Gladstone
Gladstone is the terminus of the Gladstone Branch, a single track with pasting sidings branch of the Morris & Essex Lines. The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad reached Gladstone in 1891 when the small Queen Anne Style station house was built this same that still exists today although the public isn't allowed inside. It's still in railroad use as the dispatchers and crew office. Electrification reached Gladstone using a 3000 Volts DC electric current in January 1931. This system pioneered by Thomas Edison was completely unique to the Lackawanna Railroad. The MU cars bought for the electrification project in 1930 were the only cars in service to Gladstone for over 50 years until the line was re-electrified on August 28, 1984 with more modern 27,500 Volt AC current. This led to the introduction of the Arrow-III MU cars on the line that provide nearly all the service today on the line hourly to Hoboken on weekdays, with more frequent but peak direction only (no westbound trains from Gladstone to Hoboken between 4:50pm and 8:50pm, the first morning eastbound train arrives at 9:36) trains during rush hours (more reverse peak trains can't operate since the line is single tracked). Starting on June 10, 1996 MidTOWN DIRECT service began with a one seat ride from Gladstone into New York-Penn Station. These trains only operate twice per peak direction rush hour (and the Gladstone Branch has never had better MidTOWN DIRECT service since its creation), one of the AM inbound train originates in Peapack because (I assume) shunting issues in getting the train up to the passenger platform in the station. These trains must use push-pull sets because the Arrow cars can't do the voltage change at Kearney on the fly. This means the Gladstone Branch has two sets of single level Comets with an ALP-44 and ALP-46 locomotive allocated to it for MidTOWN DIRECT service. These sets overnight and weekend in the small 7 siding yard around the station along with a few other Arrow-III trainsets. Weekend service consists of an hourly shuttle train running between Gladstone and Summit only with connections to the hourly Morristown Line MidTOWN DIRECT train.
The station itself has a single platform on the edge of two tracks; the far one is a siding. The main other five siding tracks are just south of the station while a final track leads to a small building and the former freight house runs at angle west of the station's main platform. This platform ends at a bumper block that longer trains pull-up to. This bumper block is along a driveway to a 32 space parking lot between the former freight train and today's station platform. All parking at the station is free but some of these spaces are reserved for NJ Transit Crews. The platform itself is along a 75 space parking lot parallel to Main Street. In the middle of the platform area is the Queen Anne Style station house used as crew quarters. It has green walls and a high gabled roof that provides some porch covering for waiting passengers. Modern but old style font Gladstone Station signs hang from them. There is a historical NJ Transit sign with the history of the station. There is a Pepsi Machine directly outside. A fence is along the edge of the platform allowing no train boarding to occur here. North of the station house up to the bumper block is a simple low-level platform with a decaying yellow line. There is a single normal NJT sign. Trains don't normally stop here anymore for passenger unloading. Instead they use a modern 4 car high-level platform that has been built for ADA accessibility and begins just south of the Queen Anne Style station house. At each end is a staircase up to it and the middle has a ramp and a small modern shelter that covers the station's TVM. The high-level platform ends at a grade crossing that leads into the yard and two more small parking lots around the yard.
All Photos taken on 2 March, 2013
Peapack