NJ rail yards "lost" and "downsized"

[econandon]

I wonder if we can put our heads together to create a list of rail yards that no longer exist, or which are much smaller than they had been previously.

The focus here is on rail yards, not rail lines.

I am sure there are many examples along the Northeast Corridor and in Hudson County. Some examples include

• Trenton (NEC) - not sure how many different yards the PRR had adjacent to the corridor
• Monmouth Junction (NEC in South Brunswick)
• Durant Yard (NEC in Elizabeth)
• Waverly Yard (NEC in Newark) - downsized

I am sure that there were once small yards all along the Chemical Coast, scattered throughout the Pine Barrens, the Jersey Shore, and the northwest quadrant of the state. Back in the days when transportation was almost entirely by rail, there must have been a lot more yards to handle the rolling stock.

Relevant details could include:
• location
• name (if unofficial how it got that name)
• track count
• what the yard was used for (freight, passenger coaches, etc)
• the companies/territory served (if applicable)
• crew symbols
• approximate dates of operation
• reason that the yard was closed

Blackseal Jim gives a good example over in the Freehold Secondary thread:

As far as Freehold goes , the yard Conrail uses now has been there for a long time . A spur once left there to serve Brakeleys Cannery , which in 1902 , was turning out 177,000 cans of peas a day . Next was the PRR Freight house on the corner of Broad & Throckmorton. There were 3 or so tracks that came in this area as there was the freight house, Combs & Ellis Lumber & Coal Co., a foundry and a warehouse and another coal co. A bit down the line was where the CNJ & PRR interchanged.

I am only asking because I am curious. This could be a longer-term project if someone wants to actually start researching old books etc.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Barracks Yard (PRR)- was a major facility. In recent years, served layovers for NJT NEC sets. It was bascially a set of electrified sidings at the end when it was replaced by Morrisville (2004).

Port Morris (Lackawanna) - an active freight hub since the late 1800s, later a transfer station for freight to/from the Cutoff. Fell into disuse after 1969. Reopened by NJT 1995 as a diesel facility, downsized.

Secaucus Yard (Lackawanna) - freight yard on Boonton Line. Now gone. Approximate site

Croxton Yard (Erie/EL/CR/NS) - downsized.

Morristown Yard (Lackawanna) - electric MU yard. Now abandoned. (1970s)

South Orange (Lackawanna) - roundhouse, MU facility, yard. All gone.

Elizabethport (CNJ/Conrail-CSAO) - downsized. CNJ shops closed 1988, torn down for the Jersey Gardens development. NS E-Rail on site.

Hunter (PRR) - freight terminal & yard, Newark. Downsized, now Amtrak MoW station (freight platforms still in place)

Pavonia (Erie) - gone

Exchange Place (PRR) - gone (early 1960s)

Weehawken (NYC) - all lost, now Port Imperial development

[Jtgshu]

Most recent I can think of is Linden yard for the GM plant

Others off the top of my head

South Amboy, on the Camden and Amboy and the NY and LB
Red Bank (consolidated into Browns)
Long Branch (Id assume consolidated into Red Bank then into Browns)
Bradley Beach
Cranford
Plainfield
Westfield even had a decent sized yard
Bound Brook and Somerville

If you wanna go way back, you have Matawan and Atlantic Highlands

[TAMR213]

Also along the NEC there was at one time the "Baldwin Street Yard" in New Brunswick. This was located on the track 4 side just to the north of the COUNTY area, at the intersection of Baldwin Street and Jersey Ave. Today the site is home to a Walgreens and a block sized vacent lot.

Have no idea if it was freight or passenger, or when it was abandoned (but that was at least 20 years ago)... Would appreciate any info that anyone could provide on this former yard, as I haven't been able to find much over the years...

In addition, I guess this could be considered a "yard", in the web of track that was built to serve Camp Kilmer (by three different railroads, the RDG, LV, and PRR) there was a coach yard built by the PRR for the troop trains. This site is now the location of the DMV inspection station along Kilmer Road in Edison. Bits of trackage can still be found among the surrounding warehouses...

[R36 Combine Coach]

Some more:

Paterson (Erie) - downsized, now only NS local switching

Butler (NYSW) - once a main freight service point and the western end of passenger service until 1966, now used mainly for storage

Wharton (CNJ/Wharton & Northern) - this was a major junction and the north end of the High Bridge Branch, with connections to Mt. Hope Mineral RR and Dover & Rockaway Branch. All gone, except the Chester (Lake) Junction on M&E today.

Newark (Lackawanna) - freight yard.

H&M (PATH) - Henderson Yard/Shop. Closed in 1990 with the opening of new PATH Harrison Facility. High-rise condos built on site

Lakewood (CNJ) - former freight yard

Kingsland Shops (Lackawanna) - on Boonton Line, Lyndhurst. DL&W's main car shop. Site still intact.

Belle Meade GSA Depot, large complex. Closed 1991.

[Off Pending]

Trenton, NJ's "Coalport Yard," where the southern end of the Bel-Del (and I believe the northern end of the Bordentown Secondary) entered the NEC is pretty much gone.

