East Orange
 next stop to theleft  Brick Church 
 next stop to theright  Newark Broad Street 
Home<New Jersey<NJ Transit Rail<Morristown Line (MidTOWN DIRECT)<East Orange
Home<New Jersey<NJ Transit Rail<Gladstone Branch<East Orange

East Orange is a half-abandoned New Jersey Transit Station with every interior space of the original station that was built in 1921-1922 in the Jacobethan Revival style now boarded up along its concrete viaduct (held up by round concrete) beams. The stop clearly today has much less ridership than it was intended for. Weekday service to the station is hourly or better but every train is on a Hoboken-bound train, very few MidTown Direct Trains stop at the station, although on weekends it does receive service every hour from the one hourly MidTown Direct Train that is the train on the entire Morristown Line (and connects to a Gladstone Branch Shuttle).

The station has three tracks with an island platform for the southern two tracks, board here for Hoboken, and a side platform along the outbound Gladstone/Hackettstown-bound track. Although all the interior waiting rooms and station house lay boarded up and abandoned, NJT did make the station ADA compliant by building an elevator up to each platform and mini-high levels at the front ends (west end on the side platform, east end on the island) of each platform in 2004-2005 as part of a project to restore the concrete railroad viaduct from here to Brick Church and in South Orange. Tactile warning strips were also built along all edges of the concrete platforms. The station is located just north of I-280 and overlooks the road, running in a depressed trench parallel of the station. The station lacks any real commuter parking with some parking spaces directly beneath the viaduct but these have a two hour limit. There are also some historic light fixtures along the sides of the viaduct, mainly designed to be visible from the street. TVMs directly on the island platform were installed recently, the $5 surcharge took effect on August 8, 2011.

Our tour starts at the eastern end of the station, here is the mini-high platform for the island platform. It is a new extension of the platform but has historic turquoise beams that look like a continuation of the original canopy and cover the ramp and staircase up to the high platform. It is directly above Munn Avenue and a staircase leads up from the west side of the street to each platform at what were the original ends of each platform. The staircase up to the island platform has a nice brick enclosure with restored windows before arriving up at the platform. The side platform leads to a simple exposed platform. Continuing down the island platform is a large brick and now boarded up shelter, there is also a nice old brown East Orange sign. Next is a second enclosure, formerly for a concession stand. This one has been turned into an elevator with intact to the walls, windows and a green door down to the dark plaza beneath the viaduct. Just beyond the end of this enclosure the canopy begins on the side platform. This canopy is held up by concrete supports that hold up green beams that in turn hold up a concrete roof. Next there is another staircase enclosure on the island platform to the middle of the viaduct near the east side of Arlington Avenue and a staircase that leads down from the edge of the side platform to the actual SE corner of City Hall Plaza and Arlington Avenue.

The island platform has one more closed former waiting shelter above the underpass of Arlington Avenue. The canopy then ends at a staircase with the usual brick enclosure down to the west side of Arlington Avenue. It doesn't lead directly to the street but to an elevated area directly outside the boarded up station house beneath the viaduct. The station house here has brick exterior walls, an abandoned door and two staircases down to the usually empty parking lots beneath the railroad. The boarded up depot is a two story building along the northside of the railroad viaduct. Inside is an abandoned two story waiting room with ticket offices on the ground floor and former areas for baggage handling. The baggage handling is particularly noticeable because of extra large boarded up doors into the building. The second story windows left to the street still have glass in them since it would be very hard to break in there. This building has a brick facade with plenty of marble and intricate detailing that has the letters LR engraved in the sides.

At the souther end of the waiting room is the end of the historic canopy held up by concrete posts on the side platform. Next is a modern elevator shaft that was designed to incorporate the historic nature of the station. It has a brick enclosure with windows along the side allowing views into the shaft with a marble roof complete with a trying to replicate the rest of the station LR logo on top. A new modern canopy that looks slightly different with simpler turquoise colored beams begins at the elevator shaft and runs all the way to the mini-high platform at the western end of the platform, this provides a completely covered passage from elevator to mini-high platform for stepfree station access. This mini-high platform has a ramp and steps up to it at its eastern end but its western end has a staircase that leads directly down to to the southside of Main Street across from Winans Street. Main Street has just crossed beneath the tracks (leaving its location west of the station) at a 45 degree angle. The island platform here is just exposed to the elements before ending at a staircase a bit west of the side platform's to the west side of Main Street's underpass. This staircase splits into two before arriving at street level at a lower landing
All Photos taken on 24 January, 2012

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Approaching the station from the east
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Looking up to the end of a mini-high level platform
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A long walkway around concrete columns beneath the station
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The eastern staircases
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Stairs are in the only still open brick enclosure with windows
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Ramp up to the mini-high platform
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Sign and stairs up to the mini-high platform
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Bench and trying to look historic gold Lackawanna style signs
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Boarded up windows on a closed on platform waiting shed
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A Brown original NJT generation East Orange sign
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Top of the elevator landing to the island platform this shelter was formerly for concessions
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TVMs on the island platform
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A platform sign above a container holding rock salt and highway beyond
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ALP-46 #4658 leaves the station
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Another closed shed and enclosure
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More boarded up windows
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This sign on the island platform has both directions of travel
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Looking across to the closed station house
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Home<New Jersey<NJ Transit Rail<Gladstone Branch<East Orange
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Last Updated: 16 March, 2012
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