FAIRFIELD AVE.

MP 1.23 - This siding was constructed in 1942; it was 436 feet long. The crew referred to the siding as “Mike’s” or “Mike’s Coal.” The siding could accommodate five cars. Six could be squeezed in but on at least one occasion the crew tried and the engineer, Froat, didn’t stop in time. The train went three feet more and the hind car’s truck sunk in the mud. The siding was for industries located at 144 Market Street, including: Mac Straley Corp., Barton Coal & Fuel Oil Co., Warren Coal Co.

Neill & Spanjer, Inc. (c.1964-1977).
808 Fairfield Ave., Kenilworth. 

Building supply yard; inbound lumber. 

Neill & Spanjer, Inc. was incorporated in 1914 to facilitate the wholesale distribution of white pine, mahogany, and foreign woods. One of the firm’s founders, William H. Spanjer, was operating the largest manufacturing plant for wooden letters and signs in the country in Newark, New Jersey at the time. Spanjer had partnered with James E. Neill to form the new enterprise. Neill & Spanjer was originally located in Newark but later moved to Hillside, New Jersey. By 1961, the company was operating under the leadership of Frederick A. Renard. About 1964, the company opened a lumber supply yard at 808 Fairfield Ave. in Kenilworth - between the RV’s mainline and the Lehigh Valley Branch. The company brought in carloads of hardwood lumber - spruce pine and fir lumber, mostly - from the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Carloads would arrive in Missouri Pacific and Great Northern boxcars. A carload would come every two months or so. The company did not have a private rail siding of its own. The nearby Lock Joint Pipe Co. had discontinued operations by the time Neill & Spanjer arrived, but their siding was still in place. Originally, cars for Neill & Spanjer were spotted on the mainline because so many Monsanto cars were spotted on the other nearby sidings. Finally, a system was worked out where Monsanto didn’t need so many cars on hand so more room was available on the Lock Joint siding. Thereafter, the RV spotted cars for Neill & Spanjer on the Lock Joint siding. They laid planks between the rails to make their own crossing over the Lehigh Valley Branch. Neill & Spanjer would back a truck up to their car on the siding, so they would only have to move their truck out of the way rather than the railroad be obliged to move an entire boxcar out of the way. Cars moved for Neill & Spanjer via CNJ, Aldene: 1968 – 1 carload in, 1969 – 2 carloads in, 1970 – No business, 1971 – No business.

Mac Straley Corp. (1940-1948).
144 Market Street, Kenilworth (earlier 184 Market Street). 

Mac Straley Corp. was incorporated in 1940 and was to be established at 144 Market Street. The RV executed a siding agreement with the company in July 1940. A siding was constructed for the company in about 1941 or 1942. However, the company appears to have never commenced operations. Mac Straley Corp. was declared defunct by the State of New Jersey in 1948.

Barton Coal & Fuel Oil Co. / Warren Coal Co. (1941-1967).
144 Market Street, Kenilworth (earlier 184 Market Street). 

Fuel yard. 

The property became owned by Michael Cuppari who operated a coal yard, operating under the names Barton Coal Co. and Warren Coal Co. The RV gave Cuppari permission in May 1941 to utilize Mac Straley’s siding for unloading carloads of coal. That same year, Cuppari sold the property to Michael J. Cavalla who operated as Barton Coal & Fuel Oil Co. through about 1967. The railroad’s crews referred to the coal yard as “Mike’s Coal,” as a reference to Cavalla. In later years, after the company stopped receiving shipments, the railroad utilized its sidings to store plastic cars for Gering or its own fleet of boxcars.