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  • RR line from Camden to Toms River?

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

Moderator: David

 #78690  by JLo
 
B - Bayonne
E - Elizabeth
N - Newark
N - New
Y - York

As for "Benny" being an affectionate term, it isn't to the Clamdiggers - some of whom have family ties dating back to the early 1700s. They hate everyone who moved in after 1840!

 #78773  by Jtgshu
 
To a Jersey Shore local, a Benny is not an affectionate term.....just like the "leafers" from Family Guy!!!!!

Clamdiggers - now thats a whole other breed - take a ride though downtown Highlands (the low lying section) and you will see these same people working day in and day out.....probably the same families since the 1840s!!!.......

.......and they would have shipped adn received their goods via the Seashore branch! (trying not to stray too far from anything rail-related!!!)

:-D

 #78978  by LBWaveDude
 
Jtgshu,

So true about tourists only knowing one way to get around. Thank God for my shortcuts. Also believe me I'm not saying the locals are wonderful drivers either...I've had two experiences this past fall with not so good local drivers.

Speaking of the terminal at Sandy Hook (Horseshoe Cove right?) what years was this in operation? In addition, the ships that brought passengers to the piers in Long Branch were close enough to the many stations. I like the idea of bring the tourists but not their cars.

 #79037  by OCtrainguy
 
When one travels on Route 70 through Browns Mills, there is , what appears to me, a large ROW just west of the hobby/racing shop on Route 70. I think this could be the former PRR ROW.

 #79219  by snavely
 
In Point Pleasant, the first sign of spring is seeing the a benny driving the wrong way on either Rt. 35 north or south. Sure signal that winter is over.

 #79462  by Ken W2KB
 
Or in the wee hours anytime of the year, that the local bars closed a few minutes ago. :wink:

 #80030  by steemtrayn
 
OCtrainguy wrote:There are still some remnants of the former PRR line that can still be found.

The first photo is taken from Ocean Gate adjacent to the Windows on the Bay Restaurant (fairly confident that's the name) where the line started crossing the the bay. http://octrainguy.com/OGside.jpg

The second photo is taken from Seaside Park where a portion of the pier still stand and is used for crabbing and fishing. I gave taken some sunset photos from this spot. http://octrainguy.com/SeasidePier.jpg

The third photo is of the former ROW. The photo is taken from the parking lot adjacent to the Bay Head Post Office on Bridge Avenue. The photo is looking north across the lake, in which the PRR ROW existed. http://octrainguy.com/PRR-ROW.JPG

This is one line I wish was still around. It would make things so much easier to get from Pt. Pleasant Beach to Seaside and west across the bay!!
One more pic of the remains of PRR in Ocean Gate

http://community.webshots.com/photo/572 ... 3590fLJOlL
 #81105  by 1st Barnegat
 
JLo wrote:B - Bayonne
E - Elizabeth
N - Newark
N - New
Y - York
The way I heard it, this term is a (not-so-affectionate) acronym for the NYC-area tourists to the jersey shore who wanted to return home, and that they were travelling by rail. Would that have to have been via the Jersey Central?

As for those from Philly, those were known as "shoebies." Possibly via PRR (including the RR line from Camden to Toms River), Tuckerton RR, or ACRR.

 #82070  by steemtrayn
 
My undrestanding is that CNJ passengers returning to E'port and beyond had luggage tags with BENNY on them so their bags would be loaded further back in the pile, so the other passengers' bags wouldn't get buried.

Re:

 #1564016  by GSC
 
OCtrainguy wrote: Tue Dec 21, 2004 9:05 am When one travels on Route 70 through Browns Mills, there is , what appears to me, a large ROW just west of the hobby/racing shop on Route 70. I think this could be the former PRR ROW.
Bringing back an old thread.

The Route 70 / Phila & Long Branch RR crossing is (was?) called Upton Station on Google maps. There was once a bridge over the ROW with a big freshwater lake right there. When I was little, the family would do day trips to the lake for swimming and a picnic. Google maps (satellite view) show the entire ROW, still easy to follow.

