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The Boonton Branch refers to the railroad line in New Jersey that was completed in 1870 and ran 34 miles (54.8 km) from Hoboken to East Dover Junction as part of the Morris & Essex Railroad (M&E). Although the branch hosted commuter trains (and to a lesser extent, passenger trains), the line was primarily built as a freight bypass line. The term "branch", therefore, is somewhat of a misnomer since the Boonton Branch was built to higher mainline standards than the Morristown Line, the line that it bypassed. As a result, the Boonton Branch better meets the definition of a "cut-off" rather than a branch. Some of the towns that the Boonton Branch passed through included Lyndhurst, Passaic, Clifton, Paterson, Wayne, Lincoln Park, Mountain Lakes, and its namesake, Boonton.
By the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the management of the Morris & Essex Railroad had recognized that the Morristown Line was inadequate as a freight line. The line was circuitous and westbound trains had to climb the steep 1.5% grade to reach Summit, New Jersey. Although not yet as significant as it would become in the 20th Century, the Morristown Line also passed through numerous small towns that were served by passenger trains, which could interfere with freight movements. (The term "commuter" was just coming into vogue at that time.) Rather than attempting to rebuild an existing line, the Lackawanna, which controlled the M&E, decided to build a completely new line. The new line would span 34 miles, leaving the Morristown Line just west of the Bergen Tunnels at West End (which became a junction) and then rejoining the Morristown line at East Dover Jct. (In 1903, Denville Jct. would be created at its present location and East Dover Jct. would be downgraded.)
Construction began in 1869 and was completed by 1870. Reportedly, very few construction problems were encountered. The line more or less paralleled the Morris Canal for its entire length. This was hardly a coincidence for both competitive and topographical reasons. From a competitive point of view, the canal carried significant coal traffic at the time the Boonton Branch was built. As the "Road of Anthracite", the Lackawanna tapped the anthracite-rich hills of the Scranton Valley to supply the suburbs of New Jersey. The huge increase in transport capacity offered by the new line shifted virtually all coal traffic off the canal and to the railroad: the railroad's delivery schedule was counted in hours—not days (as was the case of the canal)—and the railroad didn't freeze over for four months out of the year, at the time when its most profitable commodity was in greatest demand. From a topographical point of view, the Boonton Branch's alignment allowed for fast freight service over a line that was relatively uncongested by commuter and passenger traffic. Westbound, trains still had to overcome a ruling grade of 1%, which often required pusher engines and helper engines. Even so, the Boonton Branch's grade profile was a decided improvement over the Morristown Line's. When the section of the branch through the Hackensack Meadowlands was destroyed in 1917 by the Kingsland explosion (caused by German sabotage of an ammunition plant in Lyndhurst), [1] it was quickly rebuilt.
The Lackawanna's freight business grew consistently from the time of the opening of the Boonton Branch until the First World War. Growth resumed during the 1920s, necessitating additional tracks being laid on the Boonton Branch (4 in places). The Great Depression substantially hurt the Lackawanna's traffic (similar to most other American railroads), and although traffic saw a large upswing during the Second World War, by the 1950s the financial outlook was bleak. In an attempt to forestall an almost certain bankruptcy, the DL&W merged with the Erie Railroad (its local rival) in 1960. The combined railroad, Erie Lackawanna Railroad (EL), although full of promise, performed poorly for its first few years, losing millions of dollars. During this time, EL management looked for ways to stave off receivership. In a move that was extremely controversial, the New Jersey Highway Department (now NJDOT) moved to buy the right-of-way of the Boonton Branch between Paterson and Totowa, New Jersey from the Erie Lackawanna for Interstate 80 . The highway department's offer was $2 million for the entire width of the right-of-way (which would completely sever the double-track route). The EL, in desperate need of cash, expressed interest, but asked if at least a single track could be retained along the edge of the highway. The highway department agreed it was feasible, but quoted a cost of $2 million to rebuild a single track—an offer that was of no interest to the EL as this would not result in any cash. Public hearings were held where rail advocates criticized the idea of severing the line, but to no avail. Faced with the inevitability of the highway, the EL decided to accept the offered $2 million, rather than risk getting less from an eminent domain seizure.
