Lackawanna Old Road

Last updated
Lackawanna Old Road
Lackawanna Old Road bridge over Delaware River - May 27 2013.jpg
Old Road bridge (built 1902) spanning the Delaware River, Delaware, New Jersey
Overview
Termini
History
Opened1856
Closed1970
Technical
Line length39.6 mi (63.7 km)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Operating speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Lackawanna Old Road
 
miles from Hoboken Terminal  
BSicon CONTg.svg
to Scranton via DL Pocono Mainline
BSicon ev-SHI2gr.svg
Slateford Junction
BSicon exSHI4c1.svg
BSicon lMKRZ2+4u.svg
BSicon exSTR2+4h.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon exSTRc1.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
BSicon exLSTR+4.svg
Portland
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon eKRZur+r.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
BSicon hbKRZWae.svg
BSicon RP2q.svg
BSicon ENDExe.svg
BSicon exABZg+l.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
79.8
Delaware
BSicon exHST.svg
77.5
Manunka Chunk
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon exABZgr.svg
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
Manunka Chunk Tunnel
BSicon exHST.svg
Bridgeville
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon exhKRZa.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exhKRZWe.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
71.0
Oxford Furnace
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
BSicon CONT2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon exSTR2.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
Phillipsburg Branch
BSicon exSTRc2.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon STRl+4.svg
BSicon exSTRc1.svg
BSicon exSTR3+l.svg
BSicon exlHST~F.svg
BSicon ABZ+rx4.svg
66.5
Washington
BSicon exCONT1.svg
BSicon exSTRc4.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon exlHST~G.svg
BSicon STR3.svg
BSicon eHST+1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
63.1
Port Murray
BSicon HST.svg
56.8
Hackettstown
BSicon HST.svg
51.2
Waterloo
BSicon eABZg+l.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
BSicon HST.svg
48.0
Netcong
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon exLSTR.svg
BSicon YRD.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
Port Morris Yard
BSicon eABZgl+l.svg
BSicon exSTRr.svg
BSicon HST.svg
45.5
Lake Hopatcong
BSicon LSTR.svg
BSicon KBHFe.svg
0.0
Hoboken Terminal

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.

Contents

In 1911, the DL&W cut 11 miles (18 km) off the route by opening the Lackawanna Cut-Off, which branched off from existing track at the new Port Morris Junction and Slateford Junction. The 39.6-mile (63.7 km) stretch of existing track between these junctions was relegated to secondary status and became known as the "Old Road".

History

The Old Road involves one railroad tycoon (John I. Blair) and four railroads: the DL&W, the Jersey Central (CNJ), the Morris & Essex Railroad (M&E), and the Warren Railroad.

In 1853, construction began on the 19-mile (31 km) Warren Railroad, which would connect the CNJ at Hampton, New Jersey, and the DL&W's mainline at the Delaware River, in anticipation of an eventual merger between the two older railroads. Expensive to build, the Warren required three large bridges, two tunnels, and much excavation before it opened in 1856.

In 1862, Oxford Tunnel (also known as Van Nest Gap Tunnel) opened, relieving trains of a slow and arduous climb over Van Nest Gap. The new tunnel, however, did not prevent the collapse of the planned DL&W-CNJ merger.

The M&E quickly emerged as the logical replacement for the CNJ, as it would give the DL&W direct access to the Hudson River. But this time, there would be no bespoke connecting line between the merger partners. Instead, the DL&W forged a circuitous route out of existing lines, including 20 miles (32 km) of the Phillipsburg Branch (Port Morris to Washington, New Jersey); 14 miles (23 km) of the Warren Railroad (Washington to Delaware, New Jersey); and 5 miles (8 km) of the Bangor & Portland Railroad (Delaware, to Slateford, Pennsylvania). [1] The speed limits on the sections varied: 70 mph (110 km/h) on the Phillipsburg Branch; and 50 mph (80 km/h) on the Warren Railroad and B&P.

