The Pittstown
Branch Railroad
Pittstown, New Jersey
Franklin Township Railroads
Franklin Township’s railroad started in
1872 when the Easton and Amboy Railroad Company built a 60 mile long railroad
from Easton, PA, to Perth Amboy, NJ, and made a station in Landsdowne. In
1890, the Pittstown branch was made. The tracks ran along the east side of
Capoolon Brook from Landsdowne. The coal and freight yard in Pittstown fronted
on Quakertown Road.
I think that the train station is the most historical place in Franklin Township
because the farmers used to sell goods like milk to townspeople. After 1890,
the farmers could sell the goods to people in New York by shipping them on
the train. The farmers could get more money by selling to places in New York.
The Empire State Dairy Company of Brooklyn, NY, was the first buyer of raw
milk in Franklin Township. However, the biggest crop Franklin ever shipped
on the railroad was peaches. Franklin Township was the county’s biggest
producer of peaches. At the turn of the century however, the peach trees were
killed by a disease. The train was also used less when people began using
trucks and buses.
The railroad company abandoned the Pittstown line in 1968. In 1973, The New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Division
of Fish, Game and Wildlife, bought the land along the Pittstown line from
the railroad and preserved it for hiking and fishing.
My mom and I went looking for the train stations but we couldn’t find
them but we did get to walk over the old train tracks. The track is rotting.
Grass is coming out of it and rocks have crushed it. I feel bad that the tracks
are ruined. Even though it is not a railroad anymore, the land is still important
to our town.
This is part of a poem that was written about the railroad:
Some grass, some weeds, no aged shack,
Still a brook, and minor things.
No dusty roads, no rusty track
Now mark the town of Kings.
Calen C
Spring, 2002
The Pittstown Railroad Branch
I chose to do my historical essay on the Pittstown
Railroad Branch. My first interest in trains was when my Dad built a layout
of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad that runs through New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad had a station in Lansdowne.
It ran through Franklin Township and they decided they needed a branch line
in Pittstown. I think it was probably easy to extend the railroad along the
creek from Landsdowne to Pittstown because the new roadbed was fairly level.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad would go to the New York Bowery and get bums and
homeless men to work on the railroad. They brought them to Landsdowne and
housed them in camp cars along the road south of the crossing. These cars
that the men slept in were old passenger cars with bunk beds, a pot bellied
stove at each end and a kitchen. I think that this made these men feel needed
and proud that they were earning their pay while contributing something important
for the people.
John Ducy, the track foreman had the men use large track jacks to raise as
many rails at a time. They used large stone ballast under the raised part
of the track to align the track with bars under the rail.
In the mid to late 1800’s Pittstown had a large peach crop industry.
The railroad had a very important role in transporting the fresh crops to
the consumers. It opened up the ability for producers to ship their goods
by rail including mail service. Raw milk produced in Franklin would now be
shipped to urban areas with the opening of the Pittstown Branch. The first
buyer of raw milk in Franklin Township was the Empire State Dairy Company
of Brooklyn, NY. Franklin’s dairy farmers organized The Pittstown Milk
Association in 1903.
In 1875 the first passenger train passed through Franklin. This was a good
thing for the people because it gave them an alternate way to get to different
places safely. Residents in Franklin could travel by railroad to Flemington
by getting on the train in Pittstown and then switching to the main Lehigh
Valley line at Landsdowne. Once they got to Flemington Junction, the Lehigh
Valley Railroad had eight passenger trains daily to New York City. Tickets
were $19.00 a month.
At the turn of the century San Jose Scale, a disease, destroyed the peach
industry here in Franklin Township. The need for the railroad began to fade.
In my point of view this was very sad. Trucks and cars were soon invented
which also took business away from the already dying railroad. To me, this
is the most historical site in Franklin because it was the first mode of transportation
that helped this small town to connect with the nearby towns and cities.
I found the information in my essay from Facts and Fantasies of Franklin by
J.E. Stout and the Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society website.
Louis
Spring, 2002
The Pittstown Branch Railroad
I am writing about the old railroad tracks that are in my back
yard. From 1891 to 1968, a train used to run there, carrying peaches, milk,
farm tools, and passengers, out to other trains which could take them wherever
they wanted to go. The train does not run there anymore, and the tracks are
gone, but sometimes I find old ties and rails laying on the ground, and it
makes me think about the train that used to run through Pittstown.
The grand opening of the Pittstown branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was
on July 4, 1891. All the people there got to ride on the train. People that
lived in Franklin Township could travel by train from Pittstown to Flemington
by switching onto the Lehigh Valley main line at Landsdown. High school students
used the trains to travel to schools in Clinton and Flemington.
The Pittstown branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad started at the crossing
on Landsdown Road and goes all the way to what is now the MCI Electric Building
on Route 579. It was 4.6 miles long. The train line was put in because Pittstown
had a lot of peaches growing here and they needed to be sent to other places.
There were also some big companies that made farm tools and they needed to
be sent out. These companies were John Deere and International Harvester.
