The end of Public Service trolleys and streetcars

[snavely]

This satellite photo shows the site of the Newark Wharf with a few rotting pilings sticking up along the shoreline. All that's left of the wharf.

http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lk4lMmI0M ... gyNjM4NTQ=

[JimBoylan]

I think once, possibly in the late 50's on Main St. in Paterson I saw an all-service vehicle go by with the trolley poles down, but under its own power, and out of service, many years after the wires came down. But that was very one of a kind, and I'm not 100% sure if I'd imagined it or not. Would that have been possible?

In 1950, after the end of All Service Vehicles, Public Service tried a new General Motors Corp. All Service Vehicle No. D900. Some test trackless trolley wire was erected one way on part of one of the remaining surface car lines, the test trips ran the other way on Diesel. This was part of a failed scheme to pave the City Subway and avoid buying P.C.C. cars. The City refused to pay for the paving. Public Service eventually removed the electrical equipment and used it in its bus fleet.

[frank754]

frank754,

The line up Straight St, did it cross the bridge at Arch St then go on up into Hawthorne via Main/Goffle/Wagaraw then up Lafayette, on its way, eventually and for a very short time to Ridgewood? IIRC it was called the 'state line' route? (Paterson and State Line Traction Company??)

According to Hamm's book, it ran on Main St to Broadway, then Bridge St and over the Arch St bridge, then N Main & E main to Wagaraw Rd. From there through Hawthorne. The book doesn't make it clear whether the Hawthorne line and Lakeview (ex "State Line" route) used the same track through Hawthorne, and his maps aren't very detailed. It shows the line as single track with a few passing sidings. It shows the Hawthorne Line turning off Wagaraw at Lincoln St. and then going onto Grand Ave to Rea Ave. After 1914, there was PRW extension all the way to Ridgewood, going onto 4th Ave and paralleling the NYS&W just to the west. It went into Ridgewood near Highland Ave., crossed over Godwin and has PRW to right near the Erie Station (quit in 1926). So I'm not sure if it ran on Lafayette Ave.
Also I'm thinking that the old interurban line to Suffern used completely different trackage, as it turned off Broadway somewhere in Fair Lawn.

[CarterB]

Frank,
Thanks for the info on the Hawthorne/Ridgewood short lived line. Yes the NJRT interurban had its own separate route from what is now Elmwood Park to Suffern, most of which ROW is still quite accessible and walk/bike ride-able.

On the trolley line, I've only found the 'trolley bridge' under the NYS&W (N 40.98008 W 74.14178) and a bridge abutment nearby (N 40.98155 W 74.13918) where it crossed Goffle Brook at the Midland Park/Ridgewood border.

[CarterB]

Regarding the PSCT "Hudson River Line" and this photo http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/Locopi ... ?id=128942
Was the RIver Line bridge over the NJ&NY in Hackensack (N 40.88626 W 74.04841) part of the NYS&W bridge or a separate structure on same embankments?
Anyone have any idea as to whether the "horseshoe curve" down the palisades to Edgewater is legally accessible?

[pumpers]

The 1915 Sanborn map http://library.princeton.edu/libraries/ ... nsack.html (click on 1915, sheet 26) shows a double track NYSW bridge (then Erie) and also a trolley trestle just to the south of it. Sanborn usually doesn't show trolley tracks themselves, but the trolley bridge is there. Note in the picture behind the trolley bridge it looks like you can see a bit of the side of one of the NYSW spans. JS

[TheChoolulu]

Hello- I've been reading this thread with the hopes of narrowing down when the trolley/streetcar service ended in Paterson. The reason I am inquiring is because I am trying to narrow down a range of years for the death of my great-grandmother, who according to family lore was dragged by a streetcar in Paterson, NJ. She definitely died after 1930. Could anyone help with further information about Paterson streetcars or anywhere to find information regarding deaths resulting from streetcar accidents? Thanks so much....

[CarterB]

According to http://web.me.com/willvdv/chirailfan/aatnj5.html, the last street cars to operate in Paterson were in 1929, however, one, the Hudson River Line, which ran into Paterson on Broadway, lasted until August 5, 1938. Not sure if in the 1930's it still looped down to the old Market St. car barn, or just operated in and out on Broadway.

[frank754]

Don't forget after the demise of most streetcar lines, PSCT still ran several ASV ("all-service-vehicle" or "trolleybus") lines. These ran out of Newark until their demise in 1948. I'm not sure how many of these lines ran into Paterson (if more than one), but the one I'm fairly sure of is the Main St (17 Paterson) line which ran down through Clifton and then to Newark, and I'm fairly sure it was still running into the 40's. In that case, the trolley wire on Main St outlived Broadway. The Passaic Division streetcars (local Paterson area lines) may have seen their demise in the late 20's, but the Newark-Paterson rail line was considered "Essex Division", and Hamm's book says it still ran as rail until July 18, 1937. Thus there would still be rail through most of the 30's on both Broadway and Main streets. The conversion from rail to ASV on Main St. was July, 1937, while the Hudson River Line was replaced by bus on 8/5/38. It would be interesting to know what turning facilities and powered tracks on side streets still existed during the course of 1937-38.

[frank754]

I've put together a gallery of PSNJ streetcars on my site, 110 photos from the George Conrad collection, which I got over a period of time from a mailing list at the end of 2010. I don't believe these are to be found anywhere on the web, and it was sure the first time for me when I saw these. I had to superimpose the captions by hand, and hopefully most are accurate. They cover most areas of the PSNJ, and there are some really old ones as well.

http://viewoftheblue.com/photography/psnj.html

[Steve F45]

the one photo of the streetcar in the lackawanna train terminal where was that compared to today?

Also where was the hackensack river brige in bogota? Is it what is now court street bridge or midtown bridge?

[ccutler]

Very impressive collection! Thanks for sharing! I never realized how comprehensive the trolley network was outside of the big cities.

[Steve F45]

awesome pics!! Are these all of the trolley slides? I've been trying to find some of the trolley going thru little ferry.

[Ken W2KB]

the one photo of the streetcar in the lackawanna train terminal where was that compared to today?

Also where was the hackensack river brige in bogota? Is it what is now court street bridge or midtown bridge?

The Hoboken PSCNJ trolley terminal was adjacent on the north side. Buses use that area now. I don't think the cars entered the Lackawanna Railroad terminal.

[Steve F45]

towards the end of the slideshow there was an overhead shot of the trolley terminal. looked like a nice buidling at one time. Some great photo's on that site overall.