Abandoned tracks

I don't know why I haven't asked this earlier but I once again crossed abandoned tracks near the Union Avenue exit in RT46. Who was the first owner of this track? What other RRs ran on them and what customers were served there?

Given the amount of traffic on RT46, when was the last time a train actually crossed this track?

Also, can anyone recommend any good books on the Erie/EL/DLW that has information and pictures of the Orange Branch and the NY&GL?

Thanks in advance.

Ken -

The tracks in Totowa by Union Ave and crossing Rt. 46 were originally DL&W, part of the Boonton Branch. I don't know for sure (but can find out) when the last train to cross over 46 to the water treatment plant was, but it was within the last 15 if not 10 years. I know it hasn't been for a while, though. As for pics of the Erie....Try these - Morning Sun's, Erie in color, EL Vol 4: The Early Years, EL Vol 3: The East End,
Erie RR: Trackside, and Quadrant Press' Erie Memories, a VERY good Erie book...These books all have a few pics of the Orange and NYG&L in them.

Ralph aka CF

Ralph,

Thank you!!!!! That's great information for me. I often wondered how long it must have been. I can always remember RT46 being a very busy highway and wondered how they were able to cross 46 without cars smacking into to one another

Ken, during the latter years of service to the water plant (magic chemicals which made Passaic River water drinkable) they crossed Route 46 around 2AM, when traffic was very light.

snavely wrote:Ken, during the latter years of service to the water plant (magic chemicals which made Passaic River water drinkable) they crossed Route 46 around 2AM, when traffic was very light.

Thanks - That explains it.

Ken

I remember seeing two daylight (11AM-2PM) crossings of Rt 46 in the early 80's...both times the train pulled up to the crossing and waited for police to arrive on either side of the crosssing. When they did, the flashers were activated, the police lit their lights and flares, and stopped traffic for the crew...the whole scene took about 2 minutes.

SooLineRob wrote:I remember seeing two daylight (11AM-2PM) crossings of Rt 46 in the early 80's...both times the train pulled up to the crossing and waited for police to arrive on either side of the crosssing. When they did, the flashers were activated, the police lit their lights and flares, and stopped traffic for the crew...the whole scene took about 2 minutes.

Rob,

That's pretty good. I was expecting trouble being able to stop traffic on 46 but it sounds as if this two minute exercise went well.

I worked the daylight Dover Drill, in 1991, with RR Barhs, and Falzo, and we did the Thomas' english muffins, went across 46, with a chlorine tank, serviced all the spots, still active, on the Boonton Line. A trip up the branch at Mt. View (not sure if this was the right spot. just off Rt 23, near Wayne. Facing point switch WB, just west of the platform, that headed north into the woods) At that point in time, the little station (shanty) was still there, on the platform, and it was full of EL car list books, and switching records, from the mid 70' up till about 82. I snagged a couple of blank ones, while I was there, and they did pretty good on eBay, not too far back. There was some pretty cool switching left, on all of the former EL lines, right up until 91, anyways. We still did the Montclair, Gladstone, Totowa industrial, Pascack, etc. The RT 46 crossing was not in service, and we lobbed about a dozen fusees into traffic, then did the "blow & go", and forced our way across the road. Power was usually a pair of Geeps, either 38's, or 15's, and the hack was always carried, for shoving movements. Some good times were had out there, working in between trainsets, trying to get it all done. Regards

GOLDEN-ARM wrote:At that point in time, the little station (shanty) was still there, on the platform, and it was full of EL car list books, and switching records, from the mid 70' up till about 82. I snagged a couple of blank ones, while I was there, and they did pretty good on eBay, not too far back. Regards

Was the station in Wayne?

The Mountain View Station used to be a little shanty and riders stood outside in the weather. About 10 years ago NJT built the existing station with canopy and a waiting room.

Mountain View is a section of Wayne and this is on the former Erie Greenwood Lake Branch. The DL&W, Wayne station was directly east as the crow flies. The Wayne PAL is located on the site of the former station

Chris

Chris got it right there. The "station" on the platform was really a freight agents office (from the looks of it), as only about 4-5 people could fit inside it, at a time. Really more like a place for freight crews to come in, and use the block-line, to chat with the DS. It was still there, as late as '93, and still full of old EL car list books, records of cars spotted, and pulled on the line, etc. Hopefully someone snagged the last of the swag, before it was torn down. This is just south of RT-23, along the border with (what's the name of the town, that gets flooded every year, and all of the houses are on stilts ?) some town, whose "soggy" name escapes me, at this moment. A pretty decent pizza joint, not far from there, was a good spot for beans, while waiting to get out. Regards

Hey Golden Arm...

What jobs existed back in '91 out of Dover? When did the WPDJ-61 and WPDJ-62 become the only jobs left? Wasn't there another pair, like WPDO-80 & 81 on the same time as the 61 & 62? If I remember correctly, didn't Dover become a two crew town when CR gave up all the branches to the M&E, sometime around the early 90's?

When I was still "back east" in '92, the former EL Road Switchers / Wayfreights were...at best recollection...

