Morristown and Erie Railway
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| Morristown and Erie Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Reporting marks | ME |
| Locale | northern New Jersey and southeastern Maine |
| Dates of operation | 1903–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Morristown, New Jersey |
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
[edit] Morristown and Erie map
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The Morristown and Erie Railway (M&E) is a freight short line based in Morristown, New Jersey. It operates freight rail service five days a week in Morris County, New Jersey and surrounding areas. It owns its main line between Morristown and Roseland and maintains and operates three other lines in Morris County (Dover & Rockaway Branch, Chester Branch and High Bridge Branch) under a $1-a-year contract with the county.
Freight is interchanged with Norfolk Southern at Lake Junction (the north end of the Chester Branch) and with the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) at Passaic Junction.
The Morristown & Erie Railway (M&E) has in recent years expanded its system, now operating private trackage at the Bayway Refinery in Linden; it has also expanded into Maine with the takeover of the Maine Eastern Railroad on November 1, 2003.
The M&E currently operates limited local service on the southern portion of the former Rahway Valley Railroad trackage and the New Jersey portion of the former Staten Island Railway. The M&E is working with Union County to revive freight service along the northern portion of the former Rahway Valley Railroad trackage between Summit and Cranford. Inclusion of the former Rahway Valley Railroad trackage in the M&E system would allow the M&E to access its Bayway Refinery operations via its own track, and to interchange with the recently reactivated Staten Island Railway freight connection to New Jersey.
To get between its lines, the M&E has trackage rights on New Jersey Transit's Morristown Line and Montclair-Boonton Line west of West End (the junction west of The Palisades with NJT's Main Line); it uses the Main Line and the Bergen County Line to interchange with the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway at Passaic Junction.
In addition to freight service, M&E operates charter passenger (excursion) service and rents railcars. It also allows film production companies to rent trains for filming. Recent films including Far from Heaven, Mona Lisa Smile and the independent film The Station Agent, as well as the reality television series The Next Food Network Star, have used Morristown & Erie equipment.
[edit] History
The Morristown & Erie Railway was incorporated on August 28, 1903 as a consolidation of the Whippany River Railroad and the Whippany and Passaic River Railroad. The former company built a line from Morristown (on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's main line) to Whippany, and the latter built trackage from Whippany to Essex Fells to connect with a branch of the Erie Railroad (hence the Erie in the M&E's name). Freight and passenger service ran from Morristown to Jersey City, with seven daily round trips by 1923. With the invention of the automobile, however, ridership fell rapidly, and by April 1928 the M&E discontinued passenger service.
The M&E remained a well-run, profitable freight line, until the depression and World War II. By the 1930s, freight railroads all over the US began feeling the effects of trucking. The M & E was the only US railroad to rid itself of all debt during the Great Depression.
In 1952, the line received its first diesel, a S-4 from Alco. The 1970s were slow times for the railroad, as the paper mills in Whippany shut down and car shipment decreased. By 1978, the railroad was down to hauling fewer than a dozen cars in a single week and Morristown & Erie filed for bankruptcy.
The late Benjamin J. Friedland rescued the ailing Morristown & Erie Railway in 1982 and became president. During his tenure, the old diesel locomotives were rebuilt or refurbished and new units were purchased. In 1986, contracts were made with Morris County to operate and maintain the High Bridge and Dover & Rockaway branches. Freight service on the Chester Branch began December 21, 1983. The Whippany Railway Museum opened in 1985.
In 1995 the M&E became the contract in-plant switcher at the Bayway Refinery in Linden.
The M&E operated the SEPTA owned Octoraro Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania from July 1, 2003 to November 18, 2004. The line is now operated by the East Penn Railway.
On November 1, 2003, the M&E took over the Maine Eastern Railroad (former Maine Central Railroad) from its former operator, Safe Handling Rail.[1]
[edit] Branches
M&E Main Line
This is the Morristown & Erie Railway's original main line, in use since 1903 and with some portions dating back to 1895. The 9 mile (14.48 km) line runs between Baker Interlocking (connection with NJ Transit's Morristown Line in Morristown, where M&E's main office, yard and shop are located) northeast to Roseland in Essex County. The line is single track and has many grade crossings. It serves Cedar Knolls in Hanover Township, Whippany in Hanover Township and East Hanover and Roseland. The line currently ends at Interstate 280 in Roseland. The 1/2 mile or so of line remaining had ceased to be used by the last stop in the line at Bobst Group Inc., and has been subject to being removed or overgrown with weeds and trees at a local golf course and at housing projects which have stood in its way.
