Essex Fells station

Essex Fells
Essex Fells station c. 1907–1912.
General information
Location	Oak Lane at Chestnut Street, Essex Fells, New Jersey
Owned by	Roseland Railway (1892–1896) New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad (1896 – 1943) Erie Railroad (1896–1960) Erie-Lackawanna Railway (1960–1966) Morristown and Erie Railroad (1904–1928)
Line(s)	Caldwell Branch Morristown and Erie Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	1763[1]
History
Opened	1892; 132 years ago (1892) (Erie Railroad passenger service) November 21, 1904; 119 years ago (November 21, 1904) (Morristown and Erie passenger service)[2]
Closed	April 29, 1928; 96 years ago (April 29, 1928) (Morristown and Erie passenger service)[3] October 3, 1966; 58 years ago (October 3, 1966) (Erie Railroad passenger service)[4]
Key dates
November 1966	1903 station depot razed[5]
Services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station Terminus Caldwell Branch Caldwell toward Great Notch Preceding station Morristown and Erie Railroad Following station Roseland toward Morristown Main Line Terminus

Essex Fells was the terminus of the Erie Railroad's Caldwell Branch in the Essex County community of Essex Fells, New Jersey. Located at the junction of Oak Lane and Chestnut Lane in Essex Fells, the station was also a connection to the Morristown and Erie Railroad, which continued west through Roseland towards Morristown. The next station north from the Essex Fells station was Caldwell heading northward to Great Notch in Little Falls, where the line connected to the New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad.

Service through the Caldwells began on August 3, 1891 with the opening of the Caldwell Railway, a four-station service between Caldwell Junction (later Great Notch) and originally, Caldwell. The service was extended in 1892 to Essex Fells, when a station was constructed by famed architect Bradford Gilbert at the cost of $3,000 (1892 USD). The station depot without its awnings came to dimensions of 20 feet (6.1 m) by 52 feet (16 m) and made of stone with a porte-cochere on the right side. This station depot still stands on Oak Lane, a short distance east of the station site. The depot was replaced by another structure, constructed later. In 1903, the Morristown and Erie Railroad was approved to extend to Essex Fells and provide a direct connection to the Erie and New York City.

Service along the Caldwell Branch was rapidly downgraded starting in 1928. Passenger service on the Morristown and Erie was terminated on April 29, 1928, but still had freight connections. By 1962, the Caldwell Branch, and service to Essex Fells had been consolidated to two daytime trains heading to Hoboken Terminal and two back. With no weekend service, the last train arrived in Essex Fells on September 30, 1966, after the newly formed Erie Lackawanna Railroad got permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to cut several branches, but the closure was not official until October 3, 1966. After service was terminated, the mayor of Essex Fells requested the Erie Lackawanna tear down the station depot on Oak Lane, and the job was completed just a month later in November 1966.