Abandoned stations-- NJT and predecessors

[ryanov]

that last photo is unbelieable. The amount of people that turned out. Makes you wonder did they show up to see the final train as a final salute or was it a thank god its gone good bye.

I wondered that myself. If the train was important enough to have crowds come out for the last one, why was service being removed?

As I recall, passenger service wasn't abandoned, it was rerouted to bypass traveling along the center of the main street with grade crossings every couple hundred feet which was a safety and operating headache. The City approved of the bypass.

These changes created a nice low grade low grade crossing route for freight via the Southern Tier and permitted through freight to be removed from the Lackawanna side in NJ. It also served to remove passenger trains from the downtowns of Southern Passaic county, contributing to their decline.

And there's my problem. Removing some grade crossings pales in comparison to helping to mess up a town (though they approved the decision, so hey) and moving the train so far from the actual city of Passaic (I've used the new station -- it's in a fine place if that's where you're going) only relegates a whole town center to the bus. One can say "who wants to go there anyway," but that is often a function of whether one can get there.

[transit383]

What year did North Newark close on the lower Boonton Line? It was located between Rowe Street and Arlington, just west of WR Draw. I thought it was closed under Erie Lackawanna rule, but the NJT 1980 Official Map shows it as an active stop.

NJT 1980 Map

[peconicstation]

What year did North Newark close on the lower Boonton Line? It was located between Rowe Street and Arlington, just west of WR Draw. I thought it was closed under Erie Lackawanna rule, but the NJT 1980 Official Map shows it as an active stop.

NJT 1980 Map

North Newark, as a station stop ended in '83 or 84'.

In the 70's it had more service than Arlington, but as the area around it nose-dived badly people avoided it. North Newark also had a fairly strong base of commuters de-training there, and then using the #18 bus to reach jobs downtown (about a 15 minute ride). This patronage dried up not only on account of the stations area, but also the loss of jobs downtown as companies moved away.

Ken

[devb3]

I didn't know there was a station at West End at any point, though the section under the 1&9 bridge looks as though it could have held one. Does anyone have any more info on it? A google search isn't turning up much except for old special instructions that refer to the interlocking as a station. Well, that and a NYTimes article from 1900 about an unconscious engineer that makes a brief mention: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-fr ... 946197D6CF (second story in the column).

[Kaback9]

Did NJT ever use the shack at Monmouth Jct?

[R36 Combine Coach]

According to Taber, West End was never a station. Interlocking, junction and movable bridge.

[timz]

Sounds like you're telling him there was never a DL&W West End station-- but probably he's asking if Erie had a station there. For all I know maybe they did, before the Bergen Arches were built circa 1909.

[Port Jervis]

If we are going back this far, I'll do the Seashore and Freehold Branches, also compliments Radioboys extensive list.

station/year service ended

Matawan Junction - 1890
Brown's Pont Lane - 1880
Keyport - 1966
1st St. Keyport - 1884
Union Beach - 1966
Natco (Lorillard) - about 1920
Keansburg - 1966
Port Monmouth - 1966
Belford (Hopping Junction) - 1966
Leonardo - 1966
Atlantic Highlands - 1966
Atlantic Highlands Pier - 1945
Bay View Ave - Atlantic Highlans - 1941
Hiltons - 1958
Sandy Side - 1902
Water Witch - 1958
Highlands - 1958
Highland Beach - 1945
Navesink Beach - 1945
Normandie - unknown
Rumson Beach (Stokem's) - about 1900
Laidlaws - 1941
Sea Bright - 1945?
Low Moor - 1938?
Galilee - 1942
Monmouth Beach - 1945?
North Long Branch - 1945
East Long Branch - 1945

(towards Eatontown Jct)
Rockwell Ave, Branchport - 1930
Branchport (at junction with NYandLB) - 1955
Oceanport - 1930?
Main St. Eatontown - 1872
Eatontown (junction) - ?

(towards West End)
Long Branch - (im unable to tell if this is the station on the NY and LB or not - I don't think it is, but im not sure - and I can't figure out a date of closure)
West End - 1955

Freehold Branch

(Im pretty sure passenger service ended in 1955, but I couldn't tell if any stations ended before that.)

Matawan -
Freneau - 1955 (station building moved to Allaire St. park)
Morganville -
Wickatunk
Bradevelt
Marlboro
East Freehold
Freehold

To keep the thread "relevant" = the Seashore Branch's passenger service from Matawan to Atlantic Highlands was a casulty of the Aldene Plan, and the Freehold branch has the ever so slight possibility of being restored by NJT.

