Port Morris Junction is the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
connection between
NJ 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 ...
's
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 ...
and the
Lackawanna Cut-Off. Opened in 1911 by the
Lackawanna Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
, it is in the
Port Morris, New Jersey
Port Morris is a historic unincorporated community located within Roxbury Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States.Roxbury Township, New Jersey
Roxbury is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 23,324, reflecting a decline of 559 (−2.3%) from the 23,883 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn ...
, south of
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 ...
.
History
Soon after rail service began in the 1850s, the
Lackawanna Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
built a
rail yard
A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...
on the east side of the
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Jers ...
. The yard was initially used to shift coal from railcars to canal barges. By the turn of the 20th century, however, the canal was little used (it would be abandoned in 1924) and the yard was used primarily to store
freight car
A railroad car, railcar (American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is ...
s. As Lackawanna officials planned a route to shorten travel time from
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 ...
to
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, the yard offered a compelling reason to begin the Cut-Off at Port Morris.
Port Morris Tower opened on December 23, 1911, and the first train to use the Cut-Off passed shortly after midnight the following morning. Port Morris Junction was part of the Lackawanna until October 17, 1960; 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" ...
until April 1, 1976; and
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
until February 27, 1979, when the tower was closed. Conrail abandoned the Cut-Off in 1983 and pulled up the tracks at the junction in October 1984.
During 1983,
NJ 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 ...
(NJT) had taken over the operation of
commuter rail service in New Jersey, including through the old Port Morris Junction area. Later that decade, NJT began operating a
rail yard
A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...
there. Initially, the bridge department began operating out of Port Morris Yard. Then, in the 1990s, a commuter rail yard was built at Port Morris, allowing commuter trainsets to begin their weekday morning eastbound runs at
Hackettstown,
Mount Olive,
Netcong or Lake Hopatcong from the yard rather than the yard in
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 ...
, as had previously been the case. These trains then proceed to
Denville
Denville Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, located west of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 16,635, reflecting ...
where they travel to
Hoboken
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...
via the
Morristown Line
The Morristown Line is an NJ Transit commuter rail line connecting Morris and Essex counties to New York City, via either New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound ...
or 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 ...
. Connections along the way allow travel 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 ...
. Westbound travel runs this pattern in reverse. (As of 2018, there was no weekend service west of
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 ...
.)
![Lackawanna Cut-Off - Port Morris Jct - Apr 9 2011 - IMG 1545](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Lackawanna_Cut-Off_-_Port_Morris_Jct_-_Apr_9_2011_-_IMG_1545.JPG)
As of 2019, the junction is to be rebuilt, with tracks being relaid on the Cut-Off for commuter service to
Andover, New Jersey
Andover is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 595, down slightly from 606 in the 2010 census, , northwest of Port Morris Junction. Further reconstruction may extend service to
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
, from Port Morris. In 2021,
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
created a map with future rail corridors on it. Included on this map was service between New York City and Scranton via the Lackawanna Cut-Off.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*''The Lackawanna Railroad in Northwestern New Jersey'' by Larry Lowenthal and William T. Greenberg, Jr., Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc., 1987.
*''Farewell to the Lackawanna Cut-Off'' (Parts I-IV), by Don Dorflinger, published in the ''Block Line'', Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc., 1984–1985.
See also
*
North Jersey Rail Commuter Association
The North Jersey Rail Commuter Association is a not for profit (501(c)(3)) railroad advocacy organization that was formed and incorporated in the United States in 1980. During its history, the organization and its members have been involved in th ...
External links
Penn-Jersey Rail CoalitionLackawanna CoalitionNew Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers
{{coord, 40.90769, -74.66968, region:US-NJ_type:landmark, display=title
Rail junctions in the United States
Rail yards in New Jersey
New Jersey railroads
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Erie Lackawanna Railway
Conrail
NJ Transit Rail Operations
Transportation buildings and structures in Morris County, New Jersey
Lackawanna Cut-Off