CNJ - WilkesBarre station & mainline question

Hello can someone tell me if the CNJ mainline is the track that was in front of the WilkesBarre station that is now a highway? When was this track ripped out and was it ever used after 1972?

Also behind this station there used to be what looked like a yard. It was box cars turned into a hotel called "the station". Was this a CNJ yard or something? Where can I get photos of the area in years past?

Sure, if you can find Wilkes-Barre NJ for us There are CNJ fans in PA after all...

The CNJ tracks didn't become part of Wilkes-Barre Boulevard until the mid-70s or so, unless I'm mistaken.

This page has some remarkable pix (gotta scroll down for W-B). (They're misinformed about the CNJ Main through Elmora—there's still a track all the way from Elizabethport to Aldene, albeit overgrown.)

The track ran down what is now Wilkes-Barre Blvd.
http://www.gingerb.com/cnj_wilkes-barre ... me_map.htm will lead you to a map of the tracks in the area. http://www.gingerb.com/cnj_wilkes-barre_station.htm will lead you to a photoessay on the Wilkes-Barre area of the CNJ. As far as I know the trackage of the CNJ was in use right up until the pullout in 72.

Was this part of a joint alignment with the LV and/or D&H? Both had presence in downtown WilkesBarre, IIRC.

The CNJ used the D&H to go north out of Wilkes-Barre as far as Minooka Junction, where the CNJ had their own right of way as far as Scranton.

1972 was a key year for the downtown Wilkes Barre rail scene, not only because of the CNJ pullout. In June of that year, Tropical Storm Agnes flooded the entire valley. Much of the old rail infrastructure in Wilkes Barre was damaged and never repaired. D&H had a turntable and round house, there were several freight houses and there were hand operated crossing gates. Federal money that was available after the flood allowed for the re-development of much of the area, and likely funded the building of Wilkes Barre Boulevard. I remember the politicians complaining to Penn Central over their decision to not re-open flood-damaged Buttonwood Yard.

TheBaran wrote:I remember the politicians complaining to Penn Central over their decision to not re-open flood-damaged Buttonwood Yard.

IIRC the streams near Buttonwood Yard were once or still are heavily polluted, perhaps from dumping.

Out of all those tracks on the ginberb map of downtown Wilkes-Barre, as of the year 2006 are any of the tracks left?

Yes, a single track still runs through town behind the CNJ station. Based on the horns that I hear from time to time the track is fairly active, likely seeing service a few times per week. There are still a few pieces of equipment sitting on isolated trackage around the station leftover from the nightclub, the motel, and the diner.

Solomon Creek runs near Buttonwood and it is still heavily polluted (water runs a deep rust color). This is from acid drainage from the many abandoned anthracite mines and it occurs in several other local streams. The resurgence of coal for power production may help this problem. Sulfur scrubber systems result in waste ash that, because of high pH, is used to neutralize the acid drainage. That, coupled with recovery of suspended metals, helps clean up the water.

There are many projects being proposed involving either new coal-fired power plants and/or re-activation or re-powering of some that were previously shutdown. All will need to scrub for sulfur. The days of cheap natural gas for power production are over and the coal haulers are going to benefit.

My grandfather's house overlooked the CNJ yards in W-B. I remember as a small child in the 1970s looking out his back window only a mess of abandoned rolling stock and weed-choked rails.

TheBaran wrote:Solomon Creek runs near Buttonwood and it is still heavily polluted (water runs a deep rust color)

Does this also cause vegetation to blossom (dark green) or no effect?

TheBaran wrote:The days of cheap natural gas for power production are over and the coal haulers are going to benefit.

Hasn't PSE&G thrown many eggs into the nat. gas basket over the years?

Never noticed the vegetation near the stream, eyes always fix on the rust-colored water. I'll have to check next time I am in after the vegetation returns in the warmer weather. Nothing grows in or close to the water. The part of Solomons Creek that runs through Buttonwood passes the site of an old coal breaker. Nothing left but culm and birch trees, which are the ony trees that apparently can grow on that stuff. A few years back, the San Souci Parkway bridge over Solomons Creek was re-built. They cleared some trees as part of the project and exposed a long-hidden bridge that was once used by the CNJ to reach Buttonwood Yard. The bridge was removed to improve stream flow.

PSE&G is still pretty heavy into coal; they operate several coal burners around Hudson County. They also have a bunch of turbine "peakers" at the coal sites. When they run, the sky turns a wavy brown with all of the oxides of nitrogen being emitted at high temperature. PSE&G also has a few nukes down south Jersey. They may be forced to sell the nukes, as well as a bunch of other assets, if they merge with Exelon.

TheBaran wrote:PSE&G is still pretty heavy into coal; they operate several coal burners around Hudson County. They also have a bunch of turbine "peakers" at the coal sites. When they run, the sky turns a wavy brown with all of the oxides of nitrogen being emitted at high temperature. PSE&G also has a few nukes down south Jersey. They may be forced to sell the nukes, as well as a bunch of other assets, if they merge with Exelon.

IIRC the only PSE&G coal burners are Hudson #2 and Mercer's units.
Hudson #1 is oil/gas and #3 is a "jet". Any plans to bring Hope Creek 2 back on the map?