Jersey Run is a view of the industrial and infrastructure and dirty heartland of Jersey – the Meadowlands, and the towns and cities that surround it – Perth Amboy, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Newark, Kearney, Harrison, with oil refineries, bridges, trains and tunnels. For a more detailed text on Jersey Run, check out the Introduction here.
I never walked, when i could run.
Done on a JERSEY RUN. VIEW the slideshow. Jersey Run is a certified Going Under project.
Hackensack River, PNJ Landfill, Pulaski Skyway Kearney GeneratorThe landfill used to perrenially burn and even cinge the underneath of the Skyway which was built during the Depression with a ridiculous amount of steel that help keep people employed. The Kearney Generartor has been shutdown.Asphalt Leader & Lower Hack Bridge (DL&W RR) NJ TransitSalt water ships, easily make it up to this point on the Hackensack River, miles from Newark Bay. After this lift bridge, though, it's mostly barge traffic up the Hack towardsEastern Spur NJTP over Hackensack River, DB Draw Swing Bridge, 3:00am, High TideThe DB Swing Bridge is framed by the Eastern Turnpike Extension Bridge ove the Hackensack River.Newark Bay Cogen Plant & T.E.U. Yard, NewarkThe many stacked t.e.u. containers in the Palmer Indiustries' yard, frame the Bayer Newark Bay cogen plant. Transportation, shipping and energy production is all done on a grand scale in the wide open big sky region of the Tristate known as the Meadowlands.Penhorn Marsh, Union City HeightsThe Meadowlands are a lasting barrier to development of towns. Seacaucus is the exception and that city floods, but as soon the terrain hit Bergen Hill dense urban towns cover any high ground - Fort Lee, Weehawken, Union City and Jersey City. That's Saint Michael's Monastery Church on the ridge in Union City.T.E.U.Yard, Palmer Industries & Old Western Telephone Powerhouse, NewarkBergen Tunnels, West Portal, North TubeThe light was so low I needed a one hour exposure to illuminate the tunnels.Bergen Tunnels, West Portal, South TubeThe Bergen Tunnels go through Bergen Hill to the Hoboken terminal, The left tunnel, just out of sight, was built in 1877 and the south tunnel in 1911, both originally built for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad.St. Peter's Cemetery & Hudson Generator, Jersey CityEastern & Western Spurs, Merge, NJTP & Essex County IncineratorThe Incinerator burns trash and is centered deep in the Meadowlands, miles form any population centers. Its plume follow the winds, though, and sends the pollutants that way.Lower Hack Lift Bridge, (DL&W RR) Hudson Generator, Hackensack River, 2:00am, High TideTaken from the old Witt Penn Bridge, the challenge was, like so much of Jeresey Run, simply to get a completely still shot on bridges that move according to traffic loads. And, like so much of Jersey Run, it took many trips to achieve perfect sharpness.
Did i mention that Jersey Run was, for me, about doing something impossible, if only to free myself, for another landscape.Arrivals, Newark, Arlington DumpsWhere the dumps meet the swamps and marshes, a line of power lines mimics the flight paths of jets arriving at Newark Airport, which, after these jets make their final turn, is a straight shot down, descending into the airport.Radio Antennas, NJTP, & Snake HillRadio aentennas are a common feature in the Meadowlands which, here, are placed in Kingsland Marsh with the Eastern Spur of the NJTP and Snake Hill in the background.Departures, Newark, Palmer Industries T.E.U. YardShot within a large t.e.u. yard with no lighting, the Newark Departures could be captured along with the various moon positions, that became exposed as the lens was unblocked to capture each jet leaving the airport.Underneath NJTP, Eastern Spur before Merge with Western SpurAt this point the elevated Eastern and Wetern Spurs of the NJTP merge as they vault numerous trsin lines, the Passaic River and insustry in its run to the south.Chevron Bleeder Stack & Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge #K239 Over Woodbridge Creek, Perth AmboyDoremus Avenue, Newark, Flattened Scrap Cars & Western Electric Powerhouse StacksUnderneath NJTP at Oak Island Railyard.North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundThe infamous North River Tunnels, symbols of great American infrastructure that has been completely neglected. is shot in a long exposure, which, theoretically, with all the high speed train traffic, would never result in a sharp shot.DB Draw Swing Bridge Turning, from Snake HillMarion