Lackawanna Cut-Off - Part 9: Rails Under and Over the Cut-Off

Join us for a "trek" across the Lackawanna Cut-Off in northwestern New Jersey to see the railroad rights-of-way that crossed either under or over the Cut-Off.

[@billrabsey6439]

Your excellent production brought back memories of riding on the Phoebe Snow when I was about 12 years old. I grew up oo the New York Central in Bronxville, N.Y. and remember watching steam locomotives switching freight care on a long gone siding near ny house. I now live in Greenville (Port Jervis) and spend time exploring the many extant and vanished rail lines from Middletown in Orange County down through northern Jersey and into Pennsylvania. I stumbled onto your web site this snowy morning and got nothing done. I am looking forward to viewing more. A fluid head tripod and more "establishing shots" would assist viewers in understanding locales.Thank you for helping me to understand the many railroads and rail beds so near my home, especially the cutoff I drive under so often on my explorations.

[@Chancelund]

Learning so much about the history of the area through your Cut Off series. Thanks

[@tomheller2455]

Good job on Part 9, Chuck. Yes, very interested in #10

[@1940limited]

Great videos. I've watched them all. Keep it coming! :-)

[@mikem7713_]

You are a legend I can't stop watching

[@andydickey]

Thanks for your work on this, Chuck. About 20 years ago I was at Wawayanda Park and saw the roadbed of the Sussex branch (I didn't know what railroad it was at the time) and just started walking south. When I got to where it crossed the L&HR on a level crossing I was amazed to see an old Hall Disc signal protecting the crossing - protecting the roadbed I should say as there were no rails. I think it was on the L&HR. Never seen one of those abandoned in the field before. I haven't been back since. I wonder if it's still there?

[@IcelanderUSer]

Nice work. Can't wait to see this completed. In my life hopefully. 😮

[@DEnsminger100]

Thank you Chuck. Excellent overview.

[@PeterT1981]

Great idea for a video! Really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to episode 10.

[@bp4170]

Great video! you out did yourself again. In regards to Stewart Davis's question; there was a turn table at the base of the Paulins Kill Viaduct. It is on the north side. If you follow the drain pipe from the road you will walk right into it. Maybe thats what he heard of?

[@patricksparks6631]

super ! loved it

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Thank you!

[@EJStratMan1]

Another awesome Video! Thanks chuck!

[@gregnielsen5386]

what a great job you have done. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@tjdean1]

I grew up in western NY at Wayland which was on the Lackawanna mainline & the Rochester Div. branch of the Erie so naturally the Erie & Lackawanna are my favorite RRs. Wayland was the location of the wreck of The Lackawanna Limited on Aug. 30, 1943 in which 28 were killed. I wish there was better coverage of the Erie & Lackawanna west of Binghamton. I look forward to your future installments.

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Terry, your point is well-taken. Even Tom Taber remarked in his book on the DL&W that the lines in New York were inadequately covered historically. From a geographical and time perspective, it would be impossible for me to do so, but perhaps someone else could take it up. There's plenty to talk about and a lot of territory to cover.

[@UTubeGlennAR]

:) Again Vary Interesting..... And Thank You.....

[@Alcochaser]

The main reason the EL never put the Cut Off to LH&R connection in was the bridge fire on the ex NH then PC over the Hudson on May 8th 1974. This permanently put the bridge out of service. This was the sole route that traffic from the LH&R used to get to New England, so this removed absolutely any need for this. Traffic for New England was sent to Penn Central on the EL Utica branch from Binghamton until the formation of Conrail

[@wranglergilbert9664]

During Chuck's narration of the L&HR and the study of using the L&HR for connection to the Erie side with a ramp off the cutoff... Why couldn't the L&HR be used from the junction at Netcong/Port Morris and Andover Junction? It would have been much less costly...

[@Ih8kone]

Service to Andover is to start in 2020.

[@jamesbrumaghim4708]

I love your videos on the Cut Off. When are they going to start work again to replace it??

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Good question...

[@jamesbrumaghim4708]

What my I ask is holding it up?

[@LackawannaCutOff]

I'll cover that in a future episode--if it's still "held up" at that point--but basically it has to do with the replacement of a drainage pipe and culvert, which are upstream, and on private property, from Andover station.

