The Lackawanna Cutoff - Then & Now
Slateford Junction, PA
Slateford Juction, on the shore of the Delaware river and within view of the Water Gap, was the location where the Lackawanna's
New Jersey Cutoff broke away from the Old Main. The two-track cutoff turned and began climbing to reach the elevation of the
Delaware River Viaduct, where it crossed into New Jersey and made its near arrow-straight shot through Blairstown and Andover,
towards Port Morris.
An eastbound set of FT's is partially concealed by the westbound PHOEBE SNOW as they meet at Slateford Junction in September
of 1960. In only a few weeks, the DL&W would be history as it merged with the Erie that fall.
Photo by Bill Volkmer, exerpted from LACKAWANNA RAILROAD (IN COLOR) by David Sweetland, Morning Sun Books, Edison, NJ, 1990
This is what the Junction looked like on May 24, 1983, well after even the EL was history and a part of Conrail. The magnificent
Cutoff had been trimmed to only one rusty track, with a single passing siding in Greendel. The tower, although still intact, was
no longer manned - a single CTC board controlled the entire line between here and Port Morris.
Sadly, the story gets worse. In 1984, the then abandoned Cutoff was completely torn up by Conrail, and only the original Old Main remained
through Slateford. In the 1990's, the bridge from which both photographers took their above photos was removed, and replaced
with a solid fill of rock and dirt.
Fortunelty, Slateford Tower survives to this day - a reminder of the Lackawanna's early and extensive use of poured concrete
for structures.
Slateford Junction as it looks today! As of late February, 2004, two passing sidings had been added along the Old Main,
and they were filled with cars. At the bottom left, tracks still protrude from the side of the fill that replaced the
antiquated road bridge.
The Tower survives! Although it has seen far better days, Slateford Tower is one of many DL&W structures that
stands intact after many years of abandonment.
This page was written by Anthony R. Tofani
Anthony@GSMRRClub.org
Last Updated March 1, 2005
For information about the GSMRRClub, feel free to contact us!
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