Millstone Branch Exploration today Franklin Twp

[carajul]

Checked out the west end of the Millstone branch today. Sad sight. Nothing moving past Rt 27. At Veronica Rd and Clyde Rd the weeds have completely engulfed the trackage. There are tree saplings and scrub brush 8' high between the rails. At Clyde Rd the grade xing signs (poles and crossbucks) are gone! The hermann warehouse spur is an absolute jungle. They had 5 car strings of boxcars going in and out of there several times a week for 10 years now.

Interesting note... there was a short spur off the main that snaked thru the Clyd Rd industrial park. You can still see the tracks in the blacktop. Rails are long gone though. Someone built a wall of cinderblocks to act as a barricade I guess to stop a runaway train. They stacked cinderblocks all nice over the rails. That must have been done ages ago and it too is in the middle of the woods now. None of those spurs ever saw use from build date of 1971 except for Herman Warehouse.

The row to E Millstone is slowly being consumed by nature. Where it used to cross Amwell Rd by the Colonial Park entrance I walked it. All the ties are still there and there are piles of spikes laying around. How cool!

In E Millstone there is absolutely no sign of it. You can not make out where it went thru the center of town. The rubber factory is now just a grass field.

In the book "The Men Who Loved Trains' it actually mentions the branch. PC shipped something like 1 box car every 2 months to E Millstone. They earned $1300/yr on the shipments but maintaining the branch cost them $4000/yr!!!

I often wondered if PC still owns the row past Clyde Rd??? It's still in tact and CR real estate dept told me they never bought it.

[TAMR213]

Thanks for the post. It really saddens me to look at aerial photos from the 1970's of the New Brunswick area, webs of track packed to the gills with cars, today down to almost nothing. Would also be interested to know the ownership status of the ROW...

[Roadgeek Adam]

I have been to Clyde recently enough (and am near the former Vorhees Station site on a regular basis). I have an interesting story considering my trip to Clyde Station (which is the same trip to Ringoes station on April 9). When I was there, it's a pain to park on the side of Clyde Road, so we're on the shoulder and the minute I step out, I feel the ground move under me (soft ground). I hustle to the station site with my camera and inspect the area, which impressed me considering former pictures of the same site. Everything looked pretty normal, old rusting tracks, but the ROW was pretty clear. I take my photos and start walking back to the car where my father was sitting.

However, apparently the guy who lives across the street on Clyde Road, saw me and us and starting screaming for my attention across the street. Trying to ignore him, I went back into the car and asked my father to drive off. Unsuspecting of what came next, we tried merging back into Clyde Road, however to find that this dude is beginning to chase us, my dad tries to hear what he's saying, but because of our mistake, now my dad and a blue car nearby are swerving. We got about half of a block down Clyde before I made another dumb decision. We u-turned our 99 Ford Escort on Clyde Road back to CR 514 (Amwell Road) back in the direction of this guy who is still standing there. When he sees us drive by, he starts screaming again at us, I told my dad to step on the gas. I remember not feeling comfortable about him not following us by car or something until about Neshanic or so.

I admit we made mistakes that way in handling the situation, but none of this would've happened had I not photographed Clyde Station.

By the way, this was what the Millstone Branch looked like in April: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... e_Road.JPG

[tahawus84]

why are you not allowed to take pics there? as long as you were not in his yard he cant do anything to you

[Roadgeek Adam]

why are you not allowed to take pics there? as long as you were not in his yard he cant do anything to you

I didn't say I am not allowed. I was across the street from his property. He seemed to take exception to it.

[carajul]

I got some pics of the area too. Mother nature sure takes over fast. I can't believe the weeds are 8' high between the rails already.

And as I was taking pics and looking around I was attrackting a LOT of attention. Every car had to slow down and look at me and every employee had to stare at me.

In the past few years I've been accused of stealing copper wire by RR employee who screamed at me "it's not stealing until you get caught" while shining a spot light in my face. My reply was "f---k off". I was on public property with my camera. Last year in Cressona, PA while shooting the R&N movements, a woman went nuts when I refused to move my car from a public road she happened to live on. Turned into a screaming match and she called the local police to report me as a burglar/sexual predator (this for parking my car on her street). Just past Cressona where the LV Lizard Creek bridge crossed the Reading on the high trestle I was parked on the side of the road taking pics when an employee of the auto shop nearly walked up to me, asked me what I was doing, and then demanded I leave the area. Telling people to buzz off and mind their own business usually works. I'm always worried about my personal safety and I always carry pepper spray and a hand gun when I railfan (in states where it's legal).

Back to the Millstone branch if you have any old pics I'd love to see them. I've been waiting my whole life for pics of the branch while in operation all the way to E Millstone. What I wouldn't give to see a PC move crossing Amwell Rd at Colonial Park. Someone's got to have a pic in their attic somewhere.

I remember around 10 years ago there was a historic book collection about each town in NJ. In the Franklin Twp book they had a whole chapter on the branch that had tons of pics of pax trains in the late 1800s-early 1900s.

NS should at least try to get the cement factory just past Rt 27 back online. They still have their spur in place.