Junction Rail Crossing at St. Pauls Ave., Jersey CityThe railroad formed the western boundary of the long gone Charlotte Circle enclave that was surrounded in a tight chokehold by the Skyway, Tonnelle Avenue and a ridiculous amoiunt of train infrastructure.Three Bridges Moving, Witt Penn, Conrail & Path BridgesThree Bridges at Night, Witt Penn, Conrail & Path BridgesBergen Tunnels East Portal, North TubeThe Hoboken terminal is about 1 mile east of here.Arc, Bergen Tunnels, West Portals, Bridge Over Erie CutNewark Departures Over Saw Mill Creek and Landfill 1-E, Arlington LandfillsArrrivals, Newark, Arlington DumpsSt. Peter's Cemetery & Hudson Generator, Jersey CitySt. Peter's Cemetery & Hudson Generator, Jersey CityChimney, Snake Hill, SeacaucusThe chimney is a remnant of the sanatorium and mental health facilities that were located at Snake Hill.Westinghouse Factory, NewarkErie TunnelNight fog captures the throw of the locomotive's headlight as it gets close to emerging from the tunnel.Erie Tunnel, Freight MovingErie Tunnel, Freight MovingErie Tunnel, Freight MovingErie Tunnel, Freight MovingErie Tunnel, Approaching TrainBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutBergen Arches/Erie CutWooden Infrastructure Holding Billboards, SeacaucusWith multiple trains that carry passengers and the New Jersey Turnpike extensions, it's a good place to prop up a billboard.Underneath the Pulaski Skyway, Hudson Generator Stack, Charlotte CircleUnderneath The Pulaski Skyway, Carlotte Circle, Jersey CityUnderneath The Pulaski Skyway, Carlotte Circle, Jersey CityUnderneath The Pulaski Skyway, Carlotte Circle, Jersey CityBergen Tunnels, East Portals, North & South TubesBergen Tunnels, West Portals, North TubeBergen Tunnels, East Portals, North & South TubesBergen Tunnels, East Portals, South TubeBergen Tunnels, East Portals, North TubeBergen Tunnels, East Portals, North TubeBergen Tunnels, East Portals, North TubeBergen Tunnels, East Portals, North TubeInside Bergen Tunnels, East Portals, South TubeInside Bergen Tunnels, East Portals, South TubeBergen Tunnels West Portal, North & South TubesBergen Tunnels West Portal, North & South TubesBergen Tunnels West Portal, North & South TubesEastbound & Westbound Traffic Enter and Exits, Bergen Tunnels, West PortalBergen Tunnels, West Portals, South Tube, Bridge Over Erie CutBergen Tunnels, West Portals, South Tube, Bridge Over Erie CutBergen Tunnels, West Portal, South TubeBergen Tunnels, West Portal, South TubeBergen Tunnels, West Portal, South TubeBergen Tunnels, West Portal, North TubeArc Bergen Tunnels, West Portal, North Tracks, Bridge Over Erie CutBergen Tunnels, West Portal, North Tracks, Bridge Over Erie Cut, ArcBergen Tunnels, West Portal, North Tracks, Bridge Over Erie Cut, ArcBergen Tunnels, West Portal, North Tracks, Bridge Over Erie Cut, ArcBergen Tunnels, West Portal, North Tracks, Bridge Over Erie Cut, ArcBergen Tunnels, West Portal, West End Interlocking and Tonnelle Avenue BridgeBergen Tunnels, West Portal, West End Interlocking, Gas Switch HeatersWest End Interlocking, Gas Switch HeatersWest End Interlocking, Gas Switch HeatersNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardRail Crossing, Jersey City Meadowlands, Gates. MovingCrossing is for Track Maintenance, Jersey City Police Firing Range. Hudson Generator Infrastructure, and picture people, The track is one of the nine lines coming in from all over New Jersey to enter the Bergen tunnels into Hoboken.Upper Bay Rail Bridge, (Lehigh Valley) Newark Bay. MovingDB Draw Swing Bridge, Hackensack River, SwingingShot from Snake Hill.DB Draw Swing Bridge, Hackensack River, SwingingNorth River Tunnels, Western Portals EntranceLight was so low down here that the one hour exposure was the only way for an audience to see what the place look like at night.Above the North River Tunnel PortalsTrains going out and coming in to Mnahattan in the only direct rail route into New York from the west.Arc, North River Tunnels, West PortalNorth River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundOne hour exposure on Ektar 25 film.Inside North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundA big part of doing Jersey run was trying to accomplish the impossible. In the case of the tunnels, I had to secure a camera, in these shots, using a 600 mm lens on the track, with a homemade support system weighted with 40 pound bags of sand. For the North River Tunnels it took about five years of repeated attempts to get shots that were stable and sharp.Inside North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundInside