| Waldwick | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style: | NJ Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style2: | NJ Transit BOF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 41.0122°N -74.123°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform: | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks: | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers: | 494 (average weekday)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pass Year: | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened: | 1886[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Code: | 2319 (Erie Railroad)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned: | New Jersey Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zone: | 10[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other Services Header: | Former services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other Services Collapsible: | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nrhp: |
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| Mapframe: | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mapframe-Custom: |
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Waldwick is a commuter rail station operated by New Jersey Transit in the borough of Waldwick, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Located at the intersection of West Prospect Street and Hewson Avenue, the station has three tracks, the outer two of which are served by low-level side platforms, which are connect by a pedestrian bridge at their southern ends. As a result, the station is inaccessible for handicapped people as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Some Main Line and Bergen County Line trains originate and terminate at Waldwick station. The multiple-track yard Waldwick Yard is located at the north end of the station. The historic Erie Railroad Signal Tower is between them.
This station did not open along with the rest of the Paterson and Ramapo Railroad on October 19, 1848. The Erie Railroad, which took over that railroad, established a stop at Waldwick and a wooden station depot was built on the east side of the tracks. The historic original station house has been listed in the state and federal registers of historic places since 1978 and is part of the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource.[6] [7] The Waldwick Community Alliance[8] has leased the building for 25 years until 2034. After years of being in disrepair, it was restored and now houses the Waldwick Museum of Local History.
The Paterson and Ramapo Railroad started service on October 19, 1848, though no station was built in the area of Hohokus Township that constitutes modern-day Waldwick. Stops were established at Allendale and the eponymous Hohokus for passenger and freight from Jersey City and vice versa.[9] [10] The establishment of Orvil Township, New Jersey (named after local resident Orvil Victor) in the late 1880s helped pushed the interest of the Erie Railroad to build a station between Allendale and Hohokus. Farmers requested that the railroad provide trains for them to transport their products more quickly. Peter Bogert, a local farmer, donated some of his land along the tracks Orvil Township and residents offered to pay for a new station in 1886. Victor was chair of a committee to decide what the name of the new stop would be, which decided on the name "Waldwick" after originally choosing "Waldweck".[11]
The architect Augustus Mordecai of the Erie Railroad was chosen to design the station. Mordecai designed a depot of mixed architectures, combining Stick style and Queen Anne styles. The depots were Stick with the Queen Anne exception being corbeled chimneys, square window borders and shingled gable ends. Mordecai would use this style at other stops, including Suffern, New York and Palisades Park. The depot at Waldwick was a one-and-a-half-story structure with five different rooms. This includes a NaNfeet waiting room for passengers, the baggage room and NaNfeet ticket office, a storage room and a coal facility that combined for NaNfeet of the structure. The waiting room and ticket office contained cast-iron stoves for heating. The outside was batten wood with stucco.
With the establishment of the station, the railroad agreed that a rail yard would be completed by 1887. However, local investors from both New York City and Passaic County, New Jersey invested in a 200acres piece of land next to the tracks at Waldwick in 1889. With the property abutting the tracks, 5acres would be offered to the Erie Railroad to build a yard, replacing a previous proposal at Ridgewood. This would be the terminal for all local trains, in effect replacing the yard in Paterson, necessitating the construction of a new station in the city. With the new yard, more express trains would stop at Paterson with Ridgewood and Waldwick having upgraded facilities. With the yard and increased trains, speculators would be selling out cut out pieces of purchased lands for country homes.[12]
On July 21, 1887, a deadly train accident occurred at the curve just south of Waldwick station. With local laborers putting ballast on the railroad, a delayed express train from Chicago entered the area an hour behind schedule. Around 7:15 a.m., the train reached the workers, who were unaware the train was running late. The train crashed into the laborers, killing at least 11 workers instantaneously. The train came to a stop and began to reverse. The crew and passengers looked at the wounded and deceased bodies all over the track. There were also several laborers running around in a disoriented manner. Several bodies were mangled, with dismembered parts all over the track right-of-way. 15 bodies were counted by passengers as laying on the track.[13]
After 15 minutes, the train continued on its way east to Hohokus. After the accident, the deceased workers were taken to Hohokus while the injured were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson. Blame was immediately placed on the foreman for the ballast crew for not getting his crew out of danger of the oncoming express train. Later investigation stated that there 16 men in the crew that was on the tracks at the time of the accident. The engineer noted to the press at Jersey City that he blew his whistle to alarm the herded ballast workers and attempted to stop the train from hitting them. However, the engineer admitted that there was little he could do to stop the incident.
