Little Ferry Yard

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Road and NYSW mainline in Babbitt LittleFerryYardentrance.JPG
Road and NYSW mainline in Babbitt

Little Ferry Yard is a railyard and intermodal terminal in the Port of New York and New Jersey served by the CSX River Subdivision (CSXT), [1] New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW), [2] Norfolk Southern Railway [3] and Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CRCX). [4]

Contents

Originally developed by NYSW, it was later acquired by CSX. [5] [6] Located in Ridgefield, New Jersey and extending into Ridgefield Park, it takes its name from the ferry that used to travel across the Hackensack at approximately this location—the town on the western side, Little Ferry, was also named for this ferry. The yard's street address is in Babbitt, North Bergen, from where it is accessible by road. It is situated at the confluence of the Hackensack River and Overpeck Creek near the Bergen Generating Station.

South of the facility the River Subdivision continues to the North Bergen Yard, where it terminates. Traveling slightly further the NYSW mainline terminates at the Landbridge Terminal at the Jersey City border. The NYSW Undercliff Junction provides access to a spur to the Edgewater Tunnel, occupied by a natural gas pipeline as of 2021. [7] and the electric cable for the Hudson Project.

To the north, the lines cross north over Overpeck Creek. CSX has a two-track swing bridge. [8] As of 2015, the NYS&W bridge was slated for replacement. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] The River Subdvison continues along the original West Shore Railroad alignment through Bergen County and Rockland County, New York [7] reaching the Hudson River after passing through a tunnel at Haverstraw. It continues north to a point near Selkirk Yard where it junctions with the Port Subdivision and Castleton Subdivision. At Bogota the NYSW veers west crossing the Hackensack, and at Paterson, the Passaic River to Sparta, crossing the state line into New York at Warwick. [7]

Numerous studies to restore passenger service that would travel through the yard on have been conducted, but not materialized. [14] The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project proposes a station at the Vince Lombardi Park & Ride of the New Jersey Turnpike which is adjacent to the Edgewater Branch.

See also

Related Research Articles

Overpeck Creek

Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River, approximately 8 miles (13 km) long, in Bergen County in northeastern New Jersey in the United States. The lower broad mouth of the creek is part of the extended tidal estuary of the lower Hackensack and of the adjacent wetland region known as the New Jersey Meadowlands.

New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway American freight railway

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River Subdivision (CSX Transportation)

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New Jersey Midland Railway

The New Jersey Midland Railway was a 19th-century predecessor to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) that operated in Northern New Jersey and Orange County, New York.

Ridgefield Township was a township that existed in Bergen County, New Jersey. The township was created in 1871, when Hackensack Township was trisected to form Palisades Township in the northernmost third, Englewood Township in the central strip and Ridgefield Township encompassing the southernmost portion, stretching from the Hudson River on the east to the Hackensack River, with Hudson County to the south. Much of the area had been during the colonial area known as the English Neighborhood. As described in the 1882 book, History of Bergen and Passaic counties, New Jersey,

Ridgefield is the first township in Bergen County which the traveler enters in passing up the Palisades. His first impressions are much like those of old Hendrick Hudson in speaking of a wider extent of country: "A very good land to fall in with, and a pleasant land to see." The valley of the Hackensack invited early settlers in the seventeenth century, and the valley of the Overpeck Creek, a navigable arm of the Hackensack, also attracted settlers quite as early in this direction. Sloops and schooners can pass up this creek nearly to the northern boundary of the township. Ridgefield is bounded on the north by Englewood, on the east by the Hudson, on the south by Hudson County, and on the west by the Hackensack River. The southern boundary is less than two miles in extent, and the northern less than four, and the length of the township from north to south does not exceed four miles. Bellman's Creek, forming part of the southern boundary, the Hackensack, the Overpeck, the Hudson, with more than a dozen other smaller streams and rivulets, bountifully supply the whole township with water. From the western border of the Palisades the land descends to the Overpeck, forming a most beautiful valley, with the land again rising to a high ridge midway between the Overpeck and the Hackensack. From this long ridge, extending far to the north beyond this township, it took its name of Ridgefield.

