Montclair Heights (signed as Montclair Heights–Home of Montclair State University) is a
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
station in the
Montclair Heights area of
Montclair Township,
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 along the
Montclair-Boonton Line
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...
at the
Normal Avenue (CR 618) grade crossing, the station serves trains coming from six different terminals (two eastbound:
New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main inter-city rail, intercity railroad station in New York City and the List of busiest railway stations in North America, busiest transportation facilit ...
and
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...
and four westbound:
Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...
,
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
,
Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, United States, about in area. Located from the Delaware River and from Manhattan, New York City, the lake forms part of the border between Sussex and Morris counties in the state's n ...
and
Hackettstown station
Hackettstown is a New Jersey Transit station in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The station is located at the intersection of Valentine Street and Beatty Street and is the western terminus of the Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line, which bo ...
s). Depending on the direction of travel, Montclair Heights is either the first or last of six stations in the township. The next station westbound is Montclair State University, which is in
Little Falls, while the next station eastbound is Upper Mountain Avenue.
The station consists of two low-level platforms with mini-high-level platforms at the southern end of both platforms. There are two
ticket vending machines
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine (TVM), is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instance, ...
and 67 parking spaces available in lot along the westbound platform. The station primarily serves students of
Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...
, which sits to the northeast of the platforms and has been owned by the township since 1983.
Montclair Heights station opened with the construction of the
Montclair Railway Montclair is a toponym which is French for ''clear mountain''. It may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Montclair, New Jersey
**Montclair Art Museum
**Montclair State University
**Upper Montclair, New Jersey
**Montclair Public Library
* Mon ...
, the predecessor to the
New York and Greenwood Lake Railway. The station was replaced by the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
in 1905 and moved to the Normal Avenue grade crossing from its previous home at Mount Hebron Road. The station depot lasted until it burned down on March 21, 1970, in a suspicious fire. A station shelter replaced that structure in April 1971 after the fire. That structure was replaced in 1982 by another station shelter. The current station was built in 1998.
Prior to the construction of the
Montclair State University station
Montclair State University, signed as Montclair State University Station at Little Falls, is a NJ Transit rail station in the Great Notch area of Little Falls, New Jersey on the Montclair-Boonton Line.
History
The station, which opened on Octo ...
, Montclair Heights was used as a transfer station for trains heading west towards Dover and Hackettstown on the Montclair-Boonton Line. The reason for this was that all trains going to points north of the station were required to be diesel-powered, while trains going to
New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main inter-city rail, intercity railroad station in New York City and the List of busiest railway stations in North America, busiest transportation facilit ...
are all electric because diesel trains are not allowed to use the
North River Tunnels
The North River Tunnels are a pair of rail tunnels that carry Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passenger lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built between 1904 ...
under the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
.
Station layout and service
Montclair Heights station is a two-platform station located on Normal Avenue in the township of
Montclair. A shelter is available on the inbound platform, while only a canopy is only available to commuters. On the outbound side is a parking lot owned by the township. This lot has only 67 spaces, four of which are handicap accessible as part of the
Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...
. Fares of $5 per day and $300 permits per month are collected from Monday–Saturday.
There are two ticket vending machines on the inbound platform, which also has mini high-level platforms to service handicapped persons.
Service
![Montclair Heights station with train departing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Montclair_Heights_station_with_train_departing.jpg)
Montclair Heights station services trains on the
Montclair-Boonton Line
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...
, with services to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's
Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals.
Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to
Current train stations
* Baltimore Penn Station
* Pennsylvania Station (Cinci ...
and
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...
to the east. To the west, trains depart for nearby
Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...
,
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
,
Hackettstown, and
Lake Hopatcong station
Lake Hopatcong is a commuter railroad station for New Jersey Transit. The station, located in the community of Landing in Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States, serves trains for the Montclair-Boonton Line and Morristown Line ...
s.