Why would Aldene affect the Seashore branch? Newark couldn't handle traffic from it, as opposed to Jersey City?

BTW, I support the MOM proposal using the Freehold from Matawan. Even if that really makes it the MO line

[Port Jervis]

And there's my problem. Removing some grade crossings pales in comparison to helping to mess up a town (though they approved the decision, so hey) and moving the train so far from the actual city of Passaic (I've used the new station -- it's in a fine place if that's where you're going) only relegates a whole town center to the bus. One can say "who wants to go there anyway," but that is often a function of whether one can get there.

Economics, dude. When Erie and Lackawanna merged, they had numerous lines which paralleled each other. The old Erie Main and the Boonton were one example. Also, by 1960ish the car was king, and there were too many cars to allow for them to co-exist with all these grade crossings on the old Erie Main. The old Boonton south of Paterson was grade separated, for the most part, and was the more logical line to retain of the two. Grade crossing traffic jams are still big issues on the PVL and BCL.

Speaking of Paterson, can anyone tell me which line the old "low platform" station is currently on? The old main or the Newark Branch? I ask because of the proposed conversion of the Newark Industrial Track to Paterson to light rail and wondered if that's where it'd terminate.

[timz]

Maybe I'm not following your question-- you're aware the Erie Newark branch now runs onto the DL&W Boonton line here
http://tinyurl.com/8c67dq (view looking south)?

[Jtgshu]

If we are going back this far, I'll do the Seashore and Freehold Branches, also compliments Radioboys extensive list.

station/year service ended

Matawan Junction - 1890
Brown's Pont Lane - 1880
Keyport - 1966
1st St. Keyport - 1884
Union Beach - 1966
Natco (Lorillard) - about 1920
Keansburg - 1966
Port Monmouth - 1966
Belford (Hopping Junction) - 1966
Leonardo - 1966
Atlantic Highlands - 1966
Atlantic Highlands Pier - 1945
Bay View Ave - Atlantic Highlans - 1941
Hiltons - 1958
Sandy Side - 1902
Water Witch - 1958
Highlands - 1958
Highland Beach - 1945
Navesink Beach - 1945
Normandie - unknown
Rumson Beach (Stokem's) - about 1900
Laidlaws - 1941
Sea Bright - 1945?
Low Moor - 1938?
Galilee - 1942
Monmouth Beach - 1945?
North Long Branch - 1945
East Long Branch - 1945

(towards Eatontown Jct)
Rockwell Ave, Branchport - 1930
Branchport (at junction with NYandLB) - 1955
Oceanport - 1930?
Main St. Eatontown - 1872
Eatontown (junction) - ?

(towards West End)
Long Branch - (im unable to tell if this is the station on the NY and LB or not - I don't think it is, but im not sure - and I can't figure out a date of closure)
West End - 1955

Freehold Branch

(Im pretty sure passenger service ended in 1955, but I couldn't tell if any stations ended before that.)

Matawan -
Freneau - 1955 (station building moved to Allaire St. park)
Morganville -
Wickatunk
Bradevelt
Marlboro
East Freehold
Freehold

To keep the thread "relevant" = the Seashore Branch's passenger service from Matawan to Atlantic Highlands was a casulty of the Aldene Plan, and the Freehold branch has the ever so slight possibility of being restored by NJT.

Why would Aldene affect the Seashore branch? Newark couldn't handle traffic from it, as opposed to Jersey City?

BTW, I support the MOM proposal using the Freehold from Matawan. Even if that really makes it the MO line

The CNJ wanted the service stopped, and tried several times to abandon the pax service on the Seashore, but the ridership was high enough (it was healthy) that the state said NO. It was to be included in the Aldene/Palmer plans with service to Newark Penn, but as the CNJ cut trains and service on the Seashore in the months and few years before 1967, ridership was quickly dwindling. Also, at the same time, the State was adding two lanes to Route 36 (which parallels the entire Seashore Branch) which probably ended up being the death knell of the Seashore. With the falling ridership, and the pretty new RDCs home on the Seashore, they could be used for the Cranford Bayonne Shuttle which was implemented after the Aldene ramp was cut in. And in the end they were, and service on the Seashore was stopped

MO, MOM, MOMOM (red bank and Mon Jct routes both built ) WHATEVER, just build SOMETHING in our lifetimes and make some of these abandoned stations UNabandoned!

[oknazevad]

And there's my problem. Removing some grade crossings pales in comparison to helping to mess up a town (though they approved the decision, so hey) and moving the train so far from the actual city of Passaic (I've used the new station -- it's in a fine place if that's where you're going) only relegates a whole town center to the bus. One can say "who wants to go there anyway," but that is often a function of whether one can get there.

