Downer & Willimstown Branch

[Kevinhooa]

I know this might not technically be in the Pine Barrens, but since it involves historical stuff in the woods, I figured I'd share. I took a stroll down the rail-trail that was part of the PRSL Williamstown Branch the other day and heading west from Fries Mill Rd. I noticed at about 100 yards past the 4 mile mark that there was an unusual amount of glass and cinders on the right side. After checking the pile of what looked like bulldozed roadbed from when they made the trail, I realized that this was an entire glassworks piled up on the side. Chunks and whole bricks, slag, cinders, and whole chunks of bottles and melted glass. I've seen cinder used as roadbed many times before, but this was a little different. On my way walking back I noticed it more, although not as concentrated as the first location. It almost looks like the entire remains of a glassworks was scooped up and dumped right in the railroad Right of Way. It seemed pretty old too as some of the bottle tops I found were hand blown and tooled with uneven edges, bubbles, and ash in the glass. I did some research and found out that the railroad ran past three glassworks, the Williamstown Glassworks in Williamstown, the Downer Glassworks, in Downer/Williamstown, and the Whitney Glassworks in Glassboro. I guess that the remains of one of these sites could have been used, especially since most of this line was funded by the Williamstown Glassworks. I just thought it was really weird to see such huge chunks of pooled glass and chunks of bottles used as ballast. I've only seen glass marbles used in ballast, and that was on the old Reading line between Clementon and Winslow Junction. Anyone else ever see anything like this before?

[tom m]

I'm not far from there , Where is this again? I might like to see that, I love old places like that. Have you ever been to Atlantic County Park on Rt 50 outside of Mayslanding? If you like hiking That's a great place , all the old roads from the munitions dump are still there all the old foundations and you can find some small old relics if you look hard enough, I've loaded my back Pack and my son and I walked all day long.

[Anger Management]

I was just out on the Reading Line near Wislow Rental and seen the glass marbles all over the tracks. My brother and I were out doing a little exploring, looking for some reminants of the Williamstown R.R. It ran from Mullica Hill to Atco. We still have more exploring to do and pictures to take.

[Kevinhooa]

Yeah, the location is a little tough, but it's on Fries Mill Road heading South from the Black Horse Pike just past 322 to Rowan. I just parked on the side of the road, I didn't see a car lot. It's on the western section towards Glassboro and follow the distance markers I listed already. You'll see it. And this is the railroad that originally went from Atco to Mullica Hill with different portions being abandoned through the past century. The section at Williamstown Junction is the best preserved with a car scale still in the woods. Although it might not be there for long. The last time I checked someone was scrapping the scale and hauling it away piece by piece. Sucks.

[andy1015]

Where exactly do those glass marbles come from?

[Kevinhooa]

Andy 1015,
I really don't know. I asked the guys at the railroad museum in Tuckahoe and they said they probably were waste from a glass factory and used them for ballast. It's really weird seeing the tracks covered with these aqua blue marbles though. And why they made it to this track in particular instead of any other line is a mystery to me. The only thing I can think of is if they came from the Williamstown Glassworks in Williamstown as glass waste and were used as ballast from that junction to Winslow Junction to get rid of them. But, that's just a guess.

Kevin

[tom m]

Ok One more question Kevin, do you go past Stanger rd On the Right and how far. My company did Most of the work in all the developments on the left , and I notice a nice chunk of undeveloped land right past Stanger Rd. Is that it

[andy1015]

Thanks Kevin. Not sure if it is the same line, but i used to find them along the line that runs through haddon heights, audubon, barrington.

[andy1015]

http://www.railroadiana.org/hw/pgMarbles.php

Did a little googaling.

[relayer]

I can't claim any great expertise about Downer but I offer this image of the sand mine there for your viewing pleasure.
relayer

[RMICKLE]

Thanks Kevin. Not sure if it is the same line, but i used to find them along the line that runs through haddon heights, audubon, barrington.

That is the same line.

The trail of marbles went down to Winslow then back up to Berlin to the Owens Corning plant, for fiberglass, on the west side of Rt. 73. Freight service stopped when Amtrak / NJ Transit took the line over in the late 80's.

Roy

[Anger Management]

Yeah, the location is a little tough, but it's on Fries Mill Road heading South from the Black Horse Pike just past 322 to Rowan. I just parked on the side of the road, I didn't see a car lot. It's on the western section towards Glassboro and follow the distance markers I listed already. You'll see it. And this is the railroad that originally went from Atco to Mullica Hill with different portions being abandoned through the past century. The section at Williamstown Junction is the best preserved with a car scale still in the woods. Although it might not be there for long. The last time I checked someone was scrapping the scale and hauling it away piece by piece. Sucks.

Thanks, when we get some more free time we will be heading back out there again. Does anyone know a time frame when that line was in service?

[Kevinhooa]

Tom m - yeah, you go past Stranger Rd. heading north and the rail-trail is about 100 to 150 years across the road before the Downer Methodist Church. You'll see it, it's paved.

Anger Management, the time frame for the railroad: Section between Atco and Williamstown was built in 1871 to serve the glass house there named as the Williamstown Railroad. The line was re-named and changed hands a couple of times and was extended to Glassboro by the Reading in 1883. In 1942 the section between the Reading and Atco was abandoned. By 1950 very little business remained and by 1969 the line was abandoned and tore up except for a small portion in Glassboro. This line also had another segment, the Mullica Hill branch which was connected to the rest of the ACRR (South Jersey Reading
predecessor) in Glassboro. That line was built in 1888 and was abandoned in December of 1950. The concrete bridge pilings over Misery Run Creek in Mullica Hill are still there from the huge bridge that the Reading built.

Kevin

[Kevinhooa]

Thanks for that picture relayer. It's always interesting to see what things looked like back in the day. And since it says silica business, I wonder if this guy shipped his sand to the glassworks in the area?

[Kevinhooa]

Sorry, read it wrong. The original bridge in Mullica Hill was built in 1888, and a newer one was built by the reading in 1919. Those are the concrete piers that remain today.

Kevin