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Lhr logogif
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LHR
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Easton, PA to Maybrook, NY
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1862
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1976
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The ('''L&HR''') was the smallest of the six
Railroad s that were merged into
Conrail in
1976 . It was a
Bridge Line running northeast-southwest across northwestern
New Jersey , connecting the line to the
Poughkeepsie Bridge at
Maybrook, New York with
Easton, Pennsylvania , where it interchanegd with various other companies. It status was diminished as the
Interstate Highway system was developed, and as its connecting railroads entered
Bankruptcy . The
Final Straw came with the burning of the decking of the
Poughkeepsie Bridge in
1974 .
The was organized
March 8 ,
1860 as a branch of the
New York And Erie Rail Road , branching from it at
Greycourt southwest to
Warwick, New York . It opened in
1862 and was operated by the Erie.
The was chartered by
1870 to build an extension in
New Jersey , running from
Belvidere on the
Delaware River and
Belvidere Delaware Railroad northeast to the
New York state line. The '''Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad''' was chartered later as a competitor, planning to build from Belvidere to
McAfee , with the '''Wawayanda Railroad''' running the rest of the way to the state line. In April or May
1881 the three companies merged to form a new Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad, and on
April 1 ,
1882 the Warwick Valley Railroad joined, forming the '''Lehigh and Hudson River Railway'''.
In the meantime, the
Sussex Railroad had built a branch from
Hamburg to South Vernon (McAfee); the L&HR bought this around
1881 . The Warwick Valley Railroad had built an extension southwest to McAfee in March
1880 , and the full line opened
August 14 ,
1882 , connecting
Belvidere, New Jersey to
Greycourt, New York .
The was chartered
November 28 ,
1888 and opened in
1889 , extending the line northeast from Greycourt to
Maybrook . At Maybrook the line junctioned with the
Central New England Railway , continuing east via the
Poughkeepsie Bridge over the
Hudson River to
New England .
Trackage Rights were obtained over a short piece of the
New York, Ontario And Western Railway from the junction at
Burnside west to the major junction at
Campbell Hall .
The was organized
July 25 ,
1889 to build a bridge over the
Delaware River between
Easton, Pennsylvania and
Phillipsburg, New Jersey . Earlier that year the L&HR obtained
Trackage Rights over the
Pennsylvania Railroad 's
Belvidere Delaware Railroad between Phillipsburg and
Belvidere , and once the bridge was completed, the L&HR had a continuous line from Maybrook to Easton. At Easton interchange could be made with the
Central Railroad Of New Jersey and
Lehigh Valley Railroad .
The L&HR eventually obtained
Trackage Rights over the
Delaware, Lackawanna And Western Railroad 's
Sussex Railroad from the junction at
Andover south to
Port Morris , where it interchanged with the main line of the DL&W.
The
Mine Hill Railroad was the only branch built. It ran south from a junction at
Franklin, New Jersey to
Mine s. On
May 23 ,
1907 the L&HR absorbed the Orange County Railroad, and on
April 2 ,
1912 the South Easton and Phillipsburg and Mine Hill Railroads were merged into it.
For some time the L&HR hosted through passenger trains on the
Poughkeepsie Bridge Route , especially prior to the completion of the
Hell Gate Bridge in
New York City .
The L&HR filed for
Chapter 77 Bankruptcy on
April 19 ,
1972 , partly due to
Penn Central 's decision to prefer other routes over the
Poughkeepsie Bridge .
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In
1976 the L&HR was merged into
Conrail ; since then it has been largely abandoned. Portions in New York and northern New Jersey continue to be used by Norfolk Southern and the New York, Susquehanna & Western.
