Hike #1050; Warren County Rail Loop

Hike #1050; Warren County Railroad Loop

6/23/17 Warren Co Railroad Loop with Skyler Jermyn

Some of the photos included are from Shane Blische’s archives.
The next hike was a blast from the past, and a total impromptu thing in true style of past adventures with Skyler.
Skyler and I have been good friends ever since we met. He started dating Jamie Pene, whom I was friends with most of high school, and we got along great from our first meeting hanging out at Washington Diner.
Like most of my friends, it was only a matter of time before he was roped into doing one of my hikes.

Skyler's first hike with me, July 30th 2000

Skyler eventually became a mainstay on the hikes, out constantly and adding his own maniacal twist on things, from putting Wyatt Hassler in the “No Dessert Hold” to crazy dance parties in the streets of Bethlehem. Skyler moved to Texas to do video game design, which he’s excelling in, but tries to get in one hike with me every time he returns. This time, his sister Angel was getting married, and he had limited time.
I was so dead tired that I didn’t think I could manage to get out and hike with him. There were only a couple of days, and I had a hike two nights before, as well as another night hike the night after next with a wedding to go to myself before. I just didn’t think I could handle it.
I got home from work on Friday, and found that Jillane wasn’t home, and she was going out that night herself. Not wanting to sit home alone and sulk, I figured I’d reach out to Skyler and see if he and maybe his brother were still up for a hike. Skyler didn’t hesitate to respond. I picked him up immediately, and we were off to do a variation of his first hike with me.

Lackawanna old main, Buttsville

We parked in Buttsville where the old Lackawanna Railroad main line used to cross over Rt 46. From there, one of my favorite loop hikes includes the Lackawanna main, the old Bel Del, and the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad. I know it well, and it’s easy to just get out there and do.
It was supposed to pour down rain, and when I left the house it was already raining. Fortunately, Skyler being a seasoned veteran of all of this craziness, was totally up for it regardless of whatever the weather was.
We started walking and it wasn’t too bad just yet. We crossed 46 and went on a really nice stretch of the old rail bed that’s within Pequest Wildlife Management Area.
Skyler started telling me how great it really was in New Jersey. He said that out in Texas, you can’t just “Get out of the car and go into the woods”. He described it in such a way that we take for granted. Of course, we consider private land (sometimes) and signs and such, but what’s to stop anyone from just wandering in? You step into the woods and you’re kind of hidden. We just have woods everywhere by comparison.

1964 view of crossing in Buttsville

Soon, we crossed over Green Pond Road, which leads to Mountain Lake. I’d had a photo from the sixties I wanted to try to match up, but I didn’t have it with me. It’s kind of tough to figure out where exactly it would be, but I think I figured it out.

Same view today!

The site of the tracks is now just woods, and before that there was a giant mud pit there that we used to throw junk into to watch slowly sink. We continued beyond here, where a side road joins the rail bed and then descends to Rt 46 near Hot Dog Johnny’s.
We continued on the rail bed for a bit, then turned to the right on the ATV path that circumnavigates some of the sand quarry off of Rt 46 in Bridgeville. It started raining pretty heavy once in the sand quarry, but we didn’t let it get to us too badly.

Historic image of Bridgeville Station

We got past where the sand quarry obliterated the rail bed and followed the path on or next to it all the way out to Rt 519. Directly across is the old Bridgeville Station. It had had additions put on it, but the original station was still intact until just late last year when it burned.

Bridgeville Station in the sixties

A new cement block front had filled the awning from the station platform, but the roof made it obvious it was still the old station. This was a stone station, and looking from the rail bed is obvious it’s age. Hopefully, since the roof still appears good, as well as some of the structure, it can be saved rather than leveled off. This was the only remaining Lackawanna main line/Warren Railroad station still standing in New Jersey, when there used to be stations in Hampton, Changewater, Washington, Oxford, Buttsville, Manunka Chunk, and Delaware. I’m not sure if there was ever one at Sarepta.

Bridgeville Station in the sixties

From the station, the railroad bed is all part of Jenny Jump State Forest now. Some of the land surrounding it is Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area.
We continued on across Hope Crossing Road, out through Sarepta, and then into the section toward the Manunka Chunk Tunnels where we had to get off the rail bed due to weeds.

Skyler at the tunnel

We followed the farm lands, and I pointed out where all of the artificial waterway used to take Catherine’s Run away from the tunnel. Manunka Chunk had a rich history of major washouts throughout it’s history. Part of the creek flows through it today, and has as long as I’ve been alive.
We stopped at the bottom of the little falls on Catherine’s Run, and then moved on to the mouth of the tunnel. Skyler had started his first hike with me at Upper Sarepta Road back in 2000, though I’m sure this is probably no longer familiar.

