Lehigh Line (Conrail)
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| Lehigh Line | |
|---|---|
Northbound CSX train Q410 on the “Conrail” Lehigh Line in South Plainfield, New Jersey led by a SD70ACE.
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| Overview | |
| Type | Freight rail |
| System | Conrail Shared Assets Operations (Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation), (with Canadian Pacific trackage rights) |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Northeastern New Jersey |
| Termini | Oak Island Yard in Newark, New Jersey Port Reading Junction in Manville, New Jersey |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1999 (spun off from the original Lehigh Line) |
| Owner | Conrail Shared Assets Operations |
| Operator(s) | Conrail Shared Assets Operations (Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation) |
| Technical | |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Conrail Lehigh Line is a railroad line in the state of New Jersey that is part of Conrail Shared Assets Operations under the North Jersey Shared Assets Area division. The line runs from CP Port Reading Junction in Manville, New Jersey to Oak Island Yard in Newark, New Jersey. The line is double-track and signaled through its entire length.
The line began operations in 1999 using former existing tracks from Manville to Newark that was once part of the original Lehigh Line which is still in existence and is owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway; the Manville to Newark tracks is considered a new rail line and not the original line and the Norfolk Southern part is considered the original line and not a new rail line.
The original Lehigh Line was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and opened in 1855 between Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and Easton, Pennsylvania which is the line's original route. The line later expanded pass its two end points all the way to Buffalo, New York and to Perth Amboy, New Jersey and then to Jersey City, New Jersey which was decreased to Newark.
The original Lehigh Line and the rest of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was merged into Conrail in 1976 and was downsized in the New York and Pennsylvania. The original Lehigh Line was inherited by Norfolk Southern Railway in 1999 but it did not included the Manville to Newark tracks.
Contents
History
The original Lehigh Line
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The original Lehigh Line (which is still in existence) was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and opened in 1855 between Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and Easton, Pennsylvania which is the line's original route. The Lehigh Valley Railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 in Pennsylvania and officially established on September 20, 1847. The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States to primarily haul anthracite coal. The transporting of anthracite by the Lehigh Valley Railroad was faster than transporting it by boat down the Lehigh River; the Lehigh Valley Railroad replaced the transportation of anthracite down the Lehigh River. The Lehigh Valley Railroad was nicknamed the "Route of the Black Diamond" for its transportation anthracite.
The original Lehigh Line was the Lehigh Valley Railroad's first rail line and served as the body of the railroad until the railroad built or acquired other rail lines to connect with the line. The line later became the Lehigh Valley Railroad's main line from the New York City area to Buffalo, New York.
The original Lehigh Line then later expanded pass its end points; the line expanded pass its Jim Thorpe end point all the way to Buffalo, New York and also expanded passed its Easton end point, across the Delaware River to Phillipsburg, New Jersey and then to Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
The line's route switched to Newark, New Jersey when new tracks were constructed to the Northeast passed South Plainfield, New Jersey; the new tracks between South Plainfield and Newark became the new part of the line and the old part of the line which extends from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy broke away from the line and became a new rail line. The line's new tracks to the Northeast was extended again to Jersey City, New Jersey but was later pushed back to Newark again.
The original Lehigh Line and the rest of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was absorbed into Conrail in 1976 and was downsized over the years in New York and Pennsylvania until it got to M&H Junction which is near Old Penn Haven, Pennsylvania. The line's new route now goes from M&H Junction near Old Penn Haven to Newark and remained this way until 1999.
The establishment of the “Conrail” Lehigh Line
In 1999, the Norfolk Southern Railway acquired the original Lehigh Line in the Conrail split with CSX Transportation but the line lost its existing tracks from Manville, New Jersey to Newark, New Jersey in the process in order for both Norfolk Southern and its competitor CSX Transportation to have equal competition in the Northeast.
The existing tracks from Manville to Newark automatically broke away from the original Lehigh Line and became a new rail line called the “Conrail” Lehigh Line. With the existing tracks from Manville to Newark becoming a new rail line, Norfolk Southern along with its competitor CSX own the new rail line under a joint venture and a successor to Conrail which is called Conrail Shared Assets Operations; the joint venture is the same company that operated the former Conrail railroad, just reorganized as a joint venture under Norfolk Southern and CSX ownership.
For historical purposes, the Manville to Newark tracks is considered a new rail line and not the original line and the Norfolk Southern part is considered the original line and not a new rail line. The original Lehigh Line's route is now from Port Reading Junction in Manville, New Jersey to M&H Junction near Old Penn Haven, Pennsylvania
Canadian Pacific Railway (owned by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited) has trackage rights on both the original Lehigh Line and the “Conrail” Lehigh Line.
Ownership and Operations
The “Conrail” Lehigh Line is owned and operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations under the North Jersey Shared Assets Area division. Conrail Shared Assets Operations is owned by Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail or Conrail Inc.) which intern is owned as a joint venture between Norfolk Southern Railway (a Norfolk Southern Corporation company) and CSX Transportation (a CSX Corporation company). Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation are the only Class 1 railroads that operate on the East Coast.
The line runs from CP Port Reading Junction in Manville, New Jersey to Oak Island Yard in Newark, New Jersey along the former Manville to Newark route and tracks that was once part of the original Lehigh Line which is still in existence and runs from Manville to M&H Junction near Old Penn Haven, Pennsylvania; the original Lehigh Line is owned by Norfolk Southern Railway. For historical purposes, the Manville to Newark tracks is considered a new rail line and not the original line and the Norfolk Southern part is considered the original line and not a new rail line.
At CP Port Reading Junction in Manville, the “Conrail” Lehigh Line connects the original Lehigh Line by having the Lehigh Valley Railroad-built tracks continues straight pass Manville as the original Lehigh Line. Also at Manville, the “Conrail” Lehigh Line connects to the CSX Transportation Trenton Subdivision which was once part of the Reading Railroad; the Trenton Subdivision splits southward heading all the way to Philadelphia.
The line shares track with New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line between Newark and Aldene Junction, and then parallels it closely between Bridgewater, New Jersey and Bound Brook, New Jersey. The Raritan Valley Line is a former Central Railroad of New Jersey line. It makes a roughly parallel, but sometimes diverging route to the Raritan Valley Line, running to the south of that line.[1]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1941 system route map for Central Railroad of New Jersey, indicating routes of Lehigh Valley Railroad and other railroads. http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/HISTORICALMAPS/RAILROADS/Central_RR_1941.jpg
