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(erielack) Erie Newark Branch



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Just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who responded to my
post last month about the Erie's Newark Branch. I wanted to share an
article taken from the December 1948 issue of the Erie Railroad Magazine
on the Newark Branch's Passaic River Bridge. I'm still looking for info
on Conrail's present day operation such as on line customers, remaining
stations, Paterson Yard diagrams, etc.
Thank you in advance!
Charles
Bridge 8.04 Newark Branch
    Down out of the North Jersey hills the Passaic River gallops like a
startled yearling colt. As Second Watchung Mountain it leaps over Little
Falls in a cloud of flung spray. At First Watchung Mountain it plunges
madly over the Great Falls (Passaic Falls). Then like a colt grown up
and broken to the bit it becomes a tractable tidewater river at
Paterson.
    From this point Erie Railroad, Newark Branch, runs its side and
follows it toward the sea down through Athenia, Nutley, Belleville,
until it reaches Newark. Suddenly, just after passing Newark station it
makes a left turn, crosses the river and heads directly for Jersey City
and Manhattan.
    Where the railroad crosses the river, stands what Eriemen call
Bridge 8.04, Newark Branch, the third bridge on this site to carry
trains across and let the river traffic through. And here, on this huge
bascule lift bridge, work Eriemen who are charged with the functioning
of one of the larger mechanical units of the Erie Railroad.
Nearly a Million Pounds
    The lift section (the blade of the jack-knife) with its tracks is
180 feet long; the two huge concrete counterweights weight nearly a
million pounds each, yet so exactly they balance the lift section that a
small electric motor activates the great lifting arm. When at its
maximum lift, it is nearly vertical; 82 degrees. Vertical would be 90
degrees.
    Bridge 8.04 is within a stone's throw of the Newark freight house
and the passenger station. On the other, or East Newark, N.J. shore,
about equally distant is the former Clark Thread factory with what was
once the tallest brick chimney in the world standing guard, bearing the
letters O N T (Our New Thread) on its side. The first bridge thrown
across the Passaic here was a wooden draw span built in 1871. This was
replaced by a steel swing span in 1880. The latter served until 1922
when the present Strauss type bascule bridge was built.
    Small wonder those great counterweights are so heavy. If they were
laid flat on the ground, they would each make a firm foundation for a
house. They are 32 feet wide and 52 feet long. But you would have to
build some steps to reach the house for they are each four and one half
feet thick.


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<HTML>
Just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who responded to my post
last month about the Erie's Newark Branch. I wanted to share an article
taken from the December 1948 issue of the Erie Railroad Magazine on the
Newark Branch's Passaic River Bridge. I'm still looking for info on Conrail's
present day operation such as on line customers, remaining stations, Paterson
Yard diagrams, etc.
<BR>Thank you in advance!
<BR>Charles
<BR><B>Bridge 8.04 Newark Branch</B>
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Down out of the North Jersey hills the Passaic River
gallops like a startled yearling colt. As Second Watchung Mountain it leaps
over Little Falls in a cloud of flung spray. At First Watchung Mountain
it plunges madly over the Great Falls (Passaic Falls). Then like a colt
grown up and broken to the bit it becomes a tractable tidewater river at
Paterson.
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From this point Erie Railroad, Newark Branch, runs
its side and follows it toward the sea down through Athenia, Nutley, Belleville,
until it reaches Newark. Suddenly, just after passing Newark station it
makes a left turn, crosses the river and heads directly for Jersey City
and Manhattan.
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Where the railroad crosses the river, stands what
Eriemen call Bridge 8.04, Newark Branch, the third bridge on this site
to carry trains across and let the river traffic through. And here, on
this huge bascule lift bridge, work Eriemen who are charged with the functioning
of one of the larger mechanical units of the Erie Railroad.
<BR><B>Nearly a Million Pounds</B>
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The lift section (the blade of the jack-knife) with
its tracks is 180 feet long; the two huge concrete counterweights weight
nearly a million pounds each, yet so exactly they balance the lift section
that a small electric motor activates the great lifting arm. When at its
maximum lift, it is nearly vertical; 82 degrees. Vertical would be 90 degrees.
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Bridge 8.04 is within a stone's throw of the Newark
freight house and the passenger station. On the other, or East Newark,
N.J. shore, about equally distant is the former Clark Thread factory with
what was once the tallest brick chimney in the world standing guard, bearing
the letters O N T (Our New Thread) on its side. The first bridge thrown
across the Passaic here was a wooden draw span built in 1871. This was
replaced by a steel swing span in 1880. The latter served until 1922 when
the present Strauss type bascule bridge was built.
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Small wonder those great counterweights are so heavy.
If they were laid flat on the ground, they would each make a firm foundation
for a house. They are 32 feet wide and 52 feet long. But you would have
to build some steps to reach the house for they are each four and one half
feet thick.
<BR>&nbsp;</HTML>

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