Belvidere and Delaware River Railway

Last updated
Belvidere and Delaware River Railway
NWS&W 142 (2388519720).jpg
Overview
Headquarters Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Reporting mark BDRV
Locale Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Dates of operation1995present
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length16 miles
Other
Website https://www.cadrailroads.com/

The Belvidere & Delaware River Railway Company( reporting mark BDRV) also known as Delaware River Railroad is a class III railroad in the United States. [1] It was formed in 1995 when the Conrail Delaware Secondary line was purchased by the Black River Railroad System, which operates several railroad services in western New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The Black River Railroad System also owns and operates the Black River & Western Railroad (BR&W). BR&W leases 10 miles of track to BDRV since 2004. [2] Trackage purchased was a segment of the original Belvidere Delaware Railroad, later controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central, then Conrail.

Contents

The main freight service on the BDRV is south along the Delaware River from Phillipsburg to Carpentersville, a distance of 5 miles along the scenic Delaware River in New Jersey. Much of the industry currently is lumber and stone. BDRV originally served the James River Paper plant in Milford, New Jersey, assuming the task from Conrail: service to the plant ended in July 2003 when the plant closed. Rail service to a lumber transload continued serving Milford into 2004 when service on this part of the line was finally terminated. Freight service to Corrugated Paper Group (now Georgia Pacific) in nearby Riegelsville, New Jersey terminated in 2005 when the firm switched from railroad to trucking for product shipment.

BDRV interchanges with Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in Phillipsburg, which provides connections to the national rail network. Commercial agreements also provide a connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) at Allentown, Pennsylvania. BDRV is a NS handling carrier, meaning NS haulage rates include delivery to BDRV customers by BDRV.

The BDRV, along with BR&W, is part of the Chesapeake and Delaware [3] system, which also includes the newly formed Delaware and Raritan River Railroad out of Jamesburg, New Jersey.

Passenger Excursions

In 2004, the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYS&W) Technical & Historical Society, in partnership with BDRV, began operating Phillipsburg–Carpentersville steam-powered excursions. The main motive power for the society is ex-NYS&W locomotive No. 142. No. 142 is a China Railways SY type 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive built by the Tangshan locomotive works in 1989 for the Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut as Valley No. 1647, and sold to NYS&W in 1992. The locomotive was renumbered No. 142, and operated mainline excursions on NYS&W and, on occasion, New Jersey Transit. [4] The locomotive was brought out of storage by BDRV in 2004 for use on the excursions. In recent years, ex-Nickel Plate Road No. 811, an EMD GP9, has also been in frequent service on the line. NYS&W Technical & Historical Society (NYSWTHS) operates their trains under the banner name "Delaware River Railroad Excursions". [5]

All excursions originate out of Lehigh Junction in Phillipsburg with various station stops along the way depending on the season and/or any themed events that may be happening at the time. [6]

Passenger excursions reached Riegelsville in May, 2023, [7] where passengers disembark at a replica Pennsylvania Railroad station that formerly stood on the same site (still under construction). [8] As part of the track improvements to reach Riegelsville a siding that had previously been taken out by Conrail was put back in place; albeit slightly shorter than the original.

Out of service

NYS&W Technical & Historical Society began clearing the line of vegetation south of Carpentersville, eventually reaching Milford in late 2010. The borough of Milford has a yearly event called "Milford Alive" [9] which has included rail speeder rides on the line. There are future plans to restore regular train service south of Riegelsville to Milford when track conditions have been further upgraded.

Related Research Articles

The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 merger with the former Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, also known as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad. Its mainline route proved influential in the development and economic growth of the Southern Tier of New York state, including the cities of Binghamton, Elmira, and Hornell. The Erie Railroad repair shops were located in Hornell and was Hornell's largest employer. Hornell was also where Erie's mainline split into two routes with one proceeding northwest to Buffalo and the other west to Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad</span> Former U.S. Class 1 railroad

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of 395 miles (636 km). The railroad was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1853, and created primarily to provide a means of transport of anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeast Pennsylvania to large coal markets in New York City. The railroad gradually expanded both east and west, and eventually linked Buffalo with New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway</span> American freight railway

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, also sometimes referred to as New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad, Susie-Q or the Susquehanna, is a Class II American freight railway operating over 400 miles (645 km) of track in three Northeastern states, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJ Transit Rail Operations</span> Commuter rail division of NJ Transit

NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service in Orange and Rockland counties in New York under contract to Metro-North Railroad. The commuter rail lines saw 45,838,200 riders in 2022, making it the third-busiest commuter railroad in North America and the longest commuter rail system in North America by route length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Railroad of New Jersey</span> Defunct Class I railroad in the U.S. state of New Jersey (1839-1976)

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central, Jersey Central Lines or New Jersey Central, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrail</span> Former American Class I railroad (1976–1999)

Conrail, formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do business as an asset management and network services provider in three Shared Assets Areas that were excluded from the division of its operations during its acquisition by CSX Corporation and the Norfolk Southern Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission</span>

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly 140 miles (230 km) along the Delaware River from Philadelphia and Bucks County in southeast Pennsylvania and then north through the Lehigh Valley and to Pennsylvania-New York state border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh and Hudson River Railway</span>

The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR) was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast–southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Bridge at Maybrook, New York with Easton, Pennsylvania, where it interchanged with various other companies.

