Frenchtown, NJ: Cafe/Pennsy Depot

(Satellite)

Street View, Oct 2024

Metrotrails posted two photos with the comment:

Metrotrails Then and Now Series: Historic pre-1930 view in Frenchtown, New Jersey at the Belvidere Delaware Railroad station, compared to the same scene on our 2023 visit.

The "Bel Del" was completed through Frenchtown in 1853, and was established as a station stop.

The station here, now the Bridge Cafe, is perhaps the only original station remaining of the entire Bel Del line. 

The station was majorly overhauled, and scaled back in size substantially about 1950, but some of the original characteristics including the protruding ticket window area is still evident.

The building in the old photo was a shanty for a flagger, which was removed in 1930 and replaced by a more modern signal system. 

Pennsylvania Railroad operated it until 1968, followed by Penn Central, then Conrail in 1976.

Regular passenger service continued on the line until 1960, and freight service continued through the 70s.

The rails were removed in the early 80s, and it became a NJ state park rail trail.

Note the the River Road was merely a path in the old photo.

Metrotrails shared

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1953/53 Frenchtown Quad @ 24,000