Elm Park / Mariner's Harbor / Arlington

The Port Richmond viaduct ends just to the Eest of Treadwell Avenue, with the ROW proceding on an embankment to the Bayonne Bridge, where it descends into and open cut. A single track seems to be intact from here on west with some derelict vestigial station facilities and platforms, although the cut is heavily overgrown. Street bridges over the ROW have been maintained and this is likely the least expensive stretch of ROW to restore. This is also the area that will receive the greatest commuting time reductions on the line. If the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBRL) line is extended into Staten Island, the Elm Park station, just under the approach to the Bayonne Bridge on Hwy. 440, would presumably be a transfer point between the two lines.

The remnants of the Elm Park station sit under the Bayonne Bridge just to the east of Morningstar Road. They are some of the better-preserved and more visible of the NSRR station ruins.

12/4/2009 02:13 PM
Eastbound platform

12/4/2009 02:14 PM
Platforms under the bridge

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Eastbound platform

12/4/2009 02:18 PM
Station canopies

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West end of eastbound platform

12/4/2009 02:19 PM
West end of eastbound platform

12/4/2009 02:26 PM
Elm Park station viewed from the Southeast

12/4/2009 02:26 PM
Platforms

12/4/2009 02:28 PM
Breech in eastbound platform

12/4/2009 02:28 PM
East end of eastbound platform

12/4/2009 02:19 PM
ROW headed east under the Bayonne Bridge

12/4/2009 02:21 PM
Westbound platform

12/4/2009 02:22 PM
Watery ROW headed west from Elm Park

There is a pedestrian bridge over the ROW just to the east of the Elm Park station that gives a good view of the ROW in this area. The surrounding neighborhood is a mildly-decayed old working-class neighborhood and includes Port Richmond High School. Perhaps a good target for gentrification associated with a new rail line.

12/4/2009 02:25 PM
Densely-packed houses on Innis Street

12/4/2009 02:25 PM
Innis Street leading to pedestrian bridge

12/4/2009 02:29 PM
Pedestrian bridge

12/4/2009 02:29 PM
ROW under the pedestrian bridge

12/4/2009 02:30 PM
ROW looking west to Elm Park station

12/4/2009 02:30 PM
Overgrown ROW east of pedestrian bridge

12/4/2009 02:31 PM
Overgrown retaining wall on south side of ROW

12/4/2009 02:34 PM
Northbound John Street dead end into ROW

12/4/2009 02:31 PM
Overgrown eastbound tracks passing John Street

12/4/2009 02:32 PM
Retaining wall

12/4/2009 02:32 PM
Discarded shower enclosure?

12/4/2009 02:33 PM
Boarded-up houses on John Street north of ROW

12/4/2009 02:11 PM
Old and new residences on Morningstar Road

12/4/2009 02:15 PM
Lasalle Street headed north to the east of the Bridge

The Bayonne Bridge features a 1,675-foot main span supported by a hyperbolic steel arch. The bridge was designed by Othmar Amman based on the design that his mentor, Gustav Lindenthal, used for the Hell Gate railroad bridge between Ward's Island and Astoria, Queens. Groundbreaking occurred on September 1, 1928 and the bridge opened to traffic on November 15, 1931. Although cantilever and suspension designs were considered, the arch design was chosen because it could accomodate proposed rail lines on the outer edges of the roadway. The rail lines never materialized as envisioned, although as of this writing in 2009 there are propoosals to bring the Hudson-Bergen light rail line over the bridge into Staten Island. There are also considerations of replacing or modifying the bridge to accomodate newer ships that exceed the 150 foot clearance above mean high water (NYCRoads 2009).

