A few years back, on some of the railfan internet sites, the subject of the Rahway Valley Railroad’s ‘mysterious diamond’ was bantered about for a curiously long time. Obviously none of the fans actually got out on the roadbed. If one went to the Lehigh Valley’s yard, which was the interchange point with the RV, the first piece of trackwork encountered after climbing the slight grade on the curve beyond Webster Avenue was the diamond.

Two rail lengths past Webster Avenue was the property line separating the Lehigh Valley from the Rahway Valley. The track beyond this point was laid with 132 lb. rail, upgraded from the 70 lbs. rail utilized by the Rahway Valley. The entire yard was also laid with the heavier rail and was owned and maintained by the Lehigh Valley.

East of the diamond, and opposite the Roselle Park High School, laid the runaround and storage tracks for the LV/RV interchange. Prior to the Aldene Plan, the original interchange and team track extended all the way to Chestnut Street. Following elevation of the Lehigh Valley and construction of the new Roselle Park station, the track was cut back to Locust Street.

The diamond itself was constructed to allow the LV’s team track to curve into a paved area beyond the RV’s lead. There was a small freight office and room to spot one or two cars. Opinions abound about protection for this crossing, including the use of a switch stand with day targets. I never observed any such protection, nor was any observed by two former Brakemen who worked on the RV in the 1970s. This area is now gone

Next, the more obscure diamond on the Rahway Valley could be found on the Summit Leg of the wye in Union. When the industrial development of the Rahway Avenue area was built, the warehouses and structures were closely packed. The structures were mostly one story block buildings with loading doors at trackside and truck docks on the street side. Because of tight clearances encountered in reaching the tightly spaced loading doors, a switch through a diamond was necessary. Although the track of the main line has been relayed, and no longer connects with the sidings, the diamond still lays in the weeds behind the old Baxter Warehouse/New Jersey Tab Card building and its odd shaped concrete loading dock (only room for one car here).

While on the subject of diamond crossings, a third location comes to mind. This goes back aways to when Public Service still ran trolleys to Kenilworth. Built in 1906, the Kenilworth Car Line ran from Westfield Avenue in Aldene, up what is today Valley Road, past Crossfield Products, and alongside the RV right of way. It paralleled the tracks up to Colfax Avenue under wire and turned toward Faitoute Avenue. After turning left on Faitoute Avenue, our trolley route heads toward the Rahway Valley tracks, east of Karlink Brothers coal yard, and had to have made a level crossing of the RV’s branch to the CRR of NJ. After the diamond, the Brill car rolled up to the Boulevard, turned left and ended at the old Kenilworth Inn. The trolley lasted until 1924 when the tracks were torn up. This is early stuff and we would love to see a picture or hear of any firsthand accounts of this crossing.