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Re: (erielack) Trails> High Bridge + Chester Branch

- --- David M Goessling <dgoessling_@_lucent.com> wrote:
> The CNJ High Bridge Branch in Hunterdon County was recently (last year)
> completely redone between High Bridge and the Morris County border:
> brush cleared, new surface, all bridges upgraded.  You don't even need a
> mountain bike.

I did this yesterday (with my mountain bike), starting at the 'fishing'
parking area about 1/4 mile southwest of the end of track.  I had a good
ride though my legs and shoulders are now a bit achy.

> They sort of overdid the bridges, actually, completely redoing the
> decking with concrete and there are chicken wire fences that curve above
> the ROW, obscuring the views (done to keep kids from climbing over)

Well, that's only the bridge at Lockwood Gorge and one other farther
south.  There's plenty to see elsewhere, and you can see out at these two
by crouching down and looking between the railings below the fence.  On
the way back, I nearly ran into a deer about two miles from High Bridge.

> All that said, the trail is great! Very easy to ride or hike. Total
> length is almost 30 miles, I think, HB to Rte 206.

Well, you'd be hard pressed to cover the 'active' section east of Bartley
Road.

> Not much in the way of artifacts except the bridges though: they cleaned
> it all up!

Nearly true: no mileposts, no battery boxes, no signal mast stubs, but the
Califon station still stands.  IRON MINE RAILROADS says that the citizens
of the town were extremely unhappy with the standard wood building and
donated the stone for the building.  It is now a local history museum open
only two Sundays a month 1 - 3pm.

> Still, in the winter and spring you can see the remains of a covered
> hopper that must have slid down the embankment in one of the many
> end-of-days derailments. It's just south of the Lockwood Gorge bridge.
> There's a part of a side, a brake cylinder and a part of a walkway
> in the woods.

Missed this somehow...

At the High Bridge end, you can go through a town parking lot and road
department area to the tracks west of the station.  Also, the east leg of
the wye track is still in place though overgrown (6" trees).

> The Morris County section, starting at "Crestmoor Station" where
> the trail crosses 513 is still somewhat unimproved, and can be muddy and
> bumpy, but worth it.

This actually begins across Vernoy Rd from the Hunterdon County section,
but there is a gap at the nursery where the railroad r-o-w goes through. 
The trail can be done along the southwest side of the nursery and then
about 100 yards on the road.

> It ends near Bartley Road where the Morristown and Erie has a stub.

The rails come nearly to the edge of the road, which was regraded to
remove a severe hump when the line was cut.

> There's a map of the Hunterdon section here:
> 
> http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/guides/ColumbiaTrail.htm

Good brochure with lots of info, but the linked maps are almost useless.

Virtual tour (with lots about the flora and fauna) begins here:

http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/virtualtours/columbia/pic1.htm


> The DL&W Chester Branch is another great hike. Go into town to the
> EXPRESSIONS GALLERY at 24 Main Street [rear] and buy the reprint of
> "Chester's Iron Heyday" by Larry Lowenthal for $5.00: it has the best
> map and complete history of the area.

I will have to do this!

> Accessible from a number of locations, notably 206 north of town, or
from
> Furnace Road. From the latter you can poke around the remains of Chester
> Furnace. Now or winter is a good time to do it.

No poison ivy leaves...

> Also, go to Hillside Road and check out the old factory and location of
> the station and turntable. Some of it is marked as Patriot's Path and
> goes for some distance in both directions. If it's late, stop in for a
> beer at Bernie's!

Take your time so you don't have problems driving.  Everything east of US
206 was DLW, its Chester Branch.  Stub of that line still exists from
about 1/2 mile south of NJ 10 (behind the Roxbury Municipal Building) to
the NJT ex-DLW line at the Wharton/Roxbury line.   The High Bridge branch
is tied to this at the one-time Ferromonte Junction since it's abandoned
east of there through Wharton.

> That building was the old RR hotel. Some of the trail (east) is part of
> the Black River Wildlife Management Area (map here:
> http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/wmamaps/black_river.pdf) which is
> heavily hunted this time of year, so be careful.

I wore an orange safety vest for visibility.

> Sorry to be so long winded...

Lots of good info above!  Thanks!

=====
Gary R. Kazin
DL&W Milepost R35.7
Rockaway, New Jersey

http://www.geocities.com/gkazin/index.html


		
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