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  • Lehigh & New England in 2004

  • Discussion of the L&NR railroad for the period 1868-1961 at its inclusion in the Central of New Jersey. Also includes predecessors South Mountain and Boston Railroad, Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and New England Railroad, and others.
Discussion of the L&NR railroad for the period 1868-1961 at its inclusion in the Central of New Jersey. Also includes predecessors South Mountain and Boston Railroad, Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and New England Railroad, and others.

Moderator: David

 #76112  by Lackawanna484
 
(originally posted on the NJ thread)

Lehigh & New England ran a coal hauling railroad from the anthracite belt of Pennsylvania, Hauto area, northeast to Portland PA, over the Delaware River and connected with the NYSW. For a line that's been gone for forty five years, there's a lot of it still around.

From Hainesburg junction, almost underneath the easternmost arch of the DL&W Paulinskill viaduct, the combined lines ran north to Swartswood Lake, where the Suskie ran east to Sparta. The Swartswood station was located at the corner of Old Swartswood Road, and Junction Road. The JN tower was north of the station and south of Plotts Rd. The foundations of JN tower are visible.

New Jersey thoughtfully built a bridge for US 206 over the LNE between Branchville and Augusta, at Augusta Hill Rd. Just east of the cutoff to Branchville town. The row is an ATV trail now.

LNE ran northeast from here, running parallel to, and just east of, Plains Road in Frankford, on the west side of CO 565. The railroad crossed the county road at the junction with Plains. The embankment is quite visible.

The LNE passed east of Sussex town, running alongside Lewisburg Creamery Road. There's a bridge carrying NJ 23 over the right of way. The DL&W crossed at grade on the north side of the bridge, and the LNE had trackage rights into the town. The creamery has been rebuilt into a modern office building. SW side of town.

There's a supermarket and auto dealer on the location of the junction, but the right of way is pretty visible. If you head south on 23, and take a left at the traffic light by the Dodge dealer, the LNE is on your left. The line is marked by utility poles. Bassetts Road and Owens Station Road cross the right of way.

If you're still back in Sussex, at the LNE bridge, a left onto 23, and a quick right onto 284 puts you alongside the NYSW/OM branch from Beaver Lake to Sussex to Hanford. It's on your left for three or four miles before it drifts off to the west.
 #77242  by mdamico23
 
>>The LNE passed east of Sussex town, running alongside Lewisburg Creamery Road. There's a bridge carrying NJ 23 over the right of way. The DL&W crossed at grade on the north side of the bridge, and the LNE had trackage rights into the town. The creamery has been rebuilt into a modern office building. SW side of town.


I don't think the DL&W ever served the town of Sussex. They did serve Branchville, NJ which is located northwest of Sussex town, and as in Sussex County. This line crossed the L&NE in Augusta, NJ on a diamond.

The Susquehanna Hanford Branch served the town of Sussex. To my knowlege, the L&NE never had trackage rights on this line, although there was an interchange track between the two. (The NYS&W passed over the L&NE on a bridge). The Hanford Branch was abandoned in 1958 and torn up in 1958/59.

The L&NE had a separate 1.2-mile branch into the town of Sussex. This branch was abandoned with the mainline on November 1, 1961 and torn up in the Spring of 1962.

In 1961-62, a group of investors were almost successful in resurrecting this part of the line. They chartered the Sussex County RR and it was to run from Sussex to the Erie Lackawanna (former DL&W) connection in Augusta. It is hard to say how long this line would have lasted as the EL abandoned most of the Branchville line (including the former connection) at Augusta in the mid to late 1960s.

-Mike

 #96810  by NJ Vike
 
Many parts of the former L&NE are now the property of the Elizabeth Town Gas company but you can still see the railbed without trespassing.

If you look below the bridge on RT23 in Sussex (near A&P) you can see the railbed. If you go down the bridge and into the parking lot towards the body shop, walk about a few hundred feet and you will see where the NYS&W Hanford Branch had a bridge that went over the L&NE.

If you go the other direction about a hundred feet from the starting point, you will see the Deckertown extenstion.

Happy hunting.
 #148144  by Henry Frick
 
the NJT campbell hall stations platform is
on exact spot where lne trains ran on erie
trackage rights to maybrook