Hike #45
At the beginning of our hike, Tranquility NJ
Hike 45
As always, it's so much fun to look back at these old hikes and what I was thinking at the time I wrote the journals, etc...
Feel free to grab any pictures you'd like from here for facebook. Also, I have most of these journals set only so my friends can see them.
1/27/2
During many a lunch break at the A&P, as well as hours at home, I had been scaling off
new section hikes to explore connecting previous places I had been. One of the next ones
was a section of the L&HR Railroad from Tranquility north to the Lackawanna Cutoff
west to Hainesburg, filling in sections on both lines.
My grandmother with us to see us off on our trip
Tea Biscuit, Peeps, and Alf all were ready and raring to go, as well as my new friend
Robert Bodenstein, or “Bode” pronounced “bo-dee”. I had met Bob through Bruce
Rhinesmith, a hiker in the Paulins Kill Valley Trail association, who knew we’d get along
well with our mutual interest in railroads. Bruce was correct in this assumption, and Bode
and I met to do an exploratory hike on the original 1856 alignment of the DL&W railroad
between Washington and Oxford NJ earlier in the month. He decided to hike with us
along the L&HR line and along the Cutoff as far as the hamlet of Greendel.
Along the LHR right of way in Tranquility
Along the LHR right of way in Tranquility
My grandmother helped us as I left my car at the endpoint in Hainesburg, and dropped
the rest of us off at the beginning, leaving Bode’s car in Greendel.
North of Tranquility on the LHR right of way
Retrieving insulators on the LHR right of way
Putting insulators into the packs on the LHR right of way north of Tranquility
Retrieving more insulators along the LHR north of Tranquility
More retrieving insulators
Proceeding on the L&HR right of way was at first somewhat overgrown, and even
tougher with the layer of snow covering it, though it cleared out somewhat the further we
went. We took a considerable amount of time retrieving virgin insulators from atop
untouched telegraph poles during the first couple miles, climbing the poles themselves or
nearby trees to reach them.
A hunters' stand we found along the LHR bed
Looking down from the hunters blind
Old underpass below the LHR right of way north of Tranquility
As we continued we also passed the Trinca Airport, which is a
small place north of Tranquility. At this point the right of way became to overgrown and
we had to walk in adjacent fields. Two signal towers were intact near the airport as well.
Crossing the access road to Trinca Airport on the railroad bed
Along the LHR right of way north of Tranquility
Along the LHR right of way near Trinca Airport
Along the LHR right of way near Trinca Airport
Signal towers along the LHR right of way near Trinca Airport
Farm view with a windmill near Airport Road
Retrieving more insulators on the LHR grade
After crossing Airport Road, we noticed a farm underpass bridge was single track wide,
but bridge abutments were double that, possibly in preparation of a double track which
was never constructed. Soon after crossing Whitehall Road, we passed through some
property where someone was storing a considerable amount of motorboats. Not far from
here we passed through a culvert tunnel beneath the Lackawanna Cutoff’s Pequest Fill,
the largest railroad fill in the world.
Boats!
Along former LHR railroad in Green Township
LHR rail bed approaching the Cutoff underpass
Another boat in the woods near the LHR underpass
LHR underpass beneath the Lackawanna Cutoff
LHR underpass beneath Lackawanna Cutoff
Ascending to the Lackawanna Cutoff from the LHR grade south of Brighton
We ascended the fill steeply from the north side, and began following the Lackawanna
Cutoff west. We stopped to explore a concrete building along the right of way (the cutoff
was abandoned in 1979, tracks removed in 1982.), which was full graffity with all sorts of
obscenities of such disgusting nature, and using basically all of the same words rearranged
that it was actually quite funny.
Weird obscenities in a building along the Lackawanna Cutoff
Weird obscenities in a building along the Lackawanna Cutoff
Weird obscenities in a building along the Lackawanna Cutoff
Concrete building along the Lackawanna Cutoff
We took some time to read and laugh at the obscenities,
then of course had to climb on top of the structure. Bode likened us to a bunch of fucking
monkeys, judging all things by it’s climbability, or whether we could get on top of it, and if
we could’nt it was no good. I suppose Bode was right in this analysis, and it was amusing
to be observed in such a way.
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff just east of Greendell
Inside Greendell Tower
Inside Greendell Tower
Inside Greendell Tower
Greendell Tower
Greendell Railroad Station
As we made our way west, the often icy surface made a couple of us fall from time to
time. When we reached Greendel we visited the abandoned station and climbed into the
control tower which had had the stairs removed, giving us yet another climbing
opportunity. Bode had left his car, a rare Volkswagon, at this point. A kid even pulled up
spewing compliments at Bode on his car. Unfortunitely, Bode had an accident in the snow
one Christmas Eve a couple years later, and was forced to get another different model
VW. The rest of us visited a deli in Greendel before moving on.
At a deli in Greendell NJ
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff just west of Greendell
Lackawanna Cutoff west of Greendell
Lackawanna Cutoff abandoned car west of Greendell
Lackawanna Cutoff west of Greendell
Lackawanna Cutoff near Federal Springs just east of Johnsonburg
The rest of the hike continued in a similar fashion, climbing random things, and exploring.
One of the hilights was Johnsonburg, where another station still stands, which we of
course entered. There was also ruins of another building, possibly a creamery, which we
climbed all over.
Johnsonburg Station
Johnsonburg Station, torn down around 2007.
Ruins near Johnsonburg Station
Ruins near Johnsonburg Station
Ruins near Johnsonburg Station
Ruins near Johnsonburg Station
After some time we reached Blairstown Station, which was closed off, used by a radio
station at one time, but at this time I’m not sure. Another building was left abandoend,
which we entered.
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff east of Johnsonburg
Lackawanna Cutoff Blairstown Station
Frieght Station along Lackawanna Cutoff, Blairstown
In one of the old station buildings in Blairstown along Lackawanna Cutoff
Continueing west, our time we spent goofing off cought up with us as it turned pitch
black before we reached Hainesburg. The right of way was easy to follow, but the ATV
path at the Paulins Kill Viaduct was not so easy. Still, we made our way down, quite tired!
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff west of Blairstown Station
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff at Sunset, Blairstown Station
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff nearing Hainesburg
“Airport was cool...what about the little bridge?” -Peeps
Here's where you can see all of the photos from this hike:
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/sneezehorse/hike045/
Yeah, I think I hit just about everything here. Little bridge? Probably the farm underpass.
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff, Hainesburg Area
Along Paulins Kill Valley Trail finishing up in Hainesburg
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