West side of Newark Branch

Maverickstation1 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:48 pm As we discuss the future of the West Side of the Newark Branch in it's entirety, I wanted to share a video that an urban explorer took of the Lower Boonton Line in 2019.
...

A cool set of pictures - I saw a very little bit of it (and maybe posted a picture or 2) 3-4 years ago when I was exploring around Branch Brook park on my bike and also over in Kearny.
But I was confused when I looked at the linked site, thinking "Lower Boonton" referred to the eastern part of the old DLW Boonton line which is now (since 1963) used to connect Hoboken to the former Erie main heading west in Paterson. Then I realized what he calls "Lower Boonton" I call the NY&GL (New York & Greenwood Lake), (part of the Erie), which served as the eastern end of the DLW Boonton line from 1963 - 2002.
JS
I especially like the turkeys.
PS. And I do know part of the NYGL, Montclair to Mountain View, is still part of the NJT "Boonton" line.

Speaking of the West Side of the Newark Branch (a/k/a Newark Industrial Track), public commenting is closing soon on the Downtown Newark to Downtown Paterson Light Rail Proposal.

The are 3 potential plans, all involve the Newark Industrial Track, two are for Light Rail, and 1 is for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The 2nd of the Light Rail proposals is interesting as it would route the line over the Newark Subway Extension and down the Orange Branch, and Lower Boonton, before joining the Newark Branch.

Since all the proposals start and end in Newark, there are no issues connected with the replacement of NX.

https://jerseydigs.com/public-comment-d ... -paterson/

Ken

This is very nice. I'm glad that NJT is seriously considering giving attention to the former NWK Industrial Track. My main preference is light rail and Option A is the best in my opinion. It would be great to have passengers traveling between NWK(stations on the Broad St Spur) and Paterson, and all points in between as quickly as possible. That route doesn't see good enough ridership and I think having it travel to Belleville, Nutley, Clifton, and Paterson would spike the ridership by more than 100 percent. Option A would certainly be great for the far reaches of Newark along the Passaic River. Gouverneur Street Station would help those passengers who are heading to destinations across the Passaic River in Harrison and parts of Kearny. A passenger who lives in Belleville and works in Morristown would benefit from Option A as it would allow a transfer at NWK Broad Street Station from the light rail to NJT's Morris & Essex Line.

Option B is very good too but a few things would have to happen for that. 1. extend all of the NWK Light Rail trains that run as far as Branch Brook Park Station during the week to Paterson. 2. it might be worth it looking into adding a third track along the NWK Light Rail route wherever possible to ensure that the light rail vehicles move with minimal disruptions. I could possibly see a few stops added between Branch Brook Park Station and Verona St Station including one closer to Clara Mass as well as another along the northern park of Branch Brook Park.

This is the proverbial nail in the coffin of a once busy branch with many shippers back in it's heyday. Two companies that were active shippers or receivers at one time has closed down. Rock Tenn/Tenn West a cardboard box company on McCarter Hwy just north of Grafton Ave, and who has many plants, especially in the southern states is closing down at the end of the year. This conglomerate bought this plant from Schiffenhaus who was a regular customer on the Newark Industrial Track, they would receive large rolls of corrugated materials. Approximately 125 jobs will be lost as well. To make matters even worse Q-Pak has went OOB, they were located on McCarter Hwy just south of the Belleville line. They were active shippers. I recall between '84 and '93 or so there were four active shippers on the branch in Newark alone, Q-Pak, Schiffenhaus, Frey Industries (in the small industrial park at Chester & Riverside), and WAS Terminal. It's a shame that once bustling branches are reduced to dumping grounds. The state of NJ is too regulatory on businesses, too many rules and regulations, Nabisco just closed, I think that they were rail served too. They are moving to states that are welcoming. The cost of doing business in NJ is like the second highest in the US. It's really sad

Looking at Google maps, from just south of MIll St, going down to Chester/Riverside Ave right after the line goes under McCarter Highway, I don't see any rails at all (except in the street crossings), and the ROW seems to be leased to industry, with gates restricting access, trucks parked on it, etc. The rails may be there, but just buried in gravel. This stretch includes the location of Rock-Tenn and Q-Pak (which looks quite closed up with a for sale sign).
When did that piece of ROW get leased out?
North of Mill St, the tracks are still there, at least on Google maps.
JS
EDIT: how long ago was it since tank cars were going down to WAS Terminal or whatever that business was at the end of the line. I want to say 7-8 years, but I am afraid it was more. ...