The first train inbound on weekday arrives at 5:14 am from nearby Montclair State University station towards Penn Station. The first train to Hoboken arrives at 6:36 am weekdays. The last inbound station arrives at 11:17 pm, arriving at Hobokern Terminal. The first outbound train arrives at 6:27 am on weekdays, headed for Montclair State University. The first outbound train for Dover is at 2:43 pm; the first to Hackettstown arrives at 5:15 pm. The final train outbound is at 1:20 am the next morning. With the exception of holidays, there is no service to Montclair Heights on weekends.
Bus connections
While not directly served by any bus routes, connections can be made from the station by walking one block to nearby bus stops at
Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...
or Valley Road. New Jersey Transit's 28 (to
Newark Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, ...
and
Willowbrook Mall),
191 (to
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving abo ...
and Willowbrook),
and 705 (to
Passaic
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...
and Willowbrook) buses as well as DeCamp's 66 bus to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
all stop near the station.
A Montclair State University shuttle service, Route A, stops at Montclair Heights station seven days a week.
History
Opening
Railroad service through Montclair Heights opened on January 1, 1873, with the opening of the
Montclair Railway Montclair is a toponym which is French for ''clear mountain''. It may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Montclair, New Jersey
**Montclair Art Museum
**Montclair State University
**Upper Montclair, New Jersey
**Montclair Public Library
* Mon ...
. This line was built as part of the
New York and Oswego Railway, beginning in
Jersey City
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.[Hudson
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Henry Hudson, English explorer
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...]
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
,
Passaic
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...
and
Morris County for . At
Pompton Plains, connection was available to the main line of the New York and Oswego. This railroad was sold in the late 1870s to the
New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
, which changed the name to the
New York and Greenwood Lake Railway.
![NJT train at former Montclair Heights stop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/NJT_train_at_former_Montclair_Heights_stop.jpg)
The original station at Montclair Heights was built closer to modern-day Mount Hebron Road on land owned by the
North Jersey Land Company by 1874.
The fifth and final station going northbound in Montclair, the stop was at the location Mount Hebron and Carlisle Roads.
The line was doubled-tracked through Montclair Heights in 1897. The station remained at this location until a new depot was built further north at Fifth Avenue (modern-day Normal Avenue) in 1905.
The new depot was an Erie Type V irregular depot, with a wooden frame and a slate roof that overhung the structure. This station was measured at , attached with a former passenger car body, serving as a freighthouse. The former station depot, built in 1873–1874, was razed for a couple sidings and a watchmen's structure at the crossing.
In a strange outbreak, several hundred horses in the area were exposed to the
glanders
Glanders is a contagious zoonotic infectious disease that occurs primarily in horses, mules, and donkeys. It can be contracted by other animals, such as dogs, cats, pigs, goats, and humans. It is caused by infection with the bacterium ''Burkhol ...
, an infectious disease, at Montclair Heights station itself in July 1905. Glanders was also reported at nearby
Great Notch station
Great Notch station was a small New Jersey Transit facility in the Great Notch section of Little Falls, New Jersey. The station was served seven times a day, three inbound morning trains to Hoboken Terminal and four outbound evening trains from ...
along with the nearby
Cedar Grove Reservoir. As a result of the outbreak of glanders, local veterinarians had to euthanize seven horses immediately while quarantining hundreds more.
Normal School opening
![Montclair State University (13252662003)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Montclair_State_University_%2813252662003%29.jpg)
A fight broke out between the Erie Railroad and the state of New Jersey in June 1907 with the planned construction of a new
normal school
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
in the Montclair Heights section. Fred Kilgus, the contractor in charge of building the new school, was displeased that the Erie Railroad backed out on its deal for a railroad siding at Montclair Heights station. This new siding would start at Montclair Heights station and go into the rear end of the campus for construction of the new school. With groundbreaking occurring on March 8, 1907, Kilgus noted that it would cost at least $3,000 (1907
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
) to haul material himself from the station. A new siding would be cheaper for Kilgus and his crew. An agreement had been made, but no contract was ever drawn up on the 3 percent grade spur. The railroad made a deal to build the siding, but required the payment. However, talks ceased and eventually the Erie Railroad declined to build a spur for construction.
