Benson Street Station

I have not been in this area for about 15 years but when I stopped at the station today, I noticed a sign in there that says "Erie Lackawanna Museum. Who owns it and is it operated by anyone? It looks like it is falling apart

Also, on the way to Benson Street, I stopped by Cedar Grove and walked up the stairs to see the ROW. I noticed there is what appeared to be a foundation for a passenger station here. When did service end here? Was there a big station there or just a little waiting area?

Thanks

The museum is owned by Jim Wilson. owner of the short line New York, Greenwood Lake & Erie RR, who also uses the station as his company office. Unfortunately, vandals set fire to the building a few years back and the damage you saw has not been repaired to date. In Cedar Grove, the stairs going up from Rt. 23 (a/k/a Pompton Ave.) led to the former E-L Caldwell branch station there. It was a simple shelter type which last saw passenger service in 1966.

Thanks for the info. I have since visited both places again as well as the entire Newark Branch and NY&GL in Newark, Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair.

Ken

Since NJT stopped operating on the old lower Boonton (7 years ago this month!), can anyone answer a few questions. What trains/railroads still use this section of track? And when/how often? I think there is freight trafffic? Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanx!

njgrptfan wrote:Since NJT stopped operating on the old lower Boonton (7 years ago this month!), can anyone answer a few questions. What trains/railroads still use this section of track? And when/how often? I think there is freight trafffic? Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanx!

The NS H02 usually goes down to Hartz once a week, which is on the Orange branch in Bloomfield/Newark... Lately I think they only seem to serve them during the colder months.

I apparently took pics of Benson Street last year while biking and apparently didn't notice. This was in 2008. Do we know if the structure still stands?

The structure still stands. I'm heading out today in that area and will take some pictures and post later.

Ken

Roadgeek Adam wrote:I apparently took pics of Benson Street last year while biking and apparently didn't notice. This was in 2008. Do we know if the structure still stands?

Ok. Apparently the building was sold

My understanding is that Jim Wilson and the NY&GL never owned the building but leased it. Sometime earlier this year a new lease was signed with new tenants who are supposed to repair the building - did I hear it correctly that they plan on opening it as a restaurant?

Dunno, but here are some stories:

http://www.baristanet.com/2009/08/benso ... lready.php

http://www.baristanet.com/2009/06/benso ... old_to.php

http://www.glenridgevoice.com/NC/0/504.html

njgrptfan wrote:Since NJT stopped operating on the old lower Boonton (7 years ago this month!), can anyone answer a few questions. What trains/railroads still use this section of track? And when/how often? I think there is freight trafffic? Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanx!

Just to add a bit to this. After the last NJT train ran on the lower Boonton, there has been little to no traffic on it.
As mentioned NS runs occasional service to Hartz Mountain via the lower Boonton and Orange Branch, but no revenue freight has run east of that junction point.
A railtruck ran on the in-bound track when the out-bound track was taken up, and that was about it.
The WR bridge that carries the line over the Passaic River has been condemed, and would have to be replaced.
In it's final years of using the line NJT trains ran at a greatly reduced speed over WR.

The last freight to run over any part of the eastern end of the lower Boonton was the final run of the Newark Branch east freight, and that service ended
as DB bridge was taken out of service about 1 month after NJT ended their service. What's left of the Newark Branch east is now severed in a number of places.

A small section of the lower Boonton line from DB east to the point where it joins the NJT Main Line is used by NS for car storage, you can easily see this from
the NEC line. A metal track bumper has been welded into place just before DB.

Ken

Ken -

A small section of the lower Boonton line from DB east to the point where it joins the NJT Main Line is used by NS for car storage, you can easily see this from
the NEC line.

Minor correction. The lower Boonton line from DB east is in still in place but severed from the NJT Main Line with a metal steel bumper in place there as well.

The old ex-ERIE spur that ran/runs abreast ( north side ) of the lower Boonton from DB East until it gradually vears off and under the NJT Main Line and loops Southeast to join the freight mains, appears to be the primary storage track that NS uses for those whatchamacallit freight cars parked in a loooong line.

BTW, when the lower Boonton went OOS, the power to the signal masts just East of DB was left on. AIR, the constantly lit red lenses apparantly finally burned-out about a year ago !

blockline4180 wrote:

njgrptfan wrote:Since NJT stopped operating on the old lower Boonton (7 years ago this month!), can anyone answer a few questions. What trains/railroads still use this section of track? And when/how often? I think there is freight trafffic? Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanx!

The NS H02 usually goes down to Hartz once a week, which is on the Orange branch in Bloomfield/Newark... Lately I think they only seem to serve them during the colder months.

I believe Hartz (or whatever it is now called) has only received 2 cars in 2009.

http://www.baristanet.com/2009/11/for_s ... benson.php

And we're up to the possibility of losing the same

freaking environmentalists and their trees.