Morristown and Erie Railway

Morristown and Erie Railway

Reporting mark ME
Locale northern New Jersey and southeastern Maine
Dates of operation 1903–
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Morristown, New Jersey
Route map
Legend
 Toys "я" us
Target Industries
NJ Route 10
Wickes Lumber
Kuiken Brothers
NJ Route 10
Holland Manu.
R P Smith Cons.
High Bridge Branch
to Hackettstown
Chester Branch
Dover & Rockaway
Dover
Rockaway River
Rockaway River
Interstate 80
84 Lumber
Action Technology
DaVinci Foods
Endot
Polyfil
Montclair-Boonton
Denville
to Montclair
Mount Tabor
Morris Plains
Morristown
Maint. & Storage
Morristown Lumber
Flintkote
Standard Roofings
I-287
South Jefferson
Whippany Railway Museum
Cambridge
Suburban Propane
M I Group
Five-Stat Group
Tri-Coastal
Foremost Groups
Paper Mart
Hanover
Royal Lubricants
Givaudan Flavors
Anderol Inc.
Whippany River
Beaufort
Eisenhower Parkway
Lumber 1
Roseland
B&G foods
I-280
Essex Fells
Former Erie Caldwell branch

The Morristown and Erie Railway (reporting mark ME) is a freight short line railroad 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). The Morristown & Erie Railway (M&E) has in recent years expanded its system, now operating private trackage at the Bayway Refinery in Linden.

In November 2003, M&E won a contract to operate a rail line in Maine known as the Rockland Branch. M&E formed a subsidiary company, Maine Eastern Railroad, to operate that line.

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 early 2009, the M&E took over contract operations of the Stourbridge Railroad (former Lackawaxen & Stourbridge) in Pennsylvania.

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.

Contents

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, both owned by the same people, the McEwan brothers. 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. Rail buses were sometimes used and there were many flag stops. Competition from the automobile, however, caused ridership to fall rapidly, and by April 1928 the M&E had discontinued all passenger service.

Throughout the years, the M&E would remain a well-run and profitable railroad, but following World War I, and into the 1920s, railroads all over the US had started to suffer the effects of trucking competition. The tremendous economic downturn during the Great Depression of the 1930s only made matters worse. Even so, the M & E would be the only US railroad to rid itself of all debt during the era leading up to World War II.

In 1952, the line received its first diesel, an S-4 from Alco. The 1970s were slow times for the railroad, as the paper mills in Whippany shut down and railroad car shipments dropped precipitously. By 1978, despite a locomotive rebuilding business, the railroad was down to hauling fewer than a dozen cars in a single week and the once proud railroad was forced to file for bankruptcy.

New management

In 1982, Benjamin J. Friedland became president of a group of investors who took over operation of the ailing Morristown & Erie Railway. During his tenure, Ben Friedland would become a spokesman for short line railroads in the US. At the same time, he would become a spokesman for his own railroad, and using his public relations skills he oversaw the rebuilding and expansion of the railroad's customer base that had been eroding over the previous 30 years. He also spearheaded the rebuilding and refurbishment of the railroad's locomotive roster; new units would eventually also be purchased. Friedland is also credited with the opening of the Whippany Railway Museum in 1985. But most important to the railroad's viability, Ben Friedland ushered in an era of expansion to the railroad itself: freight service on the Chester Branch began December 21, 1983; in 1986, contracts were signed with Morris County to maintain and operate the High Bridge Branch and the Dover & Rockaway Branch, operation of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad for two years in 1989-90; and in what might be considered Friedland's master stroke as president, the M&E became the contract in-plant switcher at the Bayway Refinery, Infineum, and Conoco Philips, in Linden, NJ in 1995.

Ben Friedland's death in 1998 shocked and saddened the railroad and railfan communities who had seen Ben, in his 16 years at the helm of the M&E, ascend from an obscure railroader to an industry icon.

The expansion of the M&E operations continued after Friedland's death. The M&E would operate the SEPTA owned Octoraro Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania from July 1, 2003 to November 18, 2004 (the line is currently operated by the East Penn Railroad.)

On November 1, 2003, M&E took over operation of the Rockland Branch, a former Maine Central Railroad line now owned by the state of Maine.[1] M&E created a subsidiary, Maine Eastern Railroad, for its Maine operations.

Branches

M&E Main Line

Also known as the Whippany Branch, 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.

New Jersey Transit has expressed interest in the line, and in 2000 listed the Morristown/Roseland right of way under "projects to be defined/studied" for the year 2020.[2]

May, 1936 station list[3]

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

Customers

(products/shipments listed in parentheses)

Chester Branch

The Chester Branch was a former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad branch line that was extended in 1869 to Chester, New Jersey to serve the local mining industry. In 1983 Conrail planned to abandon the branch line, but Holland Manufacturing and another local business that used the line purchased it to continue rail services to their facilities. In the fall of 2009, Morris County, New Jersey purchased the line and leased rail operations to the M&E. The part of the branch that is still operated is located entirely within 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. The line was rehabilitated in 2010 with the use of federal stimulus funds obtained by the line's new owner, Morris County DOT. The M&E offers weekday service on the line to two businesses, and hopes to attract new customers upon completion of the track rehabilitation project.

