The Lackawanna Cutoff - Then & Now
Greendel, NJ
Greendel was located about halfway between Blairstown and Andover on the great Cutoff. Originally called Greensville when
the railroad was constructed, Greendel had a small concrete passenger station, and a switch tower for crossing freights into
a passing siding when high speed trains approached. A bridge was constructed over the tracks for road traffic, for there were
absolutely no grade crossings on the great Cutoff!
Greendel as it looked in November of 1912, looking east. Notice the road bridge, station, switch tower, and signal bridges.
The Cutoff was single-tracked in the early 1960's after the DL&W's merger with the Erie, but a passing siding was retained here.
Photo from The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad in the Twentieth Century by Thomas Taber and Thomas Taber III, published by Steamtown Volunteer Association, 1998.
The station and road bridge as they appear in 1999, looking west. The tracks were removed by Conrail in 1984; however, DL&W
trademark signal targets silently await the passing of a train.
Sadly, this view taken in January 2002 shows the latest stroke of bad luck for Greendel. The original 1911 bridge was deemed
unsafe and was removed, creating another 'new grade crossing' on the Cutoff. The signal bridge was also destroyed during the project.
The rail train pauses for the last time at Greendel tower on July 31, 1984. This train was the last to traverse the mighty
Cutoff; the tracks were pulled up behind it as it made its last trip. This view looks east, towards Port Morris, NJ.
Photo by Mike DelVecchio, Bob Bahrs, Bob Rose and David Day from the November 1984 issue of Railfan & Railroad Magazine, page 2.
Looking east again, towards the switch tower. The Greendel tower still stands as a tribute to the Lackawanna's early embrace of
reinforced concrete construction, as do at least five others in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Looking west from the second floor of Greendel Tower.
This page was written by Anthony R. Tofani
Anthony@GSMRRClub.org
Last Updated February 23, 2005
For information about the GSMRRClub, feel free to contact us!
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