There were 47 properties bordering the tracks. Mr. Larry Remaly, who was the
mayor of Pittstown in 1995, told me that when the train was coming down the
track at night, people would turn lights on and off at their houses, and the
train conductor would blow his whistle as he went by.
A dam was made in the Capoolong Creek, and a pond called Dewey’s Pond
was made. When the pond would freeze in the winter, the ice was cut into 600-pound
blocks and the ice was used to preserve food on the trains in the summer.
An ice house was built to keep the ice from melting, and they used pulleys
and horses and planks to stack the ice in the ice house, putting sawdust between
the blocks which also helped keep it from melting. Dewey’s Pond is now
a part of my back yard, but there is no water in it anymore.
In 1865 there was a fire that burned the hillside from sparks coming off the
train. In 1909 a cow was hit by the train near White Bridge. There were also
problems sometimes when the train would hit a skunk, and it would smell for
days.
There was a disease that killed most of the peaches in the early 1900’s.
This was the end of the big peach business in Pittstown. Also, school children
now used school buses and did not use the trains to get to school anymore.
Trucks and cars were used for transportation, and all of these things caused
the Pittstown train line to stop running by 1968.
The rails and ties are not there anymore, and people can use the old train
path for walking or riding bicycles. It is a beautiful path, and I walk with
my dogs there.
Anya
Spring, 2002
The Pittstown Branch Railroad
I think the most historic place in Franklin Township
is the old Pittstown Railroad. In November 1890 the Pittstown Branch Railroad
had bought all the land for its intended use. The grading of the railroad
was canceled until spring of 1981. Lambert Humphry was incharge of undertaking
on that nice hot day. There was about 100 men throwing from left to right
that day at King’s Oil Mill. Franklin’s residents could travel all
the way to Flemington if they wanted to thanks to the railroad. The price
of commuter tickets by month were $19.00 and that was a lot of money back
then.
Raw milk could be produced in Franklin and could be shipped to Urban Centers
thanks to the railroad. The railroad built a dam at Coopalong Creek between
Kings Oil Mill and Sidney Rd. It made Dewey’s pond. An ice house was
built to keep the ice cool in the summer. The Empire State Dairy Company was
the first buyer of Raw milk.
I always wondered what it would taste like. In 1909 a train from Landsdown
road witch was the six o’clock train ran over a cow on Whitebrige road
that was standing on the tracks and got hit the Democrat newspaper said. The
cow was one of Alvah Cronce’s. Italians took what was left of the cow
and made into a la mode. In 1968 the Lehigh Valley left the railroad to rust
when the truck and automobile were invented. When the tracks were destroyed
the train named Yancy came with it.
I think the most historical place in Franklin township is the old Pittstown
railroad because it was built back in the 1800’s and that was a long
time ago. It must have been so much fun riding through the woods going to
Clinton or Lehigh Valley and even Flemington just relaxing. That’s why
I think it’s the most historic thing in Franklin township.
Richard
Spring, 2002
Franklin Township Railroad
The reason why I picked the railroad is because
it’s a special place for my mom,my dogs and me we like to spend time
together by walking along this historical railroad. It is good because they
get more exercise,Once we were just walking along and then I saw an old railroad
nail I thought it was intresting because it had been along time since they
nailed them in.
Now I’m going to tell you some facts about the railroad. Did you know
that the first railroad to enter Franklin was established on the road we call
now Lower Landsdown Rd.A nickname for the railroad was “The Packer road’’
. The first time a passenger train went through Franklin was on June 12, 1875
. Ninety four years later The department of Enviormental Protection bought
the 45.07 acre area to change a railroad to a trail. Now people can enjoy
fishing or just walking the trail.
Graham
Spring, 2002
In my opinion the most historic site in Franklin Township was the Pittstown Branch Railroad Company. In 1872 the Easton and Amboy Railroad Company built a 60-mile long railroad from Easton, Pennsylvania to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. This railroad entered Franklin at "Grandin," established a station at Lansdowne, and exited Franklin near Hamden. The first passenger train passed through Franklin on June 12, 1875.
On March 6, 1890, Voorhees & Cotter, Attotneys, and Baltus Pickel, land agent of the Pittstown Branch Railroad, asked the State of New Jersey if they could build a railroad line further into Franklin Township. The new Railroad line was approved on March 25, 1890. The branch extended from a point near the Landsdowne Station, on the Easton and Amboy Railroad, to a point in the Quakertown Road, near the village of Pittstown.
The citizens of Franklin Township helped to raise money to buy the land needed to build the branch rail line. By November of 1890 the Pittstown Branch Railroad Company had purchased all of the land needed to build the rail line. The Grand Opening was on July 4, 1891 and free rides were given to all citizens of Franklin Township who wanted one.
The Pittstown Branch Railroad Company carried raw milk, ice, farm products, mail and passengers. The most important cargo for the rail line was the local peach crop. Peaches brought the most money to the rail line. Around 1900 a peach disease destroyed most of the crop and the railroad suffered. Later the invention of the truck and automobile took passengers away from the railroad. Soon the Pittstown Branch began to fade.
