THIS SECTION OF TRACK GOVERNED BY THE OPERATING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE DELAWARE, LACKAWANNA & WESTERN RAILROAD
JUNCTION - DELAWARE, LACKAWANNA & WESTERN RAILROAD (ANDOVER JCT)
The L&HR mainline connected with the DL&W
at Andover Jct. (click for track diagram), NJ. In this westbound view, the L&HR mainline is at the
right, the freight house siding to the left, and the connection to the DL&W curving into the
Sussex Branch behind the freight house. The L&HR train order
station is beyond the freight house and occupies the site of the
old L&HR passenger station. The
Sussex Branch crossing is a little farther west, just past the train
order station. - southwestward view, September 10, 1960 -
William T. Greenberg, Jr.
Erie-Lackawanna No. 6064 idles on the Sussex
Branch
while engineer Bob Weiss poses for his picture. The train in the background is
on the interchange connection. The L&HR interchange yard is out of
view to the left. After the photo-shoot Bob will climb onto his locomotive and
proceed on the
Sussex Branch back to Port Morris, NJ. -
southward view,
September 3, 1961 - William T. Greenberg, Jr.
The Sussex Branch crossed the L&HR
mainline on a 90 degree diamond. In this view taken from the Sussex Branch,
the crossing, L&HR passenger station (to left of crossing), and DL&W
freight house (at right of crossing) are in the distance. The L&HR
freight house is out of view to the left as is the connection track. In the
foreground at the left is DL&W mile marker MP 56, to the right a stopping
post (for crossings at grade not protected by interlocking signals and derails), a
raise flanger blade warning sign, and the home signal for the
interlocking plant, which by arrangement with the L&HR was always set to
STOP. Even though the Sussex Branch had predated the L&HR,
eastbound L&HR trains had priority over DL&W branch trains because
it was a mainline and eastbound traffic was heavy. -
northwestward view, April 13, 1941 - Richard S. Loane
Leaving Andover for Port Morris, the Sussex Branch
passed underneath the DL&W's New Jersey Cut-Off south of town. In this view L&HR No.
83, with an eastbound freight to Port Morris, begins to work a little harder
as the fireman pours on the coal for the climb up to Cranberry Lake, New Jersey.
-northwestward view, April 13, 1941 - Richard S. Loane
In this view a L&HR 90 class shares the uphill
load with a DL&W 2100 class helper as they both pound their way to
Port Morris up the
grade north of Cranberry Lake. All of the rail laid between Andover Junction
and the engine terminal at Port Morris was heavy 132 pound rail to
accommodate the DL&W's and L&HR's heavier classes of steam. - northwest ward view, February
13, 1949 - Richard S. Loane
The engineer of L&HR No. 90 has the throttle out
as his Port Morris bound train climbs the final grade west of Netcong at the
crossing of the Musconetcong River. The
junction with the old DL&W mainline and the town of Netcong are a short
distance ahead. He'll have to ease off the throttle soon. -
northeastward view, December 1941 - Richard S. Loane
At the western yard limit of Port Morris Yard,
west of
Netcong passenger station, the
Sussex branch joined the DL&W's Washington Line - a section
of railroad affectionately referred to as the
Old Road. In this view the Sussex Branch,
at the left, is curving to meet - but not join - the westbound main
of the Old Road. The eastbound main of the Old Road is quite a
distance out of view to the right. Until the late 1940s, the Old Road
divided into separate east and westbound mainlines between Sussex Branch Junction (at
the west end of the lower yard at Port Morris) and a point of convergence
between Waterloo and Hackettstown.
- eastward view, February 26, 1941 - Richard S. Loane
Between 1946 and 1948 the westbound main of the
Old Road from Sussex Branch Junction was slowly abandoned and removed. In this early 1960s view of the
Sussex Branch, the Old Road westbound main has been removed (compare
with preceding view). -
eastward view, circa 1962 - photographer unknown
Viewed from the north side at Netcong the Sussex
Branch and a siding occupy the foreground. The Old Road mainline
(originally the eastbound main) is out of view
behind the station. - southwestward view, November 26, 1961 -
William T. Greenberg, Jr.
In 1930s view, westbound DL&W Train No. 1029 - a local
to Branchville - is boarding passengers on the Sussex Branch at Netcong
station. The track to the right of the train is the westbound main of the Old
Road. The tracks to the left of the train service the freight house. The
eastbound main of the Old Road is out of view to the right, on the
opposite (south) side of the station building. - northeastward
view, July 3, 1935 - Howard E. Johnston
In this view looking toward Sussex Branch Junction, the Netcong freight house is
at the left, the Sussex Branch is in the middle, and the
passenger station is at the right. The Old Road is out of view farther to the
right.
- eastward view, September 10, 1960 - William T. Greenberg, Jr.
The track in this view of the south side of Netcong
passenger station was the eastbound main of the Old Road. Later in 1960 -
when this scene was recorded - it became the Old Road! - northeastward view, September 10, 1960 - William T. Greenberg, Jr.
The Sussex Branch connected to the Old Road
a short distance east of Netcong station at a point named Sussex Branch Junction
(it was also referred to as West Port Morris). In this view (based
upon the date of the photograph) the
Sussex Branch is at the left, the westbound main of the Old Road in
the middle, and the eastbound main to the right. - eastward view,
April 27, 1941 - Richard S. Loane
By 1963 the DL&W Port Morris roundhouse had
begun to look rather seedy. Steam had vanished from the Route of Phoebe
Snow a decade earlier and a few reminders of the past lingered. Although this view
reveals only a six-stalls roundhouse, prior to World War II it had
been a sprawling semi-circle consisting of 23 stalls with a 90-foot turntable
bridge. The engine terminal was on the westbound side of the Old Road about mid-way
along the yard. - northwestward view, September 9, 1963 - William T. Greenberg, Jr.
L&HR No. 5 is about to depart from the
Erie-Lackawanna (ex-DL&W) yard at Port Morris with an eastbound freight for
Maybrook. After the merger of the DL&W and ERIE in 1960, the newly
formed Erie-Lackawanna Railroad slowly downgraded Port Morris Yard
as a major freight facility. Sections of the yard were neglected and eventually
abandoned, as evident by the empty, weed grown, yard tracks in this view. Since
the Erie-Lackawanna also served Maybrook, it was just a matter of time before
the L&HR was forced to abandon its Prot Morris connection. - northeasterly view, September 9, 1963 - William T. Greenberg, Jr.
L&HR No. 80 is backing onto the Port Morris
turntable for the spin that will face the engine in the proper direction for the
return trip to Maybrook, NY. - southwestward view, July 9, 1939 -
Richard S. Loane