Since most of the railroad's freight had been shifted off of the former Boonton Branch at Mountain View, with the Erie's Greenwood Lake Branch to be used as the new eastern connection to Hoboken (via a junction between the Boonton Branch and the Greenwood Lake Branch in Secaucus), creating the new Boonton Line for commuter purposes, the impact of the severing of the line initially seemed to be minimal. On paper, the severing of the line only affected the City of Paterson with the closing of the former Lackawanna passenger station located on a hill above the city. Paterson was already served by the former Erie mainline station in downtown Paterson and did not protest the closure. What was lost, and what would eventually come back to haunt the EL, was the previous high-speed freight route.
Indeed, in a decade's time after the severing of the line at Garret Mountain, all long-haul freights would be brought back to the "Lackawanna side". The aforementioned Greenwood Lake Branch had a grade profile similar to that of the Morristown Line—a line which the Morris & Essex Railroad's management had decided to bypass a century earlier. The use of the Greenwood Lake Branch would prove to be an operational headache. And after the EL became part of Conrail in 1976, Conrail specifically would point to the severing of the Garret Mountain section of the Boonton Branch as a key reason in its decision to abandon the Lackawanna Cutoff.
With the opening of the Montclair Connection in 2002, trains over the Boonton Line were rerouted at Montclair over the Montclair Branch, resulting in the renaming of the line to the Montclair-Boonton Line.
The Dover and Delaware River Railroad currently operates a short industrial track through Wayne and Totowa to serve several industries in the area== it is known as the Totowa Industrial Branch.
All mileposts are from Hoboken Terminal.
County | Milepost | Station | Opened | Rebuilt | Closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hudson | 3.7 [2] | Secaucus | 1903–04 [2] | Station constructed as part of a new yard replacing the one at Kingsland. [2] | ||
Bergen | 7.1 [3] | Kingsland | 1903–04 [4] | Still in use for New Jersey Transit's Main Line. | ||
8.2 [5] | Lyndhurst | 1928 [5] | ||||
Passaic | 9.4 [6] | Delawanna | 1925 [6] | |||
10.1 [7] | South Passaic | 1902 [7] | The station was discontinued when the Passaic depot was moved further south. [7] | |||
10.6 [8] | Passaic | 1901–02 [8] | Still in use for New Jersey Transit's Main Line. | |||
12.1 [9] | Athenia | 1903 [9] | Renamed from Clifton prior to 1900. Now the Clifton station on New Jersey Transit's Main Line. | |||
Note: The Newark Branch ran under the old DLW Boonton line at mile 13.2. In 1963, Paterson Junction was built a few hundred feet northwest of the bridge to merge the two lines, which then runs briefly on a new alignment parallel to the previous Newark tracks (now Kuller Road). This reconnects with old Newark trackage around Hazel Street, merging into the remainder of the original Main Line near Route 80. | ||||||
15.1 [8] | Paterson | 1928 [10] | 1963 | The Lackawanna Railroad decided the need for three stations in Paterson was unnecessary and instead, replaced with one station in 1928. [11] The original station at Paterson was located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south. [8] The station was demolished for the Passaic Plan by the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad in 1963. | ||
15.9 [12] | West Paterson | 1903–1906 [12] | A turntable was located at this station until being removed between 1903 and 1917. [12] | |||
18.2 [5] | Totowa–Little Falls | 1909 [5] | 1963 | |||
20.8 [13] | Mountain View | 1909 [13] | 1963 | |||
Morris | 22.9 [14] | Lincoln Park | 1905 [14] | Station formerly known as Beavertown. [14] Station still in use as part of New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line. | ||
25.2 [15] | Towaco | 1909 [13] | Station formerly known as Whitehall until 1905. [15] Station still in use as part of New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line. | |||
27.8 [16] | Montville | |||||
29.2 [17] | Boonton | 1905 [17] | Station relocated from 0.4 miles (0.64 km) west in 1905. [17] Station still in use as part of New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line. | |||
31.2 [18] | Mountain Lakes | 1912 [18] | Station replaced the original Fox Hill station, 0.9 miles (1.4 km) west. [18] Station still in use as part of New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line. | |||
34.9 [19] | Denville | 1903 [19] | The original station was located 0.25 miles (0.40 km) south. Junction with the Morristown Line [19] Station still in use as part of New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton and Morristown lines. | |||
38.1 [19] | Dover | 1901 [19] | Station still in use as part of New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton and Morristown lines. |
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, a distance of 395 miles (636 km). Incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1853 primarily for the purpose of providing a connection between the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and the large markets for coal in New York City. The railroad gradually expanded both East and West, eventually linking Buffalo with New York City.
