(rshsdepot) Montclair (NJ) Connection a Go for Monday

["Don Dorflinger" <donnielee46_@_hotmail.com>]

The Montclair Connection with Midtown Direct Service is a go for AM Monday, September 30th.
 
The last passenger trains to operate over the Boonton Line (former Erie Greenwood Lake Branch) between Bergen Jct. and Benson St., Glen Ridge were on Friday, September 20th. Effective Monday, September 23rd, all Boonton Line traffic was rerouted over the ex-DL&W Morristown Line, Montclair Branch and Boonton Line connection at Montclair. Arlington, Bloomfield (Rowe St.), and Glen Ridge (Benson St.) were discontinued as stops at that time. The only one of those three to actually have a building still in existence was Benson St., Glen Ridge, whose English tudor style two story structure dates back to the early days of the Montclair Railway. Rowe St. and Arlington lost their buildings years ago (Rowe St. was actually a mid-1950's creation designed to replace two other nearby Bloomfield stops that were affected by the construction of the Garden State Parkway. It was identical in style to Wanut St., Montclair, which was constructed at the same time, and was one of the earliest Erie Stations to be equipped with automatic electric access locks). Passengers at Glen Ridge and Bloomfield will not find it difficult to shift over to the corresponding ex-Lackawanna Stations on the Montclair Branch. The Arlington folks are SOL. Other stops that once existed along this segment but are long gone were West Arlington, North Newark, Forest Hill (Newark, at "OJ" junction with the Orange Branch), Belwood and Soho Park (Belleville), along with the two stops in Bloomfield that were replaced by Rowe St: Orchard St. and Walnut? St.
 
Of ancillary note is the fact that "DB" drawbridge (Hackensack River) on the Greenwood Lake/Boonton Line west of Bergen Jct. was also removed from service and was placed permanently in the raised position as of the passing of the last train (1077?) on Friday, September 20th. The Star Ledger (Newark, NJ) carried a nice article on the last operator in Tuesday's (Sept 24th) edition. Presumably any freight service still existing east of Montclair on the ex-Erie Greenwood Lake will be serviced from the west end of the stub at Montclair. This would seem to indicate that the swing bridge at West Arlington (old "WR" interlocking - Passaic River) would have to remain in service, as to close it would completely isolate any existing freight service on the old Erie Newark Branch east of the long closed "NX" Draw (Passaic River). A final note: The orphan segment will be single tracked.Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. Click Here
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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