Hanging on for dear life.  With the stop-work order putting a halt, albeit temporarily, to the destruction, Washington NJ boro officials sought guidance from the state and national historic preservation organizations with which the station was registered. Meanwhile, Conrail was doing some seeking of its own. Being a federally subsidized corporation, Conrail maintained that it did not have to adhere to the criterion that governs registered historic places, and was gathering information to substantiate this contention. But no matter who came up with the winning point of law, it was unlikely that the boro would be able to save the station because purchasing and renovating it would be too cost-prohibitive. In fact, this same conclusion was reached in 1978, when Conrail first offered to sell the building to the town for $8,000, but after determining that an additional $100,000 might be needed for restoration, the town decided not to buy. Certainly, the condition of the building had greatly degraded since then, and especially with a section of the roof punched out, far more money would now be needed for restoration, so the fate of the station seemed sealed, and indeed it was. Nothing but a miracle would save the station, but, sadly, no miracle would be forthcoming.  (Photo and caption by Thomas Allen Kelley)