Mahwah (NJT station)

Mahwah

The 1913 station building at Mahwah is visible on the right in July 2011.
Coordinates 41°05′39″N 74°08′48″W / 41.0942°N 74.1467°W / 41.0942; -74.1467Coordinates: 41°05′39″N 74°08′48″W / 41.0942°N 74.1467°W / 41.0942; -74.1467
Owned by New Jersey Transit
Line(s)
  Main Line
  Bergen County Line
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Connections Short Line Bus: 17
(one block east on Franklin Tpke.)
Other information
Station code 2325 (Erie Railroad)[1]
Fare zone 14[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2012) 212 (average weekday)[3]
Services
Preceding station   NJ Transit Rail   Following station
Terminus
Main Line
toward Hoboken
Bergen County Line
Erie Railroad
Main Line
Main Line
West Mahwah
(freight only)

Mahwah is a New Jersey Transit rail station served by the Main and Bergen County Lines. It is located in Mahwah and is the last station in the U.S. state of New Jersey on the Main/Bergen line going westbound.

Station layout and services

  ■ Main Line toward Suffern (Terminus)
■ Bergen County Line toward Suffern (Terminus)
■ Port Jervis Line no stop
  ■ Main Line toward Hoboken (Ramsey Route 17)
■ Bergen County Line toward Hoboken (Ramsey Route 17)
■ Port Jervis Line no stop

Mahwah station is serviced by trains of the Main Line and Bergen County Line of NJ Transit, who provides service to Hoboken Terminal in Hudson County, with connections via ferry and Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) to New York City. The first train inbound to Hoboken arrives at Mahwah at 4:52 AM and the final departs Mahwah at 10:53 PM. Heading towards Suffern or Port Jervis stations, the first train arrives at 6:50 AM (heading to Suffern) and the last one departs at 2:37 AM the next morning. On weekends, the first train toward Hoboken is at 6:11 AM and the final train is at 12:11 AM the next morning. Heading toward Suffern and Port Jervis, the first and final trains leave at 7:34 AM and 2:37 AM the next morning respectively. The station is in Fare Zone 14 along with Suffern, and ticket vending machines are present for those who need tickets. Only one bus connection is available, the Short Line Bus 17.[2]

Parking is also provided at Mahwah with two lots. The first lot is located on North Railroad Avenue, owned by the township. These 34 spaces are paid for by permit only and no parking is allowed in the overnight hours. The second lot is located at Ramapo Avenue and South Railroad Avenue, with 75 spaces, one of which is handicap accessible. The lot is also permit only and closed at overnight hours.[4]

History

The 1871 depot, now a museum

The beginning of railroad service in Mahwah dates to the 1840s with the Paterson and Ramapo Railroad, which had its charter approved on March 10, 1841 by the state of New Jersey.[5] The railroad was constructed through Mahwah in 1848, and while a stop was added at Mahwah, it was nothing more than a flag stop for passengers. The passengers would have to notify the station agent, who would flag down a passing train to stop. Once the Erie Railroad leased the Paterson and Ramapo in 1852, the improvement of service at Mahwah was not improving, and it was not until citizens of Mahwah persuaded the railroad that there was enough passenger and freight traffic for a depot that one was constructed in 1871. The land for the new depot was donated by Albert Winter, a local citizen.[6]

The new station depot made it easier for those who would have to travel to Suffern, Oakland or Ramsey to ship their products along the Erie Railroad.[6] In 1872, the land on a hillside nearby was bought by Ezra Miller, a local inventor, who created Oweno, a farm estate which is now part of Cragmere Park. The mansion at Oweno burned down in 1899, an impetus for a fire department in Mahwah, which did not exist.[7] That same year, Alfred B. Darling, who owned the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City established a stock farm in the area, which would lead to the creation of the hamlet of Darlington. The station also served as a place for people to escape the heat in urban areas during the summer season.[6]

In 1904, the Erie Railroad re-developed the area of and around the depot. The crossing of East Ramapo Avenue next to the depot was changed from at-grade to a new railroad bridge to the south, and the original two track alignment was widened to four tracks. The freight would use the inside tracks. A new depot was also constructed in 1904, with the original 1871 depot being moved to fresh land called Depot Park, saving it from demolition.[8] In designing Depot Square Park involved the extension of East Ramapo Avenue to Franklin Turnpike and a new connection with Miller Road. The square within the four roads became the park.[9]

In 1908, electrical crossing gates were installed in Mahwah, as Rockland Electric came in and powered up the municipality. The new electrical gates would be managed by a man who was working in the gatehouse that used to serve as the watchman's shanty.[10] The 1904 depot only lasted over a decade, as in 1915, the station burned due to a fire that was left untouched. Mahwah still did not have a fire company in the 16 years following the burning of Oweno, Local residents had been talking about organizing one and getting a fire engine, but that ended up not occurring.[11] A new depot was constructed by the Erie Railroad in 1915, an irregular shape design with a wood and stucco design. The roof was created out of asbestos shingles.[12]

In 1967, the Mahwah Historical Society acquired the 1871 depot and began to restore the structure.[13] In order to do this, the station was moved 200 feet (61 m) from its site to a spot across from Winter's Pond.[14] The depot required repairing the roof, installing new glass, repairing doors and chimney. Special molding was inserted around the depot, and the flooring required replacement. The depot was completed on September 22, 1968. In 1970, the society acquired a caboose once used by the Erie that was constructed in 1910. The Erie donated ties and rails in return for payment of the track crews and the caboose was moved by crane into its new spot.[13]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Main and Bergen County Line Timetables" (PDF). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  3. ↑ "QUARTERLY RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANALYSIS". New Jersey Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Mahwah". njtransit.com. NJ Transit. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  5. ↑ Laws of the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey in Relation to the New York and Erie Railroad Company. New York and Erie Railroad. 1856. p. 21. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Greene 2014, p. 61.
  7. ↑ Greene 2014, p. 43.
  8. ↑ Greene 2014, p. 63.
  9. ↑ Greene 2014, p. 68.
  10. ↑ Dater, John Y. (June 1979). "Old Railroad Days". Mahwah Museum. Mahwah Museum. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  11. ↑ Greene 2014, p. 70.
  12. ↑ Yanosey 2006, p. 58.
  13. 1 2 Dater, John Y. (October 1978). "Mahwah Historical Society History: Second Installment". Mahwah Museum. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Greene 2014, p. 78.

External links


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