While this plan ultimately never materialized the system did construct a significant stretch of trackage across New Jersey. It was originally intended to link New York with the important Virginia port of Norfolk, via steamship service across the Delaware Bay.
The largest component of the Southern Division was the Raritan & Delaware Bay Railroad chartered in 1854. It also moved commuters and vacationers to locations such as Atlantic City, Long Branch, and Tuckerton. The Jersey Central's Southern Division, as its name implies, operated into the state's sparsely-populated southern regions (the so-called, "Pine Barrens") from Red Bank to Bridgeton/Bowentown/Bayside.ĭuring its heyday the trackage handled a variety of freight from agriculture to aggregates. It was the busiest component of the CNJ and carried four to six tracks along the 35-mile corridor between Jersey City and Raritan.Īccording to the Classic Trains article, " Jersey Central: Coal, Commuters, And A Comet," this high-speed thoroughfare witnessed 300 commuter trains daily, carrying 35,000 riders, in addition to local freights which the railroad referred to as "drills." There were two other major divisions of the CNJ, which will be briefly highlighted below. The completion of the railroad's Jersey City connection constituted its "Central Division" from that point to Phillipsburg. It was not only the CNJ's primary terminal into New York but also handled the trains of Reading and Baltimore & Ohio. The facility, referred to as Communipaw Terminal, or Jersey City Terminal, was replaced with a much larger station in 1889 that served as one of the major Hudson River terminals until the postwar period. In 1864 it completed an extension across the Newark Bay, via a one-mile long bridge to Jersey City where a small terminal was opened at what is today Liberty State Park. However, doing so would offer the CNJ nearly-direct service into Manhattan, albeit requiring ferries to do so. Pushing rails beyond Elizabethport to the Hudson River took a bit more work. This town grew into an important commercial center where five major railroads once met including the CNJ these were the Lehigh & Hudson River Lehigh Valley Delaware, Lackawanna & Western and Pennsylvania Railroad's Belvidere Division. Soon after the name change the new company continued pushing rails west until it had spanned its home state, opening service to Phillipsburg in 1852. Like most of the now-classic fallen flags, the CNJ expanded and grew through a combination of new construction and take over of smaller lines. The creation of the CNJ was a result of the S&E acquiring the E&S, changing the name of both as the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey on April 23, 1849. The Somerville & Easton began construction soon after its incorporation, opening between Somerville and White House on September 25, 1848. The E&S took some time to get under way but finally did so on Augwhen it opened roughly 2 miles between Elizabeth and Elizabethport along the mouth of the Arthur Kill (until 1864 the CNJ operated ferry service between Elizabethport and New York City).Īt the time trains were only horse-drawn steam power did not arrive until Januwhen the system had reached Plainfield.įinally, on Januservice extended to Somerville, completing the road's original charter. Today, little remains of the old Jersey Central lines, many of which have been abandoned across its home state and eastern Pennsylvania.
These issues ultimately led to the railroad’s bankruptcy and inclusion into Conrail in 1976. However, for all of these setbacks the railroad was further burdened by heavy taxation through the state of New Jersey. The demise of the CNJ was the result of several factors including a region too saturated with railroads, stiff government regulation, and markets already served by more efficient competitors (such as the Pennsylvania and Reading). It also acquired a part of the old Lehigh & New England during the 1960s to pick up desperately need freight tonnage. The Jersey Central served much of its home state along with northwestern Pennsylvania, including Easton, Bethlehem, and Wilkes-Barre.
Regardless of its many titles the CNJ was a New Jersey institution although it was only regional in operation and, at its peak, just 711 miles in length. Names from CNJ to Jersey Central, and the aforementioned moniker. The Central Railroad of New Jersey has gone by a number of different
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