Last I saw, it was down to one through track that connects the Bordentown Secondary to the NEC.

[kilroy]

On the Pennsy side, you have Stiles Street Yard in Linden - now empty but still there.

There was also a small yard by Singer Sewing Machine in Rahway along the Amboy Branch, right by Union Interlocking. Don't recall the name of the yard at this point. I dont think there are any rails left in there.

[econandon]

The comments so far have been very productive and interesting. I can think of a few large areas that I think should have had railyards.

Does anybody know if there were any yards

... on the C&A between Burlington and South Amboy?

... on the Southern Secondary (NJ Southern) between Lakewood/Whiting and Winslow Junction?

... south/west of Camden (besides Woodbury, Paulsboro, and Millville)?

... along the Jersey Shore south of Bay Head, or between Atlantic Highlands and Long Branch?

... on the PRR Atlantic Division anywhere?

[Jtgshu]

I don't believe there were any major yards inbetween Long Branch and Atlantic Highlands, other than maybe a few tracks in a few places to keep some cars. There MIGHT have been a semi decent yard at East Long Branch Jct (i think thats what it was called) WAAAAAAAAAAAAY back, where the line from Eatontown connected with the line coming up from West End, right at the current Broadway/Joline Ave area, near that moving company with the blue house. (remember, the current divided 4 lane Ocean Blvd/Ocean Ave - Route 36 is built on the old RR ROW up to Monmouth Beach - the ROW splits from Ocean Blvd near Chelsea Ave where the highway turns). I don't have my copy of "the bible" aka, Trail of the Blue Comet handy to double check.

Of course, don't forget all the trackage and yards and facilities that were out on Sandy Hook for Fort Hancock, which was pretty impressive in its time. Highlands only really had a run-around, with some sidings, Atlantic Highlands was the major yard on the Seashore Branch. However, the Seashore never really had a lot of freight, it was mainly a passenger line.

Also, remember, there were several different yards in Matawan. Basically any place where there currently is a parking lot, either paved or dirt, used to have track at one point.....

[Jtgshu]

On the Pennsy side, you have Stiles Street Yard in Linden - now empty but still there.

There was also a small yard by Singer Sewing Machine in Rahway along the Amboy Branch, right by Union Interlocking. Don't recall the name of the yard at this point. I dont think there are any rails left in there.

You are probably referring to the current "McGraw yard" which still exists, there are two tracks in it, but it was MUCH larger at one point in time, all the other tracks are removed, as well as a siding/branch that had a bridge over that creek there as well.

[econandon]

Of course, don't forget all the trackage and yards and facilities that were out on Sandy Hook for Fort Hancock, which was pretty impressive in its time. Highlands only really had a run-around, with some sidings, Atlantic Highlands was the major yard on the Seashore Branch. However, the Seashore never really had a lot of freight, it was mainly a passenger line.

Remember also that Sandy Hook was a disembarkation point for immigrants, until Ellis Island opened in 1892.

After alighting from their ships, I'm 90% sure that the new arrivals rode on the CNJ into Newark/Bayonne/JC. I am not sure if they used the same facility that vacationers used when transferring off the local ferries.

A quick Googling pointed me to this page: http://www.trainweb.org/bedt/milrr/fthancock.html. It has some good info (especially about the Fort), and some maps too. Update 9:45pm - I contacted the page owner to ask if he has an index with which to decode the building numbers on the 1918 map.

[econandon]

Further research brings me to this site: raildata.railfan.net.

There is a variety of information on the page, and track maps are available for selected railroads:

• CNJ - http://raildata.railfan.net/cnj/homecnj.html
• DL&W - http://raildata.railfan.net/dlw/dlwhome.html
• ERIE - http://raildata.railfan.net/erie/homeerr.html
• LVRR - http://raildata.railfan.net/lv/homelv.html
• PRR - http://raildata.railfan.net/prr/prrnjn.html (hard to read/understand)
• PRSL - http://raildata.railfan.net/prsl/prslmap.html
• RDG - http://raildata.railfan.net/index.html#rdg
• SIRT (B&O) - http://raildata.railfan.net/b&o/sirt.html

Yards are indicated on the maps above. This info is pertinent to the topic, but I can't catalog all the yards right now.

[NJrailfan]

As for the southwest area of the State around Camden:

Bulson Street Yard in Camden has deffinatley been downsized but I belive still sees some car storage. (Usually switched by CA-05 and CA-69, they sometimes set out cars there durring the week.) You can see it from Brodway, and to a leser extend 676, althought it is kind of a difficult area in which to stop for long.

Salem yard on what is now the USRAIL corp Salem line was still used for car storrage when SRNJ owned it, and I belive still has 4 or 5 tracks.

[ccutler]

High Bridge had a yard that was active long, long ago for iron ore trains moving down the High Bridge branch going to Bethlehem Steel. Kind of hard to imagine NJ as a mining paradise but it once was a major mineral producer.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Remnants of High Bridge yard