Interesting to hear you mention Flanders in conjunction with paranormal activity. About 30 years ago in late August or early September I was driving home along Bartley Rd. (625) around 10:30 - 11 pm and a few seconds after the bend near what is now Top Dog this sweltering night suddenly turned ice cold and my windows fogged heavily and lightly froze over! I yanked the car to the side of the road and rolled down the drivers side window. Along the abandoned right of way through the trees I could clearly see a red lantern swinging along as though someone was carrying it. Briefly, a bright light shown toward the lantern and then both just disappeared and the temperature returned to sweltering. The whole thing took MAYBE a minute.
Many times after viewing Saturday Night Live we would visit the tunnel at 3am . Driving from Hopatcong it was at the suggestion of our friend John and it would wake everyone up. We never saw any activity, but we wouldn't have noticed much, it was the 70's.
I also wonder if the infamous 1925 Rockport disaster had contributed to some sort of paranormal activity as well. People died in that wreck and it happened late at night during a bad thunderstorm.
Nice to see you have some fun with this one Chuck. Well deserved after all the serious historical videos over the years. Cannot wait to one day ride the Cutoff, which of course I never got to do in my 25+ years growing up in NJ. My father, and his father, were able to do it, growing up in a town right next to the tracks.
Chuck awesome as always. Went to check out the tunnel again so nice seeing some fresh gravel in the tunnel and pink stakes and actual proper spray paint marking things. Beyond excited
That's my guess as far as the dim light. As far as the bright light that stayed ahead of the mail train, that may, in fact, have been a UFO, contrary to what I said in the video.
@@LackawannaCutOff Chuck, have you or Larissa ever felt weird out there? You guys have been to most parts. Cold spots or just areas with no bird song or animal sounds, just quiet?
This is my first time watching this video and the new laying of track along the Lackawanna cutoff. My big question and please don't laugh....is why did Conrail remove the tracks that were in place in 1984? It seems very short-sighted now since Amtrak and the Federal Government could be restoring service to Scranton, PA.Who was the genius that gave the order to removing the original track and where is he/she now? How long will the rebuilding of the Roseville Tunnel take? If Amtrak is planning to extend the tracks to Scranton, will there be intermediate stops before Scranton?
It's a long story. And this is the short version...Conrail was forced to take in the Erie Lackawanna lines when it was created in 1976. It didn't want the EL, and did its best to get rid of it. On the Scranton Division, it went so far as to sabotage its business by going to customers and telling them that they were going to shut down the line. That's illegal, but they got away with it. So, their plan was to kill off the business on the EL to justify its abandonment. It worked. Now, with the Cut-Off in NJ they met resistance from the counties--Morris, Sussex and Warren in NJ and Monroe and Lackawanna in PA--but the state of NJ sat on its hands. So, Conrail got to tear up the Cut-Off in 1984, but the line in PA, thankfully, was preserved. But Conrail didn't stop there. In 1986, they sold the Cut-Off to two land developers, one of whom wanted to remove all the fill on the Cut-Off and cart it to Downtown Manhattan. That was stopped and we were able to get a $25 million bond issue on the 1989 ballot that was approved and used by NJDOT to acquire the Cut-Off. That took until 2001. We then had to have a federal environmental study done and it wasn't until 2010 that the money was in place to start construction to Andover, 7.3 miles from Port Morris (the junction with NJ Transit). But then in 2012, after four miles had been laid, there came another decade of delays due to state environmental roadblocks and a need to re-evaluate the rehabilitation of Roseville Tunnel, which hadn't yet started. So, as the work finally commenced on January 16th of this year, it was at the end of a long road to recovery. Conrail didn't do us any favors, but ultimately we needed to get the Cut-Off into state hands, which we accomplished. But even that wasn't the halfway point to getting the line reactivated. We'll know on May 23rd if Amtrak might be coming in to complete the job.
"UN" were the telegraph (and later telephone) call letters for the tower. So, instead of identifying yourself as calling from Port Morris Tower, you referred to yourself as calling from UN. I'm not aware that the letters UN have any special meaning. By the way, since about 2010 NJ Transit has called the junction location UN (previously they called it MORRIS).
A question I would have regarding Steven's story is, he stated he saw someone approaching down the ROW, then makes a sudden right turn and heads off potentially going down the embankment thru 2 foot of snow. When he examined closer, he saw no footprints going off thru the snow. What about possible footprints on the ROW itself as the person approached in his direction. If there was approx 2 foot of snow off to the side, there should have been quite a bit of snow on the ROW itself. Were there foot prints approaching his direction before the figure turned right?
