The abandoned station at Liberty State Park used to host trains that would utilize the Bayonne Bridge and the right-of-way now used by the Light Rail. (1) Was the route between the bridge and the rail terminal two, three, or four tracks wide? (2) During what period were the tracks torn up used by the Blue Comet to go from Jersey City to Atlantic City? (3) Was the demolished Bayonne Bridge the only rail route out of the terminal?
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1. The line from bridge to terminal was 4 tracks wide.
2. do not know
3. There was another bridge that ran from Jersey city straight to Newark terminal. Before arrival there, there was a wye that trains could turn south and arrive at Elizabethport, from the north and than continue south or turn west on mainline.
Hope this helps.
mikeg
Tommy,
1. The mainline was 4 tracks coming off the bay drawbridge. At Van Nostrand Place it expanded to 6 tracks. East of there you started getting into the throat of the terminal.
2. The Blue Comet question is more complicated. From Jersey City to Elizabethport some segments exist, with most abandoned in stages in the 70's and 80's. From Elizabethport to Lakehurst, the lines are active. From Lakehurst to Winslow Jct the route stayed active into the late 1970's with some sections running through the 80's but not as a through route. from Winslow Jct to Atantic City the train originally used the Reading's Atlantic City railroad which is pretty much gone today. After 1933 it used the PRR route (by then PRSL) which is still in use today.
3. The Newark & New York was a CNJ line which ran west from Communipaw to Newark. Much of the ROW in Jersey City is used by the light rail.
hope this helps!
Rob
The two double track lift bridges Bayonne to Elizabethport were blown up for demolition in the 1980's This was done to allow larger containerships into Elizabeth. These are different than the actual Bayonne Bridge which goes to Staten Island The Bayonne Bridge is being lifted 75 feet as we write to allow even bigger ships in now. There is a plan that will probably never happen to extend the light rail over this bridge.
The branch into Newark still has the large girder bridge over the old Pennsy tracks. The Bayonne fright line is still used extensively for petrochemicals and garbage
Tommy,
1. The mainline was 4 tracks coming off the bay drawbridge. At Van Nostrand Place it expanded to 6 tracks. East of there you started getting into the throat of the terminal.
2. The Blue Comet question is more complicated. From Jersey City to Elizabethport some segments exist, with most abandoned in stages in the 70's and 80's. From Elizabethport to Lakehurst, the lines are active. From Lakehurst to Winslow Jct the route stayed active into the late 1970's with some sections running through the 80's but not as a through route. from Winslow Jct to Atantic City the train originally used the Reading's Atlantic City railroad which is pretty much gone today. After 1933 it used the PRR route (by then PRSL) which is still in use today.
3. The Newark & New York was a CNJ line which ran west from Communipaw to Newark. Much of the ROW in Jersey City is used by the light rail.
hope this helps!
Rob
It just doesn't get a whole lot better than this !
The abandoned station at Liberty State Park used to host trains that would utilize the Bayonne Bridge and the right-of-way now used by the Light Rail. (1) Was the route between the bridge and the rail terminal two, three, or four tracks wide? (2) During what period were the tracks torn up used by the Blue Comet to go from Jersey City to Atlantic City? (3) Was the demolished Bayonne Bridge the only rail route out of the terminal?
You really want to pick up a copy of the video "The BIG little railroad". It explains a whole lot of the CNJ in the Newark Bay area.
It shows the Newark Bay lift bridges in action, amongst other things.
Looking at the current CNJ right of way at Liberty State Park or at E-port at the old Singer factory or at Elizabeth at the PRR overpass is enough to bring a tear to the eye.
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