The New York, Susquehanna and Western, formerly the Midland Railroad, the Jersey City and Albany Railroad, and the Northern Railway of New Jersey—all running northward through the township— afford ample railroad accommodations. The Susquehanna enters the township at Bellman's Creek, and the Northern at about one hundred feet south of the creek, and at a point north and east of the Susquehanna. The Albany road in this locality is not yet constructed, diverging at present from the track of the Susquehanna between Little Ferry and Bogota stations. It has, however, an independent line projected and now under construction to New York City.

Early Settlements. Ridgefield embraces the earliest settlements in the ancient township of Hackensack, antedating even the organization of that township in 1693, and of the county of Bergen in 1675. There seems to have been no town or village compactly built, like the village of Bergen, but there were settlements both of Dutch and English in and about what was subsequently known as English Neighborhood prior to 1675. The Westervelts, the Zimcrmans, the Bantas, and the Blauvelts, all coming from Holland, settled in the middle of the seventeenth century in that locality. The ancestors of Jacob P. Westervelt, now of Hackensack Village, with himself, were born in English Neighborhood. His father was born there in 1776, and was the son of Christopher Westervelt, who was born there certainly as early as 1690, and he was the son of the original ancestor of this family, who came from Holland and settled on Overpeck Creek, within the present limits of Ridgefield township, probably about 1670.

The Northern Branch Corridor Project is a planned extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) from its northern terminus into eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, initially proposed in 2001. If built, the new service would use the right-of-way of the Northern Branch on which the Erie Lackawanna Railroad ran passenger service until October 3, 1966, and is currently a lightly used, stub-ended freight rail line owned by CSX Transportation. The Northern Branch Corridor is at the foot of the west side of the Hudson Palisades in the Hackensack River valley, running for much of its length parallel to Overpeck Creek. After mixed reactions and extensive community input to a draft environmental impact statement (EIS), it was decided in 2013 to terminate the line at the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. In March 2017 the Supplementary Draft Environmental Impact Statement was approved by the Federal Transit Administration allowing for a period of public reaction. A separately-conceived and funded bridge at 69th St. in North Bergen, necessary for operation of the system, has been completed. NJ Transit estimates that the line will open in 2029.

Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project

The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project is a project by NJ Transit to reintroduce passenger service on a portion of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) right-of-way (ROW) in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties counties using newly built, FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars. Plans call for service to run from Hawthorne south through Paterson, east to Hackensack and then southeast to North Bergen, where it would join the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR).

North Bergen Yard

The North Bergen Yard is freight rail yard and intermodal terminal in North Bergen, New Jersey parallel to Tonnelle Avenue between 49th and 69th Streets. Located within the North Jersey Shared Assets Area, the facility is part of CSX Transportation (CSXT) and the origination point of its CSX River Subdivision at the southern end of the Albany Division. On its west side, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) runs the length of the yard and operates a bulk transloading operation immediately adjacent to it.

Winant Avenue Bridge

The Winant Avenue Bridge is a vehicular movable bridge spanning the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey 14 miles (23 km) from its mouth at Newark Bay. Built in 1934, it is also known as the Route 46 Hackensack River Bridge and S46 Bridge, it carries U.S. Route 46 (US 46) in Little Ferry and Ridgefield Park. Owned and operated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the double leaf bascule bridge is located on a navigable reach. While there have been no requests since 1978, the Code of Federal Regulations last amended in 1999 requires 24-hour notice to be opened. The bridge has been minimally altered since its construction and is eligible for individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Edgewater Branch

The Edgewater Branch was a branch of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) that ran about 3.174 miles (5.108 km) through eastern Bergen County, New Jersey in the United States. Starting from a rail junction at the Little Ferry Yard, it went east through the Edgewater Tunnel to Undercliff to the Hudson Waterfront.

Ridgefield Park station

Ridgefield Park station, also known as West Shore Station, was a railroad station in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey at the foot of Mount Vernon Street served by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (NYSW) and the West Shore Railroad, a division of New York Central (NYCRR). The New York, Ontario and Western Railway (NYO&W) had running rights along the West Shore and sometimes stopped at Ridgefield Park. First opened in 1872 it was one of three passenger stations in the village, the others being the Little Ferry station to the south and Westview station to the north. Service on the West Shore Railroad began in 1883. The station house, built at a cost $100,000 opened in 1927. Southbound service crossed Overpeck Creek and continued to terminals on the Hudson River waterfront where there was connecting ferry service across the Hudson River to Manhattan. Northbound near Bogota the parallel NYSW and West Shore lines diverge and continue into northern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York. Passenger service ended in 1966.

