In the 70's in NJ, there were still tracks in the sidewalk from the North Jersey Rapid transit in Hohokus at one spot(I saw another post that they still may be there today). Also, in Waldwick, in the E-L yards near the wye where they used to turn around the E-8's, there were a few tall cement pylons where ths line was elevated over the Erie tracks. I hung out at the WC tower occasionally back then (at 16) and there were some good guys there, the only names I remember were Dave Kinner and "Ace", they let me pull the switches in the tower a few times. At the Waldwick station, there was another good guy (Jim, I think), a stocky dark-haired guy, and since my mom used to commute to Paterson on the E-L almost daily, we got to be on familiar terms, and he let me climb up into the attic and retrieve some really dusty old stuff, including passenger ticket sales logbooks and a bunch of cardboard freight waybills from around 1912. I still have about 20-30 of these today.
I also spent a brief time in Boston around '77-79 and the A Watertown line seemed perfectly intact. I was always hoping they'd revive it, but I guess that was never to be.
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The NJRT tracks are still imbedded in the sidewalks on both sides of Franklin Tpke in Ho-Ho-Kus where the NJRT crossed to their carbarn and HQ.
Nothing left of the overpass in Glen Rock where the NJRT went over the Erie Bergen Main. The ROW however, is quite 'unmolested' much of the way from Fair Lawn to Mahwah.
Nothing left of the overpass in Glen Rock where the NJRT went over the Erie Bergen Main. The ROW however, is quite 'unmolested' much of the way from Fair Lawn to Mahwah.
Bring back the Slumbercoaches!!
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Nothing left of the overpass in Glen Rock where the NJRT went over the Erie Bergen Main. The ROW however, is quite 'unmolested' much of the way from Fair Lawn to Mahwah.[/quote]
There are several pieces of the NJRT Line still visible in Glen Rock and several other towns on the route. In Glen Rock, there are several footings from the concrete piers of the viaduct that carried the line over the Erie RR Bergen County Cut-Off. These piers are located on the PSE&G right-of-way between Wilde Memorial Park and Salem Court. (Most of the footings are at ground level, but one, the Northernmost pier, stands about 2 or 3 feet high). If you were to follow the right-of-way to the Ridgewood border, there are two concrete bridge foundations where the railroad crossed the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. Further up the line in Ridgewood, there is a bridge that is still in use as a pedestrian walkway behind Veterans Field near Village Hall. I am told there are several bridges still in use on the golf course at Ramsey Country Club.
There are several pieces of the NJRT Line still visible in Glen Rock and several other towns on the route. In Glen Rock, there are several footings from the concrete piers of the viaduct that carried the line over the Erie RR Bergen County Cut-Off. These piers are located on the PSE&G right-of-way between Wilde Memorial Park and Salem Court. (Most of the footings are at ground level, but one, the Northernmost pier, stands about 2 or 3 feet high). If you were to follow the right-of-way to the Ridgewood border, there are two concrete bridge foundations where the railroad crossed the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. Further up the line in Ridgewood, there is a bridge that is still in use as a pedestrian walkway behind Veterans Field near Village Hall. I am told there are several bridges still in use on the golf course at Ramsey Country Club.
It had a very unusual name North Jersey Rapid Transit.
It kind of makes you think of the rapid transit lines operating in New York, the subways. But, this is wasn't. It was a true interurban trolley line. A lot like the lines of the mid-west, only a shorter version. Over the years I have walked or biked all of its visible and invisible length. Some of the invisible areas require a bit of conjecture. Did it go this way or that way?
Any one with an interest in NJRT should try to pick up a copy of E.J.Quinby's Interurban Interlude published 1968 an occasional copy will pop up on E-bay.
It kind of makes you think of the rapid transit lines operating in New York, the subways. But, this is wasn't. It was a true interurban trolley line. A lot like the lines of the mid-west, only a shorter version. Over the years I have walked or biked all of its visible and invisible length. Some of the invisible areas require a bit of conjecture. Did it go this way or that way?
Any one with an interest in NJRT should try to pick up a copy of E.J.Quinby's Interurban Interlude published 1968 an occasional copy will pop up on E-bay.
Knowledge has no value, unless shared with others.
Does anyone know if any of the Jewitt cars survived after the demise of NJRT in 1928? Also any known photos other than what is in the Quinby book?
Bring back the Slumbercoaches!!
Carter you had me into the books.
From Public Service Railway by Sennstrom and Francis, pg.175
“North Jersey Rapid Transit owned eight passenger cars and one line car. Public Service scrapped all of the NJRT cars except one passenger car which survived until about 1950 as an office in the Passaic Wharf Yard at Newark. There is one photo of Cars 10 and 12 as a train in this book. The same photo is in The Public Service Trolley Lines in New Jersey by Edward Hamm. I have seen a photo of the Passaic Wharf "office" which I thought was in one of A.W.Mankoff's Trolley Treasures but could not find it for this post.
From Public Service Railway by Sennstrom and Francis, pg.175
“North Jersey Rapid Transit owned eight passenger cars and one line car. Public Service scrapped all of the NJRT cars except one passenger car which survived until about 1950 as an office in the Passaic Wharf Yard at Newark. There is one photo of Cars 10 and 12 as a train in this book. The same photo is in The Public Service Trolley Lines in New Jersey by Edward Hamm. I have seen a photo of the Passaic Wharf "office" which I thought was in one of A.W.Mankoff's Trolley Treasures but could not find it for this post.