The Belvidere-Delaware Railroad was a railroad running along the eastern shore of the Delaware River from Trenton, New Jersey north via Phillipsburg, New Jersey to the small village of Manunka Chunk, New Jersey. It became an important feeder line for the Lehigh Valley Railroad's join to the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which was constructed into Phillipsburg, NJ at about the same time. This connected Philadelphia and Trenton, NJ at one end of the shortline railroad to the rapidly growing lower Wyoming Valley region, and via the Morris Canal or the CNJ, a slow or fast connection to New York City ferries crossing New York Harbor from Jersey City, NJ. In 1871 the CNJ leased various railroads in Pennsylvania, most from the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company allowing the CNJ to penetrate to the upper Wyoming Valley, over some stretches, competing directly with the Lehigh Valley Railroad and with the Lehigh Canal and the trunk road connection of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad to New York became less profitable since Philadelphia connected more easily to Northeastern Pennsylvania thereafter without needing a double-crossing of the Delaware River; a general revenue decline ensued, leading to the Pennsylvania Railroad acquiring the rights, where it served as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) system, carrying mainly anthracite coal and iron ore from northeastern Pennsylvania to population centers along the coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Otsego Corporation</span> American railway holding company

The Delaware Otsego Corporation (DO) is an American railway holding company which owns the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway and the Central New York Railroad. It is headquartered in Cooperstown, New York in Otsego County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lackawanna Old Road</span> It was opened in 1856

The Lackawanna Old Road was part of the original mainline of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W). Opened in 1856, it was, for a half-century, a part of the line connecting the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Delaware River Drive was a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black River and Western Railroad</span> New Jersey railroad


The Black River and Western Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad operating in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, between Flemington, Lambertville and Ringoes. The railroad operates vintage steam and diesel powered locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morristown and Erie Railway</span>

Morristown & Erie Railway is a short-line railroad based in Morristown, New Jersey, chartered in 1895 as the Whippany River Railroad. It operates freight rail service in Morris County, New Jersey and surrounding areas on the original Whippany Line between Morristown and Roseland, as well as the Morris County-owned Dover & Rockaway Branch, Chester Branch, and High Bridge Branch. The M&E also operated the Maine Eastern Railroad from November 2003 to December 31, 2015.

The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad is a defunct railroad that operated in eastern Pennsylvania during the 19th and 20th centuries. The company was a subsidiary of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company (LC&N). For much of its lifetime, however, it was leased by the Central Railroad of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Line (Norfolk Southern)</span> Railroad line in central New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania

The Lehigh Line is a railroad line in Central New Jersey, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway. The line runs west from the vicinity of the Port of New York and New Jersey in Manville, New Jersey via Conrail's Lehigh Line to the southern end of Wyoming Valley's Coal Region in Lehigh Township, Pennsylvania.

Carpentersville is an unincorporated community located in Pohatcong Township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillipsburg Union Station</span>

Phillipsburg Union Station is an active railroad station museum, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, United States, at 178 South Main Street. Opened in 1914, Union Station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) and shared with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and was situated where the lines merged before the bridge crossing the Delaware River. Designed by Frank J. Nies, the architect who produced many of DL&W stations now listed state and federal registers of historic places, the 2+12 story, 3 bay brick building is unusual example of a union station and a representation of early 20th century Prairie style architecture. The Phillipsburg Union Signal Tower, or PU Tower, is nearby, also restored to its original form, and available for tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riegelsville, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Warren County, New Jersey, US

Riegelsville is an unincorporated community located in Pohatcong Township in Warren County, New Jersey. It is connected to Riegelsville, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River by the Riegelsville Bridge at the confluence of the Musconetcong River with the Delaware River.

References

  1. "Belvidere and Delaware River Railway secures state rail grant | lehighvalleylive.com". Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  2. "Rail News - Belvidere & Delaware River Railway to lease track from sister short line. For Railroad Career Professionals" . Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  3. https://www.cadrailroads.com/
  4. https://www.toytrains1.com/dunellen.htm
  5. "Regular Season Trips". Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  6. https://877trainride.com/
  7. Erickson, Courtnie (2023-07-14). "New Jersey's Only Scenic River Train Belongs At The Top Of Your Bucket List". OnlyInYourState®. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  8. "19th century Riegelsville Station, a 'gateway' to Warren County, coming back to life along Delaware River railroad". lehighvalleylive. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  9. https://www.visitmilfordnj.org/milford-alive