[@jamesbrumaghim4708]

Thanks for the information. That's nuts to hold up a project like this over a culvert

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Tell me about it. It's the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection holding up permits. Without permits, most of the work on the Cut-Off (except Roseville Tunnel and to 8000 feet west of the tunnel) cannot proceed.

[@321463]

Thank you and I look forward to your next episode. I would love to know what your source is for the great old photographs of the cut-off. I've tried to look at images on a google search and nothing very interesting comes up.

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Steamtown National Historic Site for the most part. We try to credit the photographer if they are known.

[@mattsmocs3281]

Hey. Do you think the train to run on the cut off could be a little different like. Maybe Lackawanna colors, no center doors on cars, lounges both ends, snack car, and locos that look like F units but are better. That would add some color to NJT and would look great on the line and have a classic feel with modern state of the art tech

[@LackawannaCutOff]

As far as we know, the trainsets will be standard NJ Transit issue. Maybe dual-mode.

[@mattsmocs3281]

Ok. It is just due to the fact on how the land scape is and how poorly thought out the transit center is put in and how the Carbondale lead is not a good place. Aswell to add some color that would also be a positive community look.

[@stewartdavis2112]

I used to live in Columbia on green st. My question is / knowledge of , in Columbia there was a freight house ,saw a picture in a historical publication about knowlton / Warren county. I heard a " story" that there may have been a turntable on the nj side in columbia. is there any truth to that to your knowledge? any information would be appreciated thank you for the series

[@LackawannaCutOff]

There is a turntable pit in Delaware NJ (on the Blairstown Rwy/NYS&W). I'm not aware of one having been in Columbia, however.

[@allgr8429]

Where is the tunnel in the opening photo? The track is off center as though it was intended to build a second track. Possibly the L&NE main line whose tunnel we cannot approach today because of the gate (32:46)? How certain are reports that railcars were stored in tunnel field? L&NE videos say no track was ever laid through that tunnel, but I can see L&NE wanting visibly to stake its claim to that right-of-way in order to force the DL&W to preserve it.

[@allgr8429]

OK, I get it. Behind the gate was not another tunnel but the same one that was never used. From east to west, you have 1) Sussex Branch DL&W until 1966, 2) L&HR until 1976, 3) NYS&W until 1961, 4) would-be L&NE, 5) NYS&W until 1940, 5) old line DL&W, 6) trolley under until 1926, 7) trolley over until 1926. All were single track except the old line. You might be counting 8 because of L&HR trackage rights on the Sussex Branch or L&NE trackage rights on the NYS&W.

[@LackawannaCutOff]

The L&HR "tunnel" is in Huntsville, NJ. That area under the Cut-Off may be acquired for a hiking trail. The L&NE "tunnel" in Knowlton Township, NJ is used by automobiles to go from one part of Tunnel Field (recreational field) to another. Not sure about there ever having been any standard gauge track in there, or whether cars being stored. Haven't seen any photos of that, so it's a legend at this point.

[@hlakegollum1]

You used the number 5 twice, it is 8 crossings.

[@carlceragno5]

Content is an A, Video is a A,, Sound is a D. Please use a wired or wireless microphone to improve the audio intelligibility on an otherwise excellent program. Learned a great deal and look forward to future chapters.

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Thanks for the grading. We will premiere the use of a wireless mic in the next episode. That sound improve things.

[@guelahpapyrus1385]

The historic FDR hookup

[@mister_fjk1972]

Special Train - LOL!!!

[@jamesbrumaghim4708]

Hi Chuck. Just tried to watch Pt 10 bu tit's been removed. What happened?

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Working on it. There was a problem that needs to be resolved.

[@warrenwilson4818]

Do I have an overactive imagination or was (is) the Cut-off a truly modern road with virtually no grade crossings and speed restrictions (curves or hills)?

[@LackawannaCutOff]

There were no grade crossings when built. The maximum grade was 0.55% and all curves (except one) were 2 degrees or less.

[@tonejames9272]

I haven't watched yet. The subject of the video seems interesting. I'm going to predict. It's going to be loaded with useless facts, wordy and boring history and amazing locations. Really Chuck I'm just funning you. I personally appreciate you putting these together. You gotta admit: you're wordy

[@tjdean1]

Chuck needs to shield his microphone from the wind. There are times I can hardly hear him due to the wind noise.

[@LackawannaCutOff]

Terry, we've since gone to a wireless mic that has resolved that problem in subsequent episodes. Thanks for the notification, however.