# Riding the Gladstone line on Sunday nyp-Gladstone



## Steve4031 (Nov 6, 2013)

I'm planning to do this rt on Sunday November 10. I'm arriving from Washington, D.C. At about 12 and returning at 6. Njt app shows that a rt is easily possible with a couple of train changes.

Is there any service advisories to be aware of?

What are some of the interesting scenic and operational aspects of this line.


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## greatcats (Nov 6, 2013)

I used to work for NJT. I now live in Arizona, so I am not on top of what may be going on there - check the website for service advisories. For scenic rides, this is one of two I would recommend on NJT, the other being the 95 mile trip from Hoboken to Port Jervis, which is far more time consuming. The Gladstone Branch used to be known among train crews as the P & D ( Passaic and Delaware ) as it was originally intended to be built to Philadelphia. Originally it was finished to Bernardsville, then reached Gladstone in 1890 and that is as far as it went. ( I am not familiar with the rest of the story as to why it was not built further. ) The Gladstone Branch is 22 miles long, diverging from the Morristown Line at Summit and uses mostly Arrow MUs. Many of the stations are small and quaint country type stations. I believe most are open to the public in one form or another, although only one has a working ticket office, Lyons. The further out you go, the more bucolic the scenery becomes. Just west of Millington, the Passaic River is crossed on a trestle. ( New Jersey's longest river, 100 miles!) After crossing Interstate 287 on an overpass, it makes a bend to a sharp descending grade into Bernardsville. This is a single track line with numerous passing sidings. When the line was re-electrified in 1984, three of the passing sidings were converted to remote operation; it used to be all hand throw switches. I believe these three are the only ones regularly used, at Murray Hill, Stirling, and Bernardsville. The final several miles pass through a beautiful rural area with fields and babbling streams - so much for New Jersey being a big toxic waste dump. The red Gladstone station building, painted red with a sort of turret, is not open to the public. The electric railroad yard in the middle of this affluent New England like town is rather incongruous. Note the white Reformed church up on the hill above the yard. Enjoy your ride.


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## Steve4031 (Nov 6, 2013)

Thanks. I remember reading about this line years ago in ptj. I always wanted to ride it, and now u am.


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## greatcats (Nov 6, 2013)

You're welcome. I was aboard the last old Lackawanna MU that ran under its own power before the system was converted in August, 1984. It was a little bit of a party train. A bizarre scene evolved when some of the passengers sang Happy Birthday to the conductor, who was in the midst of a screaming argument with the brakeman. The train was run extra back to Summit yard and the old DC power system was turned off. The engineer gave me his " tools. ". I do not collect railroad items, but I do have these on display in my home: the brake handle , reverser lever, and electric plug. They are not for sale! ( the controller handle was attached to the equipment. ). Recently a visiting National Park ranger identified them as railroad items.


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## Steve4031 (Nov 6, 2013)

That happy birthday scene must have been a trip. Lol. Thanks I can see it in my mind. Wonder what the argument was about.


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## SubwayNut (Nov 6, 2013)

Its a nice pastoral ride. Here is a trip report of a weekend ride I took on it back in March when they still weren't able to use the Arrow IIIs because the catenary system into Hoboken Terminal was still being repaired post Superstorm Sandy and trains were using dual-mode ALP45DPs in electric mode.

Your ride will consist of a Midtown Direct Push-Pull Trainset out to Summit where you'll switch to the Arrow III MU 3ish car shuttle train that serves the Gladstone Branch.

I would suggest skipping NYP at all and instead walk the mile or take the Newark Light Rail (look up the timetable first, it operates quite infrequently on weeks) from Newark Penn Station to Newark Broad Street where the Morris & Essex Lines trains depart from. There is also a significant fare difference from Gladstone with one-way tickets to Newark-Broad only $9.00 and $14.75 from New York in the crazy world of NJT Rail Fares that don't make too much sense.


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## greatcats (Nov 6, 2013)

I think it was over train orders, as it was not the normal move to take the train to Summit. Both of them were good guys, but tended to be loud and boisterous. The conductor was an old Lackawanna man, Frank Ehrenhofler, and the brakeman was Dick Venus, now deceased, who was a former Jersey Central man and local chairman. I can tell lots if stories about working around that place. However, I prefer being retired!


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## Steve4031 (Nov 6, 2013)

Nice trip report. Looking forward to this.


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