 Company History
and Profile
The M&NJ has evolved from a passenger
and milk carrier, to an agricultural hauler, and today a transporter of
chemicals and plastics. Keeping up with the times, while still maintaining a
traditional form of transportation, is the reason why the M&NJ continues to
exist today....The Middletown & New Jersey
 Railway (M&NJ) and its predecessor
lines, the Middletown, Unionville, and Water Gap Railroad (MU&WG) and Middletown
& Unionville Railroad (M&U), have served as a vital lifeline for the Minisink
Valley. The Minisink Valley Region (was) a vast farming region and is located
outside of Middletown, New York approximately seventy-five miles from New York
City (one of the fastest growing regions of the State of New York). Over the
course of the history of the M&NJ, M&U, and M&UWG, rural villages, family-run
farms, and creameries dotted the landscape of the Minisink Valley." The Middletown & New Jersey Railway: A Case study of an American Shortline
Railroad
Walter J. Conklin IV
 The M&NJ short-line is exceptional as the
rail properties are in an excellent geographic location, in the fast growing
Orange County of New York. Approximately 60 miles north of New York City,
Orange County is located between three major highways, an international
airport, Class I rail facilities, and the Hudson River.
Middletown’s proximity to major population
centers and transportation arteries would make it a logical center of a
regional intermodal system, attracting regional distribution centers,
warehouses, commercial, industrial and residential developers. M&NJ connects
with the Class I Norfolk Southern Railway System in Middletown.
 Founded in 1947, M&NJ, headquartered in
Middletown, New York has historically been an integral part of the growth of
Orange County. M&NJ and its predecessors transported milk, milk products,
livestock, feed and coal. It was formerly the host of the Empire State
Railway Museum. As recently as in the mid 1980s, M&NJ serviced a
chemical and a fertilizer plant on its short-line. The business is currently
serving Genpak, a national plastic packaging company and Orange & Rockland
Utilities and is revenue generating.
 M&NJ owns approximately 130 acres of
property, and additional rights of ways and lease rights, a section of which
crosses interstate I-84 and state highway 17. Interstate I-86, a major highway hub in New
York State going north and west – this presents an opportunity for the
Company to generate substantial commercial and industrial activities,
including the possible lease or sale of some of these properties.
 The
railroad now has only one connection, the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The M&NJ has recently upgraded service and
tonnage capabilities with the purchase of a 1750 horsepower EMD GP-9 locomotive,
built as GMDL GP7 A260 Blt.7/51, as PNC 100; BELLQUIP 100; QNS&L 100 (Paducah
rebuilt to GP9), Amtrak 773 and OHCR 773. The 773 is replacing the two
aging GE 44 ton switchers that need substantial rework. We have upgraded track and
structures to serve it's shippers reliably.
All photographs used here were taken by members of the
M&NJ Historical Society and M&NJ
Employees.
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