Hawthorne station (New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad)

For other uses, see Hawthorne station (disambiguation).

Hawthorne is a former rail station located in Hawthorne in Passaic County, New Jersey. Volunteer Railroaders Association (aka VRA), a non-profit railroad preservation group leases the station from the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway. The station house is an at-grade single story wooden structure featuring a Dutch gable roof, shiplap siding, and gingerbread trim. It served as the ticket office until June 30, 1966,^[3] and was also used as a freight depot building.

Hawthorne
Hawthorne station viewed from Grand Avenue.
General information
Location	80 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, New Jersey
Coordinates	40.94916°N 74.15391°W / 40.94916; -74.15391
Owned by	New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
Line(s)	New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad main line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1 (New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad)
Construction
Parking	on street
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	1123 (Erie Railroad)[1]
History
Opened	1872[2]
Closed	June 30, 1966[3]
Rebuilt	1894
Electrified	Not electrified
Services
Preceding station New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad Following station North Hawthorne toward Stroudsburg Main Line Riverside toward Susquehanna Transfer or Jersey City

The New Jersey Western Railroad built what is now about ten miles of the current New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway right-of way from Hawthorne to Bloomingdale from 1868 to 1870. It was consolidated into the New Jersey Midland Railway.^[4][5] The original station at this location was built in 1872. In 1894 a fire destroyed the station and the station was rebuilt in a larger form. Since 1872, the present station has been located on the corner of Royal Avenue and County Route 654 (Diamond Bridge Avenue).

The station c. 1907–1912

In 2010 the VRA undertook a massive fund raising needed to move the station. The move of just 75 feet within the same plot away from the corner was to alleviate the nearly monthly truck strikes to the southeast roof corner. As a part of this move a concrete brick and poured floor foundation was constructed. The move contractor hired made the move of the station onto the new foundation on September 20, 2010. After the move the areas of deteriorated siding were replaced and adding a new coat of paint was begun. Also added was a deck with safety railing, a fence between the station & the railroad and a garden area in the location of the old station footing.

It is proposed that New Jersey Transit will build a new station for the northern terminus of the Passaic-Bergen Rail Line adjacent to the NJ Transit Main Line's Hawthorne station several blocks away from this station.^[6] The neighborhood of the original Erie mainline station would benefit from state funding to improve signage, lighting and parking.^[7]

See also

Hawthorne station prior to restoration

• NYSW (passenger 1939–1966) map
• Passaic-Bergen-Hudson Transit map
• Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource (New Jersey)

Bibliography

• Catlin, George L. (1872). Homes on the Midland for New York Business Men. New York, New York: J. W. Pratt.

References

1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
2. Catlin 1872, p. 47.
3. "Susquehanna Commuter Service Ends". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. July 1, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Van Valen (1900), History of Bergen County, New Jersey, Forgotten Books
5. "THE NEW-JERSEY MIDLAND.; THE STOCKHOLDERS DEMANDING A SHARE UNDER THE REORGANIZATION". The New York Times. March 11, 1880.
6. http://nyswpassengerrail.blogspot.com/ ^{[user-generated source]}
7. Shrestha, Kamana (October 21, 2010). "Hawthorne aims to spruce up rail neighborhood, end parking woes with 'transit village' concept". The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey: North Jersey Media Group LLC. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 23 October 2010.

External links

• Volunteer Railroaders Association aka VRA
• Hawthorne New Jersey NYS&W Railroad Station - official homepage