On September 15, 1908, the
Montclair State Normal School opened on the hills above Montclair Heights station. As part of opening the school, Principal Charles S. Chapin struck a deal with the Erie Railroad to add Montclair Heights stops to three trains for students. The 8:50 am and 10:30 am eastbound trains along with the 8:13 pm westbound train would stop at the station for the use of students at reasonable hours. State officials in charge of education in New Jersey expected that trains would bring students from nearby
Paterson resulting in special service between
Little Falls and Montclair Heights for students. This involved a trolley that made a 25-minute ride. The stretch between Little Falls and Montclair Heights was about ten minutes.
1925–1926 consolidation proposal
In early 1926, the municipality looked at the possibility of building a new business zone in the northwest section of Montclair. This new business district would involve the areas around Montclair Heights and nearby
Mountain Avenue station
Mountain Avenue is an active commuter railroad station in the township of Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey. Serving trains of NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line, Mountain Avenue is one of six stops in the municipality. The next station to ...
. This new business district would be built in the area around Carlisle Road. This was after the committee in charge declined building it along Mount Hebron Road or Normal Avenue. A two-block stretch of Carlisle Road would be involved in this new business zone. This proposal included building a new roadway on the western side of the tracks between Mount Hebron and Normal.
[ ]
![Mountain Avenue Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Mountain_Avenue_Station.jpg)
The next proposal included a recommendation of building a new station at Mount Hebron Road to consolidate the Mountain Avenue and Montclair Heights stations. Unlike the former station, this one would be located on the southern end of the road crossing at Mount Hebron. Unlike Montclair Heights station, which lacked a platform in the inbound direction, this new station would have two platforms, serving about 250 commuters daily.
The committee argued that the existence of both stations inhibited the development around the Mountain Avenue station, which was in the way of traffic on Upper Mountain Avenue. With Montclair Heights, the lack of a platform on the western side of the tracks inhibited residential development. This was also being exacerbated by the existence of the Normal School and the hills overlooking the station. The new station would open development with less restrictions.
Opposition was immediate. One resident wrote into ''The Montclair Times'' that the new business zone was a mask to keep businesses off Laurel Place and Valley Road. The resident argued that closing the Mountain Avenue station would not result in the commuters using the new station. Those commuters, about 250, would walk down to the
Upper Montclair station
Upper Montclair is a New Jersey Transit station in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, a census-designated place of Montclair, New Jersey. The station is part of the Montclair-Boonton Line. The station is located between two grade level crossings on Bell ...
. The ~100 commuters who use Montclair Heights would move to the new station, defeating the 350 proposal offered by the committee.
[ ]
The closing of both stations would result in the decrease of property values around the area. The resident argued that property values with a station were much higher and that moving a station a half-mile away would make them drop due to lack of convenience. The writer, who got signatures after a 1925 proposal to do the same thing, noted that it would require locals to walk 15 minutes 300 times a year to the other stations.
Thomas Topping, the author of 22 Glenwood Road,
[ ] would note that the group involved in the protest would continue to fight.
Freedom Train stop
During 1948, the
American Heritage Foundation sponsored a "
Freedom Train
Two national Freedom Trains have toured the United States: the 1947–49 special exhibit Freedom Train and the 1975–76 American Freedom Train which celebrated the United States Bicentennial. Each train had its own special red, white and blue p ...
" to circumnavigate the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
. The train was a moving museum that would help the "Year of Rededication". This rededication would be part of American ideals that they wanted to restore. In January 1948, after Montclair found out they would not be a stop on the Freedom Train, they brought a bus and filled it with various documents about the fanding of Montclair. The bus, dedicated as "Montclair's Freedom Truck," came in late-January 1948, making national headlines. The American Heritage Foundation also requested towns to send reports about what they did to see if it would help reconsider their decision to not stop there.
