Question about the Main Line

Ok, so we all know the Main Line was EL. But which parts were Erie, and which parts were Lackawanna? I think it's DLW until past Paterson station, then it becomes erie. I saw an old DLW map once, it seemed like the DLW line went from Paterson to what is now the Boonton Line at around Great Notch or so.

If by 'main line' you are referring to the line through Paterson, that was Erie
Went from JC via Rutherford (splitting at Rutherford into Bergen Main and Main) the main went on wnw to Carlton Hill,(tracks still in up to the river) crossed the Passaic River to Passaic Park and up the center of Main Avenue Passaic where it veered off on its own ROW on up north thru Clifton to the yards (still exist) East of Getty Ave. (tracks still exist to just south of Rte 46.
where it joined the Newark division (now the double tracked NJT) behind St. Josephs hospital.

The DL&W went from where the Boonton line crossed the NY&GL at Mountain View (Wayne) and on East (spur still exists) to where I 80 is now. I 80 runs on the DL&W row accross the Passaic river and around Garret Mountain, to where the NJT line now runs on it on in to Hoboken from the Newark line junction (now the Newark industrial) of the old Erie.

See also http://erielackhs.org/ELHS/ELHSDepartments.htmls for more info.

Yeah, what I meant by "Main Line" was the current NJT Main Line.

I've looked on Google Earth, there's still a median in Main Ave. Passiac where the railroad used to be. There's parking there now. And you can follow a bunch of alleyways and parking lots pretty far before the old ROW completely peters out.

And as a side note, I live really close to the Newark Industrial. A train goes by once a month or so really late at night. I think.

The present NJT "Main Line" was originally the DL&W Boonton Branch from West End to Paterson Jct, which in my time there (up to 1970)was a controlled point located between US-46 and the Garden State Parkway between Clifton and Paterson.

From that point the re-configured Main Line runs on a short piece of the former DL&W Paterson City Branch, and then the former Erie Newark Branch, to the junction with the original Erie Main Line from Rutherford Jct just south of Interstate 80. From that point to WJ at Ridgewood Jct it is the former Erie Main Line.

Before Rt 80 was constructed, The ROW went over the "High Bridge". My father tells me it was single tracked, wood, and traversed McBride Ave, and Totowa Rd, or Riverview Drive along the river.
Did the Lackawanna turn South along Garret Mtn? and was paterson Station Erie, or lackawanna?

NJTee,

The DL&W bridge over the Passaic River was steel, with a wood deck. My father got the milepost from the end of the bridge after the track was removed.

The DL&W went around the northern tip of Garret Mtn. and then turned south. The Route 80 & Route 20 (or is it 19) interchange obliterated the roadbed, although you can pick it up parallel to and on the east side of Route 20 (19?) just south of the interchange.

The current station in Paterson was the Erie's. The DL&W station was nearer to Squirrelwood Road.

Chris

The Maptech maps don't cover everything, but they do cover Paterson. Looks like it shows the DL&W station.

http://historical.maptech.com/getImage. ... g&state=NJ

Yup, that small dot just North of the "L" in Lackawanna on the circle drive was the DL&W station. Parts of the concrete stairway up from the circle to the station are still there.

The Paterson High Bridge in West Paterson NJ was a double track bridge. After the EL merger the Boonton Line Between Mountain View and Paterson was reduced to single track.