Ridgefield Park station

Ridgefield Park
Location 1 Station Plaza
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey 07660
Owned by New York Central
Line(s) West Shore Railroad
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
New York, Ontario and Western Railway
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 3
History
Opened 1873 (1873)
Closed June 30, 1966 (June 30, 1966)
Rebuilt 1927 (1927)
Electrified Not electrified
Services
Preceding station   Erie Railroad   Following station
Little Ferry
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
Bogota
toward Stroudsburg

Ridgefield Park Station, also known as West Shore Station, was railroad station in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey at the foot of Mount Vernon Street served by the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (NYSW) and the West Shore Railroad, a division of New York Central (NYCRR)[1][2] The New York, Ontario and Western Railway (NYO&W) had running rights along the West Shore and sometimes stopped at Ridgefield Park.[3] First opened in 1883 it was one of three passenger stations in the village, the others being the Little Ferry Station to the south and Westview Station to the north. The station house, built at a cost $100,000 opened in 1927.[4] Southbound service crossed Overpeck Creek and continued to terminals on the Hudson River waterfront where there was connecting ferry service across the Hudson River to Manhattan.[4] Northbound near Bogota the parallel NYSW and West Shore lines diverge and continue into northern New Jersey, Pennsylviania, and upstate New York. Passenger service ended in 1966.

History

In 1866, the Ridgefield Park Railroad (a predecessor to West Shore), was established to create a right of way (ROW) along foot the western slope of the Hudson Palisades parallel to the Hackensack River from Ridgefield Park to Marion Junction, where it could use the Bergen Hill Cut to the Pennsylvania Railroad Depot on the Hudson Waterfront in Jersey City. In 1873 the Jersey City & Albany Railroad (another predecessor to the West Shore) incorporated the original Ridgefield Park Railroad ROW into its projected line. The West Shore instead built the Weehawken Tunnel (at the southern end of what became North Bergen Yard) in conjunction with the opening of Weehawken Terminal. It opened its station in Ridgefield Park in 1883.[5] NYC's service was discontinued in 1959.[6]

The New Jersey Midland Railway (a predecessor to the NYSW) had built a line through the Ridgefields in 1872, but with no station.[5][7] It joined the Erie Railroad Northern Branch at Granton Junction near Babbit, and reached the community of New Durham. With a similar intention to reach a terminal on the Hudson River, in 1873 it built the Hudson Connecting Railroad which ran south to West End Junction, just north of Marion Junction, with access to Erie's Long Dock Tunnel and Pavonia Terminal.[8] Passenger service on the NYSW made use of the West Shore's Ridgefield Park station to Pavonia Terminal until it was retracted to Susquehanna Transfer (near the point now under New Jersey Route 495), and eventually terminated in 1966.

Status

CSX Transportation River Line and the NYSW both operate along the freight lines that pass the station. The station house has become a commercial building.[9] NYS&W maintains a small yard in the village.[10] One of the so-called CP5 bridges, the CSX bridge, over Overpeck Creek has been replaced with a two-track swing bridge.[11] As of 2015, the NYS&W bridge was slated for replacement.[12][13][14][15] Numerous studies to restore passenger service on have been conducted, but not materialized.[16] The station has been recommended for historic designation by the county historical agency.[17] The station is a very popular location for train watchers.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kaminski, Edward S. (2010), NEW YORK, SUSQUEHANNA & WESTERN RAILROAD IN NEW JERSEY, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7385-7367-0
  2. ↑ Rose-McEntee, Donna E. (2003), Ridgefield Park, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 9780738512235
  3. ↑ Bux, Joe (2009), The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 9780738562629
  4. 1 2 Agnes, Kristen (March 27, 2015). "Mount Vernon Street train station in Ridgefield Park was a popular place for commuters". northjersey.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 Ridgefield Park 1685-1985 (PDF), 1985
  6. ↑ "Abandoned 36 Years Ago, the West Shore Rail Line Creeps Closer Toward Revival", The New York Times, June 25, 1995.
  7. ↑ K., Henry. "History of Bogota". Town of Bogota. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  8. ↑ Mohowski, Robert E. (2003), The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad, JHU Press, ISBN 9780801872228
  9. ↑ "1 Station Plaza". Cityfeet.com. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  10. ↑ VILLAGE OF RIDGEFIELD PARK v. NEW YORK SUSQUEHANNA AND WESTERN RAILWAY CORPORATION (Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division Dec. 2, 1998 - February 17, 1999) (“In 1991 the railroad sold its Little Ferry Yard and railroad terminal to CSX Rail Systems (CSX) for 21 million dollars so it could “benefit from additional rail traffic from the CSX operations into the Ridgefield site.” After the sale, CSX  refused to allow the railroad to continue its refueling and light-maintenance operations at the Little Ferry site at the Borough of Ridgefield. This required the railroad to relocate its so-called “light-maintenance” facility to its approximately 125-foot right-of-way located in the Village, where some side-track was added.”). Text
  11. ↑ Tofani, Anthony R. Tofani (June 20, 2005). "Little Ferry, NJ - Then & Now". gsmrr. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ "CSX - Overpeck Creek Bridge (1901)". Bridgehunter. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "CSX - Overpeck Creek Bridge/NYS&W Overpeck Creek Bridge". Bridgehunter. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  14. ↑ Maag, Christopher (February 4, 2015). "Train bridge over Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park to be replaced". The Record (Bergen County). Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "NJDOT awards $5.1 million in rail and community-based grants in Bergen and Passaic counties" (Press release). New Jersey Department of Transportation. February 4, 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016. NJDOT also is awarding a $4.3 million grant to replace the rail bridge spanning the Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park, Bergen County. The bridge serves as a critical link for freight rail in the region with an average of 25,000 rail cars traversing the bridge each year. It was originally built in the early 1900s with three spans – a north approach, a south approach, and a center span. The north and south approaches were rehabilitated in 1985. This project will replace all three spans with a new steel bent system and steel superstructure, as well as new steel and concrete abutments on the north and south sides.
  16. ↑ Maag, Christopher (November 29, 2015). "A train delay for the ages: boosting service in Bergen County among stalled plans". The Record. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  17. ↑ http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/1548

Coordinates: 40°51′24″N 74°1′40″W / 40.85667°N 74.02778°W / 40.85667; -74.02778

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