North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundI had to work the camera, I mean it, and my presence was required inside the tunnel. You had to keep alert and keep looking out the tunnel for the oncoming traffic. This would give you enough time to crawl into an escape crevice.Inside North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundUsing a special rig with a tripod head and 40 pound bags of sand, I could capture shots without vibration that were sharp. Unfortunately, I had to man the camera inside the tunnel, where the trains would loop in from the Meadowlands, accelerate to begin a straight shot to Penn Station.North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundThe escape crevices were positioned at intervals along the tunnel. Once you got in and sat down. You hung onto some pipes because the trains came in so fast they would begin to suck you out into the tunnel. During the winter when a train would stream in, it blew off my hat off and it went up into the ceiling, and, as a train disappeared, would fall down on my lap, as i watched the train disappear to Manhattan.North River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundNorth River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundNorth River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundNorth River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundNorth River Tunnels, South Tube, InboundOver a period of five years I got only five shots that were sharp with high resolution and no vibration with the 600 mm lens outside of the tunnel.North River tunnels, North, Tube, ArcI stood on the wall with the cable release and camera on a tripod, I had to hold an exposure for about four seconds. It wouldn't always park this seriously, but when I did, it literally would knock me on my ass.North River Tunnels, Western Portals EntranceA one hour exposure was needed to expose film under extreme low light.American Flag Towel, Bergen Arches/Erie Cut14 men lost their lives digging, excavating, and blowing up rock in the construction of the Bergen Arches and Erie Cut. Four tracks cut through the New Jersey Palisades into Jersey City. During the era of coal, it was uncomfortable scene for passenger trains.Flag Made of Waste, Borne Chemical Company Waste Site, ElizabethOne of the most deadly Superfund Sites in the Meadowlands.Chimney, Snake Hill, SeacaucusThere were Hudson County penal and charitable institutions at Snake Hill, in Secaucus. The Almshouse, Penitentiary, and Hospital for the Insane, Contagious Diseases Hospital, and Tuberculosis Sanitarium, were all grouped on the north side of Snake Hill. Penhorn Marsh, Union City, St. Joseph Church & WTC, ManhattanManhattan from Jersey City Heights, Pallisades ParkFire at Milanka Landfill & Emergency Response Jersey CityDry months in April always produced fires in the Meadowlands. Although covered by the invasive Phragmites, the Meadowlands originally was just that. A large open big sky meadow of grass that was harvested. There were also copper mines where Arlington landfill is today.Television Repair Shop Window, CarteretOnly non-digital televisions repaired here.Taliban Boat, Fish Road, KearneyThe New Jersey sense of humor on display in Kearney right after 911.Hand-Made Flyer, Taped to Window, Skyway Diner, September, 2001, KearneyEssex County Jail PedimentElk's Hall, NewarkWest Side Avenue, Salvage Yard, Police Car & Ice Cream Truck, Jersey CityA salvage yard became so full of vehicles that they began to park everything that didn't fit on the street out front.Hydrant & Posts, Port NewarkInvestigative Graffiti, Duffield Ave., Jersey CityStores, Tonnelle AvenueDiner, Hackensack Avenue, KearneyDiner, Hackensack Avenue, KearneyCampbell Foundry Company, HarrisonThe last foundry along the Passaic river in Newark, and, the entire Meadowlands, including Jersey City down to Perth Amboy.Casino, Ashbury ParkWindow Display, ElizabethOld Store, Jersey City Heights, Pallisades AvenueFairmount Cemetery & Pabst Brewery Demolition, NewarkOutlaw Salvage Yard, Ironbound, NewarkWhite Meadow Petroleum Truck & Hudson Generator at Milanka LandfillGangway & Hudson Generator, Liberty Ave., Jersey CityThe Hudson generator is in the background. It is a fossil fuel plant.Corner House, HaledonHome, Charlotte CircleThe woman that owned and lived in this house had been there her entire life. Directly outside the door was a rail line, and the entire area was laced with train lines. Her husband worked for the railroad and only had a short walk to work.
