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Rahway Valley Line (a.k.a. Maplewood Branch, Unionbury Spur, Newark Heights Branch) The Abandoned Rahway Valley Railroad

Rahway Valley Line (a.k.a. Maplewood Branch, Unionbury Spur) Branch Junction (earlier Wright's Switch) MP 0.00 Switch Connection: Mainline (wye, east switch) MP 0.27 Station: Unionbury MP 0.78 Bridge: Morris Avenue MP 0.81 Bridge: Cattle Pass MP ? Bridge: Vauxhall Road MP 1.43 Bridge: Stanley Terrace MP 2.15 Union/Maplewood town line MP 2.37 Grade Crossing: Rutgers Street MP 2.44 Hilton Wagon Scales MP ? Hilton Freight Office (a.k.a. Newark Heights Freight Station)  MP ? Rahway Valley Line, End of Track (Track terminated at Woolley Fuel) MP 2.90   The J. L. Hammett's siding on the Rahway Valley Line. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King.   Of the entire Rahway Valley Railroad system, perhaps the Rahway Valley Line (a.k.a. Maplewood Branch, Unionbury Spur, Newark Heights Branch) which extended 2.9 miles from Branch Junction in Union to the end of track at Newark Heights in Maplewood (a.k.a. Hilton) has suffered the most losses over the years. The Rahway Valley Line was the last major portion of the Rahway Valley Railroad to be constructed, its completion occurring in 1918. The Rahway Valley Line, a separate corporate organization, was founded in 1914 to construct a spur through Union and into Maplewood (then known as South Orange). The idea was to tap the business concerns at the section of Maplewood known as Hilton. The railroad named its terminus here Newark Heights, to avoid confusion with the DL&W's Maplewood station. For years the Rahway Valley Line served a multitude of coal and lumber yards such as Heller, Fred Stone, Jaeger, Falk, Kingston, Carl, Woolley, and so on. There were also many other industries over the years such as Hind Steel, International Paint, Hope Foundry, Hammett's, etc. When homes phased out coal as a home heating fuel in favor of oil and gas heat, the Rahway Valley Line was adversely affected. Car movements dwindled on the line and by the 1960's only infrequent movements were made as far as Newark Heights. By the 1970's only one shipper remained in Newark Heights, Maplewood Building Specialties. The coming of I-78 would have necessitated a bridge for the railroad over the highway just east of the Stanley Terrace bridge. With only one shipper remaining, the railroad could not warrant the fight for a bridge over the highway to be constructed. The Interstate Commerce Commission approved abandonment of the Rahway Valley Line between the Hollywood Memorial Park in Union and the end of track in Newark Heights in 1973, track was subsequently removed. Service on the branch continued to 1991, when Delaware Otsego Corp. (which purchased the Rahway Valley Railroad in December, 1986) embargoed the line due to poor track conditions. DO referred to the spur as the "Jaeger Industrial Branch," referring to Jaeger Lumber on Morris Ave. in Union. The Rahway Valley Line had three roadway crossings, all have been razed. Three of these crossings, Stanley Terrace, Vauxhall Road, and Morris Ave. (all in Union), were made with bridges. The Stanley Terrace bridge was removed c.1973, the Vauxhall Road bridge in the 1990's, and the Morris Ave. bridge in 2007. Only one abutment of the Morris Ave. bridge is still extant. The Rutgers Street grade crossing in Maplewood was razed c.1973. Today only three segments of rail still remain on the Rahway Valley Line: the siding to Griffith Labs (now Kalustyan's) between Morris Ave. and the Union Township Recreation Center, and behind Hollywood Memorial Park. The track between Branch Junction and Morris Ave. remaining in place until the 2000s, when the attempted reactivation of the railroad necessitated their removal. Funding for the project dried up and the track bed has remained empty, with only subsurface grading and ballasting work ever being performed on the Rahway Valley Line. Griffith Labs Siding Area (now Kalustyan's) Union, NJ All Rahway Valley Line track between Branch Junction and Morris Avenue has been removed. This was done as part of the attempted reactivation of the line by Union County in the mid-2000's. The work was contracted out to the Morristown & Erie Railway (M&E). M&E crews razed all of the track here, cleared the line of all brush, and laid some subsurface ballast. Unfortunately funding for the project dried up before it could be completed. This segment remains devoid of any rail except for one industrial siding which still remains. This siding, during the days of the RV, was for Griffith Laboratories (RVL MP 0.48) which manufactured food preservatives. Today the site, owned by Kalustyan's (another food related company) owns the site. The property is undergoing environmental cleanup through Brennan Environmental, Inc. (BEI). Hawk Drilling, Inc. (my employer) is subcontracted to do all the Monitoring Well Installations and Soil Borings here. Looking towards Unionbury. The tire tracks are from utility trucks that had to repair the poles along the ROW after Superstorm Sandy. Summer, 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Unionbury. A few years ago this section was devoid of all brush after M&E crews cleared the line and removed the track pending installation of new rails. Funding dried up before that could happen. The track bed remained empty. Summer, 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The siding for Griffith Labs, note the patched up loading doors. Photo taken by Richard J. King Griffith Labs siding to the right, the rails for the Rahawy Valley Line would of been to the left. Photo taken by Richard J. King The patch of green grass to the left is where the track of the Rahway Valley Line sat before it was removed in the mid-2000s. the track to the right is the original siding for Griffith Labs, now Kalustyan's. Summer, 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Siding for Griffith Labs which manufactured food preservatives. Rail shipments of these preservatives were so highly concentrated that they were labelled not for human consumption. Today the site, owned by Kalustyan's (another food related company) owns the site. The property is undergoing environmental cleanup through Brennan Environmental, Inc. (BEI). Hawk Drilling, Inc. (my employer) is subcontracted to do all the Monitoring Well Installations and Soil Borings here. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Griffith Labs siding. Photo taken by Richard J. King   Morris Avenue Area Union, NJ A short piece of track between Morris Avenue and Francyne Way near the Union Township Rec Center are still in place. Looking towards Morris Ave. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Morris Ave. These aren't narrow gauge rails, the one rail is just out of line. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Morris Ave. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Near the Smartie's factory. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Smartie's factory. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Smartie's factory. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Morris Ave. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Smartie's factory. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Morris Ave. in the distance, the rails sit on top of this berm. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Photo taken by Richard J. King Alongside the CVS parking lot, the rails sit on top of this berm. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Alongside the CVS parking lot, the rails sit on top of this berm. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Vauxhall Road Area Union, NJ All of the track between the Union Township Rec Center and near the corner of Omara Drive and Morrison Avenue has been removed. In most places along this stretch the right-of-way is mostly unrecognizable. The Vauxhall Road bridge has been removed and the berms on either side have been excavated and removed. The tracks would have sat on top of this berm alongside Stonco. Looking towards Vauxhall Road. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The tracks would have sat on top of this berm alongside Stonco. Photo taken by Richard J. King The tracks would have sat on top of this berm alongside Stonco. Photo taken by Richard J. King The tracks ran through here. The construction of the condo development here obliterated all traces of the railroad. Vauxhall Road is behind the photographer. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking along the right-of-way towards Unionbury. Vauxhall Road is in the foreground. Photo taken by Richard J. King Francyne Way was constructed on top of the Rahway Valley Line right-of-way. We are looking towards Unionbury. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King This map shows the locations of where the next three sections of photographs on this page were taken. The black and red lines show the right-of-way of the Rahway Valley Line. The rails in the black portion have been removed while the rails in the red portion remain. The portion in orange is the J.L. Hammett Co. siding, which remains in place. J. L. Hammett Co. Siding Union, NJ The New England based J. L. Hammett Company was founded in 1863 by John L. Hammett. The company was a wholesaler of school supplies. Hammett's site in Union, NJ had a siding off of the Rahway Valley Line. The siding came off the Rahway Valley Line at RVL MP 1.79 and curved down through a small cut to Hammett's building. Strangely, despite the extensive removal of the Rahway Valley Line this siding has remained in place after all these years. Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line.  Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's. Photo taken by Richard J. King Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's.  Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's.  Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Hammett's. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards the Rahway Valley Line. Photo taken by Richard J. King   J. L. Hammett Co. Siding Switch Area Union, NJ The switch for the J. L. Hammett Co. siding is the only switch on the entire Rahway Valley Railroad that still remains in place. All of the other remaining switches were razed as part of the attempted reactivation of the line by Union County in the mid-2000's. Looking along the Rahway Valley Line towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett's switch, looking towards Unionbury. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett's switch. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013.  Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett's switch. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights along the Rahway Valley Line. The tracks disappear in the forground and end. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett's switch. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett's switch. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The frog for the Hammett's siding. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King This is where the switch stand for Hammett's siding would have been located. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Although obscured by brush, leaves, and branches, the Rahway Valley Line curves off to the left towards Unionbury while the Hammett siding forks right. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King This small metal pipe under the tracks must be clogged as the fill around it is all washed away. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King This small metal pipe under the tracks must be clogged as the fill around it is all washed away. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett siding (far) and Rahway Valley Line (close) converge. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett siding switch. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett siding (far) and Rahway Valley Line (close) converge. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Hammett siding (left) and Rahway Valley Line (right) converge. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Unionbury, the Rahway Valley Line. tracks disappear under some dirt and head into someone's backyard. The home that this backyard belongs to is on the corner of Omara Drive and Morrison Ave. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Behind Hollywood Memorial Park Union, NJ Once passing the J. L. Hammett Co. siding the Rahway Valley Line entered into a sweeping S-curve before it crossed over Stanley Terrace and entered Maplewood. Along this S-curve was the outskirts of Hollywood Memorial Park's property. The segment from here and to the end of track in Maplewood was razed circa 1973. This portion remained as a lead to switch Hammett's siding. Subsequent to the total abandonment of the railroad in 1992 and further removal of track along the Rahway Valley Line, this track has remained as an islanded piece of track. Backyards belong to homes along the railroad have encroached upon the right-of-way, their fences mere feet from the once active rails. Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Unionbury. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King Photo taken by Richard J. King Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Unionbury. Photo taken by Richard J. King Photo taken by Richard J. King Photo taken by Richard J. King The Rahway Valley Line ran along the berm seen to the left. During the railroad's operation the graves of Hollywood Memorial Park never came this close to the railroad. Only in recent years have burials come this close to the right-of-way. Photo taken by Richard J. King The Rahway Valley Line ran along this berm, Unionbury is to the left, Newark Heights to the right. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. Photo taken by Richard J. King Looking towards Newark Heights. Photo taken by Richard J. King   Stanley Terrace Area Union, NJ Anyone without a knowledge of the area wouldn't know that a railroad once ran through here! This is the eastern side of Stanley Terrace, where one of the abutments for the Stanley Terrace bridge would have sat. The RR's right-of-way is where the tree are. 2013. Photo taken by Richard J. King.

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