Passaic Park station (formerly known as Passaic Bridge) was a former
railroad station for 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 Er ...
's main line in
Passaic, New Jersey in the
epomonyous section of the city. The station was located between the
Carlton Hill station
Carlton Hill Station is a pastoral lease and cattle station located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Situated approximately to the north-west of Kununurra and east of Wyndham, the station covers an area of .
The property li ...
and the
Prospect Street station. The station was the easternmost of four Erie stations that served the city of Passaic, being demolished in 1963 as part of the abandonment of the railroad line through Passaic and
Clifton. Passaic Park station, originally opened as part of the
Paterson and Ramapo Railroad
The Paterson and Ramapo Railroad was a railroad that operated mostly in New Jersey, connecting the city of and Paterson, New Jersey with Suffern, New York, just across the state line. The railroad was chartered in 1841 and construction began in 18 ...
, was reconstructed in 1888 as a wooden structure. The wooden station was the common design for station depots used by the Erie Railroad, designated Type IV.
The station was replaced in 1923 with a Spanish tile roof station made of concrete and stone, after six years of litigation between the railroad and the city of Passaic.
History
The station at Passaic Park was first called Passaic Bridge,
as the station was located immediately westward of the line's exit from the BE Drawbridge over the Passaic River. The original station structure was built in 1888 near the grade crossing of Aycrigg Avenue and Main Ave in Passaic. The 1888 construction included two wooden structures. One the westbound side was a shelter with a baggage office, ticket agent and restrooms. The second building, on the eastbound side, was a shelter with no facilities.
By August 1911, the station was renamed to Passaic Park.
The site traversed what is today the southeast edge of Schevchenko Park and several homes constructed next to the park after the railroad abandoned the right of way.
Passaic demands a new station (1916–1922)
On November 2, 1916, the city of Passaic filed a petition with the Board of Public Utility Commissioners to demand that the Erie replace the 28-year-old wooden station at Passaic Park. The city felt that in particular, the eastbound platform at Passaic Park was a "menace" to health of their residents, facilities for drivers at the station were inadequate, and protection from the elements were not sufficient. The petition filed said the Erie had agreed that a new station at Passaic Park was necessary, and the city had appropriated land for a new facility. The Erie responded on May 1, 1917, to the petition, citing that a new station was in negotiations with the city, in which an agreement had been made to a new design based on the character of the area. However, there were problems in the design of the roof and due to the position of the railroad, a larger than affordable station was probably necessary. The railroad also said that the city's need for basic facilities is not needed, especially during the summer months and they felt this could wait until after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
as supplies were needed for the war effort.
Hearings were held 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 ...
on May 2 and May 9, 1917, between the city and the railroad. Testimony was given by both sides in determining the need for a station, the present situation and whether the "wait until after the war" argument, which Passaic called an excuse, was viable. The board felt the city had made a fair case to new facilities, citing that the 1888 depot, present on the westbound side of the station had a ticket office, restrooms, and a baggage office. However, ridership was more present on the eastbound side, where only stood a shelter with no ticket offices, no places for the riders to use the restroom nor a baggage office. People who wanted to use those facilities needed to walk a considerable distance, including walking down to River Road and under the railroad bridge over to the station depot at Aycrigg Avenue. The city and the railroad both agreed, that due to the 400–500 passengers that averaged at the station daily, that the new station would be built on the eastbound side rather than the westbound. The current eastbound shelter also had problems in term of size, as it was hard to fit everybody into it in inclement weather. The board also determined the shelter was unkempt and poorly ventilated for impossible usage.
![Passaic Park Station - June 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Passaic_Park_Station_-_June_2011.jpg)
The board also looked into the war "excuse" for reasons for delay, that the railroad had to deal with the federal government in times of war, however, the railroad was not just because of that able to ignore the needs of localities. $6,000 (1917 USD) was done for station improvements by the Erie already, and the board ruled that the existing facilities at Passaic Park were the fault of the railroad, and that the railroad must approve a new station and maintain the new station.
On July 18, 1917, the board declared a rehearing based on the old petition and the delay of construction due to the war. It was determined that the Erie will still have to work with the federal government in moving troops around for the war process, and that the Erie was unnecessarily delaying the improvements. The improvements were then decided to be removed from the Erie's responsibility until conditions warrant.
On August 24, 1922, the board demanded that the Erie, now after the war effort, file plans on February 1, and begin improving the Passaic Park station by March 10 of the next year.
The station at Passaic Park was finished in 1923, as a new Spanish-revival station with a slate roof, similar in fashion to stations at
Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the township was 25,487, a decline of 403 from the 25,890 counted in the ...
and
Painted Post, New York
Painted Post is a village in Steuben County, New York. The village is in the town of Erwin, west of the city of Corning. The population was 1,809 at the 2010 census. The name comes from a Seneca carved post found by explorers at the junction ...
.
The Passaic Plan (1949–1963)
During the 1950s and 1960s, several different entities (with interests in the cities of
Paterson and Passaic) had desires/needs that interacted in a way that would change the future of railroads in the area. The
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad, which had long competed with the Erie both in northern New Jersey and extending westward, was having financial troubles and wanted to reduce passenger service, sharing trackage and the obligation to transport passengers with the Erie. Secondly, the city officials in Passaic brought a proposal to the Erie to examine the feasibility of removing the main line through the city's downtown area, which was causing traffic jams during station stops. This, however, was not implemented during the 1950s, as proposed. Instead, the Erie reconstructed the stations at
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
Clifton. Third, the
New Jersey State Highway Department
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 ...
needed rights-of-way for
Interstate 80 through Paterson and
State Route 21 through Passaic. The Passaic Park station and BE Drawbridge, which spanned the nearby
Passaic River, would need to be demolished to build State Route 21.
After the October 17, 1960 merger between the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western and the Erie, city officials in Passaic reiterated the possibility of removing the tracks through Main Street, Passaic. This time, the newly formed
Erie Lackawanna Railway
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" ...
went forward with it, beginning the process to move its main line onto the former
Boonton Branch
The Boonton Branch refers to the railroad line in New Jersey that was completed in 1870 and ran 34 miles (54.8 km) from Hoboken to East Dover Junction as part of the Morris & Essex Railroad (M&E). Although the branch hosted commuter train ...
through
Lyndhurst, Passaic and
Clifton.
On April 2, 1963, the last train passed through the station and the former Erie main from BE Draw to Paterson.
[ The main line was abandoned past Carlton Hill, and BE Drawbridge was swung in the open position, and soon put up for sale price of $0.00 in 1964 by the mayor of Passaic.]
On January 21, 1964, the city of Passaic awarded a $1,920 (1964 USD) contract to raze the Passaic Park station to Naples Excavating Company, a local contractor.[ ]
See also
*Mahwah station
Mahwah is a NJ Transit rail station located in Mahwah, New Jersey served by the Main Line, Bergen County Line, and Port Jervis Line.
History
The beginning of railroad service in Mahwah dates to the 1840s with the Paterson and Ramapo Railroad, ...
- station with similar designs to the 1922 Passaic Park station.
References
External links
The Erie Lackawanna Main Lines
{{Erie Railroad New York Division stations
Former railway stations in New Jersey
Former Erie Railroad stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1851
Railway stations closed in 1963
1888 establishments in New Jersey
1963 disestablishments in New Jersey