12/4/2009 01:51 PM
Bayonne Bridge (viewed from the southeast)

12/4/2009 01:58 PM
Where parade floats come from

12/4/2009 02:00 PM
Bayonne Bridge center span

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North approach

12/4/2009 02:01 PM
Center span

12/4/2009 02:03 PM
View from southeast

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Pier spalling

12/4/2009 02:04 PM
No tresspassing

12/4/2009 02:05 PM
View across Newark Bay

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South approach piers

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Underneath the arch viewed from the south

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View from the southwest

12/4/2009 02:09 PM
View from the southwest

12/4/2009 02:14 PM
Under the south approach looking north from Lasalle Street

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South approach looking north from Lasalle Street

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South approach looking south from Lasalle Street

12/4/2009 02:23 PM
Looking north under the South approach from Innis Street

Mariner's Harbor sits to the west of the Bayonne Bridge and, as the name implies, was home to considerible industry that supported the maritime industry. The coast was home to shipyards, steel mills and machine shops and saw substantial activity in support of WW-I and WW-II. Bethlehem Steel bought a shipyard here in 1938 and employed 12,000 during its peak in WW-II, launching destroyers and making propellers for other types of ships. Bethlehem Steel closed the shipyard in 1960 and the propeller plant in 1971. I'm not sure exactly what was where, but these are some of the buildings on the coastline to the west of the Bayonne Bridge, most seeming to still be active with light industrial activity. (GlobalSecurity.org 2009, DestroyerHistory.org 2009)

12/4/2009 02:08 PM
Tanks to the west of the bridge

12/4/2009 02:08 PM
Space for rent

12/4/2009 03:17 PM
Former Bethlehem Steel propeller factory?

12/4/2009 03:18 PM
2589 Richmond Terrace

12/4/2009 03:19 PM
Tower - 2589 Richmond Terrace

12/4/2009 03:19 PM
2589 Richmond Terrace

12/4/2009 03:22 PM
Sewer overflow - Richmond Terrace at Wright

12/4/2009 03:23 PM
For Lease / Sale - Richmond Terrace at Housman

12/4/2009 03:25 PM
Dock remnant - Richmond Terrace at Wright

12/4/2009 03:26 PM
Guard dog?!

12/4/2009 03:26 PM
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co.

12/4/2009 03:28 PM
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co.

12/4/2009 03:26 PM
VIlla Marin GM dealership

The ROW proceeds west from the Bayonne Bridge in a shallow trench, crossed by a number of street bridges. The surrounding neighborhoods are fairly dense mixed industrial and sturdy old residential.

12/4/2009 02:43 PM
Lasalle at Winant

12/4/2009 02:44 PM
Lasalle at Winant

12/4/2009 02:47 PM
Granite Ave bridge over ROW

12/4/2009 02:47 PM
Looking east down ROW from Granite Ave

12/4/2009 02:48 PM
Looking west down ROW from Granite Ave

12/4/2009 02:53 PM
Industrial building on Walker Street

12/4/2009 02:53 PM
Back of industrial building on Lake Street

12/4/2009 02:56 PM
Contemporary row houses on Granite Ave north of Walker

12/4/2009 02:56 PM
Light industrial street on Granite Ave south of Walker

12/4/2009 03:00 PM
West Shore Little League ballpark

12/4/2009 03:00 PM
Contemporary row houses - SW corner of Lake at Walker

12/4/2009 03:01 PM
Warehouse - NE corner of Lake at Walker

12/4/2009 03:02 PM
Contemporary townhouses - Lake St south of Walker

12/4/2009 03:04 PM
Available warehouse - Lake Street

12/4/2009 03:05 PM
Art Moderne - 141 Lake

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141 Lake

12/4/2009 03:05 PM
125 Lake - light industry

The Lake Avenue station sat between Lake Street and Simonson Street. It is not slated for reactivation.

12/4/2009 03:06 PM
Lake St. Station

12/4/2009 03:07 PM
Lake St. Station

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ROW headed east from Lake Avenue

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Inactive power lines along the ROW at Lake Avenue.

12/4/2009 03:36 PM
West ends of Lake Avenue Station platforms

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Single track running through Lake Avenue Station

12/4/2009 03:37 PM
Simonson Avenue bridge over ROW

12/4/2009 03:43 PM
Single track headed west from Simonson Avenue

12/4/2009 03:35 PM
Overgrown ROW headed west from Simonson Avenue

Mariner's Harbor north of the ROW up to the bay is an area of well-maintained older single family homes and some new contextually-sensitive infill development, which is surprising given the remoteness of the area and proximity to industry. If I'd had a chance to come out here on a sunny day, the photos might have had a more Rockwellian character.