Charlotte Circle was a traffic circle along Tonnele Avenue before giant infrastructure like the Pulaski Skyway was built. So, naturally, all this infrastructure simply looped around the residential neighborhood as it grew.Charlotte Circle, HousesCharlotte Circle a very small sub neighborhood surrounded by highways like Tonnele Avenue, the Pulaski skyway and Route Seven, which in turn is surrounded by industry. The entire neighborhood was wiped out by redevelopment of the existing infrastructure. The homes were fairly well kept up, and, these were a result of domain and abandonment.Charlotte Circle, HousesThis is the same neighborhood featured in the opening of the movie, Wise Guys. Parts of the surrounding infrastructure (streets, pipes, pipelines, even small housing blocks) had to be torn up or reworked — enough to effectively wipe out the “old neighborhood.”Charlotte Circle, Homes Before DemolitionCharlotte Circle grew into a massive tangle of infrastructure, particularly highways. So much so that, eventually the infrastructure chewed up the entire neighborhood. I've never seen a neighborhood so tangled up and congested and so close to literally thousands and thousands of trucks and cars every day. When I say close, I mean on some of the back porches in the apartments, you could just about touch the trucks going by, and, still, nobody would move until they were forced to.Paterson Falls, PatersonThis is what a 4 inch rainfall looks like at the falls.Newark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington DumpsNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington DumpsNewark Arrivals Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington DumpsNewark Arrivals Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington DumpsNewark Arrivals Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington DumpsNewark Arrivals Over Landfill 1-E, Kearney Marsh EastNewark Arrivals Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington DumpsNewark Arrivals, Kearney Marsh EastPassenger jet like trails are cheap by covering the lens with the black cloth and opening on a flight comes in. It makes a large loop around the landfills, then head south straight into Newark airport on its final run. Planes come once every minute. Whether they land from the north or south is determined strictly by wind direction.Arrivals Bundle, Newark AirportAbout 1 mile north east of the runways, in an industrial area dominated by a large Gypsom board plant.Arc, Bergen Tunnels, West Portals, Bridge over Erie CutChevron Bleeder Stack and Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge, Perth AmboyCedar Swamp, Kingsland Marsh, Low TideCedar Swamp, Kingsland Marsh, Low TideCedar Swamp, Kingsland Marsh, Low TideUnderneath Pulaski Skyway, Charlotte CircleUnderneath Pulaski Skyway, Charlotte CircleUnderneath Pulaski Skyway, Charlotte CirclePenhorn Creek Stormwater, Tide GatesPenhorn Creek Stormwater, Tide Gates & Pump StationSuds, Penhorn CreeekToxic Waste, Kearney Marsh East, North of Standard ChlorineStandard Chlorine Superfund Site, Contamination Zone, Napthalene CanalStandard Chlorine Superfund Site, Napthalene LagoonA one hour exposure on Ektar 25 film at 3 AM. The smell of napthalene was incredibly strong.Boat, Passaic River, MSLA 1-D Landfill at Blanchard St., NewarkSign, Arlington Landfills, 3:00 a.m.A one hour exposure in an extremely low light situation.Fire at Milanka Landfill & Emergency Response Jersey CityFlag, Summit of Snake Hill, NJTP Crossing Kingsland MarshDowntown Manhattan, NJTP Spurs, Kingsland Marsh from Landfill 1-EHugo Neu Schnitzer Iron & Metal, Jersey City, Steel from the WTC being SortedThe great majority of steel from the World Trade Center ended up going to China and other overseas countries ship directly from the docks of Nu Car in Jersey City.Newark Departures Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington LandfillsNewark Departures Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington LandfillsNewark Departures Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington LandfillsNewark Departures Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington LandfillsNewark Departures Over Sawmill Creek Mudflats, Arlington LandfillsNewark Departures, Palmer Industries' T.E.U. YardNewark Departures Over the Pulaski Skyway, Kearney Generator & Hackensack RiverSnake Hill & the NJTPNJTP Eastern Spur Through Kearney Marsh EastUnderneath the NJTP, Eastern Spur at Merge With Western SpurSnake Hill, NJTP Eastern Spur Over the MeadowlandsThe ESB & the NJTP Eastern Spur Over Kearney Marsh at Snake HillPenhorn Marsh, Union City, St. Joseph Church & WTC, ManhattanThe