Remnants of Hoboken Shore Railroad

I just learned about this railroad today, surprised I've never heard of it. But I guess you can't blame me when the railroad is all but nonexistent nowadays, slowly being replaced by developments.

I still did manage to find a few traces of it though. If you look closely at some buildings near Park Avenue and 15th Street, there's a very noticeable curved space between them. Look closer on Google Earth and you can see the weed-infested indentation of some rails. South of there is a pedestrian walkway that presumably sits along the former ROW of the remainder of the branch down to the main line.

There's a bike path heading east from Hoboken Terminal. After the grassy pier, it appears to go along the former main of the HSR, according to the old train map.

The most obvious trace however is on some of the docks and piers. There are obviously rails on the piers near the former Bethlehem steel building, some of which were used for the Seatrain operations. One pier appears to have partially collapsed, while another one that is now used for a ferry terminal has removed the tracks, but they are roughly marked by some colorful patterns on the floor.

Yeah, that's all of the present-day evidence I could find. A website stated that there are still some street-running tracks visible near the park at 5th street, but I saw nothing on Street View. If anyone else knows of any other traces of the HSR than I would really like to know.

Welcome to the small band of HBS fans! If you have not already been there, visit the Hoboken Shore Railroad home page: http://hbs.railfan.net/

As to things to see today:

- There was a set of tracks that ran down the alley between 14th and 15th Streets, roughly from Hudson Street all the way over to Willow Street. If you look at the building at 1413 Willow Avenue, you will find a curved siding that runs north up between that building and the one on Park Avenue. The last time I looked, you can still find track here.

- Some track is still buried in Hudson Street, between 14th and 11th Streets. If someone is doing roadwork you might see some rail. Last summer, I saw some around the intersection with 12th. The tracks hugged the easternmost side of the street (northbound side).

- Where 5th Street goes down the hill and connects to Sinatra Drive you might see a little section of rail. By the way, the rusted tall pole once has a sign on it noting that what is now Sinatra Drive between here and 10th Street was not a public street but HBS Private Property - they used to close this road once a year to maintain ownership rights. That sign was still there until at least 1984 - I tried to "save" it, but it was solidly bolted in place. Several years later it was gone - someone had better tools/skills than I had!

- Where 4th Street and Sinatra Drive meet there are a few flangeways in the street from a long gone switch - depends on the state of the pavement.

Nothing is left south of 4th Street.