Historic image of Manunka Chunk Tunnel

The rain had let up by this point a bit, and there was an eerie mist that hung over the mouth of the tunnel, which Skyler was particularly into. It did make for some interesting photos, which he had to show to friends back in Texas to prove this is New Jersey.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel now

We entered the tunnel’s southbound track side and made our way through the same as we had seventeen years prior. The tunnel is always a real treat to experience, with it’s fog and rocks strewn everywhere.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel

Once we got to the other side, I pointed out where the original railroad station used to be, and where the junction was with the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad. the entire junction was badly washed out on more than one occasion. Perhaps the best photographed instance was that of 1913. The worst one was apparently 1955 though, because that was the year the Bel Del Railroad deemed it “irreparable”, or rather not worth it. It was abandoned and truncated back to Belvidere. Other sections of that line followed, but it is still active from Belvidere south to Milford NJ, and tracks are in place just to the south of Milford.

Historic Manunka Chunk image

We continued out of the tunnel and I showed where the rails were still in place down in the gully from the last washout of the Bel Del line. We then made our way to the south, and switched to the old Bel Del Railroad grade heading toward Belvidere.

Manunka Chunk during Flood of 1913

The Bel Del was single tracked, so it was much narrower than the Lackawanna main we had been following, which was just about always double tracked. The rail bed led us out to where the Delaware River was just below us, flowing quite strong.

Manunka Chunk Tunnels

Route 46 was directly between us and the Delaware, and we soon passed by King Coke Grove, which used to be one of my favorite burger places ever until it closed in the mid 2000s. My family and I used to eat there quite regularly, after hikes or on Wednesday nights.

Historic postcard of King Cole Grove

We continued along atop the hill above 46. Railroad ties soon came into view showing clues from the line’s former use. It wasn’t long before we reached where the bridge used to be that carried the Bel Del over Route 46.

On the Bel Del

I never got around to posting a copy of the photo of the former bridge. Richard Harpster, the retired newspaper man who was in part responsible for the preservation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area against Tocks Island Dam project, had a column in the local paper before he passed away, and one of the times he posted one of the historic photos he had of the old bridge. I spoke to him on the phone about it, and we chatted about how the highway was prior to the bridge being taken out, with the sharp bend in Rt 46.

Bel Del near King Cole's

Back in the day, the site was known as “King Cole Curve”, and it was the site of many accidents.
In the late 1950s, shortly after the abandonment of the Bel Del Railroad, a tractor trailer had a major accident at the bridge. It flipped over at the curve and landed on top of a car, crushing it’s two occupants to death. The incident and other lesser issues resulted in the state straightening out the curve. The rail bed was severed, and below 46 toward Belvidere, it became part of the Hoffman-LaRoche vitamin manufacturer's property. We used to skirt that property on the hikes and had lots of crazy experiences going through.

The old Bel Del

We descended from the railroad bed to Route 46 where King Cole Bend used to be. There is still concrete remnants of the old highway. It goes up hill somewhat now to a dead end to the left, and to the right there are remaining concrete slabs in the grass along King Cole Grove’s grassy lot to the south of the buildings. We crossed over where the bridge was and headed north toward the intersection with Manunka Chunk Road along 46. At that point, we turned to the right to follow the road for a while rather than sketchy trespassing on the railroad bed.

King Cole Bend and the old Bel Del underpass. Photo by Harry Minnassian, from the collection of Richard Harpster

The edge of the road was really nice for walking. There is a very wide grassy swath so it doesn’t really feel like walking along a highway so much. We skirted cultivated fields and passed by where we could see the pharmaceutical factory within the trees.

Late fifties Easton Express article on the removal of the old Rt 46 bridge

Skyler commented that this is about how he described the factories in New Jersey to his friends. We looked on as we paused at the facility, and he said “Look, it’s like a building...but it’s still in the trees...”.

Clouds, yo...

Having driven cross country three different times, I knew exactly what he meant. Our idea of a forest is something we take for granted. Some places, state or national forests are scrubby little trees that provide no shade and are barely fifteen feet or so high. People just don’t realize how literally green New Jersey really is.
We continued on along the road, with weird, pretty clouds forming over head. We soon reached the little park where the town pool is entering Belvidere. We turned right here.

Hoffman LaRoche

After going around tennis courts or something, we came to the sign that reads “5000 more miles” or something. It was from some sort of old trail grant thing. We turned right onto a paved pathway that went into the woods behind the park. We weaved back toward Hoffman LaRoche, and then to the west toward the railroad tracks.
From the pharmaceutical place south, the Bel Del Railroad remains in place as an active industrial spur line. We got on it when the trail came close and began following it south.

Hoffman LaRoche

It was a pleasant walk on toward Belvidere there. We went through an underpass and then over a bridge, followed by the long bridge over the Pequest River as we headed into town. We went onto it briefly, but then made our way down into town via a path.
From here, we headed up Water Street into town and crossed the Pequest on the road. We also made a stop by the liquor store in town for more refreshments. It was sad that they did not have Weyerbacher.
We continued from here up hill from the river to Skoogy’s Deli, another place we’d been stopping for countless years.