The Erie Lackawanna Railway, known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route".
The Morristown Line is an NJ Transit commuter rail line connecting Morris and Essex counties to New York City, via either New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound Midtown Direct trains use the Kearny Connection to Penn Station; the rest go to Hoboken. Passengers can transfer at Newark Broad Street or Summit to reach the other destination. On rail system maps the line is colored dark green, and its symbol is a drum, a reference to Morristown's history during the American Revolution.
The Montclair Connection is a short section of double-track railroad on the NJ Transit Rail Operations system in New Jersey, United States, connecting the former end of the Montclair Branch at Bay Street station to the old Boonton Line southeast of Walnut Street station.
The Lackawanna Cut-Off was a rail line built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W). Constructed from 1908 to 1911, the line was part of a 396-mile (637 km) main line between Hoboken, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York. It ran west for 28.6 miles (46.0 km) from Port Morris Junction in Port Morris, New Jersey, near the south end of Lake Hopatcong about 45 miles (72 km) west-northwest of New York City, to Slateford Junction in Slateford, Pennsylvania near the Delaware Water Gap.
Denville is an active commuter railroad train station in Denville Township, Morris County, New Jersey. Located on Estling Road, the station contains three side platforms–two curved low-level platforms that service New Jersey Transit's Morristown Line, and a third that services their Montclair-Boonton Line. Both platforms on the Morristown Line contain miniature high-level platforms for handicap accessibility. Trains on both lines operate between Hoboken Terminal, New York Penn Station and Hackettstown. Heading westbound, the next station is Dover while the next station east on the Morristown Line is Mount Tabor. The next station east on the Montclair-Boonton Line is Mountain Lakes.
Mount Arlington is a commuter railroad station for New Jersey Transit. Located in the borough of Mount Arlington, Morris County, New Jersey, United States, the station is located next to interchange 30 on Interstate 80. The station serves as a park-and-ride for commuters to catch trains for Hoboken Terminal and New York Penn Station. Trains use the Montclair-Boonton Line and Morristown Line to serve locales between Hackettstown and the eastern terminals. Lakeland Bus Lines also services Mount Arlington station. The station is handicapped accessible as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The station features two side platforms and two tracks with elevators.
Netcong is an NJ Transit station in Netcong, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Located on Route 46 at Main Street in downtown Netcong, the small, 1-low level side platform station service passengers for the Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line. These lines provide service to Hoboken or to New York City via Midtown Direct on the Morristown Line at Dover station and Montclair-Boonton at Montclair State University station. Midtown Direct service can also be transferred at Newark Broad Street station in Newark. There is one track and one platform on the north side, adjacent to the station. NJ Transit maintains a substantial train servicing yard east of the Netcong station at Port Morris in Roxbury Township. Port Morris Yard is proposed to return as the junction of the Montclair-Boonton and Morristown lines for the Lackawanna Cut-Off line to Scranton. Transfers would be provided at Lake Hopatcong station in Landing.
Mount Olive is a NJ Transit station in Mount Olive, New Jersey, located in the International Trade Center. The station, located on the side of Waterloo Village Road, services trains for both the Montclair-Boonton Line and the Morristown Line along trackage owned by Norfolk Southern. The line is not electrified from Hackettstown to Dover, where passengers can transfer to an electric Morristown Line train via Summit or a diesel Montclair-Boonton train via Wayne and Montclair. Trains along both lines head to Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey or New York Penn Station at 34th Street in New York City, although Montclair-Boonton trains require a transfer at Montclair State University or Newark Broad Street for electrified service to New York. It is also the least-used station in the NJ Transit commuter rail network.