[ ]
![NA-Photograph of Freedom Train (19087862811)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/NA-Photograph_of_Freedom_Train_%2819087862811%29.jpg)
On September 29, 1948, it was announced that the Freedom Train would arrive at Montclair on Thursday, October 21, at Montclair Heights station from 9 am–10 pm. The town of Montclair appointed a committee to help with the ceremonies and events. By this time, the Freedom Train had stopped in 280 municipalities and seen by 2.7 million people. Mayor Howard N. Deyo of Montclair made a proclamation declaring the week of October 21 to be a week known as "Montclair Rededication Week" with the same ideologies as the national program. His proclamation urged citizens to help participate in events leading up to and during the week and welcomed the train to Montclair. The Wellmont Theatre also had the Freedom Train announcement on their marquee.
[ ]
On October 21, 1948, the Freedom Train arrived at 1:45 am with seven cars. Crowd expectations were as high as 20,000, with students from
Montclair High and four local middle schools. The students were released at 12:30 pm so they could visit the educational exhibits. Mayor Deyo opened the ceremonies at 8:45 am, with the public allowed in at 10 am. As part of Deyo's ceremonies, a local reverend, troops from the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
and
Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...
, and 600 ticket holders got early access.
At the time of arriving in Montclair, the train had been on 34,688 miles across 48 states, including 308 of the planned cities. In all, 8,650 came to visit the Freedom Train at Montclair Heights station (well below the expected 20,000). The 8,650 attendees saw the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
, the
Bill of Rights
A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...
, various drafts of the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
and other historical documents through
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The train was then to head to
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
for repairs before a final run in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town.
Gettysburg is home to th ...
then
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
[ ]
Station agency discontinuance
In May 1959, another station consolidation debate came upon Montclair Heights and Mountain Avenue stations. This time, the Erie Railroad wanted to close Mountain Avenue station in favor of the Montclair Heights and Upper Montclair stations. The Erie Railroad scheduled a meeting on May 18, 1959, in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
. The Erie not only wanted to abandon the agency and the station stops at Mountain Avenue. With the discontinuance of the station, the Erie would save $6,000 a year (1959 USD).
In August, the Erie Railroad also chose to file for abandoning the station agent at Montclair Heights. However, unlike Mountain Avenue, the railroad intended to keep stopping trains at Montclair Heights. Protest between May and August caused the Erie to back off on discontinuing service to Mountain Avenue. A problem with removing the agent at Montclair Heights was that by this time, the station depot was doubling as the Montclair Heights Post Office, a substation of the main one.
[ ] At this time, the proposal from the Erie Railroad would be to have the depot open from 7–9 am for commuter use, as agreed to with Mountain Avenue earlier in the year.
The proposal to remove the station agent at Montclair Heights drew opposition. At a September 23, 1959 meeting of the Public Utility Commissioners, Montclair State College President E. DeAlton Partridge noted that it would be a "disservice to the students" who attended the school.
[ ] Partridge himself admitted that only 25 percent of the student body used rail service to attend Montclair State, they were continuing to push railroad use due to limited parking options. They also tried unsuccessfully to get special student tickets and extra trains for students during the afternoon.
However, a representative from the
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
noted that they had no opinion of what the Erie would do with the Montclair Heights depot. Despite that, the federal government would have to move or eliminate their substation at Montclair Heights. Dr. Partridge also disagreed with that as much of Montclair State's mail came through the Montclair Heights substation. At that time, it was also revealed that the Postal Service was considering moving the substation to the campus itself.
However, after a two-hour deliberation on September 12, 1959, the Public Utility Commissioners reserved judgement on what to do in the Montclair Heights agent removal. Dean of Montclair State Leo Fuchs appeared at the meeting to testify on behalf of students against the railroad noting that 25 of the 2,130 students use the facility. The town of Montclair also sent a representative, that one being Samuel Allcorn, Jr., the local Counsel.
In early November, the Commissioners sided with the Erie Railroad and approved the removal of the station agent. They set a date of November 21 for the discontinuing of the agent. With the decision, Postmaster Richard F. McMahon announced that they would close the substation on November 20 and not replace the facility in the area. This deal came about by a deal made between the Erie and Allcorn.
