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little industry remaining between
Trenton and Lambertville, Conrail had little use for the line. Though the south end of line passed within a few hundred yards from the central business district and state capitol complex in Trenton, no official interest in taking advantage of the line's passenger potential was raised. To preserve track from possible future abandonment, the BR&W purchased approximately three miles of track in the Lambertville area to continue to serve several freight customers located in town. (The BR&W had already purchased the 11-mile line between Flemington and Lambertville from PC in March 1970 for $ 153,000.) The Trenton-Lambertville segment was abandoned in March 1977.
615:, 1889, Chief engineer, Lehigh, Schuylkill, & Susquehanna Railroad Company, later renamed Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1853 re-printed from the collections at the University of California Libraries. Personal papers of this seminal individual starts with Engineering Survey of 1846, then various annual reports in early years of railways operations: Aug 1852, '1st' 31 Dec 1855, 30 Nov 1856; & Annual reports of 30 November: 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 29 Nov 1862 (Lengthy multi-part 7th annual rpt.), reports of 4 July 1859, and lastly, 30 Nov 1863.
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390:(BDRV) in 1995. In 1998, BR&W ceased regular operations into Lambertville when track was demoted to excepted prohibiting the continuation of passenger trains on that segment of the line. Freight service was non-existent by the late 1990s. Service trains operated over the Ringoes-Lambertville portion on a seldom basis until 2002. BDRV served a paper plant south of Milford, New Jersey, until 2003 when the paper plant closed. The line south of
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Bridges, and with freight business drying up in
Frenchtown, they eventually abandoned the line south of Milford to Lambertville by January 1979 after running a signal removal train on the Milford-Lambertville segment in November 1978. Track removal began in the summer of 1979 and ended in the spring of 1982. In those three years Conrail dismantled approximately 31 miles of the line. The former railroad bed was converted for use as part of the
295:(PRR) began operating the Bel Del as the Belvidere Division of the United Railroads of New Jersey Grand Division in 1871 and purchased the line soon afterwards. The Flemington Railroad & Transportation Company then merged into the Bel-Del on February 16, 1885. For much of the late 19th century and early 20th century the railroad line proved vitally useful.
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in April 1976, which treated the Bel-Del as a dispensable secondary line. The chief function of the Bel-Del — bringing coal and iron ore between the LV connection at
Phillipsburg with the PRR system — had long since ceased. The main priority freight trains were rerouted to other lines. With
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and the trunk road connection of the
Belvidere Delaware Railroad to New York became less profitable since Philadelphia connected more easily to Northeastern Pennsylvania thereafter without needing a double-crossing of the Delaware River; a general revenue decline ensued, leading to the Pennsylvania
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While the
Trenton-Lambertville segment was not included in their system, Conrail retained the rest of the line from Lambertville to Belvidere, renaming it their Delaware Secondary. Conrail ceased interchanging at Lambertville with BR&W in January 1977 when a new connection opened at Three
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and
Carpentersville and has since become a successful operation. In recent years both the NYSWHTS and the Black River Railroad Historical Trust (the entity that now runs passenger trains on BR&W) have been gradually restoring the dormant Milford and Lambertville lines.
341:(BR&W) began leasing the Flemington Branch from PRR on weekends to operate steam excursions. As part of the leasing agreement, BR&W was required to pay PRR for all track expenses, totalling $ 5,000. Trains began operating between
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pharmaceutical plant. North of where the plant is now to the junction at
Manunka Chunk, the line was subsequently removed in late 1955. On December 31, 1957, the Bel-Del was merged into the
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in 2005 when another paper plant decided to not continue using rail service. Flooding also partially damaged the line in the
Riegelsville area at the time.
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The New York
Susquehanna & Western Historical & Technical Society (NYS&WH&TS) started running passenger trains in 2004 between
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made a deal with PRR to operate on the Bel-Del between
Phillipsburg and Belvidere where L&HR's track to Maybrook, New York connects.
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The Belvidere-Delaware Railroad was chartered on March 2, 1836 and was constructed between 1850 and 1855 from
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Martins Creek Branch, Roxburg via a spur over the river and Belvidere. NS also interchanges with the
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418:. They continue to use the line serving several customers in Martins Creek accessed by the former
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washed out portions of the line north of Belvidere near where the right-of-way crosses modern-day
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trains began using the Bel-Del in January 1856, joining the Bel-Del by the LV's bridge over the
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section opened on February 6, 1851, eventually reaching Belvidere on November 5, 1855.
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By the 1950s, steam locomotives had been replaced with diesel operated self-propelled
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Delaware Valley Rails: The Railroads and Rail Transit Lines of the Philadelphia Area
283:(DL&W) at Manunka Chunk, and permitted trains to operate via trackage rights to
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365:(PC), which fell apart faster than it came together. PC remnants were absorbed by
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279:. An extension was then completed in 1864 that gave the Bel-Del access to the
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324:, although the line still remains active south of this point to serve the
410:(NS) retains ownership of the Phillipsburg-Belvidere main line after the
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In 1871, the CNJ leased various railroads in Pennsylvania, most from the
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to Manunka Chunk, New Jersey. It became an important feeder line for the
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Conrail later sold the Phillipsburg-Milford section to the newly formed
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at one end of the shortline railroad to the rapidly growing lower
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Railroad acquiring the rights, where it served as part of the
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as a cost-saving measure resulting from dwindling patronage.
