Construction of the Lackawanna Cut-Off

The amount of work per mile varied; the largest share apparently went to David W. Flickwir, whose Section 3 included Roseville Tunnel and the eastern half of the Pequest Fill.

To accommodate the labor gangs, deserted farmhouses were converted to barracks, with tent camps providing additional shelter.

These workers, many of whom came from Italy and other foreign countries or other parts of the U.S., were recruited and would move on to other projects after their work on the Cut-Off was completed.

These workers were viewed with suspicion by the local populace in Warren and Sussex counties, with the town of Blairstown going as far as hiring a watchman at $40 per month for the duration of the project.

With several thousand men working on the project for over three years, the area all along the Cut-Off, and as far west as Portland, Pennsylvania, benefitted financially.

In 1910, for example, five workers were killed in a single blasting mishap near Port Morris, one of several deadly accidents that involved dynamite.

[1] Depending on the fill size, material was dumped from trains that backed out onto track on wooden trestles or suspended on cables between steel towers.

It was at its maximum height 110 feet (34 m) tall and was 3.12 miles (5.0 km) long, requiring 6,625,648 cubic yards (5,065,671 m3) of fill.

[4] Contractor Flickwir, whose section included Roseville Tunnel and the eastern half of the Pequest Fill, worked around the clock during the summer of 1911 when construction fell behind schedule.

In 2008, K-07 was replaced by a modern two-lane bridge of similar design about midway between the ends of the cut (MP 47.8), near its deepest point, where the line is on a 2° curve (70 mph, 113 km/h).

[8] McMickle Cut is within the section of the Cut-Off that is being rebuilt by NJ Transit for rail service to Andover, which is slated to open in 2018.

Lack of maintenance has allowed the area to drain increasingly poorly and meet the technical definition of wetlands.

[6] Located between mileposts 48.3 and 49.0 in Byram Township, it sits on a tangent (straight) section of right-of-way just west of McMickle Cut and just east of Bradbury Fill.

In 2012, a single track was relaid through the cut as part of NJ Transit's plans to restart rail service in or after 2026.

[7] A dam was built under the fill on the north side of the embankment, creating Dallis Pond, which flows into Lake Lackawanna.

Section 3 was assigned to contractor David W. Flickwir, who built miles 50.2–55.8, from Lake Lackawanna to the center of Pequest Fill.

Most of the material for the 0.5-mile (0.64 km) fill was excavated from the surrounding low-lying area drained by Pumpkin Run; several of the borrow pits have since become ponds.

Located between mileposts 51.8 and 52.3 in Byram Township, Colby Cut was created by removing 462,342 cubic yards of fill material.

[9] In March 1906, Colby proposed to Lackawanna President William Truesdale that the railroad should put a train station for the Cut-Off on his property, near a "Roseville Lake" (probably Wright's Pond, which is just east and north of the tunnel).

Truesdale had Colby contact the chief engineer, Lincoln Bush, to investigate the idea, but the proposal appears to have gone no further.

Section 4 was assigned to Walter H. Gahagan: miles 55.8–60.8, from the center of Pequest Fill westward to Johnsonburg station.

[9] Part of the north side of Armstrong Cut collapsed in 1941, completely blocking the Cut-Off, and causing all traffic to be diverted to the Lackawanna Old Road for a month while the embankment was excavated back.

[6] Located near milepost 64.8 in Blairstown Township, the cut was constructed by removing some 578,000 cubic yards (442,000 m3) of fill material.

Located between mileposts 65 and 65.3 in Blairstown Township, the fill was made of 293,500 cubic yards of material, much of which was obtained from nearby Jones Cut.

This bridge over Paulinskill and the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad was the world's largest reinforced concrete structure at its completion.

Built by Smith, McCormick Co., Section 7 included miles 70.8–74.3, from the west end of Paulinskill Viaduct to Slateford Junction.

This 1910 photo shows how much of the Lackawanna Cut-Off's Pequest Fill was created: by dumping small skip cars of dirt from a suspended railway.
A May 1909 view of the Wharton Fill looking east from atop Roseville Tunnel , ten months into construction
Paulinskill Viaduct near Hainesburg is 115 ft (35 m) tall and was the world's largest reinforced concrete structure when built. [ 2 ]
The original County Road 605 bridge looking westbound in April 1989. The bridge crosses roughly in the middle of McMickle Cut. Note that there are the remains of two tracks through the area. Although the Cut-Off was single-tracked in 1958, the second track (westbound main - left) was not removed here; instead it became a passing siding that ran from the western end of McMickle Cut to Port Morris Junction , nearly 3 miles (5 km).
This April 1910 construction photo shows a narrow-gauge train hauling fill material to the top of Waltz & Reece Fill. Waltz & Reece Cut is visible to far left; the top of Roseville Tunnel at center, on the horizon.
Bradbury Fill looking east from its western end in 2012.
Eastbound view of Lubber Run Fill, spring 1990. Lake Lackawanna is just out of view to the right.
Wharton Fill in 1989, looking west toward Roseville Tunnel .
Colby Cut in 1989, looking westbound from above the western portal of Roseville Tunnel.
Located near the midway point of Ramsey Fill was Johnsonburg Station (right) and creamery, shown here in 1911. In the distance can be seen Armstrong Cut , which produced much of the fill material.
Taken from the top of the north side of Armstrong Cut in 1989 facing westbound on the Cut-Off, note the tapered embankment in the foreground as compared to the same embankments seen in the distant background in the 1911 shot of Johnsonburg Station .
Early construction on Jones Cut - March 23, 1909.
Blairstown Station, shown here in 1988, is located at the western end of Jones Cut.
Vail Fill passes over Mt. Hermon Road in the Vail section of Blairstown, NJ .
At Slateford Junction, looking north, the Lackawanna Cut-Off (left) and the Old Road (right) converge about 1,500 feet (460 m) past Slateford Tower (obscured by trees, left).