Joseph DeLuisi wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 10:23 am This is the proverbial nail in the coffin of a once busy branch with many shippers back in it's heyday. Two companies that were active shippers or receivers at one time has closed down. Rock Tenn/Tenn West a cardboard box company on McCarter Hwy just north of Grafton Ave, and who has many plants, especially in the southern states is closing down at the end of the year. This conglomerate bought this plant from Schiffenhaus who was a regular customer on the Newark Industrial Track, they would receive large rolls of corrugated materials. Approximately 125 jobs will be lost as well. To make matters even worse Q-Pak has went OOB, they were located on McCarter Hwy just south of the Belleville line. They were active shippers. I recall between '84 and '93 or so there were four active shippers on the branch in Newark alone, Q-Pak, Schiffenhaus, Frey Industries (in the small industrial park at Chester & Riverside), and WAS Terminal. It's a shame that once bustling branches are reduced to dumping grounds. The state of NJ is too regulatory on businesses, too many rules and regulations, Nabisco just closed, I think that they were rail served too. They are moving to states that are welcoming. The cost of doing business in NJ is like the second highest in the US. It's really sad

The same sad tune is sung for us in Central/Southern Jersey. A lot of formerly bustling lines are now reduced to OOS (more like abandoned status with how they are deteriorating) due to NJ's hostile business environment. If being so close to the ports/cities is important, a business could simply relocate just over the border into NY or PA and would instantly have a lot of costs reduced by simply moving as little as a half-hour away. I feel like a lot of railfans, particularly the younger ones, don't understand that as long as it's business as usual here, a lot of their favorite fabled rail lines will remain desolate.

Not to mention NJ has the highest cost per rail mile in terms of maintenance/restoration, and let's not get started on NJ's "environmental study" processes...

I think the last time WAS, well it was Innovation Bio-Fuels that took over that property, the city of Newark helped them with setting things up with Norfolk Southern and gave them logistical assistance because they were also going to get deliveries or ship bio- fuel by barge too. I think they did get barge service a few times while they were in business. I think the last rail delivery was in 2013. If you go to John From Belleville Newark Branch website it's pretty good, many photos and videos old and new. Every thing you would want to know would be there. But tariffs or something like that was the downfall of Innovation BioFuels. There's a page on here with a list of shippers from the 70's and another list of shippers during the Conrail era. I first got interested in it in the mid 80's. But the shippers were everywhere in the mid 70's EL era, just before NX bridge went OOS, 1977. Every city along the branch had more than several shippers. Hoffman LaRoche Walter Kidde Seton Leather, etc... same thing for the Orange Branch. A so called "beehive of industry". The state of NJ has made it a headache to do business here. Much cheaper elsewhere. Sad. BTW, WAS Terminal was served by rail too.

I remember back in the 80's WAS Terminal/MacArthur Fuels used to get barge service, I recall being on the Kearny side one evening and tug boat was switching empty ones for loaded ones and you could smell the fuel very strongly. Also, MacArthur used to fill up home heating oil trucks back then too. There was also a business on Riverside Avenue in Newark also that received barges, Q Petroleum was it's name(no relation to Q-Pak) also Colonial Concrete on McCarter Hwy too, and Harrison Supply across from Tops Diner. I don't know why no one was interested in the branch back then. I even used to monitor the train on my scanner when they were switching cars, and I guess one crewman was on the ground while the other was the engineer, and the ground guy would use the walkie talkie to guide the spotting of the cars, and he would always address the engineer by "Horn Train" which I didn't know what it meant back then. I got in contact with a Conrail employee by the name of Chuck Mooney, and he explained quite a few questions I had about the branch, and about the Orange Branch too. The symbol back then was WJSF26 going and 27 returning to Suffern. The branch seen its best days at least, now all of the former shippers that closed or went OOB are all brownfields, and the little industrial park at Chester Ave & Riverside Ave (formerly Pittsburgh Plate Glass) is a US EPA Superfund site, even though there are several businesses still located there including HABA-Davion, which manufactures health and beauty products. They can be found on the shelves of most stores under different brand names, including Perfect Purity and Charles of the Ritz. Like I said, the state of NJ makes it very difficult to do business in this state, and now inflation is back, prices of everything either have already gone up or will very shortly. Not good.

A great gift idea for fans of the Newark Branch, this paperback was created by the same person who took the video Walking The Lower Boonton Line.

There is a section of the Newark branch that was leased to local industry on the Bellville-Newark line, just as a section of the Lower Boonton Line was leased to local industry at the site of the North Newark Station.

https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Newark-B ... 0578952300

Ken

Here is a video of the Newark Branch taken late last year, and is the basis for the book on the subject.
It provides a very real glimpse of what has happened to the ROW, and what goes on there as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B3TbGXnmwA&t=183s

Ken

Actually in one of my posts from last week I mentioned Rock Tenn/West Rock, it's actually on McCarter Hwy just north of Grafton Ave, not south, which I typed by mistake. When Schiffenhaus, which was a long time rail user, sold out to this large company which has many plants Rock Tenn/West Rock, all rail activity ceased and they only used trucks. I think their switch started near Verizon on Verona Ave near McCarter Hwy. I also remember when the line was getting a make over in anticipation for Innovation BioFuels tanker car deliveries, that Rock Tenn/West Rock requested that the trees be cut down, as there were them trees that are really a type of weed, growing from their siding. Don't know why they cared about it. A company near the end of the branch in Newark on Passaic St near NX bridge called Art Metal USA used to receive about 30 cars at a time, they went right into their building. I think they even had a small yard around 4th Ave. They were in the office furniture manufacturing business and had large government contracts.