Wharton & Northern RR and the CNJ

The Wharton and Northern, at least in the diesel era, used regular CNJ power.

In the steam era, the normal power from High Bridge north would have been 4-6-0 Camelbacks. The diesels usually assigned to the branch (High Bridge, Chester, Hopatcong, and W&N) would have been Baldwin DR-4-4-1500 "BabyFace" units, then later, EMD GP-35s. Other units did see occasional service, from what I can tell.

The power seen on the W&N in modern times (as in post 1900) were 2-8-2 Mikados, which were delivered in 1918. Before that, it was probably the domain of 2-8-0 camelback Consolidations.
The diesel years saw Baldwin DR4-4-1500 Baby-Face cab units rule the run until their retirement in the 70's when the leased B&O and N&W F-7's came on the property. An RS or a Geep may have found their way to Green Pond, but I don't know that for a fact.
The CNJ never owned GP-35's, only SD-35's, and they were not used on the W&N, as I'm sure the track proably wouldn't have supported their weight due to poor track conditions, not to mention the tonnage just didn't justify the power.

Car Floater

I stand corrected - they were SD-35s. Trains ES-98 and SE-99 (piggybacks between Elizabeth and Scranton), operated jointly by the E-L and CNJ after 1972, used the High Bridge branch at least as far as Lake Junction. Pooled power was CNJ SD-35s and E-L GP (I think)-40s. There was once a description of that operation posted on one of these boards, but in all the various re-organizations, it's apparently become lost. Whether the heavy power actually operated on the W&N, I'm not sure.

I could be wrong, but I thought the Lockwood Gorge trestle was not strong enough to carry the Mikes, that's why the 4-6-0s lasted so long on that branch.

There are pictures of the B&O F-7s on the Gorge trestle, and some RS-3s at Lake Junction, that I'm aware of, so other power was sometimes assigned. But you had asked for the usual power.

Don't forget that a number of the DRX-6-4-2000's (babyface double cabs)
were originally lettered W&N. That was around the time of the CRP (Central Railroad of Pennsylvania) lettering, which was a scheme to avoid taxes, which was eventually torpedoed.

ES-99 and SE-98 could get any power available. EL SD-45's & six axle GE's were common, as were CNJ SD-40's. One day SE-98 arrived at Spring Street with three red GP-7's.

Hello all...

A few questions about the Wharton & Northern / High Bridge Branch...

Didn't the CNJ have a crew (or more?) based out of Dover / Hopatcong "HO" Jct that did all the local work on the High Bridge / W&N trackage? How far down the High Bridge did they run? Did this crew make the run up to the NYS&W at Green Pond until 1971, and did the traffic on the W&N west/north of Lake Jct die after the NYS&W quit Green Pond? When did service on the Mount Hope Mineral RR tracks die off?

How did the local cars get to/from the W&N, Rockaway, MHM RR, EL interchange at Lake Jct? Did another CNJ crew come out of E-port all the way up to Dover/HO Jct and turn back or did the Dover crew run down the Branch to the CNJ Main to interchange?

Did the CNJ/EL service ferry cars to/from the Dover job, or did the ES99/SE98 only handle "Through" traffic from Pennsylvania? I remember somewhere that the last 98/99 train ran April 4 '76 (from a dated photo), was that the last move on the High Bridge?

I was wondering about how the CNJ serviced this "isolated" segment of track during the pre-Conrail, post-diesel years. Thanks for any answers...

SL Rob -

Lets see if I can help shed some light on your questions....

You asked -"Didn't the CNJ have a crew (or more?) based out of Dover / Hopatcong "HO" Jct that did all the local work on the High Bridge / W&N trackage?"

There was at least a crew based out of HO to serve the local traffic up the D&R (which had the most industry), and whatever traffic was left on the MHRR. The last ore came out of Mt. Hope in '67, the last train north of Air Products (which probably saw some CR activity) was '74 (I will see if my boss remembers when the last car came out of Air Products).
Scrub Oaks Mine, just south of HO, closed in '66, but some companies may have lasted (team tracks especially) on the HB branch, and would have probably been switched by AY-2/YA-1, in earlier times known as the "ore train" Picatinny interchange (remember, the Army had their own engines) may have been handled out of HO - I have no idea when the traffic ended, however. Hercules Powder (just off Lake Jct) was probably worked from there, too.

