Hike #247; Lambertville to Flemington

 Hike #247 10/31/6

10/31/6

Lambertville-Flemington with Cathy Fisher

On the D&R Canal towpath in Lambertville

Unfortunitely this is another one of the journals I lost in the fire, so I will relate what I remember....

Old Lambertville rail station

Old rail car in Lambertville

Former Bel Del Flemington Branch out of Lambertville

Alexauken Creek trestle above Lambertville

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Alexauken Creek bridge

Alexauken Creek bridge

Former Flemington banch bridge

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Cow fields just northeast of Lambertville

Old flemington branch bridge

Former bel del flemington branch

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Flemington branch

Tree plantation just south of Ringoes

Just south of Ringoes

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Near Ringoes NJ

Near Ringoes NJ

Near Ringoes NJ

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Ringoes NJ

Nice train set up near Ringoes NJ

North of Ringoes

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North of Ringoes NJ

Turkeys crossing the tracks

Neshanic River trestle

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Neshanic Trestle

Buck along the tracks in Flemington

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I cut my legs up on the Flemington branch

Just south of Flemington

Nearing Flemington

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Buck along the tracks in Flemington

Flemington NJ

Former rail platform, Flemington NJ

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Flemington station

Bridge on former Flemington branch

Station at Ringoes

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Sunset in Flemington NJ

My then girlfriend Cathy and I were the only ones to hike what was originally the Flemington Branch of the Belvidere and Delaware Railraod from near it's junction in Lambertville to Flemington. We parked at the outlet malls in Flemington and shuttled down to the south side of Lambertville.

We walked the canal towpath north until we reached the former junction site, then turned off of the canal onto the old rail line. This one still had rails in, and for a while they were running excursion trains on it but had'nt in some time.

We walked the old line out across Rt 29 and then alongside Alexauken Creek under Rt 202. Even though the tracks were in, this entire line was incredibly difficult to walk. I think it must have been Hamp Road where we turned off and opted to walk a parallel road. We then got back on it further down, probably Sandy Ridge/Mt Airy Road. The route was cool, often on a shelf along the creek or through woods or farmland, just too overgrown. We stayed on it again until Bowne Station Road where another road, Garboski Road paralleled it which we could follow when it got bad.

Garboski Road turned out to be a good bet. It stayed close, swinging around a bit for a longer distance than the rail line, but that was okay. By the time we got to Boss Road it was way too overgrown to ever walk it so we opted to turn south along that road and just head into the village of Ringoes where we stopped at the deli for some lunch. We then walked Rt 579 back to the tracks. I think we talked to a guy who was raising goats or something along the way...can't remember all that well.

The tracks to the north of here were very clear and easy to walk. We passed by a guy's house that had this huge train set up out along the edge of his property. I can't believe that it was'nt vandalized. I remember later seeing this in Weird NJ...

We continued north. The big thing that got me for the rest of the way was that I always wanted to walk across the Neshanic River trestle, and we did. The ties on it were only half the width of normal railroad ties though. North of there as we neared Flemington there was a nice swamp area we crossed which had some deer running through it closely. As we reached Flemington there were kids out Trick or Treating all around us. I did'nt really feel dressed up, but I was wearing a McDonalds uniform I'd gotten from the one that used to be in the Mansfield Wal Mart....

Flemington branch north of Lambertville

Old house ruins, Alexauken Creek valley

Another Alexauken Creek trestle

Just south of Ringoes NJ

Near Ringoes NJ

North of Ringoes

Neshanic trestle

Just north of Ringoes

Fish on the tracks in Flemington

Junction site in Flemington NJ

Along the tracks in Flemington