Hike #252 11/19/6
11/19/6
Ogden Mine Railroad with Scott "Tea Biscuit" Helbing, Fred Hafale, Bill "Guillermo" Fabel, "Amish Paul" Hassler, Dave ?, David Noble, MacGuyver ?, and ?
Dressed to the nines on Ogden Mine Railroad, Hamburg Mountain WMA
This is another one the original journal entry was lost to the fire...anyone have a copy of it? huh?
I had forgotten my digital camera on this one, but had my old Sure Shot Owl as a backup in the car, so I used that.
Edison mines NJ
Along Ogden Mine Railroad, Edison NJ
Ogden Mine RR, Sparta Mt. WMA
Ogden Mine RR, Sparta Mt. WMA
Ogden Mine RR, Sparta Mt. WMA
Ogden Mine RR, Sparta Mt. WMA
Ogden Mine Railroad
Old culvert on Ogden Mine Railroad
Culvert on Ogden Mine RR
Ascending the old culvert
Ascending the old culvert
Ogden Mine Railroad bed
Ogden Mine RR, Weldon Brook WMA
Ascending the old culvert
Ogden Mine RR, Weldon Brook WMA
Ogden Mine RR in Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
Saffin Pond
Ogden Mine RR at Saffin Pond
RC boats on Saffin Pond
Ogden Mine RR at Mahlon Dickerson
Ogden Mine RR at Mahlon Dickerson's south side
This is where the Ogden Mine Railroad crossed a beam bridge over a finger of Lake Hoptacong
Bar at Lake Hopatcong where Tea Biscuit treated us to Irish Car Bombs
Old rail line at Lake Hopatcong south of Nolan's Point
The old rail line in Berkshire Valley WMA
Old rail line in Berkshire Valley WMA
Pipe on old rail line, Berkshire Valley WMA
On a pipe along the old rail line, Berkshire Valley WMA
Old rail line, Berkshire Valley WMA
Old rail line, Berkshire Valley
Old rail line, Berkshire Valley
Old rail line, Berkshire Valley WMA
Burnt out truck along the old rail line near it's end
MacGuyver with the burnt out truck
Old rail line approaching it's former junction with Wharton and Northern
Former Wharton and Northern line under the active NJ Transit line
Moth Ball rail yard, Lake Junction
Mothball rail yard, Lake Junction
Along former DLW Chester Branch in Kenvil
Along DL&W Chester Branch in Kenvil
This was a cool hike...my plan was to follow the former Ogden Mine Railroad completely and then head to Ledgwood/Kenvil to finish. I also thought it would be funny for us all to wear suits and ties. Well only Tea Biscuit and I showed up in them and I brought an extra one for Guillermo to borrow. David Noble's friend whom we called "MacGuyver" ended up wearing a hub cap around his neck much of the time.
We shuttled cars to the Edison Bog Preserve lot in Edison, just above Ogdensburg. This parking lot is where the tracks went straight through. We could follow the right of way directly from here. A short distance down the right of way we had to cross Edison Ave and continue on the other side on a clear right of way through state WMA property. Shortly, there was a turntable pit still in place and in good shape to my surprise.
We followed the abandoned line southbound which took us off onto the end of a driveway of some sort and then to what I guess was Glen Road.
We continued south parallel with the right of way now, which was alongside the road and ran through a few yards. It soon cut away from the road and toward the east a bit, and we soon turned left on what must have been Milton Road where there was a great stone culvert still standing. We climbed the edge of it to return to the right of way and headed south. This section was clear enough to walk, but nearby property owners had put up signage stating no one was wanted there (oh well). I believe it is public though.
We crossed Haywards Road I think and headed into Weldon Brook WMA on the rail bed.
For a long time from here heading south the rail bed entered Morris County's Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and we continued on it along a small marsh pond, then along Saffin Pond and continued south along the section that is briefly coaligned with the Highlands Trail. The HT cut to the right and we continued south on the rail bed which just dead ended at Weldon Road. Actually, the road was built over a portion of it which we walked, and then it went into the woods west of the road and we followed it(or a few of us did while the others walked the road) southbound. I think Guillermo and Tea Biscuit went along. We continued till it hit a back yard and we bushwhacked to the road.
We had to walk the road to the south, and just follow roads for a long time across Rt 15. Our next sign of any railroad was when following Espanong Road when we crossed a finger of Lake Hopatcong. There was a set of wooden piers in the water on a narrow area I'm told was the former railroad bridge. After that it disappeared again.
On the opposite side of the bridge there was a nice little bar so we decided to go in for our lunch break. Even though I was wearing a suit, I had a giant knife on my side which an off duty cop told me to put away. The guys at the bar were playing some game rolling a ball down the edge of the bar. We all took seats and some somewhat attractive girl came to serve us drinks. Tea Biscuit bought everybody who came in a round of Irish Car Bombs (which they did'nt have the correct ingrediants for nor did they know exactly what one was). I talked to the owner for a bit and brainstormed about starting a benefit hike including all of the bars on Lake Hopatcong, with a certain percentage of profit from drinks going to a charity of our choice. It sounded like a neat idea, hiking the perimeter of Lake Hopatcong and drinking all day, but it faces us with many other problems!
From here, the rail line went on to Nolan's Point on Lake Hopatcong's east side. Originally, this was the southern terminus of the Ogden Mine Railroad where it would load ironl onto Morris Canal boats that would ship it from there. When the canal was'nt doing so well it was decided to extend the railroad from the Morris and Essex division line from Lake Junction in the south (where Wharton and Northern broke off the same line, with the Central Railroad of NJ and the Lackawanna Chester Branch) to connect at Nolan's Point. This one would be called the Lake Hopatcong Railroad. Instead of walking the roads all the way around Nolan's Point, we instead decided to walk Espanong Road to Minnesink Road to the left. From there we could go to what I think was an animal shelter or something, walk behind it, and pick up the next piece of the rail bed where it had a pipe alongside of it. We followed this south easily and clearly all the way to a small developement road. Tea Biscuit and I walked on the pipe much of the way.
Once at the road, the line went into the woods parallel with another newer developement road. We just kept quiet and continued which was'nt too tough. It took us into a giant cleared gravel area that had a big burnt out shell of a truck in it. We made our way through this lot and out their driveway onto Berkshire Valley Road and turned right under Rt 80. The Wharton and Northern line was now right there next to us and we turned onto that. Where we believe the junction was just south of Rt 80 is barely recognizeable.
We walked through the mothball rail yard full of abandoned cars and engines and then made a right turn when we reached the former Lackawanna Railroad's Chester Branch. We followed this south, and when we got to the Kenvil area and the former CNJ High Bridge Branch we turned right and headed out to Rt 46. We turned right again here and made our way to White Castle where Tea Biscuit, Guillermo, and I split up a Crave Case full of sliders...so good....
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