"How far down the High Bridge did they run?"

A good question, probably at least to Scrub Oaks Mine/Ferromonte Jct, but all other traffic was probably switched by the aforementioned road job

"Did this crew make the run up to the NYS&W at Green Pond until 1971, and did the traffic on the W&N west/north of Lake Jct die after the NYS&W quit Green Pond?"

No they did not (see above), at least until the service To the NYS&W was abandonned in '72, and except for Picatinny Arsenal, I would venture to say yes, because there was nothing else to switch!

"When did service on the Mount Hope Mineral RR tracks die off?"

Well, except for the mines, there was nothing else. Richard Mine closed in "'58, and the last concentrated ore came out of Mt. Hope in '67, except for the test train of crushed stone that ran out of Mt. Hope in '74

"How did the local cars get to/from the W&N, Rockaway, MHM RR, EL interchange at Lake Jct? Did another CNJ crew come out of E-port all the way up to Dover/HO Jct and turn back or did the Dover crew run down the Branch to the CNJ Main to interchange?"

Well, before service to Pennsyvania ended, it was AY-2/YA-1, but afterwards (and I will have to dig out my train schedule book to look tomorrow to see what the symbol was) a local ran out of E'Port to HO and return

"Did the CNJ/EL service ferry cars to/from the Dover job, or did the ES99/SE98 only handle "Through" traffic from Pennsylvania? I remember somewhere that the last 98/99 train ran April 4 '76 (from a dated photo), was that the last move on the High Bridge?"

You are correct, ES-99/SE-98 was a thru job, to the best of my knowledge...There was also an earlier second EL-CNJ train, can't think of the symbol right now (it didn't last long)...The last train on the branch? That I don't know, but it had to have been made by CR sometime in the early 80's I believe from what I've been told by an ex-employee (I could be wrong, though)

"I was wondering about how the CNJ serviced this "isolated" segment of track during the pre-Conrail, post-diesel years. Thanks for any answers..."

I'm not sure what you mean by "isolated", but sure, no problem, I hope I've helped some. If anyone has more or better info, and more importantly can correct anything I have said, PLEASE DO! I have an interest in the line from having grown up in the area, but I never had the chance to see it in operation. There's still a lot for me to learn!

Car Floater

P.S. - A good article on the operation of the line appeared in the ARHS publication FD&S, Volume 9, Number 4

Car Floater...

Thanks for the info...that's what I was looking for. I don't speak CNJ very well, so if you'd enlighten me a little more... About the "road job" AY2 / YA1, I take it that "A" was Allentown, what was the "Y"? Did this job work from Allentown-High Bridge-Green Pond-High Bridge-North Jersey or did they make an Allentown-Green Pond-Allentown turn?

Which track/line was Air Products located on?

I believe the second, short-lived CNJ/EL service was NE99 / NE98, a piggyback train that started out big but trickled down to a few cars, being combined/handled by ES99 / SE 98 via Lake Jct...

By "isolated" I meant off the Central Division mainline between North Jersey and Easton-Allentown-Wilkes Barre. North Jersey and Pennsylvania had alot of CNJ track, and the High Bridge/D&R/W&N/MHM seemed like a meandering branch that had alot of business in the day far removed from the CNJ's core lines.

The High Bridge Branch and probably others were upgraded in the early 1970s after the Lehigh Valley got the operations over the Central RR of Pennsylvania, so the EL-CNJ traffic could avoid the competition (LV). ConRail did not aquire much, and the South end (below Flanders?) was abandoned (and still owned by CNJ) about 4/1/76.

For many years a a kid growing up, I hung around the High Bridge Yard where the local ran out of. Mondays and Thursdays they went west to Easton to interchange cars, Tuesdays & Fridays they went to Sommerville to interchange cars (also did local work both ways. On Wednesdays they went north on the High Bridge Branch to interchange cars at HO Jct and up to Green Pond Jct to service industries. Has the pleasure of being allowed a cab ride a time or two and it was something i'll never forget.

Jay

This has been a very informative thread for me and also brought back alot of great memories. I also used to live by the High Bridge branch as a young lad (Middle Valley). Now a days I just fish by the gorge trestle and try to remember what it was like when trains crossed there.