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  • What is the Belle Mead Depot in Hillsborough?

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What is the Belle Mead Depot in Hillsborough?

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

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What is the Belle Mead Depot in Hillsborough?

 #176384  by carajul
 
I've always been interested in what looks like a huge rr yard on the map nestled between the LVRR mainline and the Reading line in Hillsborough, NJ. It's labled as the "GSA Belle Mead General Depot". I went there the other day and saw the tracks from the Reading line into the place were covered in weeds and where they cross Rt 206 there are signs "tracks not in service". The entire place looks like a wasteland with ancient rusty "no tresspassing - us government" signs everywhere. There were a few old rectangle warehouses on one side, the other side was open land with 1950s era street lights over the land. Real weird. Was this a rr yard or something? When is the last time it saw a train?

 #176394  by Diamond_D
 
I'm sure someone with more knowledge can fill in the specifics, but it was a Government GSA (General Services Administration) Depot during the first half of the 1900's, no idea when it came into service exactly though. From the google satellite view, it looks like it had about a dozen tracks serving the various buildings. From some web research, it looks like it had a lot of uses, including munitions depot. Now it's basically a waste of space until it can be cleaned up, but there are plans for it. Here are two articles on the subject from this year:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 5742&rfi=6

http://www.hillsborough-nj.org/news/arc ... perty.html

 #176417  by Lackawanna484
 
UPS did some consideration of the GSA base in the 1990s, too.

Sitting between two rail lines, and near several freeways, it's nicely positioned for an intermodal hub. Outside the CRSA swamp, but still subject to Lehigh Line issues. Never went anywhere, though.

(BTW, I was on I-78 and I-287 south earlier today. I was amazed at the number of triple crown trailers in both directions. Prob 30 - 40 of them to/from Bethlehem, I'd guess. Time was late morning, from the Pottersville area east and then south to the second 22 exit)

 #176431  by Diamond_D
 
Lackawanna484 wrote:UPS did some consideration of the GSA base in the 1990s, too.

Sitting between two rail lines, and near several freeways, it's nicely positioned for an intermodal hub. Outside the CRSA swamp, but still subject to Lehigh Line issues. Never went anywhere, though.
That's too bad, 206 could use more trucks!! :-D :wink:

GSA Depot Belle Meade

 #176499  by trainwayne1
 
At one time the GSA Depot was served by all three area railroads, LV, Reading and the CNJ. There are still visible pieces of the CNJ right of way near the former crossing of Rt. 206 and where it passed thru the Duke estate. The land at the depot has been found to be very badly poluted and the figures for the clean up have been estimated in many millions of dollars. I'm guessing that the land will have to become more valuable than the cost of the clean up before anything is developed there.

 #176655  by Ken W2KB
 
Diamond_D wrote:Now it's basically a waste of space until it can be cleaned up, but there are plans for it.
Well, not a complete waste. With the concrete slabs left over, it's easily visible from the air a considerable distance away, and flying over it from the west sets up perfectly for an approach to Central Jersey Regional Airport Runway 25. Just fly over the depot, then a mile or so east of the former Reading line, and turn left. :wink:

 #176657  by Ken W2KB
 
Ken W2KB wrote:
Diamond_D wrote:Now it's basically a waste of space until it can be cleaned up, but there are plans for it.
Well, not a complete waste. With the concrete slabs left over, it's easily visible from the air a considerable distance away, and flying over it from the west sets up perfectly for an approach to pattern entry for Central Jersey Regional Airport Runway 25. Just fly over the depot, then a mile or so east of the former Reading line, and turn left. :wink:

 #177796  by doctordirt
 
Here is the switching engine that worked the Depot from 1942 until the Depot closed in 2001.
Now owned by the Military Transport Association of New Jersey and located at the M&E yard in Morristown. The picture was taken at Whippany in September during one of the events at the museum.

Doc

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/d ... tFront.jpg

Re: GSA Depot Belle Meade

 #178123  by Don31
 
trainwayne1 wrote:At one time the GSA Depot was served by all three area railroads, LV, Reading and the CNJ. There are still visible pieces of the CNJ right of way near the former crossing of Rt. 206 and where it passed thru the Duke estate. The land at the depot has been found to be very badly poluted and the figures for the clean up have been estimated in many millions of dollars. I'm guessing that the land will have to become more valuable than the cost of the clean up before anything is developed there.
It is polluted, but its not a very complicated cleanup. A Final Remedial Action Plan will be issued shortly. Its my understanding that GSA is contemplating turning it over to the township for development into a recreation complex. Several years ago the site was being considered for an intermodal terminal - new automobiles would have been brought in by train, then switched to those truck carriers.
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