Sorry chuck I totally admire all the work you have done. But the paranormal stuff id bologna. Ive been playing here for 40 years and live within 1/2 mile of tunnel and no spooks are there. But I do love your work thank you keep it up.!
Well, you're entitled to your opinion, but too many people have experienced this stuff (including myself). I was a skeptic at one point also, but no longer.
I was a skeptic until I experienced a few bizarre and unexplainable things happening to me...at home, where I worked, and when I was in Italy about ten years ago! I even had a very odd thing happen to me when I was near Oxford Tunnel on the Old Road. What can I say? I assure you, I wasn't imagining these things. So, when others report that they experienced strange things happening to them, I'm all ears.
While narrating the video's final ten minutes, Mr. Walsh, you missed an opportunity to enhance the audience's paranormal experience by employing that well-known, high-tech special effect: holding a flashlight under your chin a la "The Blair Witch Project".
@@michaela.chmieloski3196 Ah yes, those gorgous, chilly late October days in Morris, Sussex and Warren County.....great foliage. I miss that so much being here in California.
Interesting to hear you mention Flanders in conjunction with paranormal activity. About 30 years ago in late August or early September I was driving home along Bartley Rd. (625) around 10:30 - 11 pm and a few seconds after the bend near what is now Top Dog this sweltering night suddenly turned ice cold and my windows fogged heavily and lightly froze over! I yanked the car to the side of the road and rolled down the drivers side window. Along the abandoned right of way through the trees I could clearly see a red lantern swinging along as though someone was carrying it. Briefly, a bright light shown toward the lantern and then both just disappeared and the temperature returned to sweltering. The whole thing took MAYBE a minute.
Interesting. I've never heard anything about a temperature drop when the Hookerman Lights appear.
Chuck, we love seeing new uploads! Keep up the good work!!
Glad you like them!
Many times after viewing Saturday Night Live we would visit the tunnel at 3am . Driving from Hopatcong it was at the suggestion of our friend John and it would wake everyone up. We never saw any activity, but we wouldn't have noticed much, it was the 70's.
Not all paranormal activity occurs at night.
great video 👻😮
Thank you 😁
Thanks for the updates. I can’t wait till I can ride on the cutoff.
Mer too.
@@LackawannaCutOff Chuck, you of course deserve to be in the first car of the first train on the cutoff that day.
Well, thank you! I'd like to be there. We'll see.
That paranormal activity were ghosts of the Lackawanna.
Possibly.
Chuck I wish you would do more updates ,I realize that if they are not doing any work then there is nothing for you to update.
It's quiet right now. The time will come.
Hey Chuck! Me and my friend (we're one 9 and 10) We love hearing about the cutoff! We live in a town the cutoff went through actually.
I also wonder if the infamous 1925 Rockport disaster had contributed to some sort of paranormal activity as well. People died in that wreck and it happened late at night during a bad thunderstorm.
I've heard stories of strange sightings over near the wreck site.
I love hearing about phenomenon like these. Thank you sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice to see you have some fun with this one Chuck. Well deserved after all the serious historical videos over the years. Cannot wait to one day ride the Cutoff, which of course I never got to do in my 25+ years growing up in NJ. My father, and his father, were able to do it, growing up in a town right next to the tracks.
It's still serious stuff. But it is perhaps "lighter" entertainment.
I love this angle! Just awesome!
keep doing the great work you do
Thanks, will do!
Chuck awesome as always. Went to check out the tunnel again so nice seeing some fresh gravel in the tunnel and pink stakes and actual proper spray paint marking things. Beyond excited
Thank you.
Very informative on all 3 reports of lights seen on the Lackawanna cutoff. My guess it is probably energy produced by the area itself. .
That's my guess as far as the dim light. As far as the bright light that stayed ahead of the mail train, that may, in fact, have been a UFO, contrary to what I said in the video.
Can’t wait 🎃
Interesting video. Looks like you put a lot of time and effort into i it. The ending was very professional also great job Larissa.
Thank you very much!
@@LackawannaCutOff Chuck, have you or Larissa ever felt weird out there? You guys have been to most parts. Cold spots or just areas with no bird song or animal sounds, just quiet?
I can't speak for Larissa, but I haven't experienced anything myself on the Cut-Off. I did, however, on the Old Road near Oxford, NJ.
@@LackawannaCutOff Thanks. Would love to hear more
This is my first time watching this video and the new laying of track along the Lackawanna cutoff. My big question and please don't laugh....is why did Conrail remove the tracks that were in place in 1984? It seems very short-sighted now since Amtrak and the Federal Government could be restoring service to Scranton, PA.Who was the genius that gave the order to removing the original track and where is he/she now? How long will the rebuilding of the Roseville Tunnel take? If Amtrak is planning to extend the tracks to Scranton, will there be intermediate stops before Scranton?
