West Orange on the Erie

[Lackawanna484]

The Railroadians series: Erie Railroad in 1910 has sections on the Caldwell and West Orange branches. Pix of the stations and outbuildings from the 1910 valuation survey. The West Orange branch came off the NY&GL at Forest Hill, and passed through the fields of East Orange and Brighton. A part of this line is the extension of the City Subway.

West Orange station butted up against Main Street in West Orange, just west of the Orange border and Day street. Main Street took a sharp bend north, just past the station. The Public Service #21 trolley had a turnback loop across the street, that location was called Erie Loop.

The station was a two story, gothic wood building, with two team tracks on the west side of the station, and two tracks on the east side. It looks like there was a switch opposite the station to allow the engine to get to the other end of the train. I don't know if WO had a turntable

I believe passenger servic ended in the 1950s...

[Tri-State Tom]

Paul -

" the fields of East Orange ".................WOW, have times changed, eh ?

ROW still pretty visible thru parts of West and East Orange....a couple grade crossings in EO still have rail !

[BlockLine_4111]

Was this line the location of a railfan hike a year or so ago ? Didn't commuter service last into the EL era of the early-mid 60's ? I guess these small incursions of the ERIE into Essex Co. couldn't compete with the more established Lackwanna as time would tell, heh ?

[ftmprob]

http://www.intac.com/~jsumberg/heller.htm
This web page has an account of the last commuter train from West Orange.

[Lackawanna484]

I guess these small incursions of the ERIE into Essex Co. couldn't compete with the more established Lackwanna as time would tell, heh ?

I doubt that passenger activity was ever much of a presence on the branch. The DL&W Orange station was only 4-5 blocks away, and the PSCT trolley was at its doorstep.

The West Orange branch generated a lot of freight acitivity, with service to a warren of industrial plants, a large team track yard by the Charms factory on Bloomfield Ave, Hartz, several electric motor and tool & die makers, etc. A few of the old industrial buildings, with their disused sidings, are still there.

It was pretty much hollowed out by the industrial collapse of that area in the 1960s. Same factors which killed the freight service on the nearby Montclair electric line

[timz]

"Didn't commuter service last into the EL era of the early-mid 60's?"

No, he's right. It ended around 1953.

[BlockLine_4111]

I guess back in the day the ERIE's Greenwood Lake Branch enabled it to make incursions into DL&W domain. Perhaps the reason why a portion of that line now fuses 2 ex-DL&W routes into one uniform, mini-mainline.

[njt4172]

No, I think service ended on the Orange Branch in 1955............

[Lackawanna484]

No, I think service ended on the Orange Branch in 1955............

I'd agree with 1955 for the end of passenger service, and the cited page mentioned that date as well.

The cited page also mentioned 50 industries on line, several by name. That's quite a few for such a short branch line. The examples were basic manufacturing and assembly, jobs now handled exclusively offshore

[riffian]

cooincidentally, I was exploring around this line yesterday. Where is the Hartz Mountain faiclity located? what is the routing taken to access this customer? It obviously entails some use of the otherwise abandoned lower Boonton Line.

[Lackawanna484]

cooincidentally, I was exploring around this line yesterday. Where is the Hartz Mountain faiclity located? what is the routing taken to access this customer? It obviously entails some use of the otherwise abandoned lower Boonton Line.

Hartz is off Bloomfield Avenue just (railroad) west of the crossing. I believe there's a Hartz sign directing truckers at the traffic intersection just (compass) west of the rail crossing. The NJT City Subway car barn is on the opposite (north) side of the avenue and in about 1/4 mile.

[henry6]

...of commuters on this line, didn't this line come into existance because commuters in the late 19th Century want a better deal than they were getting from the M&E-DL&W so that the Erie people were influenced to build it?

[Lackawanna484]

...of commuters on this line, didn't this line come into existance because commuters in the late 19th Century want a better deal than they were getting from the M&E-DL&W so that the Erie people were influenced to build it?

Yes.

Erie also invested in a rail line which would link Montclair and Morristown. Branching off the NY&GL at Walnut Street, running parallel and sightly north of Walnut, crossing Valley at, and slicing off a piece of, Tierney's Tavern, crossing Mountain, and diving into a tunnel at MKA field.

Tunnel entrance has only recently been remodeled away, and there are bridge pilings still visible at Verona Lake. The Caldwell Branch replaced this effort.

[Tri-State Tom]

"....and slicing off a piece of, Tierney's Tavern,...."

Thank Gawd the Erie folks came to their senses....would have changed me life dramatically !

[Lackawanna484]

"....and slicing off a piece of, Tierney's Tavern,...."

Thank Gawd the Erie folks came to their senses....would have changed me life dramatically !

Mine, too.

If you stand across Valley Rd from Tierney's, you can see the left front corner of the building actually has a slice taken out of it. About three feet, which mirrors the railroad's proposed right of way.