Hackensack station (New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad)

Hackensack was a railroad station in Hackensack, New Jersey on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway Main Line, which provided passenger service between the 1870s and 1960s. The station at Main and Mercer Streets opened in 1872; it was replaced with one at River Street in 1950. Public Service trolley lines served both stations.

Bogota station

Bogota was a railroad station in Bogota, New Jersey, at Court Street/Fort Lee Road west of River Road and east of the Court Street Bridge over the Hackensack River. It was located on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway Main Line, which provided passenger service between the 1870s and 1960s.

69th Street is a proposed interchange station in North Bergen in Hudson County, New Jersey. It would serve passengers on two lines under consideration by NJ Transit, the Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project and the Northern Branch Corridor Project, the latter of which is an extension of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail. The station would located at-grade west the North Bergen Yard and Tonnelle Avenue.

Vince Lombardi Park & Ride

The Vince Lombardi Park & Ride is located on the New Jersey Turnpike in the Meadowlands in Ridgefield, Bergen County, New Jersey. The park and ride and separate service area to south of it are dedicated to and named after Vince Lombardi. Located at the edge of the Little Ferry Yard it has been viewed as a potential rail station location since the 1990s and as of 2021, it is under consideration by NJ Transit as part of the Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project.

References

  1. "CSX in New Jersey". CSX. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  2. "North Bergen, New Jersey". NYSW. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  3. "Ridgefield Heights Auto Terminal" (PDF). Norfolk Southern. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  4. "Regional Intermodal Rail Facilities". Guide to Port of New York and New Jersey. PANYNJ. 2012. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  5. Kaminski, Edward S. (2010), New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in New Jersey, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN   978-0-7385-7367-0
  6. Village of Ridgefield Park v. New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation(Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate DivisionDec. 2, 1998 - February 17, 1999)("In 1991 the railroad sold its Little Ferry Yard and railroad terminal to CSX Rail Systems (CSX) for twenty-one million dollars so it could "benefit from additional rail traffic from the CSX operations into the Ridgefield site."   After the sale, CSX refused to allow the railroad to continue its refueling and light-maintenance operations at the Little Ferry site at the Borough of Ridgefield. This required the railroad to relocate its so-called "light-maintenance" facility to its approximately 125-foot right-of-way located in the Village, where some side-track was added."). Text
  7. 1 2 3 "New Jersey's Rail Network" (PDF). NJDOT. November 15, 2012. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  8. Tofani, Anthony R. (June 20, 2005). "Little Ferry, NJ - Then & Now". gsmrr. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  9. "CSX - Overpeck Creek Bridge (1901)". Bridgehunter. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  10. "CSX - Overpeck Creek Bridge/NYS&W Overpeck Creek Bridge". Bridgehunter. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  11. Maag, Christopher (February 4, 2015). "Train bridge over Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park to be replaced". The Record. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  12. "NJDOT awards $5.1 million in rail and community-based grants in Bergen and Passaic counties" (Press release). NJDOT. February 4, 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016. NJDOT also is awarding a $4.3 million grant to replace the rail bridge spanning the Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park, Bergen County. The bridge serves as a critical link for freight rail in the region with an average of 25,000 rail cars traversing the bridge each year. It was originally built in the early 1900s with three spans – a north approach, a south approach, and a center span. The north and south approaches were rehabilitated in 1985. This project will replace all three spans with a new steel bent system and steel superstructure, as well as new steel and concrete abutments on the north and south sides.
  13. "InTransition Magazine ~ Transportation Planning, Practice & Progress (from NJTPA & NJIT)". intransitionmag.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12.
  14. Maag, Christopher (November 29, 2015). "A train delay for the ages: boosting service in Bergen County among stalled plans". The Record. Retrieved 20 January 2015.

Coordinates: 40°50′22″N74°01′28″W / 40.8394444°N 74.0244444°W / 40.8394444; -74.0244444 (Little Ferry Yard)