It's a long story. And this is the short version...Conrail was forced to take in the Erie Lackawanna lines when it was created in 1976. It didn't want the EL, and did its best to get rid of it. On the Scranton Division, it went so far as to sabotage its business by going to customers and telling them that they were going to shut down the line. That's illegal, but they got away with it. So, their plan was to kill off the business on the EL to justify its abandonment. It worked. Now, with the Cut-Off in NJ they met resistance from the counties--Morris, Sussex and Warren in NJ and Monroe and Lackawanna in PA--but the state of NJ sat on its hands. So, Conrail got to tear up the Cut-Off in 1984, but the line in PA, thankfully, was preserved. But Conrail didn't stop there. In 1986, they sold the Cut-Off to two land developers, one of whom wanted to remove all the fill on the Cut-Off and cart it to Downtown Manhattan. That was stopped and we were able to get a $25 million bond issue on the 1989 ballot that was approved and used by NJDOT to acquire the Cut-Off. That took until 2001. We then had to have a federal environmental study done and it wasn't until 2010 that the money was in place to start construction to Andover, 7.3 miles from Port Morris (the junction with NJ Transit). But then in 2012, after four miles had been laid, there came another decade of delays due to state environmental roadblocks and a need to re-evaluate the rehabilitation of Roseville Tunnel, which hadn't yet started. So, as the work finally commenced on January 16th of this year, it was at the end of a long road to recovery. Conrail didn't do us any favors, but ultimately we needed to get the Cut-Off into state hands, which we accomplished. But even that wasn't the halfway point to getting the line reactivated. We'll know on May 23rd if Amtrak might be coming in to complete the job.
Man if I knew he was doing a spooky episode, I would have shared my experience with the mysterious light by the port morris tower.
Contact me at dlwcutoff@gmail.com. I may do another episode in the future if I get enough material.
Would love to hear it.
Why do they call that tower UN?
"UN" were the telegraph (and later telephone) call letters for the tower. So, instead of identifying yourself as calling from Port Morris Tower, you referred to yourself as calling from UN. I'm not aware that the letters UN have any special meaning. By the way, since about 2010 NJ Transit has called the junction location UN (previously they called it MORRIS).
@@LackawannaCutOff You’re the best. Thanks Chuck. Was just watching last nights vid again 👻
A question I would have regarding Steven's story is, he stated he saw someone approaching down the ROW, then makes a sudden right turn and heads off potentially going down the embankment thru 2 foot of snow. When he examined closer, he saw no footprints going off thru the snow. What about possible footprints on the ROW itself as the person approached in his direction. If there was approx 2 foot of snow off to the side, there should have been quite a bit of snow on the ROW itself. Were there foot prints approaching his direction before the figure turned right?
He answered that, saying that he only saw animal prints and no ATV tracks which, of course, would have only been on the ROW.
He would have seen the figure because there were no leaves on the trees. Wide open
I think that NJT 4519 should be the first NJT Train on the Cut-Off
Spooky, ghost train :)
Sorry chuck I totally admire all the work you have done. But the paranormal stuff id bologna. Ive been playing here for 40 years and live within 1/2 mile of tunnel and no spooks are there. But I do love your work thank you keep it up.!
Well, you're entitled to your opinion, but too many people have experienced this stuff (including myself). I was a skeptic at one point also, but no longer.
I knew it. Aliens built the cut-off
If they did, they had human subcontractors doing the actual work.
yeoman's work
You lost me on the Paranormal stuff.......
What part didn't you understand?
@@LackawannaCutOff I'm not a believer in the "Paranormal" stuff.
I am a believer in seeing trains running to Scranton Pa! lol
@@raynash4748 Its for FUN, Ray. Relax and enjoy it a little..
I was a skeptic until I experienced a few bizarre and unexplainable things happening to me...at home, where I worked, and when I was in Italy about ten years ago! I even had a very odd thing happen to me when I was near Oxford Tunnel on the Old Road. What can I say? I assure you, I wasn't imagining these things. So, when others report that they experienced strange things happening to them, I'm all ears.
@@LackawannaCutOff Would love to hear more.
While narrating the video's final ten minutes, Mr. Walsh, you missed an opportunity to enhance the audience's paranormal experience by employing that well-known, high-tech special effect: holding a flashlight under your chin a la "The Blair Witch Project".
Well, we lost the natural lighting while I spoke.
@@LackawannaCutOff It gets late early out there in New Jersey.
@@michaela.chmieloski3196 Ah yes, those gorgous, chilly late October days in Morris, Sussex and Warren County.....great foliage. I miss that so much being here in California.