Belle Mead General Depot

[tdipaul]

Anything going on at Amwell Rd?

Also, Part of Belle Mead Depot is now a county park. You can see the ballfields under construction on google maps. Maybe they are making some trail related to it?
http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/20 ... 9-acr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
JS

I cant see a trail happening as it would have to cross two fairly busy roads

Would love to see a rail spur off of the NS line but doubtful for the same the reason.

My guess is its a gas related underground line as there is one within 200ft of this ROW by the Amwell crossing

But maybe a spur to load gas into cars

[tomk62]

I travel through here every week and noticed the clearing on the ROW as well. So we don't know why it's being cleared?

[The Blue Comet]

During WWII Belle Mead depot also served as a POW camp with German soldiers. My father in Law worked there during and after the war. I grew up in Bellemead and lived on E Mountain Ave and remember the rail spur crossing 206 and also a second track crossing Amwell Road. Interesting thread.
Bob

[pumpers]

I could be wrong, but I can't imagine it is for a gas line - there is a very major legal process to go through when putting in and/or expanding pipelines, even if you already have the ROW - and to move to a new ROW is even more complicated, with lots of public reviews, etc. So I think if it were a pipeline, you would have heard about it.
The south end of the same pipeline , down in Montgomery Township and Princeton, had a 2nd pipe added over the past 2 years (just wrapping up now), in the existing ROW, and the reviews and legal battles were pretty extensive. I think the project went from around Route 601 in Montgomery (not far south of Carrier Clinic), down into the west side of Princeton. This article I just found said the Hilslborough (north) end of the project was done in 2009 - perhaps in the existing pipeline ROW you noted. http://www.twp.montgomery.nj.us/tree-cu ... -to-begin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

THis topographical map (although probably not up to date) shows dotted lines for the pipeline and others. http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=40.49416,-74.68902&z=14&t=T" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
JS
Post again please if you hear any more what the RR Row clearing is for...

[Ken W2KB]

I could be wrong, but I can't imagine it is for a gas line - there is a very major legal process to go through when putting in and/or expanding pipelines, even if you already have the ROW - and to move to a new ROW is even more complicated, with lots of public reviews, etc. So I think if it were a pipeline, you would have heard about it.
The south end of the same pipeline , down in Montgomery Township and Princeton, had a 2nd pipe added over the past 2 years (just wrapping up now), in the existing ROW, and the reviews and legal battles were pretty extensive. I think the project went from around Route 601 in Montgomery (not far south of Carrier Clinic), down into the west side of Princeton. This article I just found said the Hilslborough (north) end of the project was done in 2009 - perhaps in the existing pipeline ROW you noted. http://www.twp.montgomery.nj.us/tree-cu ... -to-begin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

THis topographical map (although probably not up to date) shows dotted lines for the pipeline and others. http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=40.49416,-74.68902&z=14&t=T" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
JS
Post again please if you hear any more what the RR Row clearing is for...

The process is extensive for interstate natural gas pipelines such as the Transco project you referenced. Interstate pipelines such as Transco are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. So-called "Hinshaw" pipelines which are intrastate are not under FERC jurisdiction. They are under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and generally the process is relatively straightforward, even to the extent that prior approval may not be required, and especially so if the NJBPU is not requested to issue an eminent domain order.

[Conrail Blue]

Is the water tower there still standing? I haven't been down there in a long time.

[dlagrua]

The Belle Mead depot once had many buildings on the property used for a variety of support functions, including the reception and storage of military goods in bulk for redistribution to military bases and government entities. It was huge like 1200 acres. Some of the goods stocked there were oil/chemicals in drums, Jeeps, pipes, cable, and hardware. As for the railroad service; from what I recall there were four very long warehouses on the property with many doors, each having a track on each side. There were also a number of offices, a command center, family residences and army barracks. It was like an army base but mainly staffed by civilians and even Princeton University students on weekends. Railroad freight service could come into the depot from each end and two separate railroad lines serviced it. it must have been bristling with activity in the 40's and 50's. It was very active during WW2 and during the Korean War. In later years it was still used as a distribution center for the government, and some functions like truck repair were still maintained there.
Government cuts forced its closure in the 1980's. Today all the buildings have been raised, the tracks pulled up and a park conversion has been in process for quite a while. Its all just an empty lot now with little trace of what it once was.

[The Blue Comet]

Was driving along Amwell Road and witnessed removal of old track bed (rails and ties) rail spur from BelleMead Depot towards Neshanick and Three Bridges. Machine operator told me he was contracted to clean up hazmat sight. No new track or hiking trail. Just shovel ready work to return land back to nature.

[XBNSFer]

Sure sounds better than doing it near Bloomsbury, NJ.
http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. ... ost_1.html

Amazing in that trucking warehouse "proposal" is no suggestion that those truck trailers headed to the "ports" should just be on trains instead of the highways. 700 trucks a day?! Sounds well suited to a rail solution to me!

[carajul]

Kinda neat to see the old telegraph poles are still there along the tracks.

[tdipaul]

http://www.mtaofnj.org/mta_train_engine.htm

The last remaining switching engine on the VA Depot was donated to the Military Transport Association in 2003. It had served from WWII to 1998. It was a veteran of four major wars.

It was restored and now serves daily as a yard switcher for the Morristown and Erie under a cooperative agreement between the MTA and the M&E.

BTW - although it had not run in more than 5 years, when new batteries were installed and a little ether applied - the engine started up and ran under its own power when it reached the M&E. It can be seen on Railroad Days in Whippany several times each year.
jd

Sorry, cant let this thread die for I am in the planning process of building a model railroad and this is an excellent prototype to follow. Especially interesting for me since I live <1 mile from here and was inside before the remaining tracks were pulled up circa 2004. How impressive it was!

The link above is now dead so cant go refer to that anymore. Is it safe to assume the engine is this one here?

https://www.thedieselshop.us/GE_45Ton-Military.HTML



If anyone can provide more info about this engine or any other types/roadnames of engines from L-V, Reading or even Conrail that would have passed through the depot I am all ears!

[NJWG]

I believe I was in this place about 25 years ago when it was GSA. I recall seeing a small Plymouth or Davenport type of switcher there that was yellow and black. Can anyone help my memory with this it would be appreciated.

[thecowdoc]

Is the water tower there still standing? I haven't been down there in a long time.

it was taken down earlier this year (Feb 2022) by Pierson Contracting - the other one closer to the sourland mountain was taken down approx 20 years ago.