[ ] On November 20, officials from the Erie Railroad climbed the
semaphore signal across the tracks from the depot and removed it, signaling the discontinuance of the agency.
1970 fire and replacement
On September 17, 1968, the town of Montclair sent a letter to the
Erie Lackawanna Railroad
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
that any station depots in poor condition were to be demolished as soon as possible. In March 1969, the Erie Lackawanna responded that the only station of the five they served in Montclair that could be razed is Montclair Heights. According to ''The Montclair Times'', there had been complaints for several years about the deteriorating condition of the depot on Normal Avenue. The station had been boarded up in the windows and the doors locked. The town of Montclair wanted the depot replaced with waiting shelters for commuters. The Health and Building Departments agreed with the new design of a new shelter for Montclair Heights.
However, on October 29, 1969, the Montclair Health Department filed an official complaint and violation against the Erie Lackawanna for their lack of maintenance at the Montclair Heights station. The railroad would need to, as agreed to by their lawyer, seal the cellar staircase and take care of a rat infestation around and in the depot. The lawyer for the railroad, Vincent McGowan, noted this could be done in a week. However, the town of Montclair gave the railroad through January 15, 1970 to correct the problems.
[ ]
At the same time, McGowan notified the town that Montclair State College and the Erie Lackawanna were in talks to lease the station. McGowan stated that a lease or demolition of the depot would take care of the unsanitary conditions.
On February 2, 1970, the complaint against the Erie Lackawanna was dismissed by the Montclair Municipal Court Judge Frank Brunetto, Jr. Johseph C. Dickson, Jr., the Assistant Town Counsel, noted that the railroad took care of the rodent outbreak. This control program was run by the railroad and the Montclair Health Department, with the station being re-sealed. Montclair State also signed a lease for $1 per year to use the depot. They would then renovate the depot and put it to use. Dickson noted that the town wants to maintain the depot and the surrounding area, which would also include asking
Public Service Coordinated Transport
Transport of New Jersey (TNJ), earlier Public Service Transportation and then Public Service Coordinated Transport, was a street railway and bus company in the U.S. state of New Jersey from 1917 to 1980, when NJ Transit took over their operations ...
and
Trackless Transit, two local bus companies to move their buses elsewhere while idling.
However, the decisions by Montclair State would end when a fire broke out at the Montclair Heights station depot on March 21, 1970. Around 3:44 am that morning, firemen were notified about the fire by residents who heard a loud explosion prior to the blase. The station depot burned for 3.5 hours with ten firefighters handling the braze with 2 trucks. Inside the depot were $3,000 of equipment (300 chairs) for use in the newly constructed Partridge Hall. These chairs were to be moved in April when the building opened. The destroyed depot was a complete loss and the railroad would demolish it once the insurance claim went through.
[ ]
The Erie Lackawanna applied in November 1970 to have the Montclair Heights station lack any facilities completely rather than build a new depot or shelter on the location. This appeal would be heard on December 15 in Newark with the Public Utility Commissioners.
However, it was at a second meeting on January 14, 1971, when the railroad along with the town of Montclair both sent representatives to the Commissioners. After the fire and the demolition of the shell in May 1970,
[ ] there were no facilities for commuters to use in order to keep them out of the weather. The railroad reported that 150 commuters used the station daily in a November count. The railroad's attorney, Henry Wilewski, noted that the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
would help fund the cost of a new shelter at Montclair Heights, which was the request of the town. However, the Commissioners chose to not make a verdict at that time.
In March 1971, almost a year after the fire, the Erie Lackawanna was ordered by the Commissioners to build a new station shelter suitable for commuters at Montclair Heights. The railroad, which would save $300 a year over a depot, was required to put up a shelter for public necessity by April 8, 1971.
Leasing problems
In 1981, the township of Montclair was informed that as of July 1, any remaining agencies would be removed except for
Watchung Avenue station
Watchung Avenue (known as Park Street until April 1, 1919) is a New Jersey Transit station at the intersection of Watchung Avenue, Watchung Plaza, and Park Street in Montclair, New Jersey along the Montclair-Boonton Line. The Watchung Avenue stati ...
