NJ rail yards "lost" and "downsized"

Atlantic Highlands had a few yards. There was the yard at the station, an engine terminal yard near the water, and the 10-track stub-end terminal out on the water on stilts.

On the topic of U.S. Military facilities, Picatinny was served by the CNJ's Wharton & Northern Line. There was a good amount of trackage in and around the base, but everything in the area has been pulled over.

Earle Baldwin wrote:The Earle interchange was quite busy during the 70s and the early 80s. During this period, trains operating to Leonardo frequently had common carrier box cars in their consists. In fact, it was not unusual for trains to run without any USN cars. Most common carrier equipment seen was of the modern exterior post 50 foot type. Roads I recall spotting were Santa Fe, BN, Maryland & Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, Milwaukee Road, Railbox (lots and lots of Railbox) as well as many of the shortline painted cars which were so prevalent during this period. It's been quite awhile since I've seen anything other than the Navy's own equipment on the line. Some years ago, a train consisting of CSX and Railbox cars ran to Leonardo. I haven't heard of common carrier equipment on the line since then except for gondolas reportedly being used for MOW purposes.

Lets not forget that the CNJ had a connection with Earle in Leonardo as well on the Seashore. I remember seeing mostly Railbox cars when I would catch the train running in my younger days Usually they would be alternated USN boxcar/Railbox car/USN boxcar/Railbox car, etc. Id ASSUME that the Railbox cars were used as spacers for the loaded USN cars?

Pavonia yard in Camden will be downsized this summer. The hump is now out of service and everything is being flat switched. There are plans to tear out the hump and fill in/or regrade the class yard starting very soon. I believe the class yard will lose many of the tracks when its reconfigured. The hump will not reopen under the new plan with everything being done thru flat switching.

Jtgshu wrote:.... I remember seeing mostly Railbox cars when I would catch the train running in my younger days Usually they would be alternated USN boxcar/Railbox car/USN boxcar/Railbox car, etc. Id ASSUME that the Railbox cars were used as spacers for the loaded USN cars?

That sounds familiar. When I was a kid, I worked at the McDonalds in Aberdeen & Union Beach and later in Leonardo when it was built (same guy owned them all back then)- sailors from Earle would get second jobs at those stores (how crazy is that that a member of our armed forces would need to work a basically minimum wage job as a second income...). Anyway I think maybe they may have mentioned the need for spacer cars on the trains (someone i recall specially when they went on the piers back then)

kilroy wrote:On the Pennsy side, you have Stiles Street Yard in Linden - now empty but still there.

There was also a small yard by Singer Sewing Machine in Rahway along the Amboy Branch, right by Union Interlocking. Don't recall the name of the yard at this point. I dont think there are any rails left in there.

Not sure of the yard, but like JTG said, the siding was called Wheatina Siding, along with Quinn Boden Books, who were also serviced in some capacity.

Orange Yard
6 tracks(?) plus freight house
some milk off loading
last used during the reelectication

Oport,

The Wheatina siding is east of Union Interlocking. The yard I am referring to is along the NY&LB and west of Union. Wheatina was a siding, the Singer yard was a multitrack yard. I know it was still in use in the very eary conrail days as I have a shot of an EL SW parked in the yard.

I am surprised no one has mentioned Lakehurst. It was the engine terminal and shops for the Raritan & Delaware Bay RR, later the New Jersey Southern RR and CNJ used until about 1920. It included about 14 storage spurs, engine shop, car shops, roundhouse (8 stalls), coal, water and sanding facilities. Th Southern was actually triple-tracked through the site!

kilroy wrote:Oport,

The Wheatina siding is east of Union Interlocking. The yard I am referring to is along the NY&LB and west of Union. Wheatina was a siding, the Singer yard was a multitrack yard. I know it was still in use in the very eary conrail days as I have a shot of an EL SW parked in the yard.

I'm just going off what a guy I work with was saying to me (He's a Penn-Central hire and is still here).

Where was singer at?

The yard is on New Brunswick Ave about 1/3 of a mile from Rt 35, right after the NY&LB comes out from under the NEC.

kilroy wrote:The yard is on New Brunswick Ave about 1/3 of a mile from Rt 35, right after the NY&LB comes out from under the NEC.

The 1 Trk side, where they're putting in Colonia hand-switch now?

This is more of a question than a statement, but was there a small yard right to the east of the NEC at South St. in Newark, NJ?
Between the NEC and Mulberry St. to the East, you can readily see a 1 track bridge parallel to the NEC crossing South St. into what is today still a relatively empty area. Heading back on Historic Aerials, there's no yard that I can make out in the 1966 view, the 1954 view is kinda iffy, and the earliest view, 1931, is really blurry, but there seems to be some sort of railroad activity there, whether a storage yard with some train, or some sort of freight house/loading yard. Perhaps it was related to South Street Station?

Yeah there was some sort of freight house with that extra elevated bridge to the south of 1 Trk. it's visible in some of the historic aerials shots.

The Port Reading yard in the community of the same name was once much larger than it is now. Historic Aerials can probably show this in detail; coal inbound and outbound yards, the trackage for the creosote plant, etc.

Way in the beginning of the thread the PRR's Exchange Place yard was noted; the Harismus Cove yard is also long gone. Exchange Place was largely passenger and Harismus Cove, north of there, was for freight of all kinds including a large stockyard at one time.