Archived Digital Text

The road began regular operations in May, 1868. Built to the Erie's six-foot track gauge, the road was for a time operated by the Erie. Trains used the Erie station at James and Depot Streets. At the end of May, 1871, the road was leased by the Midland, who began adding a third rail so as to accommodate standard gauge equipment on November 13, 1871. About a year later, on November 18, 1872, the East Main Street depot was opened for business. The Midland was completed in July 1873, entering receivership shortly after. The MU & WG was leased by the New Jersey Midland in 1873, which, in early 1880, was reorganized as the Midland Railroad of New Jersey. Later that year, the Midland renegotiated its lease of the MU & WG. In 1881, the Midland was finally reorganized as the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad.
The Erie gained control of the NYS & W in January, 1898, formally leasing the road in February. Fifteen years later, in 1913, the Erie defaulted on the bond payments, apparently intentionally dropping the lease of the MU & WG. The road was then reorganized as the Middletown & Unionville. Passenger service continued until c1943 using a rail car. The use of the steam locomotives on the M & U ended with purchase of a General Electric 44-ton diesel in 1946. By 1947, the line had again reorganized, becoming the Middletown & New Jersey Railway, which it is today. In 1958, the New York, Susquehanna & Western abandoned and ripped up their track from Beaver Lake (NJ) to Hanford. "Hanford" was the name of the interchange point between the M& NJ and the NYS & W just below Unionville. It was also called M & U Jct.
The Empire State Railway Museum began to operate a steam train ride over the M & NJ to Unionville. This began in 1962 and continued until 1966. In 1978, the line entered into an agreement with a firm that leased box cars, there being a box car shortage at the time. The M & NJ naine appeared on about 250 of the leasing company's cars, deriving a good income under terms of the agreement. After a relatively short period of time, rentals slacked off, and the M & NJ began storing the cars on their property around 1979 or 1980. At one point, they went all the way down to Westtown. Around 1981-82, the rental company began to sell the cars, although he last ones weren't removed until December, 1986.
Also in the late 1970's, before the Conrail line to Pine Bush was abandoned, the M & NJ investigated the possibility of purchasing the road. Pierre T. Rasmussen, principal owner and operator of the M & NJ said the price asked was $650,000, which was "astronomical" considering the limited revenue produced. When Conrail abandoned the line in 1980, the rails and ties were sold for scrap for $125,000 while the right-of-way brought $33,000. The M & NJ also looked at the old Erie line from Lackawaxen to Honesdale via West Hawley, but thought the price too high for the revenue and condition of the physical plant.