Opening and early history (1873–1910) The first railroad service through
Little Falls came on January 1, 1873 with the opening of the
Montclair Railway from
Jersey City to
Sterling Forest on the shore of
Greenwood Lake. At the time of opening, the line had two stations in the township:
Great Notch and one called Little Falls. Little Falls station was and 63 minutes from Jersey City, serving twelve trains per day. Joseph Cooke was named the first station agent at Little Falls station in 1873. He also served as the telegraph operator. Little Falls at the time of the railroad opening was a small community, with a local school, stores, churches and the Beattie Carpet Mill, which opened in 1842. The municipality also had two
stagecoach runs to
Paterson and three runs of mail service. At the time of opening, the township saw the railroad as beneficial for the community, given that trips to get to any area railroad station would involve a ride by horse of at least . Speculation was that a new station on the line would promote rapid development of the area as people would want to move on a permanent and temporary basis to Little Falls. However, they felt that the growth would be held back by wealthy landowners who did not want to sell their land for development, despite the profit opportunities. The original station depot at Little Falls was a small shanty for Cooke to use. In mid-July 1879, the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway (the successor of the Montclair Railway) announced that they would replace the shanty with a new station depot. Reacting to an article in the
Montclair Times suggesting that the railroad make Little Falls a major terminus instead of
Montclair Heights station, the railroad announced that they would build a new station depot, a brick structure that would be open by August 1879.
Ownership and refurbishment (1976–1979) Little Falls station and the Boonton Line fell under the guise of the
Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) on April 1, 1976 after the federal government took over the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. By October 1976, local officials were asking the
New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) about funding to refurbish the two active stations in the township. NJDOT stated that they did not have funds left from a 1968 state bond issue and that they would have to rely on other sources for funding to repair the stations. Officials showed concern about the poor condition of both railroad stations, stating that they were both in a dilapidated state and were problems for traffic in the area. Little Falls station had the depot and the parking lot in poor condition, with the latter having few or no markings. Passaic County's planner, John Mancinelli, performed a study of all the active railroad stations in the county, suggesting that a new park and ride could be built on
County Route 620 (Clove Road) at the site of a defunct quarry owned by
Montclair State College to replace Great Notch and Montclair Heights stations. Mancinelli suggested that since Conrail owned the Little Falls station parking lot, that they would be able to get the agency to improve it with a little municipal force. However, the township planner suggested that they should purchase the two depots from the railroad, an offer Harvey stated that they would consider. He added that if the properties had free and clear title, they would negotiate a deal to sell the structures. Reorganization from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad bankruptcy could have potentially put a lien on the structure, making it tougher for the acquisition to occur. NJDOT stated that this lien would have to be taken care of by October 1978. Any acquisition plans would have to involved federal funding as well, requiring multiple bureaucratic approvals. In October 1977, a year after showing interest in getting the stations repaired,
Assemblyman Emil Olszowy (
R–35th District) offered to get involved in the fight. The township building inspector, Karl Grimm, added that writing numerous letters to Conrail had led to no progress or responses and thought that Olszowy's influence on NJDOT could help push Conrail to do something. Grimm added that Conrail officials were invited to have someone meet with the Township Planning Board, but had declined on multiple occasions. The fight over responsibility continued into 1978. Before more negotiations, the Board of Public Utilities inspected both Great Notch and Little Falls stations in January and March, resulting in a letter about the dilapidated conditions. At Little Falls station, the inspection showed that along with the missing bricks, boards had come free of the roof and the station's gutters leaked during rain. Joe Harvey insisted that while Conrail was responsible for routine maintenance as part of their contract with NJDOT, the state would be responsible for any renovation projects. NJDOT agreed with Harvey that they would have to spend money to repair the two depots. Morey Epstein of NJDOT stated that there was no immediate funding budgeted to repair and/or renovate both stations, but noted that an option in the contract with Conrail was coming up on September 17, 1978 to purchase some stations and which railroad lines to have Conrail operate. Any stations that NJDOT would purchase would then be flipped to the municipality where it was located. In making their decisions, the state would consider the future potential of the station. Epstein added that some state funding could possibly be made available for small repairs of both stations. Martin Robins, Assistant Commissioner for NJDOT, told people at a meeting with the New Jersey Mayors Association and New Jersey County Transportation Association in June 1978 that the agency would be unveiling a new program in which they would purchase all 137 stations from Conrail and then lease them for free to the 95 municipalities that contained a station. The entire set, which would cost less than $1.5 million, would need approval from the Commuter Operation Agency (slated for August 1978). In 1979, NJDOT would then begin the process of leasing out the stations. Robert Irvine, the chairman of the Planning Board, stated that he would prefer the stations fixed up before the responsibility would be turned over to the township, adding that a local
