Peapack has the lowest average bordings of any stop on the Gladstone Branch with only 56 average weekday boardings. When I visited the station on a weekend both trains I photographed simply paused without opening a door or stopping, I didn't add any ridership to the station since I visited the station as an intermediate stop between Gladstone and Far Hills. The station is on the southern fringes of downtown Gladstone, the sidewalk along Main Street ends when it reaches Holland Road, the only road to the station. Every train on the Gladstone Branch is a local making all stops so except for the couple of Bernardsville Short Turns every train stops at Peapack even though it has the lowest ridership on the branch. Two weekday trains even originate at the station (but none terminate) including one of the two inbound MidTown Direct Trains I assume because of the cramped confines of the Gladstone yard to avoid switching conflicts to bring the trains up to the passenger platform at Gladstone for boarding. When trains aren't running substitute shuttle bus service doesn't pull directly up to the station, passengers must walk out to Main Street to board buses and faded BUS For The Train sigs direct passengers to walk to Main Street.
The station has a single low-level side platform on the west side of the track that begins and runs north for a few cars from the Holland Avenue Grade Crossing. The station is across from a decaying industrial or agricultural building. Along and slightly beneath the platform is a 50 space gravel, unpaved! parking lot with free parking. The surface of the platform is concrete with a sidewalk edge side and just a large painted yellow line to stand behind. Along the platform staring at the grade crossing is a steep ramp up to the platform that has an ugly low chainlink fence because of the drop down to the parking lot. This is followed by a large Peapack Station sign in the historic font (like those designed for motorists to see, not passengers) and then a modern shelter covering a bench with a laminated schedule taped up along one wall. Next are a few steps down to the parking lot. In the middle of the platform is an station house no longer open to the public. Since the parking lot is slightly beneath the station house the building looks like it has been raised from its foundation that almost looks hallow. The building is a single story green wooden structure with a gabled roof and huge eves that run out to be over the platform. It might be abandoned or still used by the railroad for something. Along the platform are chain linked railing steps down to the remains of doors one narrow for passengers, a wider one for baggage and freight both of these are fully boarded up. Directly opposite these doors to the parking lot side are other doors not boarded up. These have Do Not Block Doorway NJTPD sings outside of them. Beneath the eves of the depot is the station's one TVM that was installed with the $5 buy on board fee taking effect on August 15, 2011. There is also a Newark Star Ledger Newspaper Vending Machine that sits un-refilled with a faded nine-month old newspaper inside. Along the north and south ends of the depot are black with faded gold text Peapack signs that are very old and original. On the southside of the depot and ramp (with chainlinked fenced railings) leads down to the parking lot. The northside has a final staircase before the platform ends with a simple yellow line.
All Photos taken on 2 March, 2013
Gladstone 
Far Hills