Totowa railroad tracks.....

I'm always driving on Riverview Drive (going from Wayne to Totowa). I see that theres a old RR line there. I believe that it crosses Lackawana road. When did these tracks cease to be used? I also see that someone took a light from one of the Standard Flashers thats on that road.

Steven,


The tracks that you saw under Riverview Drive were once part of the original Lackawanna Booton Line. It was double and triple tracked through this area with many industries. There are only two now that still receive service. The trackage that crosses Lackawanna Rd. and Rt. 46 eventually ends at the water treatment plant along the Passaic River. The last revenue frieght was in the 80's if I'm not mistaken. All this trackage is currently owned and operated by NS.

Those tracks, across 46, I wouldn't be surprised if there are few mvts on that track. There are no gates at the 46 crossing.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:Those tracks, across 46, I wouldn't be surprised if there are few mvts on that track. There are no gates at the 46 crossing.

The US 46 crossing has had EXEMPT signs on it for many years. In the last few years of sporadic service to the water plant, a crew member had to activate the signals and flag the six lanes of US 46

About 15 years back, my mother was going to work and was stopped at the crossing for about 30 minutes because she said a car had apparetnly been struck by a locomotive crossing the highway that was drilling the water treatment facility.

Other than that, I have not once ever seen anything moving on those tracks.

nevets2968,

Incase you are wondering, the alignment for Rt. 80 from Wayne to Paterson rides over when the Lackawanna used to follow. The NJDOT offered to make room for the EL to run a single track line along side the highway, but the EL refused and re-alinged everything. Arouynd that same time was when the EL also ripped all the tracks out of Passaic and rerouted the Main Line over the former DLW Boonton Line. While the other end of the DLW Boonton was merged in with Eries Greenwood Lake Line.

I'm not sure if Rt. 80 was why the main lines of Northern NJ where re-routed almost entirely, but Rt. 80 sure did play a big role in it all.

I remember conrail GP7's and GP9's crossing route 46 to go into the Water plant in the early to mid 80's..... Last time I saw a train over that segment was in 1986 ot 87.....

Steve

As recently as the late 90s, all of the signals at the US Route 46 crossing were intact. Since then, some have rusted away and only two remain.

My mother did recall stopping for a train here in the late 80s. The tracks here are filled with weed.

I just drove past the other day, and noticed the poor conditions of the tracks, I don't see how a train could pass today. In addition, the business on the eastbound side of 46 took the liberty of dumping all their snow on the ROW, there has to be about a 10 foot pile of snow there.

In addition, the business on the eastbound side of 46 took the liberty of dumping all their snow on the ROW, there has to be about a 10 foot pile of snow there.

The Cadillac dealership?

njt4172 wrote:I remember conrail GP7's and GP9's crossing route 46 to go into the Water plant in the early to mid 80's..... Last time I saw a train over that segment was in 1986 ot 87.....

Steve

That sounds right. I think the last service to Passaic Valley Water was about 1988-1989...

Thanks for the information.
Silly question part deux. If those tracks are "exempt" ...why do they still excist? I mean ...wouldnt it be easier to remove the track that crosses 46?

Steve, Glad to see you found these forums! Maybe you can lobby for a LOU forum or southern one.

nevets2968 wrote:Thanks for the information.
Silly question part deux. If those tracks are "exempt" ...why do they still excist? I mean ...wouldnt it be easier to remove the track that crosses 46?

Exempt is a relatively easy status to obtain. File several papers and post signs.

Removing the rails requires administrative hearings, etc and would require significant expense in destruction costs. The towns would not necessarily like to have the spur ripped out as it could be useful to a future occupant of the 4 or 5 buildings.

Since US 46 was just repaved and widened in the area, the bump-bump exempt crossing will be there for a while

The placement of the sign "EXEMPT" on a crossing as outlined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) means;

"These supplemental signs inform drivers of vehicles carrying passengers for hire, school buses carrying students, or vehicles carrying hazardous materials that a stop is not required at certain designated highway-rail grade crossings, except when a train, locomotive, or other railroad equipment is approaching or occupying the highway-rail grade crossing, or the driver's view is blocked."

The MUTCD manual defines all signs permitted for use on public and private roadways...

I remember seeing a GP-7 or GP-9 parked just east of that crossing in the mid 1980's. I also remember seeing the back up from a train having crossed there one late night coming home from college around 1989. I think this got drilled in the middle of the night when traffic volumes were at their lightest.

The Morristown & Erie crossing at Troy Hills Road also has "Exempt" signs, again for the same reason. Prevents the multitude of school busses from having to stop at the crossing.


Chris V, traffic engineer

cjvrr wrote:The Morristown & Erie crossing at Troy Hills Road also has "Exempt" signs, again for the same reason. Prevents the multitude of school busses from having to stop at the crossing.
Chris V, traffic engineer

The crossing on route one in front of the Ford plant is also marked "Exempt"; imagind the mess a collection of school busses & home heating oil trucks could make as they each came to a full stop...

I lived in Clifton from 1978 until 1980 and I remember the horrendus backups on Rt 46 from the drill into the water plant...