Wortendyke station

Wortendyke
Wortendyke station in May 2014.
General information
Location211 Greenwood Avenue
Midland Park, New Jersey 07432
Coordinates40°59′51″N 74°09′01″W / 40.9975°N 74.150278°W / 40.9975; -74.150278
Owned byNew York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
Line(s)New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1 (NYSW)
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code1131 (Erie Railroad)[1]
History
OpenedApril 8, 1871; 153 years ago (April 8, 1871)[2][3]
ClosedJune 30, 1966; 58 years ago (June 30, 1966)[4]
ElectrifiedNot electrified
Services
Preceding station New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad Following station
Wyckoff
toward Stroudsburg
 Main Line Midland Park
toward Susquehanna Transfer or Jersey City

Wortendyke is a former commuter railroad train station in the borough of Midland Park, Bergen County, New Jersey. The station serviced passenger and freight trains of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway between Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City and Butler station until December 12, 1958, when the former changed its destination to Susquehanna Transfer in North Bergen.[5] The next station eastbound was the namesake Midland Park station and westbound was Wyckoff. Wortendyke station consisted of a single low-level side platform with the 50 by 16 feet (15.2 m × 4.9 m) wooden frame station depot.[6]

Interest in railroad service in Franklin Township began with the proposed New Jersey Western Railroad, a project of entrepreneur Cornelius A. Wortendyke.[7] However, passenger service began on April 8, 1871, when the New Jersey Midland Railroad began service to Pompton Township (modern-day Pompton Lakes). Upon the opening of the railroad, railroad shops were established at Midland Avenue in the Wortendyke area.[8] The facility included a 46 by 89 feet (14 m × 27 m) roundhouse and a 58-foot (18 m) diameter turntable.[6] The shops lasted until 1897, when they burned down. Instead of rebuilding, the railroad chose to move the works facility to North Hawthorne.[9]

Passenger service through Midland Park and Wortendyke station continued on the Susquehanna Railroad discontinued service on June 30, 1966.[4] The station depot currently serves as the home of a pottery studio.[10]

  • Stereoscopic view
    Stereoscopic view
  • The station c. 1907–1912
    The station c. 1907–1912

See also

Existing original station buildings from the New Jersey Midland can be found at Bogota, Vreeland Avenue, Butler, and Newfoundland among other places.[11]

Bibliography

  • Catlin, George L. (1872). Homes on the Midland for New York Business Men. New York, New York: J. W. Pratt.
  • Clayton, W. Woodford (1882). History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck.
  • Mohowski, Robert E. (2003). The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-7222-7.
  • New Jersey State Legislature (1912). Documents of the One Hundred and Thirty Sixth Legislature of the State of New Jersey and the Sixty-Eighth Under the New Constitution: Vol. II Documents 5 to 16 Inclusive. Trenton, New Jersey: State Gazette Publishing Company.

References

  1. ^ "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Catlin 1872, p. 8.
  3. ^ Mohowski 2003, p. 15.
  4. ^ a b "Susquehanna Commuter Service Ends". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. July 1, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved January 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Final Trip Slated for Erie Ferryboat". The Bergen Evening Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. December 12, 1958. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved February 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ a b New Jersey State Legislature 1912, p. 550.
  7. ^ Clayton 1882, p. 205.
  8. ^ Mohowski 2003, p. 17.
  9. ^ Mohowski 2003, p. 40.
  10. ^ Genovese, Peter (December 12, 2007). "The wieners are winners at Hot Dog Caboose in Midland Park". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "Surviving New Jersey Railroad Stations" (PDF). www.american-rails.com.