fbpx
Wikipedia

Edgewater Branch

March 16, 2024

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 (in Ridgefield),[1] it went east through the Edgewater Tunnel to Undercliff (as Edgewater was once known) to the Hudson Waterfront.

Map
Cut through Fairview Cemetery

History edit

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway handled passenger and freight traffic from the coal mining region in the Lackawanna Valley in and around Scranton, Pennsylvania through northern New Jersey. While it had a line running along the foot of the western slope of Hudson Palisades that terminated in Jersey City north of Marion Junction it owned no right of way through Bergen Hill.[2][3][page needed] The railroad paid substantial fees to both the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) (for passenger trains) and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western (DL&W) (for freight service) to use their lines to terminals on the North River.[4]

The Hudson River Railroad and Terminal Company was incorporated as a New York Susquehanna and Western Railway subsidiary in 1892.[5] The NYSW developed a terminal on what had once been a coal yard for oceangoing ships along the Hudson River shore.[6][7] At the time the Erie Railroad held a controlling interest in the line. In 1907, Erie Terminals Railroad took control of the Edgewater and Fort Lee Railroad[1] which ran to the Hudson County line and connected with the New Jersey Shore Line Railroad,[8] eventually becoming part of a Belt Line along the shore.[9][10]

Extensive railyards and car float operations supported the development of industries which dominated the shoreline for much of the 20th century.[11][page needed][12] Among them were Alcoa Aluminum, Ford Motor Company, Lever Brothers, Valvoline Oil Company, and Archer-Daniels-Midland.[13][12] Eventually the factories closed as industry globalized, facilities became obsolete, and shipping in the port shifted to trucking and containerization.[12] The closure of Ford's Edgewater Assembly Plant in 1955 saw the loss of one of the line's biggest clients.[14][15]

Edgewater Tunnel edit

 
Western portal in Fairview (40°48′53″N 74°00′22″W / 40.81486°N 74.00620°W / 40.81486; -74.00620 (Edgewater Tunnel, western end))
 
Eastern portal in Edgewater (40°48′48″N 73°59′16″W / 40.81347°N 73.98775°W / 40.81347; -73.98775 (Edgewater Tunnel, eastern end))

The Edgewater Tunnel is a former railroad tunnel through Bergen Hill, the Hudson Palisades. Originally opened in 1894, it was built to gain access to the Hudson River waterfront.[16] About 200 ft (61 m) underground and about 1 mile (1.6 km) long, its western cut and portal is located in the Fairview Cemetery in Fairview and the eastern portal is located in Edgewater. The right-of-way was removed from service in about 1992 and the track was removed shortly thereafter.

A pipeline now runs through the tunnel[17] between Hess facilities in Bogota and Edgewater. A power cable, part of the Hudson Project, running from a Bergen Generating Station substation through the tunnel and under the Hudson to Midtown Manhattan, was completed in 2013.[18][19]

Status edit

The branch line remains in partial use between Undercliff Junction in Ridgefield[20] and the bridge at US Route 1/9 in Fairview east of Route 1/9, but trackage through the cut and tunnel was removed in October 1992. The right-of-way itself has not been abandoned.[21]

During the 1980s and early 1990s, planners and government officials realized that alternative transportation systems needed to be put in place to relieve increasing congestion[22] along the Hudson Waterfront[23] It was decided that the most efficient and cost-effective system to meet the growing demands of the area would be a light rail system.[24][25] When a new transportation network was proposed, it was suggested that the tunnel be used for what became the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, but that idea was ultimately rejected in favor of the Weehawken Tunnel.[26][17] The Hudson Waterfront/River Road corridor has seen extensive residential and commercial development and subsequent congestion since that time, and further studies of a more comprehensive transportation strategy have been conducted.[27][28]

