Exchange Place in Jersey City

[drewh]

What were the last trains operating out of this terminal?? When did it close, and why did PRR think they could handle the commuter traffic from only NYP??

On average, how many trains was the terminal handling before closure?? Were they all locals and regionals or any long distance??

Also, did trains ever stop at Journal Sq after H&M started service, or were the PRR trains thru service NWK-Exchange Pl??

Anyone have some pics??

[BaltOhio]

The last passenger train out of Exchange Place terminal was Nov. 17, 1961, at which time there were 6 WB and 7 EB trains using the terminal. My own recollection, dating to the mid-1950s, is that in the final years most, if not all, the trains using Exchange Place were North Jersey Coast rush-hour commuter runs. The station, of course, was very convenient to the Wall St. financial district via the H&M Hudson Tubes and earlier ferry service, and in later years probably was maintained mostly for that reason -- as well as to take some pressure off Penn Station during the rush hours. LV's minimal commuter service also used the terminal until 1939.

The Exchange Place trains made no intermediate stops between the terminal and Newark after the present Newark station was opened and Manhattan Transfer was abandoned.

[timz]

Far as I know PRR trains didn't stop at JSQ after 1910-- but some did stop at Marion until about 1933. And a few stopped at Harrison until about 1928-- but maybe none ever stopped at Manhattan Tfr? No need for a Jersey City train to stop there?

Anybody ever see a pic clearly showing the four rails of the track along the outsides of the Manhattan Tfr platforms? No such thing at Journal Square-- right? So the tracks at JSQ must have been closer to the platforms? So they couldn't be used by the wider PRR cars?

I can't look at the timetables now, but I'm guessing Jersey City had thru MU trains to New Brunswick until the end.

Somewhere I saw a pic of a GG1 at Exchange Place-- but I never saw a timetable showing a train that might need an electric loco. Anyone else?

[drewh]

Where was Marion??

[BaltOhio]

I think almost everything stopped at Manhattan Transfer until the present Newark station was fully completed in 1937. Before then, any JC trains would need to stop there in order to board or discharge passengers using H&M's 33rd St. line or PRR passengers to/from Penn Station.

I took some photos at Exchange Place in 1953 or 1954, and one of them shows a GG-1, as well as m.u. cars and a K-4. I guess I assume that the GG-1-hauled train would have been an NJC run that changed engines at South Amboy. But who knows?

[BaltOhio]

Forgot to mention: Marion was west of Journal Square, where there was a connection to the Erie and NYS&W.

[timz]

Yeah, I forgot a Manhattan Tfr stop for Jersey City PRR trains wouldn't be entirely pointless-- but most (maybe all) such trains did skip Manh Tfr in the 1929-37 era anyway. (I'm not home now, but I can confirm that next month if anyone's interested.)

Marion was right next to Tonelle (Tonnelle?) Ave, just west of the overhead bridge. Apparently there was only one platform, on the south side, so I wonder if they had some procedure for holding eastward trains when passengers were boarding a westward?

Another minor question: after JC closed, PRR continued to run at least one diesel train from the Coast to Newark, for a while anyway. Wonder where they parked it during the day?

As for the GG1 in JC: it does seem unlikely they'd schedule a GG1 out of JC to be changed at South Amboy, don't you think? Might as well run the steam/diesel right out of JC? I'll look again at the employee timetables, but I'm guessing JC trains never scheduled an engine change.

[BaltOhio]

I'm embarrassed to say that timz is right about the traffic flow in & out of Exchange Place in the last years. My memory is creaky in the extreme. A cursory check of a 1956 timetable showed five outbound evening rush hour trains to New Brunswick, one to Trenton, and one to Bay Head Jct. The NY&LB train, incidentally, was quite a long affair judging by the several photos I took in the 1953-54 period, and seemed to regularly be assigned one of the northernmost tracks in the terminal.

The Trenton train was probably the one powered by the GG-1. This was a semi-express which made local stops between New Brunswick and Monmouth Jct., then skipped Princeton Jct. For what it's worth, my photo of the GG-1-powered train loading there was in April 1953. (In in looking in my April '53 Official Guide, I see that service out of Exchange Place was more extensive than a couple of years later, with two morning and one midday trips outbound in addition to the afternoon rush hour runs. This included one morning train to Trenton and one in the afternoon.

[David Hutchinson]

Did the troop trains out of Camp Kilmer go here?

[drewh]

Would've made sense ... why screw wih the commuters and LD passengers when they had a ready made terminal for soldiers??

Anyone know the real story -- I live 5 miles from camp Kilmer.

[David Hutchinson]

I used to live close to Kilmer and have collected quite a bit over the years. I have heard of moves made to Port Reading and other areas to "fool" the enemy, if he was monitoring trains. Have also heard of troops being loaded onto barges and then floated out to awaiting troop transports. I thought I read about troops going to Exchange, but I cannot remember where I heard or read it. Wish there was more info on Kilmer..... I have the tracks diagrams and a 14 track passenger station would have been great to cwatch....

[AndyB]

Camp Kilmer had a 14 track passenger station/terminal?
Are there track plans / anything on web?

[CAR_FLOATER]

Andy and other interested parties -

For a look at the yard layout of Camp Kilmer, check out the B&O Historical Society's SENTINEL magazine from earlier this year (I don't have the date/issue # handy right now)......Ed Bommer did a story on the Royal (as in Queen of England) train in the 1950's that ran from Baltimore on the B&O, onto the Reading in Philly, into Camp Kilmer (on the RDG), out of the Camp on the LV, and then down the SIRT at Cranford Jct. to St. George Ferry terminal.
The whole point of this, is that the article shows how the train got in and out of the Camp, along with a good map.

Hope this helps,

Car Floater
S. Plainfield, NJ

[Rich T]

Some details on the Marion station as relayed to me.
This was a stop for PRR MP54s only and not for H&M trains, so a high level platform wasn't required.
There was wooden planking across track 1 allowing access to trains on track 2. This station was primarily used by employees of the various industries in the area.

[timz]

"[Marion] was a stop for PRR MP54s only..."

Except that it closed about the time they electrified.