Wharton and Northern engine house Pics

[mikedc3]

I know almost nothing about the WnN. There really isn't anything online about this road and since it was taken over by the CNJ, Most of the info is on the branch rather than the company. Anyway, A long time ago someone told me there are remains of a WnN engine house in the woods in Roxbury. I walked out there years ago and found it. At the time there was a tarp over parts of it and a guy was living in it. I didn't have a camera with me at the time so I always wanted to go back there again.

I went this weekend and took some pics. For the life of me I can't figure out why they built this where it is. This is literally out in the middle of no where. There isn't a house within a mile of here in 2006. I can't imagine what it was like way back when. I wonder why it wasn't built closer to town.

It was hard to get any good pics as it is really overgrown but...

I think this may have been an oil house:



Note the tarp and the poles\logs over the top. This is where the guy was living last time I was here.



Engine house, It's kinda hard to make it out though.







The engine house is about 150 feet long and had 2 tracks.

I believe this may have been the ash pit. It goes at least 4 feet down.



Inspection pit under 1 track.







A neat place!!

[CAR_FLOATER]

Mike -

Great pics......I was under the impression that this was all gone (or will be soon) as the area is being developed (finally after all these years) not that I think that's a good thing, mind you. You were in the area south of Rt.15 (at Picatinny exit) and the back end of Wharton/Lower Bershire Valley, right? All I know is that these shops were located at the junction of the "mainline" (the Morris County RR, if IIRC) that headed into Wharton proper, and the extension to the junction with the Ogden Mine RR, probably was installed after the CNJ leased both lines, to effect a thru connection. And I agree (and am as perplexed) as you are, as to why would they build this out in, what was even then, the woods? Until the 21st Century, I don't think there was ever any serious habitation out this way. Maybe the land was real cheap?

CF

[henry6]

Histories of the CNJ and the book Mining Railroads of North Jersey by Larry Lowenthal do a lot of justice to the CNJ's W&N and Mt. Hope Mineral roads along with other in the area. YOur pics from Roxbury, are they from HO Junction engine facility? W&N did not go further south than there but did go north through Picatinny to Green Pond Jct.; Mt. Hope MIneral was out of Wharton and the Hibernia or Rockaway branch connected it to HO.

[mikedc3]

Mike -

Great pics......I was under the impression that this was all gone (or will be soon) as the area is being developed (finally after all these years) not that I think that's a good thing, mind you. You were in the area south of Rt.15 (at Picatinny exit) and the back end of Wharton/Lower Bershire Valley, right? All I know is that these shops were located at the junction of the "mainline" (the Morris County RR, if IIRC) that headed into Wharton proper, and the extension to the junction with the Ogden Mine RR, probably was installed after the CNJ leased both lines, to effect a thru connection. And I agree (and am as perplexed) as you are, as to why would they build this out in, what was even then, the woods? Until the 21st Century, I don't think there was ever any serious habitation out this way. Maybe the land was real cheap?

CF

The "new" development starts a couple hundred yards from this place so, I guess it's safe for a while longer. Even now, you can't see the construction site from the engine house.

This area is right off Rt. 80 west. If you pass Rt. 15, The Wharton exits and go up the hill, on the left there is a JCPnL sub station right next to the road. on the right the ROW is blocked by a short guard rail (You can see a rock cut right behind it.) Then there is a power line ROW. If you go down that to the tracks and go right, it's down a few hundred feet in the woods. If you go under a bridge right before the rest area in Roxbury, you went too far.

[CAR_FLOATER]

Mike -

Right, that would be the ROW of the "main line". Very cool, I'll have to explore the area next time I am visiting my parents (I grew up in Rockaway). I have hunted the Lower Berkshire Valley Wildlife Management area in years past and followed the W&N/OM/CNJ "connection" north, but never far enough to where the "junction" was. Again, thanks for uncovering it and sharing. If I could, I'd like to share them with the CNJ group I moderate over on that "other" .net site, be it via link or posting of pictures, with your permission, of course. Linking to your site would of course, be easiest for everyone involved.

Ralph H. aka Car Floater

[mikedc3]

Mike -

Right, that would be the ROW of the "main line". Very cool, I'll have to explore the area next time I am visiting my parents (I grew up in Rockaway). I have hunted the Lower Berkshire Valley Wildlife Management area in years past and followed the W&N/OM/CNJ "connection" north, but never far enough to where the "junction" was. Again, thanks for uncovering it and sharing. If I could, I'd like to share them with the CNJ group I moderate over on that "other" .net site, be it via link or posting of pictures, with your permission, of course. Linking to your site would of course, be easiest for everyone involved.

Ralph H. aka Car Floater

Go ahead. I'll see you "over there"

[cjvrr]

The enginehouse was located on the old Wharton & Northern line that went into downtown Wharton, that is the red line on the attached link. The "New" line to Lake Junction is the green colored line. The enginehouse was at the junction of these two lines.

