and plants will overgrow it."

I am currently working a master list of places that demonstrate the above theory, and I'm interested in rr ruins in NJ. I'm familiar with the manunka chunk tunnel and the lackawanna line that helped spell its end, including the paulinskill viaduct and the roseville tunnel (aka the ice tunnel) I was curious about maybe exploring either or both of these lines, but need some help.

I understand the lackawanna line is almost 30 miles long so I was thinking of maybe doig 3 10 mile hikes but I'd need a place for my hiking partner to park his car so we could use both cars to avoid walking back. I'm curious where the line starts, I believe it ends at the delaware. I'm also curious about any good spots along the way where one could legally park their car as curoffs for our days exploring

Second thing I'm curious about is if anybody knows of any good spots to look out for along the way. abandoned rail cars, old buildings, pices of equipment that would be decaying by now, etc etc. I use a gps so if you do too, estimated coordinates would be great.

and finally, any other rail lines, or anything else for that matter, anywhere else in NJ. my project hopes to call all manner of abnadoned and ruined things, from ghost towns and abandoned roads, cars or junk rusting in the woods, large scale abandoned things (theres a train car in flemington just rusting away) a few abandoned race tracks and psych facilities etc. even if it's not technically abandoned and there are no trespassing signs, no worries, I'll ask permission then.

I'm hopig you guys can point me to stuff I haven't seen. I'm willing to hike and explore as far as I need to for this project, so hopefully you guys can poinbt me in the right direction. exploring partners are always welcome too!

finally, I'd love to see this monument in person. might make a good subject for my website. not all my explorations go on my site, but the fact that theres a monument makes it potentially worthy.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v37/MIKEd ... dmine3.jpg

william

The DL&W Cut-Off (that's the Paulinskill Viaduct line) runs from Port Morris Junction, just south of Lake Hopatcong to Blairstown and west to the Delaware River bridge. There's parking off Hainesburg road @I-80 on the west end, and at the Blairstown station. I haven't been to the Port Morris end in a while, but there should be safe parking in that area or at the Lake Hopatcong station, just east. You'll find an abandoned control tower at the Port Morris Jct.

On the active line west of Netcong station, in the area of Waterloo, you'll find many canal remnants, as well as a former turntable for the Sussex Railroad's original junction. That's an active line, so the usual warnings on trespassing and safety apply.

Other abandoned lines in the area include the Lehigh & Hudson River south of Limecrest Road in Hardyston / Sparta, the Lehigh & New England from Hainesburg north to the NY state line, and the partly overlapping west end of the NYS&W. There are threads on each of these lines elsewhere in this forum and on their own fora (I think)

From reading the book on the Edison works, I learned that the stone used for that marker is actually one of the mounts for the Corliss engine used to power the "Giant Rolls" in the crusher building. Notice the cut out in the side.



The other mount is still in the ground where the engine was. That marker is on Edison Rd. in Sparta, Let me know if you need directions and where you would be coming from.

As for the cut off. There is literally dozens of ways to get on it and places to park. Just get a map showing the line and follow it on the roads, You will find ways to get on and to park. That's how I first got on it way back in 1989-90. Let me know when your going, Maybe I could show you around a bit. It would have to be on a Sunday though.

Bumped this up since I've been nosing around this area lately.
I'd like to explore the line in a little. There's a stone bridge over Milton Rd/Sparta Mtn Rd that I'd like to use as a starting area both ways. Anyone hiked this? If so, what can I expect?

One thing to remember when poking around the area. The ROW between Glen Road and Edison Road is private property. See the following:
http://sussex.landrecordsonline.com/Doc ... 8265e40658


It looks like the Arthur D. Crane company purchased the property at one time. Apparently this company was involved in the development of the Lake Mohawk area. I have not been able to find out how they got it. Either way, they sold the ROW to a James and Maureen Downing on March 20, 1980. They are still the owners of record according to the County Clerk's web site.

Armstrong turntable pit is still there just south of Edison Rd.