I found this website for some great info on rail development to Seaside.
http://www.discoverseasideheights.com/h ... all-aboard
 #1564052  by R&DB
 
Bringing back an old thread.
Gary, thanks for finding this. Read the entire thing and the Benny stuff is still the same, but I have a different understanding of of the origin of the term. My father (b. 1913) and his brothers (they lived in Ortley Beach) were lifeguards in Seaside in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He said there was a place that rented beach chairs and umbrellas to the tourists. The business was called Bennys and everything they rented was prominently stenciled with their name. So the people carrying the rented stuff became known as Bennys.
And my father and uncles and aunts often took the train to school in Toms River.
 #1564075  by R&DB
 
My fathers' family resided in Riverton until about 1920 then relocated to Ortley Beach. All the household belongings were shipped on the PRR via this line. (except the model T) The family used to vacation in Ocean City (by rail), but changed to Seaside in 1919. Finding the beach real estate market much better in Ocean County they found a lot in Ortley close to the RR station and had a house built.
In the late 1930s my Dad worked for the Bell Telephone Company selling telephone service door to door, His service area was Asbury Park to Toms River, so he used the P&LB a lot. WWII found him in the US Army Signal Corps. Post war he found a job with Western Electric who manufactured all of the telephone equipment used by all of the Bell companies. He worked at their Headquarters in NYC and commuted daily (EL) first from Madison, NJ then he wanted to get back to the shore and moved us to Little Silver in 1955. He was a regular CNJ rider and a member of the Seashore Commuters Club. (They had their own car)
I grew up along the NY&LB and walked the tracks and played onthe Parkers Creek Bridge. Dad would take us on 'Sunday Drives and we inevitably ended up in Toms River / Ortley / Beachwood at the RR stations.
 #1564076  by R&DB
 
R&DB wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:39 pm My fathers' family resided in Riverton until about 1920 then relocated to Ortley Beach. All the household belongings were shipped on the PRR via this line. (except the model T) The family used to vacation in Ocean City (by rail), but changed to Seaside in 1919. Finding the beach real estate market much better in Ocean County they found a lot in Ortley close to the RR station and had a house built.
In the late 1930s my Dad worked for the Bell Telephone Company selling telephone service door to door, His service area was Asbury Park to Toms River, so he used the P&LB a lot. WWII found him in the US Army Signal Corps. Post war he found a job with Western Electric who manufactured all of the telephone equipment used by all of the Bell companies. He worked at their Headquarters in NYC and commuted daily (EL) first from Madison, NJ then he wanted to get back to the shore and moved us to Little Silver in 1955. He was a regular CNJ rider and a member of the Seashore Commuters Club. (They had their own car)
I grew up along the NY&LB and walked the tracks (pre electrification) and played on the Parkers Creek Bridge. Dad would take us on 'Sunday Drives and we inevitably ended up in Toms River / Ortley / Beachwood at the RR stations.
 #1564077  by R&DB
 
My fathers' family resided in Riverton until about 1920 then relocated to Ortley Beach. All the household belongings were shipped on the PRR via this line. (except the model T) The family used to vacation in Ocean City (by rail), but changed to Seaside in 1919. Finding the beach real estate market much better in Ocean County they found a lot in Ortley close to the RR station and had a house built.
In the late 1930s my Dad worked for the Bell Telephone Company selling telephone service door to door, His service area was Asbury Park to Toms River, so he used the P&LB a lot. WWII found him in the US Army Signal Corps. Post war he found a job with Western Electric who manufactured all of the telephone equipment used by all of the Bell companies. He worked at their Headquarters in NYC and commuted daily (EL) first from Madison, NJ then he wanted to get back to the shore and moved us to Little Silver in 1955. He was a regular CNJ rider and a member of the Seashore Commuters Club. (They had their own car)
I grew up along the NY&LB and walked the tracks (pre electrification) and played on the Parkers Creek Bridge. Dad would take us on 'Sunday Drives' and we inevitably ended up in Toms River / Ortley / Beachwood at the RR stations.
I think my Dad was a closet RR junkie.
 #1564301  by GSC
 
Back in the days of baggage, CNJ had cardboard luggage tags that had BNENY printed on them (in that order) for Bayonne, Newark, Elizabeth, and New York. The bags were called "Benny Bags" by the handlers, and their owners soon became known by that name. Today, although inaccurately, we call Bennies anyone coming from north of the Raritan River.

Damn Parkway.