Boy Scouts troop had offered to paint Great Notch station, but was declined because of union contracts. The Commuter Operating Agency approved the deal on August 29, allowing NJDOT to spend $17.5 million for acquisition of 130 stations and of rail lines in the state. The deal would need to be done by September 18 due to the option on the contract, but could change if the
United States Congress would approve an extension of the option period. With the deal, NJDOT would then request $600 million in federal funding to renovate, upgrade and refurbish the stations. Irvine added that a local planner, Stanley Lacz, was working on improvement drawings for both Great Notch and Little Falls stations. Irvine added that part of these drawings would include repairing the roofs of both stations, installing new windows and repairing the parking lots at both facilities. The deal became official by September 22. Little Falls Mayor Fred DeFuria noted his frustration with Conrail's lack of maintenance and praised NJDOT's decision to purchase the stations. DeFuria added that the municipality would consider charging a parking fee at both stations to help with maintenance costs under the new leases, but only once the stations had their parking lots both paved. DeFuria stated that the township look into grants to permit repair of the depots and the parking lots along with fundraising for a historical museum at one of the stations. The Little Falls Historical Society would have their choice of which station, but stated his preference for Great Notch station as the museum. It came to Irvine's attention that someone had been doing maintenance work at Little Falls station's parking lot during the weekends of September 17–18 and September 23–24 without notifying municipal officials. The mystery organization had milled the parking lot and removed the potholes. Irvine added that it appeared they were about to start paving the lot and the Township Committee asked that calls be made to find out who the mystery construction workers were operating for. Irvine added that once they found the mystery agency that they would like a say in what happens to the facility. The municipality confirmed that the agency was Conrail working on the parking lots on September 26, 1978, when work on the lot resumed. A spokesperson from Conrail notified the municipality that the workers were trying to improve some of the problems with the facility's parking lot, adding that rock would be placed to help make it smoother for vehicles, but confirmed it did not expect to pave the lot. NJDOT denied that it had anything to do with the sudden change of heart, stating that Conrail might have used money from a grant or general funds for the work. NJDOT held a meeting with Irvine and the Planning Board on October 4, 1978. At this meeting, NJDOT announced that they would soon begin work on repairs to Little Falls station. The agency would give Conrail funding to repair or replace the station depot roof, inserting new windows, painting the interior and exterior of the structure. They added that they would also consider installing new doors on the depot. The project would also include possibility of paving the parking lot and installing new curbs, lights and doing general landscaping. NJDOT reiterated that the mystery work by Conrail was not their responsibility and unrelated to the future plans for the station. They also added that a specialized group of Conrail staff was being hired to do the station repairs throughout the state of New Jersey. If all went correctly, construction would start by November 1978. At the same time, they added that their proposal was to demolish the Great Notch depot and replace it with a shelter to do more lighting work, but that nothing would happen until other avenues were explored. Work began on the renovations to Little Falls station in November 1978, but interrupted by a fire on December 3, 1978 in which the depot sustained minor damage. The fire was extinguished in 15 minutes after the 10:38 p.m. report of fire and Conrail inspected the station depot around midnight on December 4. Little Falls Police declared the fire one of suspicious nature. Work resumed in April 1979 of the station depot with work on the depot's plumbing and electrical issues. Irvine announced that the roof would also be replaced entirely rather than repaired and that a new bench for commuters had been installed on the platform. The work also would add new exterior lighting to the station, along with new heating systems. In May 1979, the state offered the depots to the municipality for a long-term lease at $1 per year. This would include maintenance for the structures, funded by parking fees and rental opportunities from the Little Falls station. Both sides noted that Great Notch station did not represent enough of a profit for the municipality or the state but that the money acquired from Little Falls station would be enough to maintain both structures. Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovations at Little Falls station on October 19, 1979. Transportation Commissioner Louis Gambaccini, Assemblyman
William J. Bate (
D–35th District) and Mayor Charles Pullara were those who cut the ribbon in front of the station depot. They also added that the bathrooms at the depot were renovated. Pullara also noted that he intended to turn the depot into the historical museum and a local transit center for the municipality. == Station layout and services ==