Meadowlands are a lasting barrier to development of towns. Seacaucus is tge exception and that city floods, but as soon the terrain hit Bergen Hill dense urban towns cover any high ground - Fort Lee, Weehawken, Union City and Jersey City. That's Saint Michael's Monastery ChuDowntown Manhattan, NJTP, From Landfill 1-E, Arlington NJ, August 2001In time before computers and accurate weather forecast, all I had was my roof in Brooklyn. I sent a window in a cloudy sky off to the west, got my car, and, headed for landfill one 1-E. Out of the Holland tunnel and into the Meadowlands it was clear that I was going to get my wish. I got on route seven and parked below the landfill which was going to be about a half a mile through the swamp and up to the top, I ran most of the way, and when I got to the top broke out the gear, set the camera on the tripod, and, the sun burst out.Manhattan from Jersey City Heights, Pallisades ParkFireworks, July Fourth,From Jersy City HeightsRadio Towers, Kingsland MarshRadio Towers, Rainbow, Phragmites (reeds), Kingsland MarshSnake Hill & the NJTPNJTP Eastern Spur Over the MeadowlandsWestern Spur NJTP over Hackensack River, DB Draw Swing Bridge, 3:00am, High TideThe DB Swing Bridge is framed by the Eastern Turnpike Extension Bridge ove the Hackensack River.NJTP Eastern Spur Over Kearney MarshNJTP Eastern Spur Bridge Over the Hackensack RiverNJTP Eastern Spur Bridge Over the Hackensack RiverNJTP Eastern Spur Through Kearney Marsh EastNJTP Eastern Spur Through Kearney Marsh EastNJTP Eastern Spur Through Kearney Marsh EastUnderneath the NJTP, Elizabeth River, Conrail Bascule Lift Bridge, ElizabethCarries Conrail Shared Assets (Lehigh Line connection) and sometimes NJ Transit equipmentThree Bridges,NJ Transit, Wit Penn & Conrail BridgeWit Penn & Conrail BridgeWit Penn & Conrail BridgeNew Jersey Lower Hack Transit Bridge (old Erie-Lackawanna) over Hackensack RiverThe bridge carries one of the many train lines that will merge into the Bergen tunnels 1 mile to the east.NX Jackknife Bridge, Passaic River, HarrisonPulaski Skyway, Kearney Generator, Hackensack RiverT.E.U. Yard, Palmer Industries, NewarkT.E.U. Yard, Palmer Industries, NewarkT.E.U. Yard, Palmer Industries, NewarkSunken Ferry, Port Readng, 4:00amNewark Plane Departures over the Kingsland Mud FlatsRadio Towers, Rainbow, Phragmites (reeds), Kingsland MarshNorth River Tunnels, South TubeA one hour exposure was required because the light was so low. The camera was secured on a custom rig bunkered 40 pound bags of sand. This was the requirement to earn a sharp shot with a 600 mm lens. Almost impossible.Bergen Tunnels, West Portal, North TubeErie Tunnel, NightPort Reading Coal Dumper Rail Tracks in MoonlightAnother impossible shot that took a couple years to accomplish because the entire structure moves. Finally, some unexplained convergence of events let me get a sharp steady shot.
It was a place where I would often be trapped out on the rails because highway patrol cops used to drive in through the railyard and swamps and coup-up for long periods of time, which drove me nuts, because I had to wait until they left. However, one night I began so impatient. I just slipped out perhaps he or she was asleep I don't know.Port Reading Coal Dumper in Moonlight & Slack TideThe abandoned McMyler coal dumper, shot in a ninety minute exposure by a full moon at 3:00 a.m., from the roof of its powerhouse, is a reminder of the time when Pennsylavania coal was brought in by trains and loaded into ocean-going vessels.Rosehill Cemetery, Bayway Refinery, LindenEastern & Western Spurs of the NJTP Merging & Essex County Trash IncineratorThe ESB & the NJTP Eastern Spur Over Kearney Marsh at Snake HillDB Swing Bridge, Hackensack RiverPaterson FallsIt takes 4 inches of rain to make the false explode with water.Homes & Power Transmission Towers, WoodbrdgeSometimes everything happens at once. While waiting for the sun to emerge through a window while setting in the west, at the right moment, I began to shoot, just as the homeowner stepped out and asked what I was doing. As I stepped away from the camera to answer, I stepped in a pile of dog shit. I said, Those towers are amazing. He replied, Yeah, but I don't believe electricity can harm you. I said, Obviously, and I agree, I'll drop off a shot for you.Landfill 1-E, Transmission Towers, Power Lines, Sawmill Creek Mud Flats at Low TidePulaski Skyway, PJP Landfill, Kearney Generator, Hackensack RiverPulaski Skyway, Kearney Generator, Hackensack RiverBergen Arches/Erie CutNJ transit Map, West side of the PalisadesNine train lines from all over the Meadowlands converge into the two Bergen Tunnels.