Oxford Tunnel's eastern portal, August 2011; low clearances and increasing traffic forced the railroad to install gauntlet track, creating a bottleneck eliminated by building the Lackawanna Cut-Off Oxford Tunnel NJ - Aug 2011 - IMG 3464.JPG
Oxford Tunnel's eastern portal, August 2011; low clearances and increasing traffic forced the railroad to install gauntlet track, creating a bottleneck eliminated by building the Lackawanna Cut-Off

Oxford Tunnel was double-tracked in 1869, and for a few decades, suffered no more serious problems than the intermittent water (and sometimes flooding) also seen in its sister tunnel at Manunka Chunk. By the 1890s, the era's larger locomotives and rolling stock had trouble fitting through the tunnel. In 1901, the railroad installed gauntlet track in the tunnel, effectively turning it into a single-track bottleneck another reason to build the Lackawanna Cut-Off.

Old Road beneath the Delaware River Viaduct near Slateford, Pennsylvania Old Road under Lackawanna Cut-Off south of Slateford, PA.jpg
Old Road beneath the Delaware River Viaduct near Slateford, Pennsylvania

With the opening of the Cut-Off in 1911, the line became known as the Old Road, relegated to a branch line for local freight shipments. It still saw the occasional through train when Cut-Off traffic was heavy and served as the main line in 1941 when a rockslide closed the Cut-Off.

The effects of Hurricane Diane caused record flooding along the Delaware River and forced DL&W to reroute trains over part the Old Road. The storm also washed out the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) Bel-Del Railroad north of Belvidere, New Jersey, leading the railroad to remove the section north to the junction of the Old Road at Manunka Chunk and end PRR service from Trenton, New Jersey, to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Rockport wreck

The Old Road was the site of the DL&W's most infamous train wreck. On June 16, 1925, a passenger train carrying German-American tourists from Chicago to Hoboken was slated to run over the Cut-Off, but in order to avoid freight trains on the line the special train was diverted onto the Old Road to Port Morris. [2] At Rockport, New Jersey, the train struck debris washed onto a road crossing by a heavy thunderstorm. The train derailed, and killed 47 passengers and three trainmen.

In 1995, on the 70th anniversary of the wreck, a stone and plaque was erected at the Rockport crossing to remember the lives lost.

Decline

In April 1970, the Erie Lackawanna Railway (EL) abandoned the Delaware-Washington, New Jersey section. Conrail assumed EL operations in 1976. In 1982, NJ Transit assumed operation of the trackage between Port Morris Junction and Netcong for commuter service.

Port Morris Junction ceased to exist in 1984 when Conrail abandoned the Cut-Off. Warren County removed remaining bridges and abutments over the next several years. Now that the Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project is underway, Port Morris Junction is the connection point of the "Old Road" and the "Cut-Off" once again since 2011.

Buttzville, New Jersey bridge, 1901, one of the DL&W's first concrete bridges and the only one to cross a river (the Pequest River) and railroad (the L&HR RR) with a single arch Lackawanna Old Road bridge over the Pequest River.jpg
Buttzville, New Jersey bridge, 1901, one of the DL&W's first concrete bridges and the only one to cross a river (the Pequest River) and railroad (the L&HR RR) with a single arch

Some vestiges of the Warren Railroad remain:[ when? ] telegraph poles, tunnels, and a concrete viaduct spanning the Pequest River and the abandoned Lehigh and Hudson River Railway right-of-way near the intersection of State Route 31 and U.S. Route 46 near Buttzville. The steel bridge across the Delaware River near Delaware, N.J., retains the eastbound track but is no longer in use.

In October 1994, commuter rail service was re-established to Hackettstown by NJ Transit, although the operation west of Netcong was under trackage rights granted by Conrail and then later Norfolk Southern Railway.

In 2011, Port Morris Junction was re-established to serve the Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project.

