Route 36 and Atlantic Highlands

My wife, my parents and I went to Bahr's yesterday. While waiting to be seated, I noticed a topographical map of the area probably from about the 30's. On this map I saw there was quite a bit of Rail lines in the area. It looks like Central of NJ served the area? I was amazed to see that there was rail that went out to sandy hook, and also what looked to be a small rail yard up a bit on a pier. I also noticed that there was some double track in quite a bit of the area. There were several sidings on Sandy Hook as well. I definitely spent a while staring at the map. When we sat down to dinner I looked out to the end of the bridge on the Sandy Hook side and saw what looked to be the remains of a bridge that was probably part of the ROW. Was this all Central of NJ? What kind of service was there? Does anything remain?

On our way home we were taking Route 36 to the Parkway. Off to my right I noticed what is now a bike train was probably a ROW some time ago? I don't remember if I saw it on the map, but I wonder if it was a ROW and what used to run there?

Yes. CNJ line

The Atltantic Highlands branch ran from Matawan northeasterly over the GSP (bridge just north of exit 117) and paralleled NJ 36 all the way to Highlands.

It crossed the river on a low bridge just north of the highway bridge, and turned south to run along Ocean Avenue into Monmouth Beach where it ran closer to the bay. The line continued south and crossed beach road (station site) and the fish house and ran on its PRW down to the junction of Riverdale Road and Ocean Avenue.

The North End freight house was here when I was a kid. The line continued south and connected with the NY&LB. Most of the Long Branch and Monmouth Beach area has been obliterated by construction in the past 30 years.

The steps down to the Water Witch station still exist off the low road in Atlantic Highlands, and the AH ferry dock still exists. The large area behind the ferry dock was layover yards for trains.

I think there's an extended thread on the boars somwhere about this line.

In the late 80's, I also remember being at Fort Hancock?, at the tip of Sandy hook, and there was a few tracks still around in concrete there.

Its been a while since I've been there, so I don't know if anything still exists.

Sandy Hook was the second terminal for the railroad, before the military took over the peninsula in Monmouth County, with the first being Port Monmouth. the line was built south to Long Branch, to connect with the current day coast line. (I think Keyport came a few years after Sandy Hook)

the Seashore branch was built in sections, and Atlantic Highlands was a tremendously important railroad town, with a very large pier out into the bay, and a large yard and shops. Atlantic highlands was a very popular resort destination in teh late 1800's, and many of the large houses on the hill were hotels at that time. There were two lines that went out of Atlantic Highlands - the Seashore branch, which went east to Sea Bright and then south to Long Branch, and west to Matawan, and the Stone Church Branch, which was originally planned to be a "cut off" to get the railroad away from teh immediate shoreline in Highlands and in northern Sea Bright. The Stone Church branch was built and graded to just past the Stone Church in Navesink, and barely made it into the 20th Century, and was sold or leased to a trolley company, and they built a ROW from the end of the grading down to Highlands. The Stone Church line was to have crossed the Navesink River, then traveled through Rumson, and came back out into Sea Bright, close to downtown. The location of the Foodtown in Atlantic Highlands and the power lines that run through the middle of hte parking lot mark the locaton of one leg of a wye, and the Stone Church Branch

the Seashore was cut back to Atlantic Highlands in the 50's, (55 i think) and the line east of Atlantic Hihglands was abandoned. the line and connections in North Long Branch lasted into the late 60's early 70's I believe. Passenger service to Atlantic Highlands lasted unitl 1966, and freiight service until 1972. the line was cut back to Union Beach, and the last customer was IFF, and they ended rail service in 1983.

At Bahr's you were basically sitting at the former Highlands station, which was built on to the bridge. The bridge was a swing span, and was called a Scissor bridge, as the rail line and road shared and crossed teh same draw span. From above, the road and rail lines looked like an open pair of scissors. The one way street, that is newly paved and a one way across from Bahr's called Shore drive is the ROW of the Seashore Branch. the big bump in the road right at the Bahr's parking lot is the fill of the ROW and the approach to the bridge.

If anyone likes seafood, Bahr's is a must, and another tremendous restaurant in Highlands is the Windansea - lots of good restaurants in Highlands!

>>>In the late 80's, I also remember being at Fort Hancock?, at the tip of Sandy hook, and there was a few tracks still around in concrete there. <<<

Could these have been to move the large guns around the fort and supply ammo to the bunkers rather than connected to the railroad network proper?

Ken, I believe the ones at the old gun emplacements are just that. If I am not mistaken, they are not standard guage.

I recall cycling on Sandy Hook and the Fort Hancock site a few years back and yes there are rails in the pavement and visible iron in some spots.

I remember walking along the old right of way as a kid, following it across the Parkway to where it merged with the North Jersey Coast Line. Just after the bridge over the GSP, there were tracks still in place, and they even put catenary in when they electrified the route. I don't know if they actually use that siding for anything, or even if it still exists for that matter.

Natco siding still exists, and is still in service, both track and electricity. Every couple of months or so, a car, usually a hopper or flat car gets parked on it for whatever reason, but ill expect it to see a lot of use in the not to distant future when the MOW guys make their way down the coast line with the tie replacement. I doubt they will park all their stuff at McGraw yard when they are working west of South Amboy.

Someone told me once that hte one track holds 12 MU's and the other holds 10 MU's

Jtgshu wrote:Someone told me once that hte one track holds 12 MU's and the other holds 10 MU's

Wow, that siding is longer than I realized!

I dunno if those figures are accurate, but i remember that from somewhere - they are pretty long though, i have walked back there, and the one ends right at the beginning of the parkway bridge, and the other siding has a bumper block.

There is a remnant of a signal lying in the weeds, I guess it was the home signal coming off the Seashore for High interlocking. There isn't a head on it, but the mast is still there, and very heavy. There are also loads of brakeshoes back there, and old switch heaters (kerosene ones) and other junk back there.

It kind of breaks your heart.......

Would that the service still remained to A.H. and Sandy Hook... and that whole route. Would have been nice....

Yeah, I know... romantic rail notion... :-)
BigDell

I could swear I remember seeing a caboose along the Henry Hudson trail, somewhere in Union Beach I think, a few years ago! I wonder if it's still there.

Yes, its still there in Port Monmouth at the rebuilt train station - the station was destroyed in a fire about 7 years ago, and it was rebuilt by the organization "Middletown Helps its Own" a community outreach program in Middletown township, who resides in the station, before and after teh fire.

Its an old NJT caboose, you can clearly make out the NJT markings, but I haven't been able to make out a number of the caboose. It was put there probably about 10 years ago, when the old station was still there.

as a side note, adn sort of unrelated, but in Belford, at the end of Palmer Ave, off of Main st, there are two very large tanks on blocks. They look very railroadish, but are very rusty, and there aren't any markings on the outside of hte tanks. I was just wondering if anyone knew if they were tank cars at one time or another.....

There is a book that I picked up at the Hobby shop in Dunellen. The title is "Images of America - Henry Hudson Trail - Central RR of NJ's Shore Branch" The book was written by Tom Gallo. It covers the Henry Hudson Trail from Matawan to Sandy Hook. Excellent photography through the entire book.