New Jersey

The Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington is perhaps the single most significant stretch of railroad in the country, connecting dozens of cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. The line carries thousands of passengers daily on a mix of long-distance, regional, and commuter trains. Before it emerged as a vital stretch of railway, some of the earliest railroads in America created a foundation for the future corridor. They constructed a patchwork of lines that laid the groundwork for the Northeast Corridor of today, which later formed integral portions of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. The impact of this line is still felt in the many communities that developed along the tracks. While the Northeast Corridor continues to evolve, it remains as relevant as it was when the original developers conceived the rail link nearly two centuries ago.

Constructed as the Easton and Amboy Railroad, opened by 1875, the Lehigh Valley Railroad was instrumental in developing commerce and communities of central New Jersey.

Thout it no longer runs, it was originally built to haul unending trains of ""black diamonds"" from Pennsylvania to Perth Amboy, the Lehigh Valley Railroad became so much more than a conduit for shipping coal. In building across the state, it became instrumental in not only hauling produce to New York City markets but also for providing service to companies like Johns-Manville and Lionel Trains. From Phillipsburg to Jersey City and all points in between, the Lehigh Valley Railroad hauled freight and passengers, while at the same time contributing to the social fabric of the area. The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey paints a picture of a railroad that provided over 100 years of quality service to the Garden State.

The legendary Blue Comet train no longer streaks through the pines of New Jersey. However, its memory still lives on through timeless images and the sustained efforts of historical societies and preservation organizations.

The Garden State's Blue Comet passenger train service operated from 1929 to 1941, on a route from the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. Despite the backdrop of the Great Depression and stiff competition from other railroads, it survived and established an enduring legacy in the annals of New Jersey rails. This book contains memorable images, many from private archival photograph collections, showing the remarkable history of this classic train and of the many hardworking, dedicated people who made it all possible.

Originally incorporated in 1881, the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad has had a long history in New Jersey. The railroad expanded by the early 1890s into the thriving Pennsylvania coalfields and eventually grew to over 200 miles of trackage in the northern portion of New Jersey. Always viewed as an underdog in a marketplace surrounded by much larger railroads, the New York, Susquehanna & Western emerged from 40 years of Erie Railroad control; survived several bankruptcies, reorganizations, abandonments, and retrenchments through innovative passenger and freight service offerings; and transformed into today's regional rail carrier with a size far greater than ever imagined.

The railroads of Monmouth County provided a means of transporting goods and people to and from points from within and beyond New Jersey and New York City. Once part of a vast network of steel tracks cutting through the rich farmlands of the Garden State, the railroads were a part of everyday life. Many residents worked for the railroad companies or indirectly provided supplies, equipment, and services needed by the railroads to serve customers. Commuters rode into New York City, Newark, and Jersey City to their employment. Many others traveled by rail to enjoy the cool breezes of the Jersey Shore and other attractions such as horse racing. These attractions led many to settle here. However, railroad excursion packages could only slow the loss of business that was a result of automobile ownership. In this changing society, only the most utilized tracks were left in service.

The Black River & Western Railroad has provided over 50 continuous years of passenger excursions in rural New Jersey between Flemington and Ringoes, passing through the pristine scenery of Hunterdon County. May 16, 1965, was the first official day of steam-powered passenger excursions, and 50 years later, on May 16, 2015, the same steam locomotive provided power for another steam-powered excursion. During those years, the railroad has grown from the simple excursion attraction of historic railroad equipment, providing the public amusement, to a regional short-line railroad.

Because of their unique location directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City have long been centers of transportation activity, but they excelled with railroads.

When the railway industry was booming in the early twentieth century, four major passenger terminals dotted the left bank of the Hudson: the Jersey Central, the Pennsylvania, the Erie, and the Lackawanna. Thousands of people streamed through these terminals every day to the ferries that took them across the river to New York City. With over two hundred historical photographs, Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey Cityexplores the cultural and commercial effects of railway travel in two important New Jersey cities, and follows the history of these railroads between the mid-1800s and the 1970s, as well as exploring how the once vibrant waterfronts of Hoboken and Jersey City went through tremendous decline and how, over time, the waterfront has been restored and redeveloped. New residential and commercial buildings have sprouted along the old Pennsylvania and Erie properties, the Lackawanna Terminal has been restored, and the Central Railroad Terminal is now part of Liberty State Park, one of New Jersey's most popular tourist destinations.

Over 200 images are set in geographical sequence to guide the reader along the famed Henry Hudson trail.

