Tom’s Raritan River Railroad Page

www.RaritanRiver-RR.com

 

 

 

Forgotten History

of the

Raritan River Railroad

 

Floods and Wrecks

1971-1978

 

 

 

Track Inspection under the Garden State Parkway

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1978_SA.jpg

 

 

 

 

Derailment at the NY&LB Connection 1973!

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1973_SA_NYLB_derail.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1973_SA_NYLB.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1973_SA_NYLB2.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1973_SA_NYLB1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Sayreville area around where Crossmans Sand and Clay pits were, and where the Gillespie Branch was, washouts started to become a major problem in the 1970s for the Raritan River Railroad.  As the Crossman (and other near by) properties started to get built up with houses and commercial buildings, the water had a tendency to run to the tracks, washing over the Raritan’s ROW.

 

The following shots are in the South Amboy area.

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_unknown.jpg

 

 

 

 

The Raritan Street Bridge can be seen in the distance:

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_unknown5.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_unknown4.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_unknown3.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_unknown2.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_SA.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_SA1.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_Gillespie.jpg

 

 

Looking north on the Gillespie branch.  The Gillespie wye would be about 100 yards ahead.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_Gillespie1.jpg

 

 

 

 

This shot is looking at the RRRR Bridge that crossed the Crossmans Narrow Gauge line in 1971.  In this shot, the narrow gauge is long gone, and all we see is a small stream.  All this water started to cause problems for the RRRR’s bridge.  

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Washout1971_Crossmans.jpg

 

 

 

Fifteen years previous, in the 1950s, there was no stream, just the narrow gauge tracks.

Same Bridge as above, showing the dinky and Raritan River Railroad locomotive from Fred Deiberts’s “Rails up the Raritan”, pg 11.

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/Crossmans/CrossmansBridgeDinkyRUTRpg11.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

The purpose of this photo is lost to antiquity, as no one remembers where it is, or what it shows.  I assume it shows an ice-flow crossing over the tracks.  But where, I can’t seem to figure out.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Unknown_1978.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

South River Flood Damage in 1978

This was the former location of the South River Freight Station, which was burnt to the ground in a spectacular fire in 1969.  The large concrete platform survived the fire, and is clearly visible in these pictures.

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SouthRiverFloodDamage1978a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SouthRiverFloodDamage1978.jpg

 

 

 

 

More shots of the South River / Sayreville area.  These shots are looking east from the South River Swing Bridge.  Seems to show construction of a culvert.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SayrevillenearSouthRiver1978a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SayrevillenearSouthRiver1978.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe this washout is on the Sayreville Branch in September 1971.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SayrevilleBranchWashOutSept71.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SayrevilleBranchWashOutSept71a.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Conrail took over in 1980, the shops were abandoned, and burned to the ground in 1983.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_Shops_Fire_August1983.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conrail rips up the rails in South Amboy after building the Gillespie connection to Browns Yard.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_Conrail_Rails_RipUp_1985a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_Conrail_Rails_RipUp_1985.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

A major derailment under the Garden State Parkway Bridges in 1978

 

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_1978_Derail.jpg

 

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_1978_Derail3.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_1978_Derail2.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/SA_1978_Derail1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

RRRR Number 3 with a broken window.  Looks like a bullet hole to me?!

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/RRRRNo3BrokenWindow1978a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/RRRRNo3BrokenWindow1978.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following shots are from the Phoenix Branch, Kearney spur, looking east towards National Lead.  I believe the photos are looking at the future connection to the Water treatment plant on the right side.

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Phoenix1976c.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Phoenix1976b.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Phoenix1976a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Phoenix1976.jpg

 

 

 

 

A minor fire was reported at the Parlin Station, April 1980. 

(yes, April 1980 was the month Conrail took over)

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Parlin_Fire_April1980.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

A HUGE derailment on the Lawrence Brook Trestle October 1978:

 

 

At first, things didn’t look that bad, derailments happen all the time…right?

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978h.jpg

 

 

 

 

Closer inspection reveals that the car is barely hanging on to the bridge!

Ten more feet, and it would have been over!

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978g.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978f.jpg

 

 

 

 

That car is barely holding on!

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978b.jpg

 

 

OMG!

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978a.jpg

 

 

To resolve this mess, the Raritan River Railroad had to get a Crane Operator to drive ONTO THE BRIDGE, to lift the car!

 

See the blue crane now in front of the car:

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978e.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978d.jpg

 

 

 

 

Final damage to the bridge, rails, and ties

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailOct1978i.jpg

 

 

 

 

A minor derailment on the Lawrence Brook Trestle March 1979

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailMarch1979a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/LawrenceBrookDerailMarch1979.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspection Train 1966

Ray Stockton and Bob Kipp from the RRRR meet with inspectors, possibly from the Central RR of NJ for an inspection trip over the Raritan River Railroad in 1966.

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Inspection1966.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/Inspection1966_back.jpg

 

 

 

Another Inspection trip, this time in 1973? with Ray Stockton (on crutches), Dom Paonie (again – see above photo), Robert Kipp, Charlie Miller, and pop-pop?

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/InspectionTrip.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I assume the following fire pictures are at the PC Interchange.

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/FirePCBoxCar05131978a.jpg

 

 

http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/KippsPics1/Original/FirePCBoxCar05131978.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Questions? Comments?

Tom_E_Reynolds@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

Here is an entire forum dedicated to discussions of the RRRR!

 

www.railroad-line.com/forum/forum.asp?forum_id=2