Also remember that there were iron mines all over this area. Route 80 is built on top of some as well as some new construction just to the south of Route 80 in Wharton. So the enginehouse was probably located here to be out of the way of mining operations.


As part of a project under development by the County some employees walked the line through the major housing development under construction to the northeast of the enginehouse. The track is very disturbed through that site, but it wasn't supposed to be. The US Military still owns the rail line and will require the developer to restore the line and 50' wide right of way through the development. There is supposedly an ongoing law suit about this. The US military wants the rail line kept in place as it may be needed at some point in the future.

The webpage it is located on is


http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2415383 ... 9619VBXyNz


Edited to repair link

[CAR_FLOATER]

Thanks for the info, Chris, it's interesting to say the least that the Government still wants the ability of rail service......However, the map link didn't work (for me at least)

RH/CF

[blockline4180]

The rail line to Picatinny may be needed if this country falls under a nuclear attack.... At this point, I wouldn't rule something like that out in the next 20 years...

[cjvrr]

I think I repaired the link, I can't stand webshots but you can't beat the price.

The Aresenal is going through a major redevelopment and change in focus to allow gov't / private partnerships and the like to develop areas of the property. So keeping the right of way in place isn't costing them anything (no taxes to pay) and may attract some unknown entity to the site. They have 6,500 acres of property ripe for (re)development.



Chris

[MarkRouters]

I just tried the link. It worked for me.

[mikedc3]

The enginehouse was located on the old Wharton & Northern line that went into downtown Wharton, that is the red line on the attached link. The "New" line to Lake Junction is the green colored line. The enginehouse was at the junction of these two lines.

Which is another thing I don't get. Why and when was this line relocated?
I'm assuming the elevated WnN line once came out of down town Wharton, Crossed over the Lackawanna, And then came down to ground level heading toward the enginehouse???

At some point it was relocated to come out the end of the yard at LK Jct and then went under the Lackawanna. I really don't know.

This engine house is in the middle of an old wye BTW.

Here's a few pic's of some remains of the WnN elevated line, This is near the corner of Central Ave. and Dewey ave:

[CAR_FLOATER]

Mike -

From what I understand (and I don't have the book in front of me, I'm at work) was that according to Larry Lowenthal's Iron Mine RR's Of Northern NJ, the W&N, BEFORE it was leased by the CNJ, was owned by the Wharton Steel interests, and the original line left the shop area, headed into Wharton to the passenger station (now gone) and over Main St and into the furnance on a long tressle, as seen in said book.
After passenger service was discontinued, and the steel mill was closed (1930's?), the CNJ had no reason to keep the line. The CNJ would have wanted to effect a direct connection to their new property, and the original line did not give them this, as the W&N ran OVER the MT. Hope Mineral via said tressle. As we all know, the W&N became part of a through route via the High Bridge Branch to the NYS&W. Even though the W&N technically ended at the junction with the Ogden Mine RR just west of Lake Junct. (I forget the junction name), most people consider it beginning/ending at Hopatcong Jct, especially after the OMRR was abandoned. It was a neat railroad, even if it's reason for being ended long ago, and it ran in relative obscurity.

RH/CF

[mikedc3]

Mike -

From what I understand (and I don't have the book in front of me, I'm at work) was that according to Larry Lowenthal's Iron Mine RR's Of Northern NJ, the W&N, BEFORE it was leased by the CNJ, was owned by the Wharton Steel interests, and the original line left the shop area, headed into Wharton to the passenger station (now gone) and over Main St and into the furnance on a long tressle, as seen in said book.
After passenger service was discontinued, and the steel mill was closed (1930's?), the CNJ had no reason to keep the line. The CNJ would have wanted to effect a direct connection to their new property, and the original line did not give them this, as the W&N ran OVER the MT. Hope Mineral via said tressle. As we all know, the W&N became part of a through route via the High Bridge Branch to the NYS&W. Even though the W&N technically ended at the junction with the Ogden Mine RR just west of Lake Junct. (I forget the junction name), most people consider it beginning/ending at Hopatcong Jct, especially after the OMRR was abandoned. It was a neat railroad, even if it's reason for being ended long ago, and it ran in relative obscurity.

RH/CF

Ok, Makes sense now. Thanks!!

The Jct between the WnN "main" and Ogden mine\Nolans Point line was I believe Morris Co. Jct??

If I have it right. There was Chester Jct on the Lackawanna where the Chester branch hit the mail. Then was Lake Jct between the DLnW and WnN where the yard is. Then Morris Co. Jct.

Anyone know when the enginehouse was built? The lower walls were poured concrete so I'm thinkin 1905-10 or so.

[GOLDEN-ARM]

Ferromonte Jct fits in this mess as well, doesn't it? Been a while, but I've hiked all of those roadbeds, and even visited a few mines, with some fellow M&E employees, back in the day.....