The CNJ Seashore Branch in its final years (NATCO Secondary)

exactly- IFF is(was) in union beach (and hazlet accross the highway without rail service if i recall). They had rail service to pretty late on.

There is(was) a small plant on clark street in a similar business but not the same. I remember tanker trucks there as a kid in the 70's but can't really recall rail tankers.

I forgot that was in Union Beach.

This is the place on Clark Street: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=fragrance ... s&t=h&z=14

Fragrance Resources, Inc.

michaelk wrote:exactly- IFF is(was) in union beach (and hazlet accross the highway without rail service if i recall). They had rail service to pretty late on.

There is(was) a small plant on clark street in a similar business but not the same. I remember tanker trucks there as a kid in the 70's but can't really recall rail tankers.

Conrail ran to IFF until 1983 it was the last customer on the Seashore Branch (NATCO Secondary),but only on the Union Beach side.

It appears IFF has been steadily downsizing its NJ plant for a while. Every time I pass by it, there is one less building standing on the property that is closest to the water. I think it's all solar panels now.

I believe the plant is mostly for business and research purposes. In my senior year of high school, my school gave us all internships for half the school year on Friday's, and a couple of my friends interned at IFF's research department. Not sure what they were exactly doing, I think they have been made to sign an NDA too.

It's a shame the Seashore Branch is gone. I do wonder if they could do some sort of light rail on it, since most of the ROW is still there, and it would connect pretty nicely with Matawan. I can't see heavy commuter rail being justified, but a single-track light rail could help take the pressure off of Route 36, and even Route 35 and the Parkway. If they could somehow get it to have a station at the Seastreak, that would be pretty good too.

#1618539 by JohnFromJersey
Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:07 pm

Henry Hudson Trail

R&DB wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:39 pm

#1618539 by JohnFromJersey
Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:07 pm

Henry Hudson Trail

Correct, but the HHT has a clause that states that if NJT so desires, they can make it become a railroad again. At least that is how it is between Freehold and Matawan, I'm not sure how the lease for it works in the Highlands area

Hmm, does the local government own the ROW?

I will say that, at least in NJ, putting a rail trail in on a former ROW means that trains will probably never be seen again.

Here in Ocean County, residents along the Barnegat Branch from South Tom’s River allll the way down almost unanimously called for it to become a trail once the trains were gone. County bought the ROW and removed all the tracks. Nowadays the trail itself is now used constantly during the daytime. You Won’t get tracks built on that again without a huge fight.

Perhaps the people of Matawan, Keansburg, etc think otherwise. I wouldn’t know.

As to re-activation? Well freight is out the question and I’m not sure if there’s enough traffic to warrant heavy rail. Light rail maybe?

Either that or have some eccentric billionaire buy the whole thing and run excursion trains from Matawan to points east. Get off the NJT there and hop into some early 20th century coaches for a leisurely ride to area tourist destinations during the summer.

It’s a pipe dream, I know. But wouldn’t it be nice?

Well, in the case of Barnegat Branch, even if they wanted to run trains there again, the TRIT is pretty much gone and NJT probably wouldn't want to run along the FIT and SOUS as long as freight is going there.

Whereas with the Seashore Branch, it connects directly to an NJT route. The Henry Hudson Trail is still owned by NJT/NJDOT, iirc.

In addition, I know the Henry Hudson Trail in northern Monmouth County has a lot of crime issues. I won't lie, back in high school, some friends and I would back there to do things our parents wouldn't let us do in the house ( ), and we saw a fair amount of dopeheads and methheads shooting up there. I've heard from some of my EMT friends in Ocean County that the Barnegat Branch Trail has similar issues the closer you get to South Toms River.

Not sure what the popularity of the HHT up by Highlands is, or how much it is used. All I know is people complain about drifters there often. The Henry Hudson Trail through Marlboro etc. is extremely popular and the local citizens with much money threw a fit when MOM was happening and they tried ripping the trail up to put tracks down

Oooooohh yeah, the BBT does attract some undesirable behavior in certain spots. There have been plenty of drug busts over the years. It mostly happens at night or in really bad weather.