My sandwich at Skoogy's

They were getting closer to closing time, so I didn’t order a fresh sandwich or anything, as not to annoy them. They had some great premade ones though, so I grabbed an italian one.
Skyler and I went out onto the front porch and awning afterwards and ate, and all the lights went off as they shut down. We sat there for a good while after they closed down. After that, we headed down the street past the Country Gate Theatre, and then turned right down toward the lot my grandfather owns, and where the old Bel Del station used to be. Also, the creamery was in the lot my grandfather owns.

Bel Del bridge in Belvidere historic postcard

We passed the vacant lot, then turned left into the gravel lot that at one time was the parking area for the train station. We went across the lot, and then followed another old right of way into trees to get to the main tracks once again.
We started following the tracks a bit more to the south, with the loud sound of the Delaware River below us to the right.
We continued on until we got to the southbound junction with the former Lehigh and Hudson River Railway. Originally, there was a northbound junction, but that abandoned earlier, probably around the time of the washout in 1955.

Belvidere Station

It was a little tough in this area. The tracks are still in place on the Lehigh and Hudson line, but only one set. The path is down lower next to the set that’s still there, and walking it means getting whacked in the head by countless branches. How the quads drive through without having a problem I have no idea, but it was definitely still well worn, so they use it. We continued on to the underpass heading out of town. We paused there for a break for a short bit, then continued on past a couple of abandoned rail cars that have been sitting on a side track forever.

Historic WWI image at Blevidere Station

One of the things that has changed over the years in this section is how much the railroad bed holds water. The ATV path along side the tracks is like a giant lake all the way from the road overpass out to the rail cars. It’s kind of hard to go around, so I just walk through.

The junction before abandonment. We turned from the one on the left to the one on the right

Skyler didn’t remember really any of this section he was saying. It was a bit more overgrown now than it was in 2000, but I suppose it is quite a bit different in terms of weeds.

Back in 2000

We had also hiked this section together after that first hike. Skyler and I were doing a night hike on time, when we walked to the east, and passed through the age restricted community. A lady yelled at us for being on the paths, which is totally legal, and called police. We had been drinking, and so rather than have a run in, we dashed across the road where two cop cars were nearby. We ran into the corn and got away. Just another one of those crazy nights. The memories started coming back more as we reminisced.
We continued to where the tracks ended and went across the bridge over the Pophandusing Brook. The decking including all railroad ties are now missing off of it, but we were able to get across with no problem.
On the other side, we emerged at the very same age restricted community, and Skyler began to remember some of the stuff. We walked across with no problem at all, and soon reached the road crossing between Belvidere and the Hazen light.
Stepping off the road on the other side, I fell down trying to get down the slope on the ATV path, which goes off the rail bed briefly and rejoins.

Our group back in 2000

We continued across the expanse of fields, and the rain had stopped, which made it a really surreal place to be. I always loved the open field section, and at night it’s particularly amazing.
When we got close to Rt 519, we turned off the rail bed onto a farm lane because the rail bed has been cultivated over with crops. During daylight, this is really fun to go through, but this time of night where we couldn’t see anything, we had to be out where it’d be easier.

Another from back in 2000

We went beneath the railroad bridge, which is still amazingly in place over the road, and then crossed the multiple arched bridge over the Pequest River. Once on the other side, we turned right on Titman Ave to head to the east. I can’t remember if we stopped at the Quick Chek or not, which is right across Rt 46. Sometimes when I do this hike now, we stop there. I was pretty dead tired toward the end, having just done a night hike two nights before and still hadn’t been rested up.
From Titman, we continued out past Edison Road. On a normal trip, we’d go right and wade the Pequest, which I know Skyler would be down for, but it had rained so hard earlier that this would have been a battle to get over. We instead walked out to 46 and turned right, then made the right at the next road which crosses the rail bed.

Historic map of Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad

The Edison Road bridge was removed by Warren County which completely severed the railroad bed, which is state park land. Someone removed the railroad bridge too, taken for scrap it would seem.

LHR line before it was torn up

We got back on the rail bed after a brief road walk parallel with Rt 46 in Buttsville. It led near to people’s back yards, but we quietly slipped on through with no problems at all.
We continued out beneath the Rt 31 bridge, then crossed the Pequest on the through girder bridge that is directly beneath the Lackawanna Railroad’s Pequest viaduct.
Once we were across, we turned right on the path that went up and under the southernmost of three arches of the Lackawanna bridge, and climbed up to that railroad bed above. We then crossed the bridge and headed back down to my car at the lot off of Rt 46 to conclude the hike.
I wish we could have had better weather and given Skyler and really crazy fun typical group experience, but scheduling and such was so messed and I just wasn’t able to plan it ahead as well. In other ways it was nice to just catch up, and it felt like one of those old hikes from way back when it ended up just the two of us being ridiculous. It’s some consolation to know that we still have the foundation of intrepid craziness we’ve always had.
I’ll look forward to Skyler’s next visit and whatever memories and new experience that conjures up.