NYSW 1800 and 1804 pulling a few cars past the Garfield Woolen Mills and Presto Lock. In 1979 this was the southernmost customer on the Passaic Branch. Ray Wetzel photo, 1979. NYS&W ceased operations in Passaic. This was done by service from the Erie Railroad. Small traces of rail service still remain in Jefferson Street crossing. Another large factory on the Passaic Branch was the Andrew McLean Company. They manufactured billions of yards of fine screen mosquito netting. All these mills and several other smaller businesses were serviced by the NYS&W Railway in Passaic. The City of Passaic lies separated from the New York Susquehanna and Western mainline by means of the Passaic River. This river provided the flow of water needed for the Dundee Canal. As mentioned earlier, the canal provided cooling water for the industry within the city. Bridging the Passaic River was necessary in order for the Susquehanna to service the industries of Passaic. The “Black Bridge” as it was called consisted of wooden pilings driven into the river and canal bed. This wooden bridge remained in place for heavy freights to cross until its failure in 1968. The bridge over the Passaic River was deemed structurally unsound. The Susquehanna had to rely on Erie Railroad trackage from the present day New Jersey Transit Bergen County Line down Monroe Street in Garfield (currently NY&GL). Since the Erie had a connection with the NYS&W near Jefferson Street this link allowed continued service into Passaic. This lasted only a short time before the Susquehanna ended all freight service to Passaic by the 1970’s. Industry within Passaic was in serious decline and the need for railroad service into Passaic dwindled. The Passaic Industrial Branch no longer served its namesake city and dead ended in Garfield at River Road. Outside of Passaic The stretch of track leading from Passaic Junction to Passaic was not strictly limited to Passaic industries. Garfield and East Paterson, later Elmwood Park, would also benefit from this industrial rail line winding through their back yards. Bergen County in the early 20th century looked far different than its current populated state. Open land lay in abundance and with the influx of immigrants industry had all the proper catalyst to develop. The Passaic Industrial branch, which had already been established for Passaic, became a life line for raw materials to be brought in for many new sprawling industries within Elmwood Park and Garfield. The same industrial shipping benefits found in Passaic were now helping to develop Rare CF7 Santa Fe 2425 shoving a lone covered hopper through the Garfield Lumber facility on its way to Stull Engraving. This unit was on lease to the NYSW for a few years. Ray Wetzel photo, 1985 7
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