Mountain Lakes is a commuter railroad station in the borough of Mountain Lakes, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Serviced by New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line, the station is the first/last station after the Morristown Line merges/diverges at Denville station. The station consists of one low-level side platform, servicing a solo track. A station depot, built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, is located in the parking lot, currently serving as a restaurant known as "The Station at Mountain Lakes".
Roseville Avenue was a transfer station on New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines in Newark, New Jersey, United States. The station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1903 as part of a project to lower the tracks below the road surface to eliminate grade crossings. It serviced Newark's Roseville neighborhood. It once had two tracks on the Lackawanna mainline and two low-wall platforms, with an additional platform along the Montclair Branch. The station remained in service during most of the 20th century, until New Jersey Transit closed the station on September 16, 1984.
Kingsland is a railroad station on New Jersey Transit's Main Line. It is located under Ridge Road (Route 17) between New York and Valley Brook Avenues in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and is one of two stations in Lyndhurst. The station is not staffed, and passengers use ticket vending machines (TVMs) located at street level to purchase tickets. The station is not handicapped-accessible. Originally part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Boonton Branch, the current Kingsland station was built in 1918.
Paterson is a New Jersey Transit commuter railway station located on an elevated viaduct above Market Street in downtown Paterson, New Jersey. The railway through the station is double tracked, for north and south traffic on the NJT Main Line.
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Montclair Branch, which ran from Hoboken Terminal to Bay Street, Montclair; the Erie Railroad's Greenwood Lake Division, which originally ran from the Erie's Jersey City Terminal to Greenwood Lake, NY; and the former Lackawanna Boonton Line, which ran from Hoboken to Hackettstown, New Jersey. The Montclair-Boonton line was formed when the Montclair Connection opened on September 30, 2002. The line serves 28 active rail stations in New Jersey along with New York Pennsylvania Station. It crosses through six counties, serving six stations in the township of Montclair, two in the town of Bloomfield, and one in the city of Newark. Trains along the Montclair-Boonton Line heading eastward usually originate at Hackettstown, Mount Olive, Lake Hopatcong, Dover, or Montclair State University, bound for either Hoboken Terminal or New York Penn Station. On system maps the line is colored maroon and its symbol is a bird, after the state bird, the eastern goldfinch.
The Erie Lackawanna MU Cars were a fleet of electric multiple unit commuter railcars used by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (D&LW) and successor railroads in the state of New Jersey. The D&LW undertook electrification of its Morristown Line and related branches in 1929–1930, and purchased 141 motor cars from Pullman to operate it. These were supplemented by 141 unpowered trailers of various types which were converted from existing rolling stock. The multiple units were successful and remained in service until 1984.
Port Morris Junction is the railroad connection between NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line and the Lackawanna Cut-Off. Opened in 1911 by the Lackawanna Railroad, it is in the Port Morris, New Jersey section of Roxbury Township, New Jersey, south of Lake Hopatcong.
The Newark Branch is a branch of the Erie Railroad in New Jersey, United States, running between Jersey City and Paterson with stops in the Broadway Section in North Newark. Inaugurated in the 1870s, the line was last used for passenger service on September 30, 1966 and was later used for freight service.
Harrison was a station on New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines in Harrison, New Jersey, United States. The station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1906. It was situated between Newark Broad Street Station and Hoboken Terminal.
Mountain View was a station on the Boonton Branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. Located in the Mountain View section of Wayne Township, New Jersey, the station was at the Parish Drive bridge over the tracks. The station was 20.8 miles (33.5 km) away from its terminus at Hoboken Terminal on the shores of the Hudson River, where connections would be made to New York City via ferry and the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad. The western terminus. Denville, was 12.8 miles (20.6 km) away, where connections with the Morris and Essex Railroad were available. Just west of the station was Mountain View junction, where a connection was made to the Erie Railroad's New York and Greenwood Lake Railway was made.
North Newark was a former commuter railroad train station in the Woodside section of the city of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Located at the intersection of Broadway and Verona Avenues, the station served trains on NJ Transit's Boonton Line, which operated at the time between Netcong and Hoboken Terminal. The station consisted of two low-level side platforms, accessible by stairs from Broadway. The next station to the east was Arlington in nearby Kearny, with the next station to the west being Rowe Street in Bloomfield.