I'm very surprised CR and NS haven't abandoned the line past Rt 27. How it sat for 30+ years deralict past Rt 27 is beyond me. They must still have hopes for the Herman Warehouse. I also can't figure out why they replaced the switch into the spur just past Veronica Ln. That building has A/C units installed on the side of the building over the spur and it's never been used!

[ChrisU]

Isn't part of the Millstone branch still used?

[carajul]

The first 1000' is used by NJT as the Jersey Ave station. Past that NS has a few customers just past Jersey Ave. Nothing past Rt 27.

[Roadgeek Adam]

The first 1000' is used by NJT as the Jersey Ave station. Past that NS has a few customers just past Jersey Ave. Nothing past Rt 27.

First 1700' have wiring I believe. I haven't seen an NS train on the branch in a while, last time I saw one goes back to a late afternoon last summer.

[Passaic River Rat]

What time of day was it and how big and old was the guy? I am thinking about taking pictures of the station site myself.

I have been to Clyde recently enough (and am near the former Vorhees Station site on a regular basis). I have an interesting story considering my trip to Clyde Station (which is the same trip to Ringoes station on April 9). When I was there, it's a pain to park on the side of Clyde Road, so we're on the shoulder and the minute I step out, I feel the ground move under me (soft ground). I hustle to the station site with my camera and inspect the area, which impressed me considering former pictures of the same site. Everything looked pretty normal, old rusting tracks, but the ROW was pretty clear. I take my photos and start walking back to the car where my father was sitting.

However, apparently the guy who lives across the street on Clyde Road, saw me and us and starting screaming for my attention across the street. Trying to ignore him, I went back into the car and asked my father to drive off. Unsuspecting of what came next, we tried merging back into Clyde Road, however to find that this dude is beginning to chase us, my dad tries to hear what he's saying, but because of our mistake, now my dad and a blue car nearby are swerving. We got about half of a block down Clyde before I made another dumb decision. We u-turned our 99 Ford Escort on Clyde Road back to CR 514 (Amwell Road) back in the direction of this guy who is still standing there. When he sees us drive by, he starts screaming again at us, I told my dad to step on the gas. I remember not feeling comfortable about him not following us by car or something until about Neshanic or so.

I admit we made mistakes that way in handling the situation, but none of this would've happened had I not photographed Clyde Station.

By the way, this was what the Millstone Branch looked like in April: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... e_Road.JPG

[carajul]

If memory serves correct, the stations were actually just small wooden shacks like bus stations. Not really station buildings bit just shelters made of plywood.

The last one standing was S Middlebush Rd which was razed in 1942.

There was an engine facility in E Millstone. I think the grassy area thru the middle of town was railroad related. That was all gone by late 1800s.

[Roadgeek Adam]

What time of day was it and how big and old was the guy? I am thinking about taking pictures of the station site myself.

Mid-late 20s and a shrimp. Please try not to attract his attention, I went through one bad situation doesn't mean someone else should be watching for him.

If memory serves correct, the stations were actually just small wooden shacks like bus stations. Not really station buildings bit just shelters made of plywood.

The last one standing was S Middlebush Rd which was razed in 1942.

You are correct sir

[carajul]

CLYDE STATION STILL STANDING TODAY!!!???

Call me crazy but I've just spent some time on http://www.historicaerials.com and I think I found the Clyde pax station and it may still be standing to this day.

The 1930 image is too blurry but go to 1940. Look just east about 200' from Clyd Rd down the tracks. There is a small rectangular structure next to the tracks! Was that the pax station? It had to be RR related. There is a dirt road going to it.

Here is where it gets good. That structure is still standing today! The cottage house where that lunatic lives who attacked you wasn't built until 1956. All through the decades that structure is there. It appears as though the cottage house uses it as a storage shed of sorts.

The only thing that could derail (no pun intended) my theory is that:
1. that structure was not the pax station and the original pax station was razed before 1940.
2. that was the orig pax sta but it was razed an a new shed was built ontop of it.

I would like some input plz.

Also can anyone answer this... by 1940 with no pax service even at this date was the line just used sporatically to service the rubber factory in E Millstone? Was that the only service?

[ArtS]

You're crazy

I looked at Historical Aerials. The building east of Clyde Road was last visible in 1979 and does not appear to be standing today. It is also not present on Bing birdseye view. Though, if it was the station, it may have been the last one standing as opposed to S. Middlebush.

Regards,

Art S.

[carajul]

I just live map viewed the line past Clyde Rd. Just before S Middlebush Rd xing there is new luxury housing developments on both sides of the row and unfortunately some of the backyards appear to have been built over the row. One driveway seems to be on top of the row.

Those 3 luxury homes on Amwell Rd that border Colonial Park... their back yards obliterated the row completely.

I guess the Millstone Branch is truely gone for good.

Another intersting tid bit... the spur that snaked thru the industrial park on Clyde. The building it served never had boxcar doors installed. Why the heck would the put in a spur at the cost of a few hundred grand and have the spur butt up against a solid wall with no doors!?!

I'm wondering if PC still owns the row or maybe they sold it to the township when the line was abandoned in '72. It sure looks like whoever owns it has been chopping it up and selling pieces to land developers in recent years.