Customers

(products/shipments listed in parentheses)

High Bridge Branch

This is one of two branch lines M&E began operating in 1986. The High Bridge Branch is owned by Morris County, New Jersey and is leased to the M&E. A former Central Railroad of New Jersey line called the High Bridge Branch, it splits from the Chester Branch at Ferromonte Junction and heads southwest through Succasunna and Flanders. The line ends in a rural area west of Route 206 in Flanders. Originally excluded from the Conrail system in 1976, the Branch remained in service under a subsidy agreement by local authorities until 1981. Morris County purchased the line from the state in 1982, with the line south of Flanders removed.

The right-of-way south of where the line ends was changed into a recreational trail known as the "Columbia Trail", which runs along the former rail line route to High Bridge. The trail ends in High Bridge, NJ where there is still active passenger rail service by the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line.

Customers

(products/shipments listed in parentheses)

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 Morristown 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 located in an industrial park along Green Pond Road, at the north end of the branch.

Customers

(products/shipments listed in parentheses)

Rahway Valley Railroad operations

In 2001 the M&E was selected to repair and operate a rail line consisting 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.[4] 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.[5]

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.

Morristown & Erie Locomotive Roster

# Type Built Builder Acquired Disposition Notes
1 4-4-0 8/1884 Altoona 6/1895 1908, Scrapped Ex-PRR #137. Named "Whippany."
1 2-8-0 2/1908 Rogers #45087 New 1917, Sold Sold to Toledo, St. Louis, & Western on 12/16/1917 for $5000
2 2-4-4T 10/1894 Rhode Island #3006 2/1908 1/1/1922, Sold ex-Chicago South Side Elevated RR #226. Sold to Hanover Brick Co. Scrapped 1936.
3 2-6-0 1870 Dickson #62 3/1908 11/1/1927, Scrapped ex-Rahway Valley #4, exx-DL&W #121
4 0-4-6T 1885 Rhode Island #1557 6/1911 12/2/1915 ex- New Haven 2114, Sold to the General Equipment Corporation.
5 0-6-0 1880s Altoona 11/1913 1914, Scrapped ex PRR Class B-3
6 2-8-0 5/1898 Pittsburgh #1814 12/1915 10/1948, Scrapped ex-Pittsburgh and Lake Erie #9314. Last day of operation 12/21/1945.
7 2-4-0 4/1905 Schenectady #30749 1/1917 4/9/1952, Scrapped ex-Lake Champlain and Moriah #14. Last operated 1938.
8 2-8-0 1902 Baldwin #21178 5/1920 1936, Scrapped ex-Hocking Valley #244
9 2-8-0 10/1904 Brooks #30134 10/1927 1/1947, Scrapped ex-Rochester and Pittsburgh #328.
10 2-8-0 11/1909 Pittsburgh #46770 8/1944 10/1955, Scrapped ex-Monongahela #116
11 2-8-0 7/1912 Pittsburgh #51593 8/1944 1954-1955, Scrapped ex-Monongahela #131
12 2-8-0 7/1912 Pittsburgh #51592 6/1946 10/1955 ex-Monongahela #130
14 S-4 4/1952 ALCO-GE #79786 New 3/1986, Sold Named "Mauritus Jensen." Sold to Linden Chlorine.
15 RS-1 9/1944 ALCO-GE 1963 9/1986 Named "R.W. McEwan," sold to Valley Railroad, then to Central New England and scrapped.
16 C-430 12/1967 ALCO 9/1982 5/2001 ex-Conrail #2054, exx-Penn Central #2054, exxx-New York Central #2054. Sold to Livonia, Avon and Lakeville.
17 C-430 12/1967 ALCO 1983 5/2001 ex-Conrail #2053, exx-Penn Central #2053, exxx-New York Central #2053. Sold Livonia, Avon, and Lakeville.
18 C-424 9/1964 ALCO #33821 12/1983 In Service - Morristown ex-Toledo, Peoria, and Western #800
19 C-424 9/1964 ALCO #33822 12/1983 In Service - Morristown ex-Toledo, Peoria and Western #801
20 SW-1500 10/1966 EMD #32156 In Service - Bayway Refinery ex-CSXT 1315, exx-RF&P 91
21 RS-1 12/1954 ALCO #80853 1/2001 2004, Transferred to the Whippany Railway Museum ex-Pook Valley 21, exx-Ware River 21, exxx-Mass. Central 21, exxxx-MDDE 21, exxxxx-Soo 350
22 TE50-4S 9/1954 EMD/M-K #19875 3/18/2006 OOS ex-Morrison-Knudsen 5001, exx-UP 278

References

  1. ^ Employer Status Determination
  2. ^ New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers, The 2020 Transit Map (New Jersey Transit, October 2000)
  3. ^ Official Guide of the Railways; August, 1936: National Railway Publication Company.
  4. ^ Rahway Valley Railroad
  5. ^ Morristown & Erie Railway Inc.

External links

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