A station along the line at the Vince Lombardi Park & Ride is part of the proposed Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project.[29][30]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b "Erie Railroad" (PDF). Inventory June 1918. June 30, 1918. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  2. ^ . NYSW. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  3. ^ Kaminski 2010
  4. ^ "The Palisades Tunnel" (PDF). The New York Times. March 17, 1893. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports, Volume 33 Interstate Commerce Commission, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1931 Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
  6. ^ Kaminski 2010, p. 119
  7. ^ Hall 2005, p. 28
  8. ^ Mohowski 2003, p. 57
  9. ^ "Port Board Cuts Railway Tangle – Short Stretch of New Jersey Waterfront Had Been Interchanging Freight by Round-about Routes Circling Far Inland". The New York Times. July 11, 1926. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  10. ^ "Removes Last Bar to Belt Line Road – Jersey City's Consent to Track Laying Permits Port Plan to Proceed – System to Link Terminals – Port Authority to Rush Work on $500,000 Improvement to Freight Facilities". The New York Times. July 2, 1925. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  11. ^ Adams 1996
  12. ^ a b c Baptista, Robert J. (December 16, 2012). . Colorant.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ Hall 2005, p. 26
  14. ^ Mohowski 2003, p. 172
  15. ^ "Independence Harbor". www.independence-harbor.com. 2019. from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  16. ^ Cheslow, Jerry (July 30, 1995). "If You're Thinking of Living In: Edgewater; Factory Town Is Now Bedroom Community". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  17. ^ a b Chen, David (October 15, 1995). "Road and Rail: Champions Seek Use for Old Tunnel". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  18. ^ "Technical Info". Hudson Project. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  19. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (December 27, 2012). "Crew lays power cable the Hudson". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  20. ^ Google (March 8, 2015). "Undercliff Junction, Ridgefield, Bergen County, New Jersey 07657" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  21. ^ "New Jerey's Rail Network" (PDF). NJDOT. November 15, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  22. ^ Demasters, Karen (April 16, 2000). "Road and Rail North Jerseyans hit the road often survey finds". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Kerr, Peter (June 27, 1989). "Kean Proposes Transit Plan For Waterfront". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
  24. ^ Hanley, Robert (October 29, 1986). "Transitway to Follow the Hudson". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  25. ^ "Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System, USA". Railway Technology.com. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  26. ^ Chen, David (November 5, 2011). "Road and Rail; One County's Transit Decongestant". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  27. ^ . North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. June 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  28. ^ . North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. June 2013. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  29. ^ "Passaic Bergen Hudson Transit Project". Projects & Reports. NJ Transit. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  30. ^ Senate, No. 2153 P.L.2017, CHAPTER 195, August 7, 2017

References edit

  • Adams, Arthur G. (1996). The Hudson River Guidebook. New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 0-8232-1679-9.
  • Hall, Donald E.; Edgewater Cultural & Historical Committee (2005). Edgewater. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3725-X.
  • Kaminski, Edward S. (2010). New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in New Jersey. Images of Rail. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-7367-0.
  • Mohowski, Robert E. (2003). New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-7222-7.
  • Slocum, John W. (July 23, 1960). "Tunnel Inspected as Bomb Shelter Experts Praise Mile Rail Passage in Palisade". The New York Times.
  • Tupaczewski, Paul R. (2002). New York, Susquehanna and Western in color. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books. ISBN 1-5824-8070-2.

External links edit

  • Topoquest: USGS Map
  • Wikimapia Fairview-Tunnel-Ventilation-Shaft
  • Map: Hudson River terminals c.1950