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1851–1871 (as an independent operator), 1957 (on paper)
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PRR CT 1000 Stations & Sidings 5-1-1945.pdf, located in
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http://www.multimodalways.org/archives/rrs/PRR/PRR.html
16:"Bel-Del" redirects here. For the current company, see
332:, with passenger services ending on October 26, 1960.
672:
Mastrich, James Warren, Yvonne Kline, George (1996),
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East Stroudsburg (via trackage rights over DL&W)
255:On June 7, 1854, the Bel-Del agreed to operate the
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743:History of the Black River & Western Railroad
694:A Chronology of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad
257:Flemington Railroad and Transportation Company
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330:United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
70:United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
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538:Trenton (on PRR New York Division, today's
190:allowing the CNJ to penetrate to the upper
822:Closed railway lines in the United States
812:American companies disestablished in 1957
787:Predecessors of the Pennsylvania Railroad
736:The Belvidere Delaware Railroad (Bel-Del)
428:Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
281:Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
168:or the CNJ, a slow or fast connection to
152:, at about the same time. This connected
797:Railway companies disestablished in 1957
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259:, where a connection was made with the
215:to population centers along the coast.
128:running along the eastern shore of the
817:American companies established in 1836
388:Belvidere & Delaware River Railway
312:In August 1955, flood waters from the
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792:Railway companies established in 1836
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807:1957 disestablishments in New Jersey
686:Nelligan, Tom Hartley, Scott (1982)
188:Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
18:Belvidere and Delaware River Railway
749:Historical New Jersey Railroad Maps
556:Lambertville (on Bel-Del mainline)
376:Delaware & Raritan Canal Trail
339:Black River & Western Railroad
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802:1836 establishments in New Jersey
688:Trains of the Northeast Corridor
426:in Portland, PA, via the former
420:Lehigh and New England Railroad
300:Lehigh and Hudson River Railway
777:Defunct Pennsylvania railroads
681:The Delaware and Raritan Canal
667:Prallsville Mills and Stockton
285:East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
261:Central Railroad of New Jersey
203:(PRR) system, carrying mainly
146:Central Railroad of New Jersey
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755:1903: Downpour of destruction
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782:Defunct New Jersey railroads
424:Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad
674:Lambertville & New Hope
124:(Bel-Del, 1851–1871) was a
122:Belvidere-Delaware Railroad
24:Belvidere-Delaware Railroad
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639:Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
430:Bangor-Portland Division.
357:The PRR merged with rival
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679:J. Barth, Linda (2002),
394:was soon after closed to
359:New York Central Railroad
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699:Lynch, Peter E. (2004).
277:Phillipsburg, New Jersey
150:Phillipsburg, New Jersey
138:Phillipsburg, New Jersey
705:. Saint Paul, MN: MBI.
181:Jersey City, New Jersey
665:Strunk, Keith (2008),
275:where it connected in
265:Flemington, New Jersey
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142:Lehigh Valley Railroad
702:Penn Central Railroad
683:(Aracadia Publishing)
676:(Aracadia Publishing)
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520:Washington's Crossing
293:Pennsylvania Railroad
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201:Pennsylvania Railroad
361:in 1968 to form the
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552:(current BR&W)
414:split of 1999 with
158:Trenton, New Jersey
134:Trenton, New Jersey
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641:: John R. Pawson.
543:Northeast Corridor
416:CSX Transportation
289:Delaware Water Gap
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211:from northeastern
58:Dates of operation
42:Trenton New Jersey
550:Flemington Branch
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38:Headquarters
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322:US Route 46
82:Track gauge
771:Categories
712:0760317631
597:References
591:Flemington
565:Mount Airy
517:Titusville
505:Raven Rock
493:Frenchtown
466:Hutchinson
449:New Jersey
343:Flemington
316:caused by
307:doodlebugs
240:along the
136:north via
52:New Jersey
574:Boss Road
560:Alexauken
532:Dix Haven
529:Wilburtha
469:Brainards
460:Foul Rift
457:Belvidere
263:(CNJ) at
244:north to
175:crossing
76:Technical
66:Successor
721:53356627
633:(1979).
587:Muirheid
523:Somerset
508:Stockton
496:Kingwood
209:iron ore
126:railroad
101: in
33:Overview
578:Ringoes
490:Milford
487:Holland
472:Harmony
463:Roxburg
412:Conrail
382:Current
367:Conrail
353:Decline
238:Trenton
219:History
173:ferries
96:⁄
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540:Amtrak
291:. The
48:Locale
570:Bowne
514:Moore
502:Byram
267:. LV
179:from
132:from
717:OCLC
707:ISBN
643:ISBN
345:and
269:coal
207:and
156:and
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119:The
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