Boonton is a

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

station in

Boonton Boonton () is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline o ...

, Morris County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

along the

Montclair–Boonton Line The Montclair–Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...

. It is located on Main Street ( County Route 511), near Myrtle Avenue ( U.S. Route 202) and I-287. The original 1905 station was built by architect Frank J. Nies who built other stations for the

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...

. Unlike most of his stations which tended to be massive Renaissance structures, Boonton station was built as a simple Prairie House design. The station house is now a bar, and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on July 13, 1977, With two years before the establishment of

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...

and six years before becoming part of their railroad division.

History

The construction of the Boonton Branch began on February 22, 1866 at a groundbreaking on the Denville section of Rockaway Township. This would be a new branch of tracks between Ketchams Switch and Boonton. The very first passenger train to Boonton came on September 5, 1867, going to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at 6:45 a.m. The first freight train was two weeks later, a coal train to a local mill. Boonton was the location of several iron mills and freight trains often brought supplies to the mills. The new branch was a creation of J.C. Lord, a partial owner of the Boonton Works and a director for the

Morris and Essex Railroad The Morris and Essex Railroad was a railroad across northern New Jersey, later part of the Main line (railway), main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. History The M&E was incorporated January 29, 1835, to build a line from ...

. In 1869, the

began construction of the Boonton, Paterson and New York Branch, which would extend the Boonton Branch to the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

via

Paterson Paterson may refer to: People *Paterson (surname) *Paterson (given name) Places Australia *Paterson, New South Wales * Paterson River, New South Wales *Division of Paterson, an electoral district in New South Wales * Paterson, Queensland, a loc ...

, providing a new branch shorter than the nearby

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...

. The extension would also add a second track to the branch and offer more freight service. By August 1869, the construction in Boonton had been completed, including the tough section of the tidewaters, along with south of that section. Extension of coal train service in September 1870 and passenger service began on December 14, 1870.

Station layout and services

Boonton station contains a single low-level

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...

, located under the bridge of Main Street ( County Route 511). The station contains a single brick shelter, which contains the single

ticket vending machine A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine (TVM), is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instance, ...

. Bicycle racks are located on the platform behind the brick shelter. Boonton station contains a single parking lot, which contains 58 spaces, three of which are accessible for handicapped persons. The town of Boonton maintains the lot, which is paid parking until 7:00 p.m. Monday–Saturday. The station does not have service on weekends except during holidays. Bus connections are available to NJ Transit's 871 service and Lakeland Bus Lines's 46 service.

Bibliography

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References

External links

*
1907 post card of Boonton DL&W Station (The Erie-Lackawanna Archives)

Main Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boonton (Njt Station) NJ Transit Rail Operations stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1867 Former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad stations Boonton, New Jersey Railway stations in Morris County, New Jersey Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Prairie School architecture in New Jersey 1867 establishments in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places

History

Station layout and services

See also

Bibliography

References

External links