WPDJ 61 - 0830 Dover / M&E,Booton Line,Totowa Spur, Washington Secondary to Washington and Lehigh Line to Allentown as required NOTE 1
WPDJ 62 - 2030 Dover / Boonton Line, Orange Branch, M&E, Gladstone
WPAL 18 - 0800? Allentown / Lehigh Line, Washington Secondary to Washington and M&E to Denville as required NOTE 1
NOTE 1 - DJ 61 & AL 18 usually met at Washington in mid afternoon and exchanged trains/cars. ALL freight handled west of Summit and West Arlington Draw originated in Allentown.
WPCX 21 - 1900? Croxton / short term "Dirt Train" Boonton Line to Lincoln Park & return
YPCX 11 - 0630? Croxton / short term "Dirt Train" to Liberty State Park & return
YPCX 10 - 0730 Croxton / Croxton Yard, south end of Northern Industrial, Mainline to Secaucaus Draw
YPCX 20 - 1530 Croxton / Croxton Yard
WPSF 25 - 0900? Suffern / Main Line,Paterson
WPSF 37 - 1430? Suffern / Bergen County to Passaic Junction, Rockland Industrial
WPSF 27 - 1700 Suffern / Main Line,Paterson,Newark Branch
WPNB 31 - 0900 North Bergen / taxi to Woodridge, Pascack Valley to Hackensack, return train to North Bergen
WPNB 41 - 1000 North Bergen / Bergen County to Waldwick; Thursday only Pascack Valley Hackensack to Pearl River
WPNB 39 - 2030 North Bergen / Pascack Valley to Woodridge, taxi back to North Bergen
WPNB 51 - 0800 North Bergen / Northern Industrial
WPOI 50 - 0800? Oak Island / Irregular and seasonal, Mainline to Kingsland for COFC trash containers, Mainline to Waldwick and return to Oak Island via Bergen County
YPSK 3 - 0700? South Kearny / South Kearny Yard, Newark Branch
YPSK 5 - 0730? South Kearney / South Kearney Yard, M&E, Kingsland, and Montclair Branch
WACH 10 - 0800? Campbell Hall / Southern Tier including old Main Line to Middletown, Hudson Secondary, Maybrook Industrial
WACH 20 - 1900? Campbell Hall / Southern Tier including old Main Line to Middletown, Hudson Secondary, Maybrook Industrial
OIBU / BUOI - daily between Oak Island and Port Jervis, Bergen County, Main Line, Southern Tier
After CR established Interdivisional runs between Binghamton and Oak Island for the intermodal/autoracks, local freight service was handled by eastbound WACH 50 out of Campbell Hall, returning the next day as WPOI 51...

Hard to imagine what little business there is left out there for the NS to deal with. I saw a westbound NS local last year heading west for the Pascack Valley mid morning...one engine and two cars...poor comparison to the 30+ cars and two Geeps of the 80's and 90's...

Hey, SooLineRob, those were all of the jobs, that I was familiar with. As a matter of fact, I worked every one of those jobs, except the Croxtons, which were run out of NB and SK by then, and the WPAL, which ran out of XN, and I never worked out of that terminal, as a home terminal engineer. The CH jobs, as well as the OIBU were also crewed out of the other end CH & PJ, respectively. The work we had, on the M&E was formerly handled by those WPDJ drills, that you mentioned, although when I was on them, they were the WJDO 61-62, respectively. I worked both, and we went all over NJTROI, to cover the work, including running to Washington, to interchange, and work our way back. Boonton line, Gladstone branch, M&E mainline, Totowa industrial, Washington Secondary, etc. Other than the Boonton mainline, I recall all of the other Erie work was handled out of NB, via Croxton. This included the work in and around Patterson, Pascack Valley line, Croxton industrial work (although I think we did the Croxton stack service out of SK) There were at least 2 jobs, we ran out of SK, that did the Montclair, east end of the M&E, and halfway up the Begen County Line. Suffern jobs were also my territory, with the PJ mainline, and all work back into SK being covered by these 3 jobs, we ran out of there. If I was at home, I could verify start times, through my old timebooks, T&E verification sheets, etc. You seem to have a pretty tight lock, on the info, though. Sorry for the "bummer", just wondering if you remembered. Regards

Golden Arm...

Things were quite a bit more interseting on the EL side of Conrail back then. And I remember the incident in Croxton, but can't remember his name either. Although the railroad has gotten much "safer" in the 21st century, unbeknownst to the general public, there are still WAY too many workers that are taken by the hazards...

SooLineRob wrote:After CR established Interdivisional runs between Binghamton and Oak Island for the intermodal/autoracks, local freight service was handled by eastbound WACH 50 out of Campbell Hall, returning the next day as WPOI 51...

Hard to imagine what little business there is left out there for the NS to deal with. I saw a westbound NS local last year heading west for the Pascack Valley mid morning...one engine and two cars...poor comparison to the 30+ cars and two Geeps of the 80's and 90's...

The reason for your lament is related to your post- the former EL was no longer a through route for CR so they chased the business away. Throw in trade policies like NAFTA and GATT, and it's no surprise the business is gone.

FYI (before Andy Bohman returns), there's no "p" in Binghamton!