Great Notch (NJT station)

Great Notch
The Great Notch Station on December 19, 2009, a month prior to closing.
Coordinates	40°52′26″N 74°12′21″W / 40.8738°N 74.2058°W / 40.8738; -74.2058Coordinates: 40°52′26″N 74°12′21″W / 40.8738°N 74.2058°W / 40.8738; -74.2058
Owned by	New Jersey Transit
Line(s)	Montclair-Boonton Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1 track, 1 siding
Connections	NJT Bus: 191, 195, and 705
Construction
Platform levels	Ground
Parking	15
Bicycle facilities	No
Other information
Station code	1747 (Erie Railroad)
Fare zone	7
History
Opened	1905
Closed	January 17, 2010
Rebuilt	1970s
Electrified	September 30, 2002
Previous names	Caldwell Junction
Traffic
Passengers (2009)	2286  87%
Services
Preceding station   NJ Transit Rail   Following station Little Falls toward Hackettstown Montclair-Boonton Line closed Montclair State University toward Hoboken or New York Penn Station Preceding station   Erie Railroad   Following station Montclair Heights toward Pavonia Terminal New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad Little Falls toward Sterling Forest Terminus Caldwell Branch Cedar Grove toward Essex Fells

The Great Notch train station, formerly known as Caldwell Junction, was a small New Jersey Transit facility in the Great Notch section of Little Falls, New Jersey. The station was served seven times a day, three inbound morning trains to Hoboken Terminal and four outbound evening trains from Hoboken by the Montclair-Boonton Line from Monday to Friday. Located at the intersection of Notch Road and Long Hill Road, it was the second of three stations in Little Falls, the other two being Montclair State University and Little Falls, and was the first on the line to be strictly served by diesel trains. However, most trains bypassed this station and continued on to Little Falls (westbound) and Montclair State University (eastbound). The station was served by a single track with an unused side track. The last trains stopped at the station on January 15, 2010, at 7:41pm.

Train service at Great Notch originated in 1891, when the Caldwell Railway opened, serving Great Notch, Overbrook Hospital, Verona, and Caldwell. The station at Great Notch was first constructed in 1905 as a double station building for the Erie Railroad. The station was a green and red building serving the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway, along with the Caldwell Branch. The station also used an old boxcar as a tool shed for maintenance. By the early 1970s, the station had fallen into disrepair, and by 1974, was repainted Erie Railroad-style red with the tool shed box car removed. The station was abandoned when the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad went out of business and was later picked up by New Jersey Transit. After making deals with the mayor of Little Falls, New Jersey Transit gave the station a one-year "trial" to attract ridership. Ridership went down, however, and so the trial was canceled on December 18, 2009. The town of Little Falls was contacted by New Jersey Transit at that time, reporting that the Great Notch Station would be closed on January 17, 2010 due to the "anemic" ridership at the station.