Economics, dude. When Erie and Lackawanna merged, they had numerous lines which paralleled each other. The old Erie Main and the Boonton were one example. Also, by 1960ish the car was king, and there were too many cars to allow for them to co-exist with all these grade crossings on the old Erie Main. The old Boonton south of Paterson was grade separated, for the most part, and was the more logical line to retain of the two. Grade crossing traffic jams are still big issues on the PVL and BCL.

Speaking of Paterson, can anyone tell me which line the old "low platform" station is currently on? The old main or the Newark Branch? I ask because of the proposed conversion of the Newark Industrial Track to Paterson to light rail and wondered if that's where it'd terminate.

If you're referring to the low, stub-end portion of Paterson Station, that is on the original Main. As timz noted, the Newark Branch splits off east of there, directly below the Parkway. The "Old Main" stub, now the "Paterson Industrial Track" splits off between the station and the Newark Branch. In fact, a short segment of the Newark branch was used to facilitate the consolidation of the the Main and original Boonton. The split for the Paterson Industrial was where the Newark originally split off, while the current split is right where the Newark branch used to pass under the Boonton. (The old overpass is still there, off Kuller Rd.)

As for using the Newark branch for light rail into the stub platforms, there's 2 issues:
1)If run as true light rail, trains would have to turn off the existing track well before the platform (at the junction, in fact), because light rail can't run on FRA-regulated tracks without time separation waivers, which would never work on the Main Line. The ensuing street running would probably be fine, but it'd eliminate the use of the stub terminal tracks.
2) One could use the terminal tracks if one ran FRA-compliant DMUs on the Newark Branch. But where would they go once in Newark? The Newark Branch is severed from any other rail line at that end, and doesn't go to either of Newark's current stations.

A conundrum, if you ask me.

[Port Jervis]

-

To keep the thread "relevant" = the Seashore Branch's passenger service from Matawan to Atlantic Highlands was a casulty of the Aldene Plan, and the Freehold branch has the ever so slight possibility of being restored by NJT.

Why would Aldene affect the Seashore branch? Newark couldn't handle traffic from it, as opposed to Jersey City?

BTW, I support the MOM proposal using the Freehold from Matawan. Even if that really makes it the MO line

The CNJ wanted the service stopped, and tried several times to abandon the pax service on the Seashore, but the ridership was high enough (it was healthy) that the state said NO. It was to be included in the Aldene/Palmer plans with service to Newark Penn, but as the CNJ cut trains and service on the Seashore in the months and few years before 1967, ridership was quickly dwindling. Also, at the same time, the State was adding two lanes to Route 36 (which parallels the entire Seashore Branch) which probably ended up being the death knell of the Seashore. With the falling ridership, and the pretty new RDCs home on the Seashore, they could be used for the Cranford Bayonne Shuttle which was implemented after the Aldene ramp was cut in. And in the end they were, and service on the Seashore was stopped

MO, MOM, MOMOM (red bank and Mon Jct routes both built ) WHATEVER, just build SOMETHING in our lifetimes and make some of these abandoned stations UNabandoned!

Thanks...that makes sense.

And I concur with your MOM mindset...I'd be happy even if they used the least useful (Red Bank) alignment just to get something running in our lifetimes.

[Port Jervis]

If you're referring to the low, stub-end portion of Paterson Station, that is on the original Main. As timz noted, the Newark Branch splits off east of there, directly below the Parkway. The "Old Main" stub, now the "Paterson Industrial Track" splits off between the station and the Newark Branch. In fact, a short segment of the Newark branch was used to facilitate the consolidation of the the Main and original Boonton. The split for the Paterson Industrial was where the Newark originally split off, while the current split is right where the Newark branch used to pass under the Boonton. (The old overpass is still there, off Kuller Rd.)

As for using the Newark branch for light rail into the stub platforms, there's 2 issues:
1)If run as true light rail, trains would have to turn off the existing track well before the platform (at the junction, in fact), because light rail can't run on FRA-regulated tracks without time separation waivers, which would never work on the Main Line. The ensuing street running would probably be fine, but it'd eliminate the use of the stub terminal tracks.
2) One could use the terminal tracks if one ran FRA-compliant DMUs on the Newark Branch. But where would they go once in Newark? The Newark Branch is severed from any other rail line at that end, and doesn't go to either of Newark's current stations.

A conundrum, if you ask me.

Indeed. Thanks for the explanation.