• Lehigh & New England in Sussex County - 2004

  • Discussion of the L&NR railroad for the period 1868-1961 at its inclusion in the Central of New Jersey. Also includes predecessors South Mountain and Boston Railroad, Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and New England Railroad, and others.
Discussion of the L&NR railroad for the period 1868-1961 at its inclusion in the Central of New Jersey. Also includes predecessors South Mountain and Boston Railroad, Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and New England Railroad, and others.

Moderator: David

  by Lackawanna484
 
Lehigh & New England ran a coal hauling railroad from the anthracite belt of Pennsylvania, Hauto area, northeast to Portland PA, over the Delaware River and connected with the NYSW. For a line that's been gone for forty five years, there's a lot of it still around.

From Hainesburg junction, almost underneath the easternmost arch of the DL&W Paulinskill viaduct, the combined lines ran north to Swartswood Lake, where the Suskie ran east to Sparta. The Swartswood station was located at the corner of Old Swartswood Road, and Junction Road. The JN tower was north of the station and south of Plotts Rd. The foundations of JN tower are visible.

New Jersey thoughtfully built a bridge for US 206 over the LNE between Branchville and Augusta, at Augusta Hill Rd. Just east of the cutoff to Branchville town. The row is an ATV trail now.

LNE ran northeast from here, running parallel to, and just east of, Plains Road in Frankford, on the west side of CO 565. The railroad crossed the county road at the junction with Plains. The embankment is quite visible.

The LNE passed east of Sussex town, running alongside Lewisburg Creamery Road. There's a bridge carrying NJ 23 over the right of way. The DL&W crossed at grade on the north side of the bridge, and the LNE had trackage rights into the town. The creamery has been rebuilt into a modern office building. SW side of town.

There's a supermarket and auto dealer on the location of the junction, but the right of way is pretty visible. If you head south on 23, and take a left at the traffic light by the Dodge dealer, the LNE is on your left. The line is marked by utility poles. Bassetts Road and Owens Station Road cross the right of way.

If you're still back in Sussex, at the LNE bridge, a left onto 23, and a quick right onto 284 puts you alongside the NYSW/OM branch from Beaver Lake to Sussex to Hanford. It's on your left for three or four miles before it drifts off to the west.
Last edited by Lackawanna484 on Sun Dec 12, 2004 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

  by David
 
Hey Lackawanna484, Good article. I think the guys in the Lehigh & New England Forum would enjoy it too. If you don't mine, copy it there too--Thanks

  by lhrfan
 
Hi 484, just a few corrections;1)the LNE crossed Augusta Hill Rd and Rt 206 at grade. 2)The DL&W did not go anywhere near Sussex. The NYS&W Hanford Branch crossed the LNE on an overhead bridge just north of the Rt 23 bridge. 3) The branch into Sussex belonged to the LNE, and the creamery is mostly apartments. 4) When you turn by the Dodge dealer, the NYSW Hanford branch crosses at grade. I don't recall being able to see the LNE r.o.w. from that road(565). 5) The Hanford branch paralells Rt.284 from Sussex to Slate Hill NY within a couple hundred yards to the west. (Of course north of the state line, it IS the Middletown and New Jersey RR)

Bill T
Wantage NJ

  by David Hutchinson
 
There are also lots of neat stuff on the LNE in Orange County, New York. Although it is in Florida, NY, north of Pine Island, which, I guess, makes it LNE/Erie, is an intact siding in back of a small warehouse. Was never torn up.

  by Lackawanna484
 
lhrfan wrote:Hi 484, just a few corrections;1)the LNE crossed Augusta Hill Rd and Rt 206 at grade. 2
Bill T
Wantage NJ
Is the bridge just southeast of Branchville that carries 206 over the railroad over the DL&W rather than the LNE? I figured it was the LNE...

  by Scrap The U34CH
 
Lackawanna484 wrote:
lhrfan wrote:Hi 484, just a few corrections;1)the LNE crossed Augusta Hill Rd and Rt 206 at grade. 2
Bill T
Wantage NJ
Is the bridge just southeast of Branchville that carries 206 over the railroad over the DL&W rather than the LNE? I figured it was the LNE...
It was the DLnW.

  by David
 
Lackawanna484 wrote:
lhrfan wrote:Hi 484, just a few corrections;1)the LNE crossed Augusta Hill Rd and Rt 206 at grade. 2
Bill T
Wantage NJ
Is the bridge just southeast of Branchville that carries 206 over the railroad over the DL&W rather than the LNE? I figured it was the LNE...

Drove under that bridge in 1982 with my OSSA motocycle along the old DL&W ROW towards Augusta.
  by CarterB
 
What is the history of the L&NE branch from Pine Island to a gravel pit?? and Glenwood??
  by isaksenj
 
The New Jersey Midland Railroad Historical Society published a detailed account by Bob Mohowski of the Pochuck branches of the L&NE in Volume 3, Number 4 of the "Midlander Trainsheet". Copies are still available from the Society:

http://njmidland.railfan.net/midlande.htm
  by lt230s
 
New guy here.
Great website!
I grew up in between the L&NE and the NYS&W north of Sussex near the Owens Rd. crossing. Trains were gone by that time, but always were interested in them.
A couple years ago I took some pics of the existing L&NE ROW in/near Sussex and posted over on Railfan.net if anyone is interested.
http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?bo ... 1111176213
Also, NJ DOT is going to be rerouting Rt. 23 thru Sussex onto what is now Walling Ave. That parallelled the Deckertown Ext alongside the creamery (now apartments/small offices). I don't know how extensive it will be but I'm sure the homes along there will be demolished in the very least. Hopefully they will keep the fountain that was alongside the long gone station.
As a side note, also on that same link is pics of the Glenwood station and track layout posted by another railfan buff.