12/4/2009 03:10 PM
Townhouses on Lake Avenue.

12/4/2009 03:10 PM
Lake Avenue headed north toward the coast

12/4/2009 03:11 PM
New townhouses

12/4/2009 03:12 PM
Mixed age development

12/4/2009 03:16 PM
2672 Richmond Terrace

12/4/2009 03:16 PM
Townhouses on Wright Avenue

12/4/2009 03:32 PM
42 Simonson Avenue

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43 Simonson Avenue

12/4/2009 03:44 PM
Van Name at Heusden Street

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Van Name Avenue bridge over ROW

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Heusden Street running parallel on south edge of ROW

Mariner's Harbor was a center-platform station that sat between Van Pelt Avenue and Erastina Place.

12/4/2009 03:46 PM
Mariner's Harbor station

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Mariner's Harbor station

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Van Pelt Ave. bridge over ROW

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Unused power line over ROW

12/4/2009 03:52 PM
Canopy supports

12/4/2009 03:53 PM
Brickwork

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Mariner's Harbor station

12/4/2009 03:54 PM
Overgrowth

12/4/2009 03:54 PM
West edge of platform

12/4/2009 03:55 PM
Linden Ave. along south edge of ROW

12/4/2009 03:55 PM
Maple Parkway

12/4/2009 04:00 PM
Arthur Drier and Son

12/4/2009 04:04 PM
Union Avenue

12/4/2009 04:06 PM
Disused silos on Leyden Ave btw Union Ave and Harbor Road

12/4/2009 04:07 PM
Abandoned townhouse development on Harbor Road

Mariner's Harbor houses is a dreary high-rise development from 1953, which seems to have opened just as the NSRR line was closing. Whether that was by Robert Moses' design or not, it likely served to further isolate the low income residents by making them dependent on slow city buses for mobility.

12/4/2009 04:14 PM
Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:15 PM
Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:16 PM
Management Office

12/4/2009 04:16 PM
Building plaque - notice Robert Moses not included

12/4/2009 04:16 PM
Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:17 PM
Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:18 PM
Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:16 PM
Lockman Loop just east of Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:20 PM
Mill north of ROW and Mariner's Harbor Houses

12/4/2009 04:20 PM
El gato

12/4/2009 04:11 PM
Pentecostal Tabernacle, 183 Harbor Road

12/4/2009 04:12 PM
Survivor walkup, Harbor Road

12/4/2009 04:13 PM
St. Michael's Church

12/4/2009 04:24 PM
Pedestrian passage to South Road Bridge

12/4/2009 04:27 PM
House on South Road

12/4/2009 04:28 PM
South Road bridge

Harbor Road was the penultimate stop on the North Shore line. The far western part of the line has been reactivated for freight service to the New York Container Terminal in Howland Hook. The restored line begins with a single track just west of Union Road, proceeds under Harbor Road and expands to five tracks just west of South Road. The Travis Branch also splits off of the line just east of South Road and continues down the West Shore to an electrical plant.

12/4/2009 04:02 PM
ROW enclosure east of Union Avenue

12/4/2009 04:01 PM
Restored rail line west of Union Avenue

12/4/2009 04:02 PM
Single rail line west from Union Avenue

12/4/2009 04:07 PM
Restored rail line west of Union Avenue

12/4/2009 04:08 PM
Restored rail line running under Union Avenue bridge

12/4/2009 04:07 PM
Harbor Road Bridge, Summerfield United Methodist Church

12/4/2009 04:08 PM
Rail line splitting to three tracks west of Harbor Road

12/4/2009 04:20 PM
Conrail - No Trespassing

Arlington was the terminating station on the North Shore line at South Road. No traces of the old station remain. There has never been regular passenger rail service beyond South Road and there are no plans to add it. Adding a stop in Howland Hook might be helpful for some New York Container Terminal employees, but limited potential patronage and possibility of contention with freight service might not make an additional stop worth the cost. The area west of South Road and south of the ROW is largely undeveloped and is a potential location for an additional rail yard and / or a new maintenance facility.

12/4/2009 04:27 PM
Tracks headed from the east to South Road

12/4/2009 04:26 PM
Tracks headed west to Arlington Yard