Eastbound NYS&W Freight late 1930’s stown Railway trains were listed from Blairstown to Delaware. However, on a June 4, 1883 NYS&W broadside schedule through service was listed in addition the Delaware Branch. It showed that Paulina had two daily passenger stops in each direction and one on Sunday. By the late 1890’s Paulina was reduced to a flag stop. After 1900, it no longer appeared on the printed schedules. Paulina only had a passenger platform next to track and there was a post with a sign “Paulina” next to the platform. It was on the Blairstown side of the Kill Rd. crossing The first bridge above Blairstown at Paulina was replaced in 1892 with a new iron bridge. In 1923 the bridges in the Paulins Kill valley were all upgraded in order to handle the heavier trains that were running on the Susquehanna and the Lehigh and New England that had trackage rights on the NYS&W from Hainesburg Jct. to Swartswood Jct. The ruling grade for the line was Hainesburg Jct. to Swartswood Jct. The L&NE had steam pushers with the auxiliary tender engine on the rear truck stationed at Hainesburg. These were employed until the late 1940’s. In early 1896 the John I. Blair and Blair Academy interests were in a heated discussion with the NYS&W over the costs of raising the first and second bridges and the ROW 2 feet so that the Paulina dam could be raised to allow more water to be impounded in the Paulina Lake for the operation of the Blair Laundry/Water Works/Electric Light Plant during the low water periods. The raising of the water was to be accomplished with the incorporation of 8 foot sections of wooden gates that would hold the additional water and would be dropped during periods of high water and heavy rains. The Blair interests and the railroad agreed originally on a $500 cost that then increased $750. The railroad stated that the price was getting up to $1000 for 50 cars of rip rapping stone, but 6 would not include the cost for the track crew and the equipment. The Blair interests said the NYS&W was raising the costs to take unfair advantage of John I. Blair’s wealth. The monies were to be paid by a personal check from Mr. W. H. Vail in such a way as to be outside the railroad’s operating expenses with the check to be made out to Mr. McKelvey the General Superintendent of the NYS&W. After numerous letters of correspondence and meetings between the JIB and Blair Academy’s people and NYS&W parties, the matter was closed on August 12, 1897 when the $500 check was received by the railroad and the final agreement returned to the Blair Academy Trustees. This matter had dragged on for almost 18 months On August 19, 1955, the area was devastated by the second hurricane within a week, Hurricane Diane, causing tremendous damage along the stretch from Marksboro to Paulina. The worst location was a wash out near the north pier of the first bridge above Blairstown. In order to relieve the water pressure against the bridge and the ROW embankment, Jerry Kennedy and Jacques Belet placed a light charge to remove a portion of the embankment. When the L&NE ceased operations in early August 1962, there was little need for the NYS&W to continue operations through Blairstown from Sparta Jct. to Hainesburg Jct. On August 29, 1962 the last NYS&W freight on that portion of line was an extra to pick up cars along the route. The next trains were that of the scrapers. By December 1962 the last of the rail through Paulina was lifted and the line was offered for sale and the property was finally sold to the City of Newark for a proposed water line from the ill-fated Tocks Westbound Freight, in Photo is Jacques Belet ex DL&W Cut-Off Section Foreman in early 1950’s View of Paulina in 1930’s
7 Publizr Home