Armstrong Cut - Lackawanna Cut-Off - 1989

Armstrong Cut is one of the largest cuts on the Lackawanna Cut-Off railroad line in northwest

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Located between approximately mileposts 61.4 and 62.3 in Frelinghuysen Township, the cut was constructed between 1908 and 1911 by contractor

Hyde, McFarlan & Burke Hyde, McFarlan & Burke (sometimes given as Hyde, McFarlane & Burke; Hyde, McFarland & Burke; and Hyde, McFarlin & Burke) was a construction firm that operated in the early 20th century from offices at 90 West Street in New York City and Madison, Ne ...

. The cut, which was created by removing fill material obtained by blasting with dynamite or other methods, is long, has an average depth of , and a maximum depth of . The fill was created as a result of the removal of 852,000 cubic yards of fill material from this section of the right-of-way. Armstrong Cut is located on a tangent (straight) section of track, permitting . Part of the north side of Armstrong Cut collapsed in 1941, completely blocking the Cut-Off, and causing all traffic to be diverted to the

Lackawanna Old Road The Lackawanna Old Road was part of the original mainline of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W). Opened in 1856, it was for a half-century a part of the line connecting the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 1911, the DL&W ...

for a month while the embankment was excavated back. Legend has it that the collapse occurred in the middle of the night and that the freight agent at the freight station (the passenger station had closed the previous year) heard the embankment give way and raised the alarm. Armstrong Cut is named for W.C. Armstrong, who was the principal owner of the land that was acquired for this cut.1906 Survey Map of the Delaware Valley Cut-Off, September 1, 1906.

References

{{Reflist Lackawanna Cut-Off