I’m not sure where to post this, but I’ll start here and hope that if it is in the wrong location the Moderator can move it to where it will do some good.
The May, 2011 Issue of Trains has a “Rails to Trails across America” map inside that has a few related errors. The errors that I found deal with the Henry Hudson Trail in New Jersey, which is identified as #233 on the map.
The Henry Hudson Trail runs from Freehold, New Jersey to Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey via Matawan, New Jersey. The trail is assembled from two former Central RR of NJ Branches that had passenger service as recently as 1936, and freight service as recently as 1966. The map shows a portion of the Seashore Branch [originally the Atlantic Highlands Branch], which originally ran between Matawan and Long Branch via Atlantic Highlands, and – by the time the branch was abandoned – it was cut back to Atlantic Highlands, with the lower portion given over to New Jersey Route 36. The map identifies the end of track as Manasquan, which is totally incorrect – it is Atlantic Highlands, NJ. The other branch, identified by the CRR of NJ as the Freehold Branch between Matawan and Freehold, is part of the trail, but not shown on the map at all, and the combined Bike Trail is 23.01 Miles in length.
Thanks for this post to set the record straight (although I did find it a little confusing). I haven’t been there yet, but it’s well within reach, and I might even get there over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
As I understand it, the Seashore Branch [originally the Atlantic Highlands Branch] is now the “North Section” of this trail, from the common point of Matawan to the east about 12 miles to Atlantic Highlands, as shown on the map of it at this link (1 page - 8-1/2" x 14", approx. 513 KB in size):
Then the Freehold Branch is now the “South Section” of the trail, again from the common point of Matawan but to the south instead, also for about 12 miles to Freehold, as shown on the map of it at this link (1 page - 8-1/2" x 14", approx. 409 KB in size):
I forgot to mention that the North Section of the trail crosses under the unusual railroad for U.S. Naval Weapons Station Earle, which runs from the “Mainside” inland to the Earle Pier as shown on the above linked map, about 3 miles west of Atlantic Highlands, at the southwesterly corner of Leonardo, alonside the railroad’s bridge over Route 36 also. More information about it can be found at:
I thought the trail maps were very well done. It’s understandable there would be some errors, given the nature of the sources.
Here are two corrections for the Chicago area, the second of which is pretty trivial:
The map completely omits the portion of the Great Western Trail on the east side of the Fox River, running about 12 miles from a connection with the Elgin Branch of the Illinois Prairie Path near West Chicago to a connection with the main stem of the Prairie Path at Villa Park. As the name suggests, its all on the former Chicago Great Western.
The “former railroad” of the Virgil Gilman Trail (near Aurora) is shown as the “CA&D”, presumably the Chicago Aurora & DeKalb interurban. However, less than a mile of the trail is on the CA&D (a segment running about 3/4 mile west of Bliss Road near the west end of the trail). To the extent this trail is on rail rights-of way, it is mostly on the EJ&E Aurora Branch (east end of the trail to the BNSF on the west side of the Fox River), and then the Chicago, Milwaukee & Gary (Milwaukee Road) west to IL Route 56.
You confused me about the EJ&E Aurora Branch, so I checked the 1936 OG, and found out that the actual Aurora Branch, which was part of the Joliet Division, ran as follows:
Aurora: MP 0.00
Aurora Junction: M.P. 1.00
East Aurora: M.P. 1.85
Wolfs: M.P. 6.40
Normantown: M.P. 9.55
The line joined the EJ&E Joliet Division Main at Normantown, and Interchanged with the CB&Q, C&NW, CA&E, and Milwaukee Road at Aurora.
There was only a single pair of scheduled freights at the time #31 and 32, with East Joliet as the other terminal at the time.
I question whether there was any interchange between the EJ&E Aurora branch and CA&E. There was no physical connection between the two lines. The EJ&E Aurora line came into Aurora from the southeast while CA&E came in from the northeast, and the CA&E ended about a mile north of the EJ&E. It’s possible that there could have been an interchange via CB&Q (which did interchage with CA&E at Aurora), but my trusty 1955 Official Guide doesn’t show any interchange between EJ&E and CA&E at Aurora
According to the 1955 Offical Guide, there were two EJ&E-CA&E interchanges, both of which were on EJ&E’s main line. One was at Eola (“Electric Junction”) on the CA&E Aurora branch, and the other was at Wayne, on the CA&E Elgin branch.
Officially, you are correct, even back in 1936, but when you search the other way: searching the Station Index, at least in the August 1936 Issue of the OG, you will find the railroads I listed as having connections, except between the CB&Q and the CA&E because their station locations were 1/2 Mile apart.
The problem is that there was never a physical connection at Aurora between the EJE Aurora Branch and CA&E - the two lines were about a mile apart at their closest point. The only way they could have interchanged at Aurora is via another carrier (probably CB&Q). It’s difficult to see why they would have done this, since CA&E could interchange with EJE on the latter road’s main line at Electric Junction (Eola), only a few miles east of Aurora. What I suspect was going here is that, in the 1936 Guide, the Electric Junction interchange was considered an Aurora interchange.