March 16, 2024
edgewater, branch, branch, york, susquehanna, western, railway, that, about, miles, through, eastern, bergen, county, jersey, united, states, starting, from, rail, junction, little, ferry, yard, ridgefield, went, east, through, edgewater, tunnel, undercliff, e. The Edgewater Branch was a branch of the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway NYS amp 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 in Ridgefield 1 it went east through the Edgewater Tunnel to Undercliff as Edgewater was once known to the Hudson Waterfront Map Cut through Fairview Cemetery Contents 1 History 2 Edgewater Tunnel 3 Status 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksHistory editThe New York Susquehanna and Western Railway handled passenger and freight traffic from the coal mining region in the Lackawanna Valley in and around Scranton Pennsylvania through northern New Jersey While it had a line running along the foot of the western slope of Hudson Palisades that terminated in Jersey City north of Marion Junction it owned no right of way through Bergen Hill 2 3 page needed The railroad paid substantial fees to both the Pennsylvania Railroad PRR for passenger trains and the Delaware Lackawanna and Western DL amp W for freight service to use their lines to terminals on the North River 4 The Hudson River Railroad and Terminal Company was incorporated as a New York Susquehanna and Western Railway subsidiary in 1892 5 The NYSW developed a terminal on what had once been a coal yard for oceangoing ships along the Hudson River shore 6 7 At the time the Erie Railroad held a controlling interest in the line In 1907 Erie Terminals Railroad took control of the Edgewater and Fort Lee Railroad 1 which ran to the Hudson County line and connected with the New Jersey Shore Line Railroad 8 eventually becoming part of a Belt Line along the shore 9 10 Extensive railyards and car float operations supported the development of industries which dominated the shoreline for much of the 20th century 11 page needed 12 Among them were Alcoa Aluminum Ford Motor Company Lever Brothers Valvoline Oil Company and Archer Daniels Midland 13 12 Eventually the factories closed as industry globalized facilities became obsolete and shipping in the port shifted to trucking and containerization 12 The closure of Ford s Edgewater Assembly Plant in 1955 saw the loss of one of the line s biggest clients 14 15 Edgewater Tunnel edit nbsp Western portal in Fairview 40 48 53 N 74 00 22 W 40 81486 N 74 00620 W 40 81486 74 00620 Edgewater Tunnel western end nbsp Eastern portal in Edgewater 40 48 48 N 73 59 16 W 40 81347 N 73 98775 W 40 81347 73 98775 Edgewater Tunnel eastern end The Edgewater Tunnel is a former railroad tunnel through Bergen Hill the Hudson Palisades Originally opened in 1894 it was built to gain access to the Hudson River waterfront 16 About 200 ft 61 m underground and about 1 mile 1 6 km long its western cut and portal is located in the Fairview Cemetery in Fairview and the eastern portal is located in Edgewater The right of way was removed from service in about 1992 and the track was removed shortly thereafter A pipeline now runs through the tunnel 17 between Hess facilities in Bogota and Edgewater A power cable part of the Hudson Project running from a Bergen Generating Station substation through the tunnel and under the Hudson to Midtown Manhattan was completed in 2013 18 19 Status editThe branch line remains in partial use between Undercliff Junction in Ridgefield 20 and the bridge at US Route 1 9 in Fairview east of Route 1 9 but trackage through the cut and tunnel was removed in October 1992 The right of way itself has not been abandoned 21 During the 1980s and early 1990s planners and government officials realized that alternative transportation systems needed to be put in place to relieve increasing congestion 22 along the Hudson Waterfront 23 It was decided that the most efficient and cost effective system to meet the growing demands of the area would be a light rail system 24 25 When a new transportation network was proposed it was suggested that the tunnel be used for what became the Hudson Bergen Light Rail but that idea was ultimately rejected in favor of the Weehawken Tunnel 26 17 The Hudson Waterfront River Road corridor has seen extensive residential and commercial development and subsequent congestion since that time and further studies of a more comprehensive transportation strategy have been conducted 27 28 A station along the line at the Vince Lombardi Park amp Ride is part of the proposed