Three Bridges
A Brief History
Three Bridges is a small unincorporated community in Hunterdon County on the
South Branch Raritan River,
and is named for the three original bridges that crossed the river. In 1864, the
Jersey Central
built their South Branch line through what would become Three Bridges, across the river, and south into Flemington. A year later, the
Lehigh Valley
built the Jersey extension of its mainline through Three Bridges, which ran parallel to the CNJ, then diverged northwest to Flemington Junction; after
having been assimilated by
Conrail, the line is now owned by
Norfolk Southern. In
the railroads' heyday, Three Bridges was a busy stop for freight and passengers; with the decline of rail service, most businesses closed
and the town has stagnated.
Structures and Features
The community of Three Bridges comprises mostly old homes arranged around Main Street north of the railroad tracks, so there won't be much of it represented on the layout. I'd love to model more of it, but space constraints limit what I can do; as it is, I moved some of the more interesting structures between the LV and CNJ mainlines.
Ferrellgas- Somebody's Lumber and Coal
- Luna Pizza new
- Three Bridges Station
- Farmhouse
- Section House
- D&D Auto Service revised
- CNJ Flemington Bridge (lower left corner)
- Stone Arch Bridge (upper left corner)