By 1968 only three carloads of feed a month, were being shipped on the line. Latter that year the Leigh Valley Railroad filed an application to abandon the line. In 1969 the rail line was closed. In its heyday, Pittstown was a thriving industrial community. In the late 1800s wagons loaded with fresh peaches met at the Pittstown rail yard the principal peach exchange in New Jersey.
In May of 1973 the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife
purchased the rail bed from the Leigh Valley Railroad. The old railroad bed
is now a favorite "Nature Trail" that is enjoyed by many.
Do you know the trail that runs along
the Capoolong Creek? Well, that trail used to be a railroad branch. I discovered
that when it was my first time on the trail and we came to a bridge. The bridge
was all rusty and there were big spaces in between the wooden planks. I asked
my Dad what kind of bridge it was. He said a railroad bridge. That's where my
story really begins.
People first started thinking about adding a railroad branch in Pittstown around 1850 because the peach crop was becoming a big business and they needed a faster way to ship the peaches. Mostly the farmers got together and talked about it. After a few years they started investing for the project. They planned it to go through Kingwood and to exit at Pittstown.
In 1890 The Pittstown Branch Railroad Company bought all the land needed for the project. Work started in March with Lambert Humphrey of Flemington in charge of the project. The grand opening was on July 4, 1891, and all there took a free ride on the train.
Franklin residents could ride the railroad to Flemingtion, getting on the train at Pittstown and connecting with the main Lehigh Valley line at Landsdown and exiting at Flemington. Some high school students used the railroad to get to school.
The railroad was mostly used to ship peaches. When the farmers needed a faster way to ship raw milk, they also used the railroad. Sometimes people used the railroad to get to New York, but not often. They even had a name for the locomotive. It was called "Nancy".
By 1928 people started using the railroad less and less. The high school students started taking buses instead of the train. Then milk began to be shipped by truck. Also, the peach crop was destroyed. The use of cars was rapidly growing. All these things made the railroad less important. About forty years later they made it final that the Pittstown Branch Railroad would be closed.
For many years the railroad was an important part of Franklin Township. Some people were sad because they would never hear the whistle of the Pittstown Branch Railroad again. But, they were wrong. Every Fourth of July on the anniversary of the railroad's grand opening people say you can still hear the train whistle and the crowd cheering.
I think the Pittstown Branch Railroad is an historical place because it helped a lot of farmers ship their produce and milk where it needed to go. There are still ruins of the railroad on the trail that goes along Capoolong Creek which reminds us of the town's past and how important it was to all the farmers. It's fun to walk along the trail and think that a train actually went through the same place that I am walking on. You can also see the spikes and coal left from the train tracks. Whenever I see the trail, I think about how an important railroad went through my town. That is why I think the Pittstown Branch Railroad is an historical place.
Nicole C
Spring, 2001
The Pittstown
Branch Railroad
The most historic place in Franklin Township is the Pittstown Branch Railroad. In the 1850's many peaches were being grown in Pittstown. People wanted to sell these peaches to New York and since cars and trucks were not even invented yet, a railroad had to built. The railroad from Flemington to New York had already existed. It was called the Lehigh Valley Line.
Money to build this railroad came from a fund from farmers and people who used the railroad. A dam was built in Capoolong Creek so that there was ice to chill the milk that was being transported to cities.
The grand opening was on July 4,1891. All people attending took a free ride on the train. High school students rode to school on the train. The railroad closed down in 1969. The school children did not need the train because school buses had been invented. Also the peach industry had died out and farmers did not need the railroad anymore. The post office did not need the railroad because cars and trucks had been invented. Today the railroad track is a trail where you may walk or ride a bike.
Sonja
Spring, 2000
The First Railroad To Enter
Franklin
The first railroad to enter Franklin was in 1872 at Grandin. A railroad station was built in Landsdowne. The railroad exited Franklin near Hamden, where Con Rail presently runs. This railroad was built by the Easton and Amboy Railroad Company. It was 60 miles long and ran from Easton, Pennsylvania to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The first passenger train passed through Franklin on June 12, 1875. This railroad was leased to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company.
In March of 1890, the court was petitioned for permission to extend the railroad from Landsdowne to Pittstown. This would be used to transport people or property. This request was granted. This became known as the "Pittstown Branch," and opened on July 4,1891. This allowed Franklin residents to travel to Flemington and New York City. It allowed students to go to High School in Flemington or Clinton.
The Pittstown Branch helped farmers by transporting dairy, produce, lumber, and feed. Pittstown was once a busy industrial community, with it's peach exchange.
The train was named Nancy. Sometimes there were 3 or 5 trains running daily. In 1909 a train ran over and killed a cow near White Bridge. Italians working on the track had the remainders of the cow served up in beef stew. With the invention of the truck and the automobile the train business began to fade.
This is important to me because it once was train track with a great deal of history, and one which many of my relatives traveled on. Now I enjoy it as a bike or walking nature trail!
Caitlin
Spring, 2000
