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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:15 pm Post subject: "Tending Lock" |
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All:
One aspect of historical transportation I feel is all too often forgotten are the canals; most especially, the Morris Canal that connected Eastern Pennsylvania with New York Harbor.
In time, however, the railroads made tremendous headways, rendering the canal obsolete and outdated.
The last of the animal-hauled canal boats sailed the length of the meandering, often picturesque Canal over a century ago.
Today, few artifacts remain of thee once-vibrant waterway.
The former PSNJ-operated Newark City Subway (today's Newark Light Rail) in Newark utilizes a large portion of the former canal route through the city of Newark; at Jersey city, the most tangible reminder of the canal is the Basin, at Liberty Park.
In downtown Newark, after the abandoned canal was rebuilt into a new streetcar subway, a new major thoroughfare was built atop the ROW; this was Raymond Boulevard.
To this day, WPA-era murals are visible in the underground stations, showing life on the canal, as well as construction of the Subway itself.
For decades, this Basin was also crowded with LV tugs,carfloats, and lighters.
Let us, now, recall the glory days of the Morris Canal (as well as others); though hard to believe today, the Morris Canal was once a technological wonder, back in the 1800's......
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:51 am; edited 2 times in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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Here's a good starting point*:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Canal
*This is an excellent page, with many historical and modern-era photos, as well as a great deal of historical information...... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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The Canal in Newark*.......
www.oldnewark.com/waterways/morriscanal.php
*Note that, as early as 1912, the Canal bed was envisioned as a streetcar route; this did not come to pass until 1935, when the "City Subway" opened as a conduit for several PS streetcar lines...... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:08 am Post subject: |
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See:
www.canalsocietynj.org/mcdata.htm
This outstanding Morris Canal page will keep one occupied for quite some time; there are numerous links here that will take to you to many rare historical photos of the different locks/planes along the canal route.
I have also seen photos of the only electric plane on the canal system' this was located at Orange St. in Newark (the later site of the City Subway's lone grade crossing)
Here, after street-level crossing gates were lowered, and streetcars and other traffic halted, electric winches would haul the canal boats up the plane, across Orange St., and then back down the opposite side.
Indeed, this had to be something to actually see in action.......
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:23 am Post subject: |
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Another interesting page (w/photos) on the rich and fascinating technology of the Morris Canal......
www.morriscanal.org/tech.htm
(courtesy: Morris Canal Greenway)
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:38 am Post subject: |
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Here's another excellent page on the Morris Canal, with a number of photos, illustrations, and interesting historical data.
As it states on this page, it truly boggles the mind to think that Morris canal was built nearly two centuries ago, without the use of any mechanized equipment, or electronic wizardry.
Truly an amazing feat of early American ingenuity.......
www.kleonard.com/mellotron/mpma0404/morriscanal.htm |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:44 am Post subject: |
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The spirit of the old Morris Canal indeed lives on today in the historic Elblag Canal in Poland; its inclined planes (and plane cars) were based on those used on the Morris Canal.
Truly fascinating......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elblag_Canal |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:46 am Post subject: |
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Also of interest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_inclined_plane *
Note, here, that the earliest known use of an inclined plane dates back to 600 BC!
(also, note photo of "Plane #7" on the Morris Canal) |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:18 am Post subject: |
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During its lifetime, and, most especially in later years, the Morris Canal was maintained by a number of specialized workboats.
These included steam-operated dredgers (one of these dredgers was based at each end of the canal, and resembled a floating steam shovel; crew quarters were also included on these vessels, as each "tour of duty" usually lasted at least on week away from the "home bases" (Jersey City and Phillipsburg)
These dredgers kept the canal to its required 5' depth.
Also employed were weed-cutters; thee small barges were equipped with a gasoline-powered, sickle-bar arrangement, that hacked out underwater weeds.
On the Morris Canal, there were also small, steam-powered inspection boats and, also, a "pay boat"; one of these vessels was the handsome "Katie Kellogg"....... |
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