[edit] May, 1936 station list[2]
| Mile Post | Station | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 00.00 | Essex Fells | Junction with Erie Railroad;Telegraph Communications; Telephone Communications |
| 00.50 | Roseland | |
| 01.50 | Beaufort | |
| 03.50 | Hanover | |
| 05.50 | Whippany | Company Headquarters; Telephone Communications |
| 08.50 | Monroe-Cedar Knolls | |
| 10.50 | Morristown | Junction Delaware Lackawanna & Western RR; Telephone Communications |
In a later measurement, it was found that the length of the Whippany line was shorter due to realignments over the years
Customers
(products/shipments listed in parentheses)
- Standard Roofings, Cedar Knolls (Building materials)
- Whippany Railway Museum, Whippany
- Suburban Propane, Whippany (Petrol)
- Royal Lubricants, East Hanover (Oils, Lubricants)
- Givaudan, East Hanover (Food, products)
- Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), Roseland (Fuel)
- ACE Lumber, Roseland (Building materials)
- B&G Foods, Roseland (Food)
[edit] Chester Branch
This branch was a former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad line purchased from Conrail in 1983. It is located entirely in Roxbury Township. Branching off from Lake (Chester) Junction, it ends in Succasunna. High Bridge Branch service uses this line to access the High Bridge Branch at Ferromonte Junction.
Customers
(products/shipments listed in parentheses)
- Holland Manufacturing, Succasunna (Miscellaneous)
- Wickes Lumber, Succasunna (Lumber)
- Kuikens Lumber, Succasunna (Lumber)
[edit] High Bridge Branch
One of the two branches M&E took over from Conrail in 1986. A former Central Railroad of New Jersey line, it splits from the Chester Branch at Ferromonte Junction and heads southwest through Succasunna and Flanders. The line ends in a rural area. The right-of-way was changed into a recreational trail known as the "Columbia Trail" from where the active rail line ends to High Bridge. The trail ends in High Bridge, NJ where there is still active passenger rail service by New Jersey Transit.
Customers
(products/shipments listed in parentheses)
- R.P. Smith, Succasunna (Concrete)
- Target Industries, Flanders (Plastic)
- Toys R Us, Flanders (Packaged Goods)
[edit] Dover & Rockaway Branch
Originally the Dover and Rockaway Railroad, the second of two ex-Jersey Central lines taken over by M&E in 1986, the Dover & Rockaway branch operates from D&R Junction (where it meets the NJ Transit Montclair-Boonton Line) in Wharton through downtown Dover northeast to Rockaway. The line ends along Green Pond Road in Rockaway Township, north of Interstate 80. This line passes through downtown Dover and Rockaway with many street crossings. All the customers on this branch are along Green Pond Road, at the north end of the branch.
Customers
(products/shipments listed in parentheses)
- Polyfil, Rockaway (Plastics-Polyethylene)
- Endot, Rockaway (Plastics-Piping)
- NexPak, Rockaway (Plastics-Packaging)
- Action Technologies, Rockaway (Plastics-Extruding)
- 84 Lumber, Denville (Building materials)
[edit] Rahway Valley Railroad operations
In 2001 the M&E was selected to repair and operate a rail line comprised of the New Jersey portion of the Staten Island Railroad between Linden and Cranford, and the former Rahway Valley Railroad between Cranford and Summit. Both sections are now known as the Rahway Valley Railroad. The New Jersey Department of Transportation owns the lines, and the County of Union administers the contract.[3] As of late 2006, only the southern portion of the Rahway Valley Railroad has been restored, as the restoration of the northern portion from Summit to Cranford is being challenged in court and lacks sufficient county funding. The first M&E train ran on the southern portion of the line on July 13, 2005.[4]
As of late 2006, Union County is working to revive freight service on the former Rahway Valley Railroad route from Summit to a connection with the former Staten Island Railway and Conrail at Cranford, New Jersey. The M&E would be the likely operator of any reactivated Rahway Valley line service from Summit to Cranford.
Operation of the Rahway Valley line from Summit to Cranford would allow the M&E to access their operations at the Bayway Refinery in Linden via a more direct connection using trackage rights over the Morris and Essex lines and would provide freight service to customers along the Rahway Valley line, which was abandoned in 1992. The Rahway Valley line could also be used as an alternative for long distance freight services, as needed. **As of 2006, necessary funds have not been secured to restore this line between Summit and Union. Action is pending.
[edit] References
- ^ Employer Status Determination
- ^ Official Guide of the Railways; August, 1936: National Railway Publication Company.
- ^ Rahway Valley Railroad
- ^ Morristown & Erie Railway Inc.
[edit] External links
- Morristown & Erie Railway (official site)
- Maine Eastern Railroad (official site)
- Railroad.net M&E forum
- Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation, Columbia Trail
- Morristown & Erie Train GIFs