At a meeting of the Erie Railroad with delegates from the Waldwick Planning and Zoning Boards, along with the Taxpayer's Association on October 11, 1958, Mayor Robert Denver proposed construction of a new station at Waldwick. As part of this, the 1887 depot, freight house, and two of the four tracks would be removed from the station. J.R. Ebert, the superintendent for the railroad, stated that he would ask his superiors about the borough's proposal. He also wrote to the borough would get a high priority if they agreed to it. If upper management agreed, the new depot would be built for freight trains, the railroad would lease some of the property for municipal parking.[14]
Denver, wanting a new station, pushed local societies to push for the relocation or removal of the original depot to no success. Also, the rest of the Waldwick Borough Council for 1958 seemed disinterested in his proposal. Denver stated that he would press the 1959 Council to be more interested in his proposal and that either the railroad or the borough would have to demolish the depot.
In April 1986, NJ Transit eliminated the last workers to use the Waldwick station depot for any purpose. Ten engineers who were assigned to Waldwick Yard for their work would have their base station moved to Hoboken Terminal.[15]
With the station in disrepair in 2005, a new community group named the Waldwick Community Alliance offered to NJ Transit to take part in its Community Revitalization Plan, involving all business owners in the municipality. This would include maintaining and updating their properties. However, NJ Transit declined the request.[16]
On August 13, 2008, NJ Transit announced that the 1887 station depot would be leased to the Waldwick Community Alliance for $1 per year through 2033. As part of the restoration effort, NJ Transit would take out six parking spaces and relocate them in the lot, as well as adjust the entry and exit locations to the parking lot. The entire leased space would be 8545square feet and all restoration work would be paid for by Waldwick Community Alliance.[17]
The Alliance planned to start restoration work in the Spring of 2010. However, the plans were interrupted in a paperwork requirement to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and State Historic Preservation Office to send all their plans so they could approve it. The Department of Community Affairs required plans be sent to focus on the internal utilities of the station, which would cost upwards of $30,000 if they hired HQW Architects in Newton to put the entire list together. The approvals already cost the Alliance $17,000 to get NJ Transit on board in 2009. It was also stated that the roof and sill plate were to be replaced and the building would be raised from the ground level.[18] After heavy fundraising efforts and acquiring grants, construction on the new roof and sill plate began October 2011. As part of the grants, all construction required using modern versions of 1887 materials and crafting.[19] The roof work was done by October 2013, when project funding shifted to the next phase. However, due to problems with the contractor who did the first phase of work, the Waldwick Community Alliance required finding a new contractor to work on the project. On October 4, 2013, the community group acquired bids from several engineering firms to start the next part and reduced it to two possibilities. However, there were concerns about the bids being higher than expected. As part of the second phase, the station would have all its windows restored, doors replaced, painting and fresh utilities. Also, the station would receive new drainage, fencing, stairs and a ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. However, due to the high bids, the Waldwick Community Alliance stated that they would have to consider reducing the scope of the second phase if costs could not come down.[20] On May 22, 2016, the borough of Waldwick marked the completion of the restoration project. A ribbon cutting ceremony and musical performances were done before speakers began discussing the long project. Doug Cowie, the Vice President of the Waldwick Community Alliance cited Kay Williams' actions in 1977 and 1978 for saving the depot for them to restore after Conrail's demolition attempt. Williams' daughter, Joani Williams Wortmann also spoke about hre mother's actions and thanked the Alliance for continuing her efforts.[21]
In June 2015, the borough of Waldwick approved a new housing development named Waldwick Station on the site of the former DeMartini Coal and Lumber Company, which abutted the tracks on the west side on West Prospect Street. The new project would provide $479,000 in new tax revenue for the municipality. It would include 1676square feet of retail space next to the station for residents and commuters alike. There would be 111 apartments in all, broken up to into studio, one-bedroom and two bedroom apartments. 10 percent of these apartments would meet affordable housing requirements. The lower level of the structure would serve as a parking garage.
Construction began in July 2016 with the destruction of the former lumber yard.[22] After swift construction due to a mild winter, Russo Development and Terminal Construction, operators of the new development, suggested it would begin leasing in the autumn of 2017.[23] The new development opened on November 22, 2017.[24]
Waldwick station contains three tracks, containing two low-level side platforms. West Prospect Street, cut by the tracks, connects the station via a steel-frame pedestrian bridge. The station and the bridge are both not accessible for handicapped persons. The station depot is on the east side of the bridge while a passenger shelter on the west side. Waldwick station has three separate parking areas, but only one full lot. The main lot, located at the junction of West Prospect Street and Hewson Avenue, contains 153 regular spaces and two handicap accessible spaces. The parking lot is owned by NJ Transit but operated by the borough of Waldwick. During the week, the lot is permit only, but free at nights and weekends. The second set of spaces is street parking on Hewson Avenue, containing 28 spaces and daily parking during the week. The last 14 spaces are on Maple Avenue and Wagner Street adjacent to the Hoboken-bound tracks, requiring a daily parking fee during the week and free on weekends.[25]
Waldwick, like its neighboring stations at Ho-Ho-Kus, Allendale and Ramsey, has no connecting bus services available at the station. The station is located in fare zone 10 with Ho-Ho-Kus.[26]