(erielack) Water tower on the NJ Cut Off?

[Michael DeCarlo <mikedc3_@_optonline.net>]

Hi,
Anyone know if there was ever a water tower along the NJ Cut Off west of Blairstown?

Here's why I ask. I have been on the CO a million times, every time I see something I haven't
ever noticed before. Today me and two friends took a ride up there in their pickup. We got on
in Greendell and headed west. About 1/2-3/4 mile west of Blairstown we were in a cut about 25
feet deep when I noticed a concrete circle shaped structure up on the top of the cut. I told
the driver to stop to get a closer look. When I first got out of the truck I noticed a iron
pipe about 8 inches around sticking out of the ground with a cap on the end. This was about 40
Ft. from the concrete thing. I climbed up to the concrete structure next. As I said it was
round, about 5 feet high and about 10 feet across. There was an iron pipe sticking straight up
out of one side. On the back side was a trench dug into the ground running away from the track
down a hill. I think this might have been a water tower base. Below the base, in the cut but
still higher that the track level was a second concrete structure. This one was kind of square
and stuck out of the side of the cut. On the front had the same 1911 inscribed into it like on
the bridges. There is a low slate stone wall in front of this angling back towards where the
main tracks were. it looks like there was a side track that switched off the main and ran to
this thing. This is what I find weird. The CO runs up hill east bound. This thing is next to
the west bound track, Also the angle of the slate wall heads toward the main tracks east bound,
In other words an east bound engine would have to back down the west bound track and into a
side track to get water from this tower. Why not just build it on the east bound side? I have
never heard of any towers along this line. Even in the Tabor books he describes an east bound
coal run from Scranton to Secaucus and makes no mention of taking water here. Anyway I thought
it was a neat lil find. Anyone know any thing?

One last thing, The Blairstown station is now completely fenced in. It looks like it's being
used by a garbage hauling company. There were several dumpsters stored around the building. I
only saw the track side of the station and it was still boarded up, so I don't know if the
building it self is in use. The train order mast is still up on the roof as well.

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