WR Draw
| WR Draw | |
|---|---|
View from North Newark to West Arlington
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| Coordinates | 40°46′36″N 74°09′00″W / 40.7766256°N 74.1500386°WCoordinates: 40°46′36″N 74°09′00″W / 40.7766256°N 74.1500386°W |
| Carries |
New York and Greenwood Lake Railway (1897-1966) Boonton Line (1963-2002) |
| Crosses | Passaic River |
| Locale |
Newark and Kearny New Jersey |
| Other name(s) | West Arlington Drawbridge, Bridge 7.57 |
| Owner | New Jersey Transit |
| Preceded by | Midland Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Swing bridge |
| Clearance above | 40 feet (12 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1897 |
| Closed | 2002 |
 WR Draw
Location within New Jersey
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WR Draw is an out-of-service railroad bridge crossing the Passaic River between Newark and the Arlington section of Kearny, New Jersey. The plate girder rim-bearing swing bridge, originally built in 1897 and modified in 1911 and 1950, is the 14th bridge from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 8.1 miles (13.0 km) upstream from it. Last used for regular passenger service in 2002, it is welded in closed position as its height is not considered a hazard to navigation.
The lower 17 miles (27 km) of the ninety mile (140 km) long Passaic River downstream of the Dundee Dam is tidally influenced and navigable. Rail service across the river was generally oriented to bringing passengers and freight from the points west over the Hackensack Meadows to Bergen Hill, where tunnels and cuts provided access terminals on the Hudson River.
An alignment crossing the river at Arlington and North Newark was part of a grander scheme developed in the 1860s by the New York, Oswego, and MIdland Railroad to runs lines from Jersey City into northern New Jersey and beyond to Western New York, also opening up new areas for suburban development (including Belleville, just north of the current bridge's western end). Originally, the plan called for incorporating the Montclair Railway which had been established in 1867. Ultimately that plan was scuttled as a route was established farther north connecting to the New Jersey Midland Railway and Hudson Connecting Railway.
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Wikipedia