. This included the agents at Upper Montclair and
Erie Plaza/Montclair station. New Jersey Transit, now operating stations on the
Boonton Line, would only open and close the stations along with maintain and insuring them. They also offered a second proposal in which the township of Montclair would take over maintenance of all six stations, including Montclair Heights. Montclair responded and offered to lease the stations into their control. By June, the negotiations began. New Jersey Transit also renovated the stations in Montclair as part of the project. By this time, Montclair Heights was nothing more than a station shelter for commuters.
However, on July 20, 1982, the Mayor of Montclair, Mary Mochary, noted that the lease agreement was on hold until New Jersey Transit rectified drainage problems at Montclair Heights station. Locals noticed that the crew working at Montclair Heights were going to put down fresh topsoil to work on drainage and put fresh grass and shrubs on top of those. However, there were questions if that would solve the problem. Peter Steck, the local official in charge of Planning and Community Development, noted that the drainage would go into the storm sewer and that the station resurfacing work would be finished on July 29.
On February 1, 1983, New Jersey Transit and Montclair Township officials met at the Upper Montclair station and agreed to a lease for all six stations along the line. Under the 10-year deal, Montclair would take over the operation and maintenance of station facilities and parking services (including the lots). Montclair Heights also gained a new shelter in the construction leading up to the lease, as part of spending $800,000 on all six stations.
[ ]
New station and Montclair Connection
New Jersey Transit approved the construction of a new station at Montclair Heights in February 1997. The improvements would include a new platform on the Hackettstown-bound tracks, boasting a canopy. A new platform would be built on the Newark-bound side, with a waiting shelter. It would also have a canopy.
The platforms would primarily be low-level except for a pair of mini-high level platforms.
The station would also get improved lighting. The total cost would be $882,741 (1997 USD).
[ ] Construction of the current station finished in 1998.
On August 13, 1999, construction began on the
Montclair Connection
The Montclair Connection is a short section of double-track railroad on the NJ Transit Rail Operations system in New Jersey, United States, connecting the former end of the Montclair Branch at Bay Street station to the old Boonton Line southeast ...
, a track project that would connect the
Boonton Line and
Montclair Branch
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...
at
Bay Street
Bay Street is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial services industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Stree ...
, along with electrifying the line up to
Great Notch station
Great Notch station was a small New Jersey Transit facility in the Great Notch section of Little Falls, New Jersey. The station was served seven times a day, three inbound morning trains to Hoboken Terminal and four outbound evening trains from ...
. The project would allow direct service from Montclair Heights station to
New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main inter-city rail, intercity railroad station in New York City and the List of busiest railway stations in North America, busiest transportation facilit ...
. In early September 2002, New Jersey Transit announced that as part of the changes, the line would receive five morning inbound trains to New York, three evening outbound trains; three morning trains to Hoboken Terminal. Two evening peak trains would operate only between Hoboken and Montclair Heights but off-peak service would be exclusively between Hoboken and Montclair Heights. This new service began on the line on September 30, 2002.
Montclair Heights station served as the connection between the non-electrified section of the new Montclair-Boonton Line and the electrified section. Commuters would transfer at Montclair Heights to catch an electric train if coming from stations west. This would add to the commute of those going to Hoboken Terminal by at least ten minutes. In September 2002, construction began on a new station at Montclair State University in
Little Falls. This new station would replace Montclair Heights as the transfer point for diesel to electrification transfers. On April 28, 2003, the transfer point was changed from Montclair Heights to a platform at the unfinished Montclair State University station. As part of the changes, Montclair Heights saw service changes as well on several trains.
[ ]
Bibliography
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References
External links
Station from Normal Avenue from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montclair Heights (Njt Station)
Montclair, New Jersey
NJ Transit Rail Operations stations
Railway stations in Essex County, New Jersey
Upper Montclair, New Jersey
Former Erie Railroad stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1874