Westville Cut-off

I have a new up-dated hand drawn map of the Westville Cut-off if anyone is interested. I am still looking for any new information concerning this unfinished route that was started in 1905 and 75% completed when the Pennsylvania Railroad ran out of funding circa 1912. The map shows the entire route with remaining artifacts and also artifacts that I remember as a kid growing up in the 50's and 60's. I am aware of a section in the book "West Jersey Rails" that gives a good description of this line.--Thanks---

David wrote:I have a new up-dated hand drawn map of the Westville Cut-off if anyone is interested. I am still looking for any new information concerning this unfinished route that was started in 1905 and 75% completed when the Pennsylvania Railroad ran out of funding circa 1912. The map shows the entire route with remaining artifacts and also artifacts that I remember as a kid growing up in the 50's and 60's. I am aware of a section in the book "West Jersey Rails" that gives a good description of this line.--Thanks---

Well, it's been some time since someone posted something in this thread...actually David has received no responses here...so I figure I'll post a photo from Monday, of CSAO local CA-05 running northbound, light, on the Grenloch Branch at the former site of a bridge for the cut-off, over the Grenloch at Gloucester, NJ:



You can see part of the bridge support there, between Station Avenue and the NS high-hoods...

Take care.

Mike DiMunno

I remember the concrete abutments and piles of dirt when I was growing up in Gloucester City. I'm still not 100% on why they were called "Hinky-Dinks".
I can also remember walking them from Gloucester City to the Black Horse Pike in Audubon. I had no idea they were as old as 1912.

ron brittin wrote:I remember the concrete abutments and piles of dirt when I was growing up in Gloucester City. I'm still not 100% on why they were called "Hinky-Dinks"........

There's a name I haven't heard in a long,long time. I grew up in Gloucester City in the late 1950's and the Hinky-Dinks were our playground also. King of the Hill was one of our favorite games we played there, and it was a long way down when you got pushed off. Hmmm, now you got me wondering where that name did come from.

I too played many days on the "Hinks" during the mid fifties. Perhaps I threw a few dirt bombs at you since I was a "Mount Ephraim boy" and always fought the "Gloucester City Boys" on the hills of the Cut-Off.
For those that do not know this, there are still narrow gauge tracks located in Audubon. These tracks were used to help construct the line. While teaching in a neighboring town in the eighties, a student that knew I liked trains informed me that the tracks existed close to where he lived. So, after work, I ventured to the spot and sure enough there they were including a switch. Since then, Mike DiMunno and I have traveled there several times and he has taken some great pictures of the area.
The term "Hinky-Dinks", I believe, came from the fact that the line was never completed and was called the "Dinky Railroad'. Might be wrong, but that was how it was explained to me many years ago ( Chuchubob--any help here?).
Mike and I walked about 60% of the line two years ago and found several interesting things. One being that some of the elevated hills still exist in the West Collingswood Heights area and of course, the tracks. PSE&G owns the entire line now and keeps it cleared for the most part.

DIRT BOMBS!!!
Can you imagine today's parents if they found out their kids got pelted with "dirt bombs". I could've been in that gang, I loved throwing them. I do remember seeing at least one kid wreck a bike driving off the cliffs off Mt Ephraim.

I've searched the Internet off and on for "Hinky-dinks" to little or no avail. There was a political character out in the midwest in the early 1900's known as "Hinky-dink", but I couldn't find out why. To me it sounds like something from the "Katzenjammer Kids" or the "Toonerville Trolley".

In my recollection the dirt piles were the "Hinky-dinks" moreso than the non-existant railroad.

David wrote: The term "Hinky-Dinks", I believe, came from the fact that the line was never completed and was called the "Dinky Railroad'. Might be wrong, but that was how it was explained to me many years ago ( Chuchubob--any help here?).

Having had a sheltered childhood in Westmont and Collingswood, I'm not familiar with the term.
Bob

I would be curious to see the pictures that Mike has. I have lived in the area my whole life, and I remember my grandfather telling me stories about the "dinky line". He was not old enough to remember the actual construction work, so I assume the stories were handed down to him, and then to me! Where in the world was that switch located?

The switch is located, going towards Oakyln, on the right side of the "Gully". You have to walk along the stream about 100 yards following the tracks. It is partially buried under dirt. As soon as I locate the maps I will send you one which pin points the exact location. I have several pictures too--I can send them to your E-mail address

I went down there today with my sons. It is pretty neat and I found the switch. Does anyone know of any pictures of the construction of this line?

Off hand, I have never been able to find any material of the construction of this line. The ONLY photo I've ever seen of anything remotely related to it was a photo of the tower at Westville (Brooklawn really)...

Mike DiMunno

My mother was raised in Gloucester Heights and my father was raised in Mt. Ephraim - I recall them both telling my sister and I stories about the "rinky dinks". I called them today and neither one of them knew why, when or how they acquired the name. Ron Baile wrote a piece for the Gloucester City News about the cut off some years ago and used the photo of "WC" tower in the article. A quick glance at Gladulich's "By Rail to the Boardwalk" references the construction was halted by declining share price in the PRR and a resultant tightening of the fiscal belt to raise the share price and keep a possible bankruptcy at bay.

I also walked a fair share of the right of way and would be interested in seeing the narrow gauge switch - I think I have an idea where it is. I once dated a girl in Audubon who lived near the cut portion of the project - once I explained to her why the cut was there and how old it was she decided this train hobby thing was just a bit too weird. At least that's what I tell myself...

Drew

The ROW was also a great short-cut to the Black Horse Pike Shopping Center.---Last summer, Mike Dimunno and I retrieved a complete rail from the stream where the tracks are still located. We worked for an hour bringing it up to the side of the stream. We were going to have it cut up into several pieces and given out to Cut-Off fans. However, when I went back there several months ago, it was gone! It weighed a ton!--I guess someone had different plans for it. It would had been a long tiresome task to get it up to the nearest road.

Lived in Haddon Twp. during high school years; walked some of the ROW then (1950's). Am revisiting the WC this year; not much has changed.
Live 18 miles away now; when the weather turns a little warmer, I will retrace the entire 4.1 miles as this year is the 100th 'anniversary' of
PRR stopping the project. Will take photos along the way; still lots of photo ops, as PSE&G owns and maintains the ROW. Would like to have the track plan; was the WC a connection only, or was it to serve any on line customers ? Was it freight only, or was there thought of passenger servive ?

The line was going to be a freight only line to by-pass Camden with tank cars. There was not or would be any customers along the line since most of the line was in a deep cut and about one third was elevated. I have a very detailed hand drawn map of the line which I drew form memory and walking the line many times. If you would want a copy, contact me by E-mail. Any pictures you obtain, please share--Thanks