Railroad Forums 

  • NYGL Dundee Spur Status - 2009-present

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

Moderator: David

 #1521383  by cjvrr
 
Reached out to a couple more people including the lawyer for the new property owner, but nope, not a peep.

I was in that area on Sept 21st. Everything still there at that time. Did the tracks just get lifted? Will need to take another ride.
 #1522819  by DogBert
 
Went by today, nothing's moved. Unless there's a break back in the yard, all the rail is still in, down Monroe street. There was a covered hopper on the interchange track. I'm assuming it's been there awhile?
 #1527603  by airman00
 
riffian wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2019 7:47 pm Why would anyone want to save these tracks?
Northern NJ used to be a hot bed of railroad tracks going every which way you could imagine. Double tracked lines, triple tracked line, even quadruple tracked lines. Countless numbers of sidings, run around tracks, yards everywhere, etc., etc. Most of that is all gone. Abandoned rows, and areas that once held tracks now just a few old ties left buried in the ground. Yards torn up and built over. What once was is no more. So you ask WHY anyone would want to save these tracks? Because too much railroad is going the way of the dodo bird, never to be seen again.

Northern NJ used to be a maze of railroad tracks, now it’s just a faded memory of what little is actually left. Very sad indeed...☹️
 #1527636  by cjvrr
 
There needs to be a viable customer to have rail service. When Conrail attempted to abandon in the 1990's due to no customers, Jim Wilson stepped in and was able to get one customer, then a second with the trash transfer business. Unfortunately both have disappeared or moved elsewhere.

Passaic has been attempting to re gentrify and has no want for industrial business in this area of town.

I hate to say, the potential for any customers is gone and Passaic wants to go a different direction. Be glad Mr. Wilson kept it going for another 20 years after Conrail tried to abandon it.
airman00 wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2019 10:57 pm
riffian wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2019 7:47 pm Why would anyone want to save these tracks?
Northern NJ used to be a hot bed of railroad tracks going every which way you could imagine. Double tracked lines, triple tracked line, even quadruple tracked lines. Countless numbers of sidings, run around tracks, yards everywhere, etc., etc. Most of that is all gone. Abandoned rows, and areas that once held tracks now just a few old ties left buried in the ground. Yards torn up and built over. What once was is no more. So you ask WHY anyone would want to save these tracks? Because too much railroad is going the way of the dodo bird, never to be seen again.

Northern NJ used to be a maze of railroad tracks, now it’s just a faded memory of what little is actually left. Very sad indeed...☹️
 #1531795  by DogBert
 
This latest article finally sheds a lot of light on the situation:

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/ ... 842594001/

Apparently the rail equipment was also claimed by the IRS and sold to the developer (apparently without him fully realizing it). I thought this might be the case but bit my tongue.

The city is going to buy part of the ROW for parkland, and the developer will build out houses on the former terminal.

Unless the developer decides to sell some of the rail equipment, it's probably all going into a scrap bin. With the city buying the old dundee yard, there'll be no tracks to haul them out on.

I guess no one has any obligation to return the old D&ME car (the only piece of equipment on site that did not belong to NYGL). Maybe it's owner could go after the irs, the developer or NYGL for the cost of the car, but that sounds like quite the legal fiasco. I held out hope that maybe some of the other equipment (if still owned by jimmy, which it is apparently not) could be pulled if that car was ever dragged back to the interchange.

At least it's clearer now who owns the equipment, and who could be contacted if anyone wants to buy any of it. The developer will probably have to spend to scrap it, but could maybe write some off on taxes as a donation to a legit non-profit? His name is in the article. if I lived there I'd be calling the mayor asking them to see if they can get one or two bits for a historic park display.
 #1532260  by Hawaiitiki
 
One part of this story nothing/nobody seems to be really touching on is,

What is going to happen to the NYGL Passaic River bridge?

That is significant piece of infrastructure over a river with already enough superfund sites along it to rival Chernobyl in toxicity. If my memory serves me correctly, it was significantly rehabbed in the late 90s, and would surely cost tens of millions of dollars to completely remove. At least surely more money than a few cookie-cutter built-for-millenial souless apartment buildings and a small park. I'd imagine the EPA won't just let them let it rot, but would also cost signifant $$$ to maintain it and/or convert to a walking path safe for humans.
 #1534868  by DogBert
 
Hmmmm... that news article may have been wrong. I've heard from a decent source that some of the cars will be moved across the street into the old yard this week, in preparation for their eventual departure. Sounds like some might go to storage, while others get used on the NYSW run toys for tots train. To add some physical evidence to this rumor, I passed by the other day and the two boxcars are indeed now coupled together at the northeast corner of the old terminal.

I would imagine the bridge would be re-decked as a path into the new park the city wants to build, but who knows. I haven't read any reporting that mentioned the bridge itself, or if/when/who will salvage the street running tracks.
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