Knowledge has no value, unless shared with others.
Andy
Thanks for your response. I had seen the small 'inset' photo on Mankoff's site as office on Passaic Wharf.
Didn't know that they had 8 Jewitt cars!!
Somewhat surprised that even in 1928, some other interurban didn't pick them up to use, although by then, most of them were on the way out anyway.
Thanks for your response. I had seen the small 'inset' photo on Mankoff's site as office on Passaic Wharf.
Didn't know that they had 8 Jewitt cars!!
Somewhat surprised that even in 1928, some other interurban didn't pick them up to use, although by then, most of them were on the way out anyway.
Bring back the Slumbercoaches!!
I read a newspaper article about the history of trolley/interurban lines in north jersey and it mentioned a major crash in 1911 that ended future expansion plans for an interurban line. Anyone know if North Jersey Rapid Transit was the line where the fatal crash happened? If so, is there a marker or plaque at the crash site?
Indeed the wreck, and subsequent law suits and settlements, did drain the NJRT of funds to expand:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.h ... 946096D6CF
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.h ... 946096D6CF
Bring back the Slumbercoaches!!
Thank you, CarterB! I read the NYT article - very interesting. So, does the crash location still exist today or has the old right-of-way been destroyed? Is there any marker at the scene of this horrific crash? And what happened to NJRT Co. -- when did it go out of business? How far did it ever expand? Any other article you can point me to are greatly appreciated.
The book "Interurban Interlude" by Quinby has excellent history of the NJRT. Available through many NJ libraries and occasionally you'll find a copy online for sale. NJRT purchased eight double ended, railroad roof, heavy Jewett interurban cars. NJRT was by no means a 'light rail' operation. The cars were capable of being MU'd, and for "outings" ran in as much as three car trains. The line also had block signal control. See page 42 of this link for photo: http://books.google.com/books?id=CCfSk4 ... t&resnum=1
The accident site is very much visible today, where it crossed Prospect St. in Ridgewood on the 'blind curve' East of Prospect.
http://mapper1.acme.com/?lat=40.96394&l ... =2&dot=Yes
PSE&G has preserved the ROW for much of the old NJRT route from Fairlawn to Mahwah (part in Ramsey is a bike trail with historic markers and an art gallery has the old Ramsey Main St station http://www.fieldstonefineart.com/fields ... ilding.php) By 1912, NJRT was in receivership, and finally bought in 1928 by Public Service, since they hadn't paid their electric bills. Public Service merged it into their railways (Public Service Railways) which also by then owned the Hudson River Lines that the NJRT connected with in Elmwood Park. At its largest extent, the NJRT ran from East Paterson, (Elmwood Park) at the Broadway bridge over the Passaic, on private ROW up to Suffern NY. (where it ran from the NJ/NY state line down the middle of Orange Ave.) The planned expansions south to Jersey City, and North to Greenwood Lake and a branch from Ho-ho-kus over to Spring Valley, NY up the Saddle River Valley never materialized as the line was 'belly up' from just after the accident. After just one year of PSE operation, it was abandoned in 1929, all cars scrapped, (save one, that was used without trucks as a PSCT office on Passaic Wharf in Newark until PSCT went out of the trolley business around WWII) The rail was torn up and sold to Russia for the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
The accident site is very much visible today, where it crossed Prospect St. in Ridgewood on the 'blind curve' East of Prospect.
http://mapper1.acme.com/?lat=40.96394&l ... =2&dot=Yes
PSE&G has preserved the ROW for much of the old NJRT route from Fairlawn to Mahwah (part in Ramsey is a bike trail with historic markers and an art gallery has the old Ramsey Main St station http://www.fieldstonefineart.com/fields ... ilding.php) By 1912, NJRT was in receivership, and finally bought in 1928 by Public Service, since they hadn't paid their electric bills. Public Service merged it into their railways (Public Service Railways) which also by then owned the Hudson River Lines that the NJRT connected with in Elmwood Park. At its largest extent, the NJRT ran from East Paterson, (Elmwood Park) at the Broadway bridge over the Passaic, on private ROW up to Suffern NY. (where it ran from the NJ/NY state line down the middle of Orange Ave.) The planned expansions south to Jersey City, and North to Greenwood Lake and a branch from Ho-ho-kus over to Spring Valley, NY up the Saddle River Valley never materialized as the line was 'belly up' from just after the accident. After just one year of PSE operation, it was abandoned in 1929, all cars scrapped, (save one, that was used without trucks as a PSCT office on Passaic Wharf in Newark until PSCT went out of the trolley business around WWII) The rail was torn up and sold to Russia for the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
Bring back the Slumbercoaches!!
This is the story of the question about the ROW in Ho Ho Kus trolley. I do not know how to couple thestory to the most recent question so please read it here. or if anyone knows how to put the 2 forum questions together, please do so.
There ought to be a historic marker, commemorating the 100 anniversary of the horrific collision that occurred in July, 1911 near Prospect Street! There were several who were killed--including the superintendent of the line. I would like to propose that the borough of Glen Rock be contacted by readers of this topic to suggest they put up such a marker near the collision point (the sharp curve on the right of way, just East of Prospect Street). I live out in Minnesota so, ideally, the suggestion should come first from someone closer to Glen Rock. I'll be happy to encourage others I know in NJ to similarly contact the borough. Incidentally, I used to live in Fort Lee, have hiked the right of way, and I own the book on the TCRT by Quimby.