The Central Railroad of New Jersey's Seashore Branch provided rail and boat services from New York City to points along the New Jersey Shore. It discontinued passenger service in 1966, with the last freight train operating in 1983. Official abandonment proceedings sparked the need to keep the right of way for future mass transit needs. This led to interim use. Today, the area is called the Henry Hudson Trail and is one of over 500 parks referred to nationally as a Rail-Trail. This free, ten-mile-long, hiking, biking, and walking trail is administered by the Monmouth County Parks System, and connects several towns of the Raritan Bay shore area. This rare look will enlighten trail users through images of views gone forever, while pointing out structures still in place. Over 200 images are set in geographical sequence to guide the reader along the trail.

Many residents of Union and Essex Counties in New Jersey fondly recall the whistles of the Rahway Valley Railroad trains that rolled through the picturesque stations of Roselle Park, Kenilworth, Union, Springfield, and Summit. The Rahway's steam and diesel locomotives supported local commerce, provided passenger service, and carried a vast array of goods to and from local businesses. It connected the area with larger railroads, such as the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Lehigh Valley, and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. One of the shortest yet most prosperous of American railroads, the Rahway Valley helped transform a rural region into one of New Jersey's most vital and populous areas. The Rahway Valley Railroad presents the story of this colorful short line with rare, vintage photographs of locomotives, passengers, stations, and train crews. It recounts how the Rahway Valley evolved from the New York and New Orange Railroad, linking Union County towns with Newark Heights (Maplewood), in adjoining Essex County. Images in this book include passengers riding Rahway Valley trains to picnics, church outings, and Springfield's world-famous Baltusrol Golf Club. Readers will learn how this feisty little line competed successfully for many years against the trucking industry and the interstate highway system during a time when many small railroads were dying out. The Rahway Valley Railroad tells the distinctively American story of a proud short line that competed with forces larger than itself and faithfully served the local merchants and residents who now remember it so fondly.

The Morristown & Erie Railroad dates back to April 1895, when
construction began on the Whippany River Railroad in Whippany,
New Jersey, at the site of the community's growing and prosperous
paper mills. In October 1902, the Whippany River Railroad formed a
second company, known as the Whippany & Passaic River Railroad,
to extend the line seven more miles to connect with the Erie Railroad
at Essex Fells. On August 28, 1903, the two railroads consolidated to
form the Morristown & Erie Railroad Company.
With more than 200 historic photographs, Rails through the Hanover Hills
chronicles the activities of the Morristown & Erie Railroad from 1895
through the late 1960s. Discover rare images of the steam-powered
locomotives that rolled along the banks of the winding Whippany
River, trailed by carloads of coal, paper goods, and passengers, and
meet the men who ran the trains, worked the stations and freight
depots, repaired the track, and managed the company. View a variety of
images from the railroad's early days as well as the Morristown & Erie
of today, as it continues to move forward in a vastly changing world.

Illustrated with nearly 200 historic images, the pivotal birth of diesel dominance and New Jersey's critical role is documented and investigated.

At the end of World War II, the nation's railroads were eager to replace their abundance of war-weary steam locomotives with sleek new diesel engines. From Cape May to Bayonne, New Jersey's tracks were soon humming with diesels while the old steamers were nudged onto the scrap tracks of the Central New Jersey, the Erie, and the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroads, among others. Powering a commuter train to Dover or a sand train to Millville's Wheaton glass plant, the diesels instantly proved their worth, praised by railroad employees for their ease of running and maintenance. In an era when most clothes were dried outside, the public accepted the new lack of trackside coal ash with gusto. Steam to Diesel in New Jersey presents the mixed era of late-steam and early-diesel power on the big and small railroads of New Jersey, from the mid-1940s to the end of the 1950s. From the Baldwins to the Alcos, the steam-spewing Behemoths to the smooth-running RS series, this engaging collection of vintage photographs remembers a time filled with wonder and change. With nearly two hundred images, Steam to Diesel in New Jersey showcases the departing steam engines and the emerging diesels that ushered in a new period of railroad history.

For slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad, names like Springtown and Snow Hill promised sanctuary and salvation. Under the pressures of racial prejudice, free blacks, runaway slaves and even many Native Americans formed island communities on the periphery of South Jersey towns. While Lawnside and others continue to thrive today, "fringe communities"? like Marshalltown and Timbuctoo now exist only in memory. In this discussion of these primarily African American communities, Dennis Rizzo validates their role in the preservation of tradition, definition of extended family and creation of a social bond between diverse peoples; together they formed parallel communities based on, but independent of, the larger towns and villages familiar to us all.