Hawthorne station (New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad)

For other uses, see Hawthorne station (disambiguation).

Hawthorne
Hawthorne station viewed from Grand Avenue.
General information
Location	80 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°56′57″N74°09′14″W / 40.94916°N 74.15391°W / 40.94916; -74.15391
Owned by	New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
Line(s)	New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad main line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1 (New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad)
Construction
Parking	on street
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	1123 (Erie Railroad) [1]
History
Opened	1872 [2]
Closed	June 30, 1966 [3]
Rebuilt	1894
Electrified	Not electrified
Services
Preceding station New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad Following station North Hawthorne toward Stroudsburg Main Line Riverside toward Susquehanna Transfer or Jersey City

Hawthorne is a former New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway station located in Hawthorne in Passaic County, New Jersey. The station served as the Susquehanna's passenger ticket office until the end of passenger service on June 30, 1966, ^[3] and was also used as a freight depot building. While the Susquehanna retains ownership, the Volunteer Railroaders Association (VRA), a non-profit railroad preservation group, leases the station from the railroad for their activities. ^[4]

The station house is an at-grade single-story wooden structure featuring a Dutch gable roof, shiplap siding, and gingerbread trim at the ridgeline. The double-hung windows and mock freight door (a vestige of former use) include small pediments, as do the trackside ticket office bay window elements, and the entrance and exit door transom windows on either broad side of the building. There is exterior wainscoting applied above the brick foundation up to the level of the window sills.

History

The location is exceptional in the history of the Susquehanna railroad as its predecessor, the New Jersey Western Railroad, began building from a nearby junction with the Erie Railroad. The NJW built west to Bloomingdale, and east to Paterson beginning in 1869 with DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn envisioning the New Jersey railroad as the final eastern link to New York City in his New York and Oswego Midland Railroad. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]} In 1870, the New Jersey Western was consolidated into the New Jersey Midland Railway . ^{[5] [9] [8] [10] [11]} That railroad would stretch to Newfoundland and Hackensack by March 1872, ^[12] and eventually to Middletown to link with the NYOM in the west, and east to Jersey City to link with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Marion. ^[13] The first trains from Oswego to Jersey City began to run along the combined Midland route in 1873. ^{[14] [5] [15]} By 1881 the railroad had become the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad and turned toward hauling coal from the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. ^{[16] [17]}

The original station at this location was built in 1872, ^[2] and was destroyed by fire in 1894. The station was quickly rebuilt in a larger form.^{[ citation needed ]} From then until 2010 the station stood on the corner of Royal Avenue and County Route 654 (Diamond Bridge Avenue).

The station c. 1907–1912

As early as 2005 ^[18] the VRA began planning a move of the station to alleviate the nearly monthly truck strikes to the southeast roof corner. The group fundraised and by July 2010 was constructing a new concrete brick and poured floor foundation 75 feet west of the building's then-current location. ^[19]

The move contractor made the move of the station onto the new foundation on September 17, 2010. ^[20] After the move the areas of deteriorated siding were replaced and adding a new coat of paint was begun. Also added was a deck with safety railing, a fence between the station & the railroad and a garden area in the location of the old station footing.

Hawthorne station prior to restoration. Note the roof damage visible at right.

In the 2010s it was proposed that New Jersey Transit build a new station for the northern terminus of the Passaic-Bergen Rail Line adjacent to the NJ Transit Main Line's Hawthorne station several blocks away from this station. ^[21] The neighborhood of the original Erie mainline station would benefit from state funding to improve signage, lighting and parking. ^[22] These efforts did not come to fruition.

NYSW SD45-2 3634 at Hawthorne just after the station was moved in 2010. Note the roof damage visible at right.

See also

• NYSW (passenger 1939–1966) map
• Passaic-Bergen-Hudson Transit map
• Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource (New Jersey)

Bibliography

• Catlin, George L. (1872). Homes on the Midland for New York Business Men. New York, New York: J. W. Pratt.
• Lucas, Walter Arndt (1980) [1939]. The History of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (second ed.). Railroadians of America. LCCN   82163920.
• Schmitt, James C. (2009). Historic Rails of the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. West Milford, New Jersey: Tinfoil Rose Design, LLC. ISBN   9780615313849.
• Krause, John; Crist, Ed (1991). Susquehanna: New York, Susquehanna & Western RR. Newton, New Jersey: Carstens Publications. ISBN   9780911868807.
• Mohowski, Robert E. (2003). The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   9780801872228.

References

1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
2. Catlin 1872, p. 47.
3. "Susquehanna Commuter Service Ends". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. July 1, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Hawthorne New Jersey NYS&W Railroad Station". Hawthornestation.info. Hawthorne, New Jersey: Volunteer Railroaders Association. July 25, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
5. Krause & Crist (1991), p. 5.
6. Schmitt (2009), p. 4.
7. Lucas (1980), p. 16.
8. Mohowski (2003), p. 11.
9. Lucas (1980), pp. 23–24.
10. Van Valen (1900), History of Bergen County, New Jersey, Forgotten Books
11. "THE NEW-JERSEY MIDLAND.; THE STOCKHOLDERS DEMANDING A SHARE UNDER THE REORGANIZATION". The New York Times. March 11, 1880.
12. Lucas (1980), p. 38.
13. Lucas (1980), p. 46.
14. Lucas (1980), p. 48.
15. Mohowski (2003), p. 17.
16. Lucas (1980), pp. 70–72.
17. Mohowski (2003), pp. 27–28.
18. "Hawthorne Station Restoration and Preservation Moving Forward" (PDF). VRA Newsletter. Vol. 6, no. 1. Hawthorne New Jersey: Volunteer Railroaders Association. February 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
19. Smith, KC (November 2010). "HAWTHORNE STATION ON THE MOVE" (PDF). VRA Newsletter. Vol. 15, no. 3. Hawthorne New Jersey: Volunteer Railroaders Association. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
20. Smith, KC (November 2010). "Hawthorne Station Update" (PDF). VRA Newsletter. Vol. 15, no. 4. Hawthorne New Jersey: Volunteer Railroaders Association. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
21. http://nyswpassengerrail.blogspot.com/ ^{[ user-generated source ]}
22. Shrestha, Kamana (October 21, 2010). "Hawthorne aims to spruce up rail neighborhood, end parking woes with 'transit village' concept". The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey: North Jersey Media Group LLC. pp. 1–2. Retrieved October 23, 2010.

External links

• Volunteer Railroaders Association aka VRA
• Hawthorne New Jersey NYS&W Railroad Station - official homepage