Railroad Forums 

  • Tracks/ROW near the NYSW ROW & Tilcon Quarry in Blooming

  • Discussion related to New York, Susquehanna & Western operations past and present. Also includes some discussion related to Deleware Otsego owned and operated shortlines. Official web site can be found here: NYSW.COM.
Discussion related to New York, Susquehanna & Western operations past and present. Also includes some discussion related to Deleware Otsego owned and operated shortlines. Official web site can be found here: NYSW.COM.

Moderators: GOLDEN-ARM, NJ Vike

 #373085  by jmp883
 
Not sure which quarry and which road you are talking about, especially since there are several quarries in the Bloomingdale/Riverdale/Pompton Lakes area.

The NYS&W main runs basically parallel to Hamburg Tpk. from Butler, through Bloomingdale and Riverdale. In Riverdale the main crosses Hamburg Tpk. and the Pequannock River. Still paralleling Hamburg Tpk the main goes past the Tilcon Quarry in Riverdale. It then passes under I-287 and crosses the former EL Greenwood Lake Branch near the Passaic Crushed Stone quarry in Pompton Lakes at Pompton Jct. The Greenwood Lake Branch is now owned by the NYS&W and is known as the Pompton Industrial Track. It runs from the quarry south through Riverdale and into Pequannock.

Hope this helps!
 #373303  by Idiot Railfan
 
xXwelderXx wrote:I saw what I think is a ROW going towards the entance of the Tilcon Quarry in Bloomingdale. It runs almost alongside the road.

Anyone have a clue as to what I may be looking at?
Yes, that was indeed a siding that led into the Tilcon/Riverdale Quarry. Expansion within the quarry and widening of the Hamburg Turnpike over the years have obliterated most of the ROW. I don't remember it ever being used during my 30 years or so of being familiar with the NYS&W, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been used.

I have heard that at one time that track continued past the quarry, across the Newark Pompton Turnpike and connecting with the Erie Greenwood Lake Division. I don't know how true that is, especially since there was a similar connection closer to Pompton Jct., but then this track would have avoided trestles.
 #373477  by isaksenj
 
That is the original Greenwood Lake connector, from back in NJ Midland days. It devolved into a siding for the quarry, and was last used for loading during the rehab in 1985/86 -- I remember seeing the former Amtrak Ortner cars being loaded there on a now-removed section of the track where the current entrance to the quarry is now located.

Siding comes off the main just west of Matthews Avenue, and is still occasionally used near the former Matthews Chemical facility for transloads.

There is another, abandoned connector from E/B NYSW to S/B Greenwood Lake closer to Pompton Junction that came along later, and is clearly visible in winter.

 #373496  by jmp883
 
Maybe I should be the one to use the name 'Idiot Railfan'. I've lived here since 1973 and railfanning since I started driving in 1982...thanks for cluing me in on the Matthews Avenue siding. I was aware of the abandonded ROW's at Pompton Jct.

Just goes to show you learn something new every day :-D

 #373664  by cjvrr
 
The Riverdale quarry is on the south side of the Pequannock River. The Bloomingdale Quarry is on the north side of the river.

Having grown up in Riverdale and now living in Butler I have to respectfully disagree that the siding into the Riverdale quarry was anything more than just a siding. I have never seen nor heard of any evidence of a connection from the quarry branch through downtown Riverdale and over to the Erie. There is however evidence of the connection up nearer to Pompton Junction. There was also another business between the tracks and the Pequannock River, they made concrete pipe. That business had a siding and that siding was probably a remnant of the NYS&W EB to Erie SB connection. That location was transformed into an artificial wetlands when Route 287 was constructed. The connector is still visible on the south side of the Pequannock River.

The Riverdale quarry was accessed from the main via the siding on Mathews Avenue. There had been a cement unloading facility with silo adjacent to the Paterson Hamburg Turnpike. That structure, the quarry's old company homes and the old Turnpike toll booth home were all removed for Route 287. The Riverdale quarry is run by Tilcon.

There is one small bridge along that branch over a stream. It was in hideous shape in the late 1970's. I am doubtful any stone for the NYS&W rebuild came from the Riverdale quarry because the construction of Route 287 was in the beginning stages at that time and the changes at the quarry entrance to the Turnpike were the first to occur. The school bus took me past the quarry daily from 1983 to 1989 and I don't remember seeing any repairs to the branch or any railcars at the quarry. If you know where to look you can see the substantial elevation difference between the remnant of the branch and the Paterson Hamburg Turnpike. Its over 6 feet. Stone did come from Limecrest and Bloomingdale.

The Bloomingdale Quarry is accessed via Pompton Lakes. It is also run by Tilcon. This is along the former Erie Greewood Lake Branch. Stone is loaded there from time to time for use by the NYS&W. It is the only quarry left with adjacent rail access along the line. There is no branch or lead specifically into or for the quarry.

Chris
Last edited by cjvrr on Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.