Passaic station (Erie Railroad)

Passaic station was a railroad station for the Erie Railroad in downtown Passaic, New Jersey. The station sat in the center of Main Street at the corner of Madison Street. Though there were three other stations in the city — Prospect Street and Passaic Park to the east, and Harrison Street to the west — the simply named Passaic station was the primary station for the city, located at grade in the busiest section of its main business street.

This article is about the Erie Railroad station. For the current New Jersey Transit station, see Passaic station (NJ Transit).

Passaic
Location	Main Street and Jefferson Street, Passaic, New Jersey
Coordinates	40.8627°N 74.1277°W / 40.8627; -74.1277
Owned by	Erie Railroad (1883–1960) Erie Lackawanna Railway (1960–1963)
Line(s)	Erie Railroad Main Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2 main line
Construction
Platform levels	1
Other information
Station code	2131[1]
History
Opened	May 28, 1832[2]
Closed	April 2, 1963[3]
Rebuilt	1883 March 9, 1928[4] 1954–November 1954[5]
Key dates
December 22, 1926	1883 station depot burns[6]
April 1954	1928 station depot razed[7]
September 1972	1954 station depot razed[8]
Former services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station Clifton toward Chicago Main Line Passaic Park toward Jersey City Harrison Street toward Chicago Prospect Street toward Jersey City

History

The station opened on May 28, 1832. Passaic station was rebuilt in 1883 as the main station for Passaic. It was also rebuilt in November 1954.

Passaic Plan

The site of the Passaic station in October 2013

During the 1950s and 1960s, competing priorities from agencies around the cities of Paterson and Passaic were beginning to form. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, a competing railroad with the Erie, wanted to condense (along with the Erie) services and share trackage because of financial troubles. Secondly, the city officials in Passaic had first brought a proposal to the Erie asking about the removal of the main line through the city, which was tying up traffic in the city during station stops. This, however, was not implemented during the 1950s, as proposed. Instead, the Erie reconstructed the stations at Passaic and Clifton. Third, the New Jersey State Highway Department needed rights-of-way for Interstate 80 through Paterson and State Route 21 through Passaic. The Passaic Park station and the BE Drawbridge over the Passaic River needed to be demolished to build Route 21.[9]

After the merger on October 17, 1960, between the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western and the Erie, the city officials in Passaic once again brought back the possibility of removing the tracks through Main Street, Passaic. This time, the newly formed Erie Lackawanna Railway went forward with it, beginning the process to move its main line onto the former Boonton Branch through Lyndhurst, Passaic and Clifton.[9] In April 1963 the last train passed through the station. The main line was abandoned past Carlton Hill, and BE Drawbridge was swung in the open position, and soon put up for sale price of $0.00 in 1964 by the mayor of Passaic.[10]

References

1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
2. "It All Began on May 28, 1832". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. April 2, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Erie-Lackawanna Pulls Up First Tracks, Bids Farewell". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. April 2, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "New Erie Station is Now in Use". The Passaic Daily Herald. March 9, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Erie Railroad to Dedicate New Station". The Passaic Herald-News. November 16, 1954. p. 7. Retrieved March 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Fire Destroys Erie Station". The Passaic Daily Herald. December 22, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved August 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "New Erie Station Ready in 6 Months". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. April 28, 1954. p. 8. Retrieved April 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "End of an Era". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. September 25, 1972. p. 20. Retrieved April 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Yanosey, Robert J. (2007). Lackawanna Railroad Facilities (In Color). Volume 1: Hoboken to Dover. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books Inc. p. 108. ISBN 1-58248-214-4.
10. Gansberg, Martin (June 28, 1964). "A Passaic Bridge To Be Given Away". The New York Times. p. 33.

External links

• The Erie Lackawanna Main Lines