by NJ Vike
jmp883 wrote:NJ Vike,
I've lived in Wanaque for 30+ years and the bridge abutments are about the only visible remnants of the Greenwood Lake Branch. North of the bridge abutments most of the roadbed has been built on.
There is one section still visible but it runs along the back of private residences.
In Ringwood the ROW is used as an access road around the reservoir. The Sterling Mine RR ROW is used as a reservoir access road along Sloatsburg Road. If you follow Sloatsburg Rd into New York, you will crest a large hill. At the base of that hill, on both sides of the road, the Sterling Mine RR ROW is very visible. In addition to the roadbed and ties an old telegraph pole is still standing with one or two insulators still on it. Due to the growth of trees and brush this area is best viewed in the winter when the trees are bare.
For more info/pics on the Greenwood Lake Branch and Sterling Mine RR from Wanaque north go
to: www.gsmrrclub.org. Click on the History link and you will see one link for the GLB and one for the Wanaque Reservoir. Some great pics.
Joe,
Thanks for the heads-up. I had a hunch that I wasn't going to see much due to the vegatation but when I first saw the bridge, little did I know that was about all I was going to see. I did, however, see the line run across several streets in the Wanaque area just right off of RT 511. I did notice that one street was named Railroad Avenue. Could it be that this was the location where the tracks crossed over 511?
Traveling further north showed absolutley nothing although, this was this little historical building up towards Greenwood Lake. I was thinking of stopping in to see if they had any information on the RR but just wanted to get back.
If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.