West Newark Branch

[zz14]

There used to be a line called the "West Newark Branch". It crossed over Frelinghuysen Ave, ran just north of E and W Peddie St, and then turned north (I'm not sure where) to about Clinton Ave. I once found a map, but couldn't find it recently. Any Information?

[Sir Ray]

I remember seeing the remants of that branch over 10 years ago, particularly noticing the curved loading docks still visible on some of the large industrial buildings along Peddie.

Historic Aerial Topo map of the area, 1969 - Topo map shows it turning North around Peshine and heading up to 18th St. Using Google Satellite, looks like the usual townhouses and mini-Parks have replaced it along Peshine Ave, and a reaonsably sized park (Nat Turner Park) where the End-of-Branch yard was located. Still pretty easy to follow the ROW along Peddie (not really encumbered), where a number of the sizable industrial buildings I mentioned before remain.

[pumpers]

From this 1904 map, http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/NEWARK/Newark_1904.gif" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
it looks like it came off the LV main, and once ran west along Peddie to just past Badger St, and then indeed ran north between Badger and Jelliff about 8 blocks up 18th Ave as noted by Sir Ray. JS

[Sir Ray]

I rechecked my link to the Historic Aerials topo map, and for some reason it went to the default page (map of the entire US) - clicking in the address box, it went to the map of the area in question. Weird, and annoying...
Aerial images earlier than 1980 tend to be hit or miss, but it seems that the 1966 shows the branch as active, with freight cars in the curved covered loading docks at the industrial building located at Peddie and Sherman (the loading docks remain today, but the rails are long gone). There were also a decent number of freight cars in a yard located at Clinton/Alpine between Badger & Jelliff. Look to be some cars in the yard at 18th St. also, but hard to really make out (switching to 1954 view, seems a bit clearer, and a sizable amount of freight cars).
Switching to 1970, the yard at 18th seems torn up, and there doesn't seem to be any freight cars on the branch at all (well, there might be one car, hard to make out), and by 1979 (which is very clear, and in color), the yards and buildings around 18th street are torn up, and while a lot of the branch still remains (especially the grade crossings), townhouses are already starting to replace the industrial buildings that surrounded the section of the branch that ran North/South (lets see if this 1979 Aerial view link works)