Poetry Amid Decay: NJ Photographer Explores Abandoned Railway

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — There’s something brutishly poetic about the urban decay that was once the Newark Branch of the Erie Railroad.

An offshoot of the old Boonton Line in North Jersey, the abandoned railroad tracks have been partially reclaimed by nature since their demise several decades ago. If one were to venture into the graffiti-marked, post-industrial landscape, they might stand a good chance of finding a wild turkey, or a deer foraging amid the spindly overgrowth.

They might also come across Montclair native, photojournalist and urban explorer, Wheeler Antabanez.

Antabanez recently completed a 200-page book of photos and accompanying 40-minute movie, “Walking the Newark Branch: A Photographic Journey on the Abandoned Rails of New Jersey.” The official release date is Saturday, Oct. 30 –just in time for Halloween.

Watch the movie here when it launches.

The work chronicles Antabanez’s journeys on the Newark Branch, which runs through Kearny, Harrison, East Newark, Newark, Belleville, Nutley and Clifton. Inaugurated in 1870, the stretch of railway hummed with activity for more than 100 years, but now lies exposed to the elements – and time.

To capture his footage, Antabanez ventured into what he calls the “underworld” of New Jersey, walking the abandoned tracks from one end of the line to the other. It’s not recommended to follow in his footsteps since the area is off-limits to the public; a glimpse at his move trailer shows why.

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As he made the journey, Antabanez says he found a hidden beauty amid the haunting rubble.

Starting in the Meadowlands where the Newark Branch peels off from the Old Boonton Line, he passed landmarks such as the abandoned WNEW radio transmitter, Clark Thread Mill, NX Bridge, Riverside Industrial Superfund Site, Walter Kidde Brownfield Site and the Nutley Train Trestle.

He also encountered a hulking “Christmas cat” structure in Belleville that's surely among the weirdest sights in North Jersey.

• See related article: Take A Photo Tour Of This Amazing 'Fairy Trail' In New Jersey

Though his photography doesn’t skimp on the gritty aspects of the Newark Branch, Antabanez also manages to capture a sense of renewal, too. It’s the same as when he recently chronicled his exploration of the old Boonton Line, which is now the site of a proposed hiking and biking path that would span eight towns in North Jersey. Read More: Essex-Hudson Greenway Plan In Jeopardy, NJ Groups Warn

There is a similar new life brewing for the Passaic River – another of Antabanez’s haunts – where an expanded cleanup effort is taking place at the polluted waterway. Read More: Feds Expand Superfund Cleanup Of Passaic River In New Jersey

If reactions on social media are any indication, others share his curiosity. Antabanez has been sharing photos and drone shots of what he’s found along the tracks, inspiring dozens of intrigued comments from local residents.

Check out a few of them below.

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