Pompton Plains is a former railroad station in Pequannock Township, Morris County, New Jersey. United States. Located at 33 Evans Place in the Pompton Plains section of Pequannock, the station is a former stop on the Erie Railroad's Greenwood Lake Division (former New York and Greenwood Lake Railway). The station was a single side-platform station with service from Wanaque–Midvale station in Wanaque to Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, where connections were made to ferries to New York City. The next station north was Pompton–Riverdale after 1951 (Riverdale station before 1951). The next station south was Pequannock station.

Pompton Plains
The Pompton Plains railroad station viewed from the track side in July 2017.
General information
Location33 Evans Place, Pequannock Township, New Jersey 07444
Owned byMontclair Railway (1873–1878)
New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad (1878–1943)
Erie Railroad (1943–1960)
Erie-Lackawanna Railway (1960–1966)
Township of Pequannock (2010–present)
Line(s)New York and Greenwood Lake Railway
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
Platform levels1
Other information
Station code1779[1]
History
OpenedJanuary 1, 1873; 151 years ago (January 1, 1873)[2][3]
ClosedSeptember 30, 1966; 58 years ago (September 30, 1966)[4]
Former services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station
Pompton–Riverdale New York and Greenwood Lake Railway Pequannock
Pompton Plains Railroad Station
Pompton Plains station in September 2014.
Pompton Plains station is located in Morris County, New Jersey
Pompton Plains station
Pompton Plains station is located in New Jersey
Pompton Plains station
Pompton Plains station is located in the United States
Pompton Plains station
Nearest cityPequannock Township, New Jersey
Coordinates40°58′07″N 74°17′37″W / 40.9685698°N 74.2936937°W / 40.9685698; -74.2936937
Arealess than one acre
Built1872
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.08000136[5]
NJRHP No.3735[6]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 5, 2008
Designated NJRHPDecember 19, 2007

Service through Pompton Plains began in January 1873 as part of a railroad from Jersey City to Greenwood Lake and Sterling Forest, New York.[2][3] The station became part of the New York and Greenwood Lake in 1878 and the Erie Railroad in 1896. Service through to Greenwood Lake ended in 1935 and replaced to Wanaque. In October 1963, the station became part of a shuttle line operated by the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad between Wanaque–Midvale and Mountain View station in Wayne. Passenger service at Pompton Plains ended on September 30, 1966 as part of several cuts by the Erie-Lackawanna.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 2008.

History

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James R. Evans was the station agent from the 1870s to turn of the 20th century.[7] Regular passenger train service for the train station ended in 1963, although shuttles from Mountain View remained until 1966.[8] Freight service to the station continued into the early 1980s.

More recently[when?], the station building was used as a clothing consignment shop, and later as a State Farm insurance office. The station and site were purchased by Pequannock Township in 2005. The station was restored in 2009 and currently serves as the Pequannock Township Museum.[9]

As of 2020, the railroad right-of-way along the station was sold by the owner, New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway and bought by Morris County for redevelopment as a public rail trail.[10][11]

 
A view south along the rail trail next to the station in 2023

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Baxter, Raymond J.; Adams, Arthur G. (1999). Railroad Ferries of the Hudson: And Stories of a Deckhand. Fordham, New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 9780823219544.
  • Whittemore, Henry (1894). History of Montclair Township, State of New Jersey: Including the History of Families who Have Been Identified with Its Growth and Prosperity. New York, New York: The Suburban Publishing Company. Retrieved February 6, 2020.

References

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  1. ^ "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Whittemore 1894, p. 47.
  3. ^ a b Baxter & Adams 1999, p. 147.
  4. ^ "Last Train to Wanaque Sadly Ends an Era". The Paterson News. October 3, 1966. p. 11. Retrieved June 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "National Register Information System – (#08000136)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Morris County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 29, 2022. p. 20.
  7. ^ Janoski, Steve (May 12, 2010). "Pompton Plains Train Station restoration complete". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Yanosey, Robert J. (2007). Lackawanna Railroad Facilities (In Color). Vol. 1: Hoboken to Dover. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books Inc. ISBN 978-1-58248-214-9.
  9. ^ "Pompton Plains Train Station dedication". North Jersey Media Group. April 29, 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-09-15. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  10. ^ "Pequannock-to-Wayne Pedestrian and Bike Path Project -- Public Info and Audio Session".
  11. ^ "NYS&W Bicycle and Pedestrian Path".
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