Very interesting. My grand parents, were both raised in Paterson, NJ . being born in the area of the DL&W imposing station in Paterson in the 1880s. They often told the stories of going to Lake Hopatcong on the DL&W trains, getting the train in Paterson and going to the lake via the Boonton Line. Arriving at that very station that you are describing in this video. Thank you for these interesting videos.
Thanks for the video, Chuck Walsh. Our rail riding group, Ride With Me Henry, has started many of our rides from Lake Hopatcong station, and your background on it, along with the Port Morris area has been educational and fun to watch.
Very interesting presentation. It's about time that NJT finish the job to Andover. Maybe someday NJT and state of PA will re-build the DLW line all the way to Scranton and restore service. The DLW built amazing infrastructure over its 400 miles and from what I've read was recognized in its day for its engineering prowess. Too bad the DLW line did not remain essential for freight service, like the CSX West Shore and other lines. Even back in the 60's, when they built Rt 80, the EL allowed its Boonton Line to be severed through Paterson, even though EL had been offered to retain one track to continue through service between Mountain View, Paterson into Clifton. The EL later regretted losing this very efficient line with less grades than the Erie main line. I grew up around the EL living in Bergen County...and commute daily on the Bergen and Main lines.
Very true, after the severing of the Boonton Line to construct I-80, they used the Erie Greenwood Lake line which had a very steep grade at Great Notch which proved difficult for freight trains.
great series those stations are almost identical to the one in my hometown of cortland ny in which both the erie lackawanna and the lehigh valley spurs came through
These videos are phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and history of the DL&W. Last time I went to the the Delaware river bride leading into the powerplant the tracks were still in use. I wasn't aware that they had started burning oil. Thats a bummer. Anyhow these videos are awesome. How about doing some of the LV!
Zion, thank you for the encouraging comments. As much as I would like to branch off to other railroads, there's still a lot more to do on the Lackawanna Cut-Off.
About 20 years ago or so I invested a couple of hundred bucks in a company that was developing a plastic cross-tie. The tests looked promising, but the tie market was dominated by wooden and concrete ties and railroads are notoriously conservative in making changes, so the company went belly-up.
History lesson of how competition among private industries (not the government), built our country, enabled it to win two world wars, and make America the greatest nation in the world.
Uh, are you kidding? It's private industry that abandoned the lines. Government that is restoring it, and pick your country, Japan, France, Germany, where the government runs the railroads, and put ours to shame. Your history teatcher would be ashamed of you.
Healthy competition, then vicarazation leads to crapfonomics. I remember life before and after foute 80..most conversation in my ears was about fishing and ice-skating in the region.
:( To bad about the audio......... Combining the road noise with only an on camera mike makes it uncomfortable turning up the volume..... Thus us older folks end up missing so much of this Great Talk this gentleman is sharing with the world.... :(
+UTubeGlennAR It's ironic about the road noise, because that's what ruinin' a lot of the railroads today! ... Click on "CC" and you won't miss a thing. By the way, GREAT videos Chuck ! ! ! ...... George
Thank you. This series is extremely interesting and informative!
Glad to hear it!
Very interesting. My grand parents, were both raised in Paterson, NJ . being born in the area of the DL&W imposing station in Paterson in the 1880s. They often told the stories of going to Lake Hopatcong on the DL&W trains, getting the train in Paterson and going to the lake via the Boonton Line. Arriving at that very station that you are describing in this video. Thank you for these interesting videos.
Loved watching all of these. I forget how the canal played a part in the RR routes.
Wow! Great job! Look forward to #7. I am a huge Cut-off fan. Lived in Bound Brook at the zenith of traffic through there in the early 50s.
Thanks for the video, Chuck Walsh. Our rail riding group, Ride With Me Henry, has started many of our rides from Lake Hopatcong station, and your background on it, along with the Port Morris area has been educational and fun to watch.
Very interesting presentation. It's about time that NJT finish the job to Andover. Maybe someday NJT and state of PA will re-build the DLW line all the way to Scranton and restore service. The DLW built amazing infrastructure over its 400 miles and from what I've read was recognized in its day for its engineering prowess. Too bad the DLW line did not remain essential for freight service, like the CSX West Shore and other lines. Even back in the 60's, when they built Rt 80, the EL allowed its Boonton Line to be severed through Paterson, even though EL had been offered to retain one track to continue through service between Mountain View, Paterson into Clifton. The EL later regretted losing this very efficient line with less grades than the Erie main line. I grew up around the EL living in Bergen County...and commute daily on the Bergen and Main lines.
Agreed, the severing of the Boonton Line was a disastrously shortsighted move on the part of the EL.
Very true, after the severing of the Boonton Line to construct I-80, they used the Erie Greenwood Lake line which had a very steep grade at Great Notch which proved difficult for freight trains.
great series those stations are almost identical to the one in my hometown of cortland ny in which both the erie lackawanna and the lehigh valley spurs came through
These videos are phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and history of the DL&W. Last time I went to the the Delaware river bride leading into the powerplant the tracks were still in use. I wasn't aware that they had started burning oil. Thats a bummer. Anyhow these videos are awesome. How about doing some of the LV!
Zion, thank you for the encouraging comments. As much as I would like to branch off to other railroads, there's still a lot more to do on the Lackawanna Cut-Off.
Great video. I love to see things on restoration of rails. Do you have written information on this???
To answer your question, those black ties are composite plastic. There is a place in Texas that uses recycled plastic to form them
About 20 years ago or so I invested a couple of hundred bucks in a company that was developing a plastic cross-tie. The tests looked promising, but the tie market was dominated by wooden and concrete ties and railroads are notoriously conservative in making changes, so the company went belly-up.
History lesson of how competition among private industries (not the government), built our country, enabled it to win two world wars, and make America the greatest nation in the world.
Uh, are you kidding? It's private industry that abandoned the lines. Government that is restoring it, and pick your country, Japan, France, Germany, where the government runs the railroads, and put ours to shame.
Your history teatcher would be ashamed of you.
Healthy competition, then vicarazation leads to crapfonomics. I remember life before and after foute 80..most conversation in my ears was about fishing and ice-skating in the region.
:(
To bad about the audio.........
Combining the road noise with only an on camera mike
makes it uncomfortable turning up the volume.....
Thus us older folks end up missing so much of this
Great Talk this gentleman is sharing with the world....
:(
+UTubeGlennAR It's ironic about the road noise, because that's what ruinin' a lot of the railroads today! ... Click on "CC" and you won't miss a thing. By the way, GREAT videos Chuck ! ! ! ...... George
2:52 That shows Greensville not Greendell.
That's the original name of the station. The name was changed to Greendell in 1916.
Oh. shows me something I didn't know about the Cut Off