Related Research Articles

<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">Timeline of Jersey City, New Jersey-area railroads</span>

For the purposes of this article, the Jersey City area extends North to Edgewater, South to Bayonne and includes Kearny Junction and Harrison but not Newark. Many routes east of Newark are listed here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh and Hudson River Railway</span> Former U.S. Class 1 railway

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 Morris and Essex Railroad was a railroad across northern New Jersey, later part of the main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Railroad</span> Former U.S. railway line in New Jersey

The Warren Railroad was a railroad in Warren County, New Jersey, that served as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's mainline from 1856 to 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad</span>

The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area.

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">Lackawanna Cut-Off</span> U.S. railway line between Port Morris, New Jersey, and Slateford, Pennsylvania

The Lackawanna Cut-Off was a rail line built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and 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 28.45 miles (45.79 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Bridge Branch</span>

The High Bridge Branch is a branch line that was operated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ). As built, the branch started in High Bridge, New Jersey at a connection with the CNJ main line and continued north to iron-ore mines in Morris County. The High Bridge Branch line followed the South Branch of the Raritan River for much of its duration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Hopatcong station</span> NJ Transit rail station

Lake Hopatcong is a commuter railroad station for New Jersey Transit. The station, located in the community of Landing in Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States, serves trains for the Montclair-Boonton Line and Morristown Line at peak hours and on holiday weekends. Service from Lake Hopatcong is provided to/from Hackettstown to New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal. The stop is located on the tracks below Landing Road next to the eponymous Lake Hopatcong. The station consists of one active platform with shelter, and an abandoned side platform. There is no accessibility for handicapped people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slateford Junction</span>

Slateford Junction was a railway junction in the small town of Slateford, Pennsylvania, that operated from 1911 to 1979.

The North Jersey Rail Commuter Association is a not for profit railroad advocacy organization that was formed and incorporated in the United States in 1980. During its history, the organization and its members have been involved in the successful advocacy of a number of projects involving NJ Transit Rail Operations. NJRCA's headquarters are located in Knowlton Township, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Morris Junction</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roseville Tunnel</span> Rail tunnel in New Jersey

Roseville Tunnel is a 1,024-foot (312 m) two-track railroad tunnel on the Lackawanna Cut-Off in Byram Township, Sussex County, New Jersey. The tunnel is on a straight section of railroad between mileposts 51.6 and 51.8 (83 km), about 6 miles (9.7 km) north by northwest of Port Morris Junction. Operated for freight and passenger service from 1911 to 1979, it is undergoing work intended to return it to passenger service by 2026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project</span> American railway infrastructure project

The Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak effort to restore passenger service to the Lackawanna Cut-Off in northwest New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greendell station</span>

Greendell is one of three original railway stations built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) along its Lackawanna Cut-Off line in northwestern New Jersey. The station, which still stands in Green Township at milepost 57.61 on the Cut-Off, began operations on December 23, 1911, one day before the line itself opened and the first revenue train arrived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andover station (NJ Transit)</span>

Andover is a planned New Jersey Transit passenger railroad station in Andover Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States, providing service on its Lackawanna Cut-Off line. The line remains under construction. The station will be built at a site on Andover's Roseville Road, about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from U.S. Route 206 and about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) from County Route 517. On the rail line, it will be located about 7.3 miles (11.7 km) west of Port Morris Junction.

<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.

<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.

The Washington Secondary is a freight-only railway line in the state of New Jersey. It runs 24.3 miles (39.1 km) from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to Hackettstown, New Jersey. It forms a connection between the Lehigh Line and Morristown Line.

References

  1. Lowenthal, Larry; William T. Greenberg Jr. (1987). The Lackawanna Railroad in Northwestern New Jersey. Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc. pp. 10–98, 101. ISBN   978-0-9607444-2-8.
  2. Historians mark 85th anniversary of Warren County's deadliest accident, a train derailment that made international headlines