Passaic Bergen Hudson Transit Project 29 30 See also editNew Jersey Midland Railway New York Susquehanna and Western Railway passenger map 1939 1966 map Timeline of Jersey City area railroads List of bridges tunnels and cuts in Hudson County New Jersey Northern Branch Corridor ProjectNotes edit a b Erie Railroad PDF Inventory June 1918 June 30 1918 Retrieved June 6 2012 North Bergen New Jersey NYSW Archived from the original on May 8 2012 Retrieved October 4 2013 Kaminski 2010 The Palisades Tunnel PDF The New York Times March 17 1893 Retrieved October 5 2013 Interstate Commerce Commission Reports Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States Valuation reports Volume 33 Interstate Commerce Commission U S Government Printing Office 1931 Wikipedia WikiProject Trains ICC valuations New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad Kaminski 2010 p 119 Hall 2005 p 28 Mohowski 2003 p 57 Port Board Cuts Railway Tangle Short Stretch of New Jersey Waterfront Had Been Interchanging Freight by Round about Routes Circling Far Inland The New York Times July 11 1926 Retrieved October 7 2013 Removes Last Bar to Belt Line Road Jersey City s Consent to Track Laying Permits Port Plan to Proceed System to Link Terminals Port Authority to Rush Work on 500 000 Improvement to Freight Facilities The New York Times July 2 1925 Retrieved October 7 2013 Adams 1996 a b c Baptista Robert J December 16 2012 The Chemical Industry of Shadyside Edgewater New Jersey Colorant org Archived from the original on October 17 2007 Retrieved October 4 2013 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Hall 2005 p 26 Mohowski 2003 p 172 Independence Harbor www independence harbor com 2019 Archived from the original on March 21 2015 Retrieved October 4 2013 Cheslow Jerry July 30 1995 If You re Thinking of Living In Edgewater Factory Town Is Now Bedroom Community The New York Times Retrieved May 18 2012 a b Chen David October 15 1995 Road and Rail Champions Seek Use for Old Tunnel The New York Times Retrieved October 4 2013 Technical Info Hudson Project Retrieved October 4 2013 McGeehan Patrick December 27 2012 Crew lays power cable the Hudson The New York Times Retrieved October 4 2013 Google March 8 2015 Undercliff Junction Ridgefield Bergen County New Jersey 07657 Map Google Maps Google Retrieved March 8 2015 New Jerey s Rail Network PDF NJDOT November 15 2012 Retrieved October 4 2013 Demasters Karen April 16 2000 Road and Rail North Jerseyans hit the road often survey finds The New York Times Kerr Peter June 27 1989 Kean Proposes Transit Plan For Waterfront The New York Times Retrieved September 1 2009 Hanley Robert October 29 1986 Transitway to Follow the Hudson The New York Times Retrieved October 4 2013 Hudson Bergen Light Rail System USA Railway Technology com Retrieved May 15 2011 Chen David November 5 2011 Road and Rail One County s Transit Decongestant The New York Times Retrieved October 4 2013 River Road Hudson Waterfront Circulation Study Hudson and Bergen Counties North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority June 2009 Archived from the original on October 12 2013 Retrieved October 4 2013 River Road Hudson Waterfront Corridor Strategy A Phase Two Study North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority June 2013 Archived from the original on October 12 2013 Retrieved October 4 2013 Passaic Bergen Hudson Transit Project Projects amp Reports NJ Transit Retrieved August 26 2021 Senate No 2153 P L 2017 CHAPTER 195 August 7 2017References editAdams Arthur G 1996 The Hudson River Guidebook New York Fordham University Press ISBN 0 8232 1679 9 Hall Donald E Edgewater Cultural amp Historical Committee 2005 Edgewater Images of America Charleston SC Arcadia Publishing ISBN 0 7385 3725 X Kaminski Edward S 2010 New York Susquehanna and Western Railway in New Jersey Images of Rail Charleston SC Arcadia Publishing ISBN 978 0 7385 7367 0 Mohowski Robert E 2003 New York Susquehanna amp Western Railroad Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN 0 8018 7222 7 Slocum John W July 23 1960 Tunnel Inspected as Bomb Shelter Experts Praise Mile Rail Passage in Palisade The New York Times Tupaczewski Paul R 2002 New York Susquehanna and Western in color Scotch Plains NJ Morning Sun Books ISBN 1 5824 8070 2 External links editTopoquest USGS Map Wikimapia Fairview Tunnel Ventilation Shaft Map Hudson River terminals c 1950 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Edgewater Branch amp oldid 1210041058 Edgewater Tunnel, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.