Hike #70
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff near Roseville
Hike 70
9/28/2
Sussex Branch Trail lot on Rt 206
Along former LHR railroad bed heading south from Andover
Former LHR Railroad bed at Brighton NJ
Former LHR Railroad bed where it passed under the Lackawanna Cutoff
Fence installed over the tunnel below Lackawanna Cutoff, LHR line
Inside Roseville Tunnel
Inside Roseville Tunnel
Inside Roseville Tunnel
For this one, I had a loop planned following the railroads of the southern part of Sussex
County. Tea Biscuit, as well as Ken Rasheed, a kid who had recently moved to the US
from Puerto Rico, joined. I had met Ken on an ATV path, where he was lost, in
Washington earlier in the Summer. He barely spoke English, and I knew some Spanish, so
I of course invited him to go hiking.
We began in Andover NJ, at the Sussex Branch Trail parking lot, and headed south
following the former Sussex Branch of the DL&W short distance to the next section of
the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad I had not yet followed. We began walking, fighting
through some bad weeds on the way. We crossed a road near Huntsville, and then
continued to the Lackawanna Cutoff underpass. Since our previous visit, the guy who
owned all of the boats parked in the area had fenced off the norht side of the culvert.
Fortunitely, we did not need to pass through, and climbed the high fill to the cutoff, and
began hiking to the east.
Roseville Tunnel's east portal
On the Lackawanna Cutoff near Lake Lackawanna
Lackawanna Cutoff's fill
Along Lackawanna Cutoff near Lake Lackawanna
After a while, we entered a cut, then reached the 1000 foot long Roseville Tunnel. Unlike
the other tunnels we had walked, the Roseville Tunnel is dry and clear, and visibility is
good because there are not curves. On the east side, we passed by several lakes made by
the construction of the cutoff fill including Wold Lake and Lake Lackawanna. Ken had
biniculars, showing that he understood at least the concept that we’d be on some sort of
nature walk.
Along the Lackawanna Cutoff near Lake Lackawanna
Along Lackawanna Cutoff in Byram Twp.
Along Lackawanna Cutoff in Byram Twp.
Lackawanna Cutoff near the Musconetcong River crossing
Railroad yard in Netcong area
Railroad yard just east of Netcong
Netcong Station along Morris and Essex line
Former Sussex Branch bridge site from Love Lane
International Trade Center
Along an abandoned road parallel with Continental Drive, Mt Olive
Abandoned road and bridge over the Musconetcong in Mt. Olive
Boogie boarding down the Musconetcong
Boogie boarding the Musconetcong near Waterloo
Boogie boarding the Musconetcong near Waterloo
Musconetcong River near Waterloo
Along the Sussex Branch at Jefferson Lake
Cut on the Sussex Branch in Allamuchy Mt. State Park
Cranberry Lake along the rail bed
Cranberry Lake from the foot bridge
Cranberry Lake
The section we walked on the cutoff seemed to drag on. There was only one grade
crossing of a road, I believe it was county rt 602, and that was not even a grade crossing
when the line was active as the road was rerouted from an underpass which still exists just
to the south. In this section, we were surprised to find that Tommy O’Brien, who I
worked with at A&P, has a house along the right of way, and saw us along the way.
As we neared the end of the cutoff, we began to see rails. The line split where the main
junction lie ahead, but a single track for westbound trains turn right. We followed it,
across a bridge where we found a nice American Flag we brought with us. Also along the
way, Tea Biscut found a Boogie Board which he carried for a long time.
When we reached the active main line, used by NJ transit (former Morris and Essex), we
turned west, passing parked engines, and trying to stay low profile across the yard. We
were’nt there long, as the former M&E line entered a cut before coming out to nearby
Netcong, NJ. I think we stopped in a store there, then continued looking for the long
abandoned Sussex Railroad which we would take back to the beginning. We could’nt find
the junction (it turned out it was right next to the Netcong Station), so we contined on the
active tracks to Love Lane, and walked it north passing industrial buildings until we found
one bridge abutment from the Sussex Branch where it crossed a road.
We were able to see the right of way parallel with the road for a while, then we were able
to cross the rail bridge over Rt 206’s spur to Rt 80. The next section had been obliterated
during construction of the international trade center at Mt Olive. We tried to find
remnants, but did not see much. We kept following the road and signs directed towards
Waterloo Village, knowing that was the general direction, and a paved path followed close
to the road. I would later find out that the road was in fact the railroad bed. The road even
makes use of beautiful old railroad culverts. Unfortunitely, we did not know this at the
time. While searching for the railroad, we followed an abandoned paved road to the east,
downhill. When we reached the Musconetcong River, a bridge still existed across, but we
thought the rail bed should be further to the east. We jumped into the river and began
wading and swimming upstream, taking turns on Tea Biscuit’s boogie board. When we
reached the next road bridge we realized we had gone too far, and turned back down
Waterloo Road, to the trail parking lot. It was at this time we realized we had been on the
railroad all along while on the road (I think it’s called International Drive).
We headed north on the Sussex Branch, which was quite nice. It began with a wide right
of way, becoming narrower. We soon passed by Jefferson Lake, and the site of an ice
house spur, then continued through rock cuts and mountainous sorroundings, and a little
waterfall to the east, followed by a swamp.
Cranberry Lake foot bridge
Sussex Branch below Rt 206, Cranberry Lake
Billboard in Whitehall NJ
"Hole In The Wall" Sussex Branch culvert in Whitehall NJ
We next crossed a road and followed the right of way to alongside Cranberry Lake, once
a popular vacation spot. There was a footbridge across the lake we walked across as well.
Ken got too close to the water and fell in at one point! As we headed north, the right of
way paralleled Rt 206, and at times the walkway is very narrow because of the widening
of Rt 206 over the years.
As we walked, some of the right of way was very eroded. We crossed an enourmous old
culvert, known as the “Hole in the Wall”, and then climbed onto a billboard. Soon after we
passed through the tunnel under the Lackawanna Cutoff.
It was’nt long before we were passing through Andover, close to houses and businiesses,
and then back into more rural lands before returning to the camaro. We walked probably
near 25 miles!
Former Sussex Branch tunnel beneath the Lackawanna Cutoff
No comments:
Post a Comment