New Jersey's First Railroad - Remnants of the Camden & Amboy

[liftedjeep]

I hit the road this afternoon and went north to get some pics of a few of the remaining relics of the Garden State's first rail line. My journey began in Bordentown and ended in Spotswood. I was surprised at what still exists, and how much pride each individual town has for the railroad that went through their backyards!

The album ends with a shot from Washington DC, as well as two pictures of items in my personal collection.

Enjoy!

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiv ... ?id=126758


Ben

[planespotting]

Thanks for posting such a nice collection of photos, Ben. I enjoyed them very much. So much hidden history there. I believe the first major rail disaster (Hightstown Rail Accident) happened along that line. Next time you go, try and get a shot of the old train station/depot off of Halsey Reed Rd. I think it might be one of the oldest NJ railroad structures still standing. Thanks again.

[liftedjeep]

Thanks for posting such a nice collection of photos, Ben. I enjoyed them very much. So much hidden history there. I believe the first major rail disaster (Hightstown Rail Accident) happened along that line. Next time you go, try and get a shot of the old train station/depot off of Halsey Reed Rd. I think it might be one of the oldest NJ railroad structures still standing. Thanks again.

Mr Planespotting,

Thank you very much for the kind words!

I actually did take a picture of the structure I believe you are referring to. I didn't bother to post it with the rest of the shots, as I was unsure of its identity. The station is located in between Hightstown-Cranbury Station Rd and Halsey Reed Rd, just off the main line.

Is this the structure you are talking about?

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4917952

Ben

[planespotting]

Ha! That’s the one. I visited Cranbury, NJ about 4 years ago and stopped at the Cranbury Museum. I asked the tour guide if Cranbury had any railroad history since I noticed a street sign for “Station Road.” He told me that the railroad used to stop about two miles up on Station Road and that passengers and goods were then brought to “downtown” via horse and buggy. He said the station is the oldest railroad structure in New Jersey still standing and is still in use by a small local business. I took his word for it and never bothered to verify so it’s all based on hearsay!

[pumpers]

I was in Hightstown walking around about 3 weeks ago, and took some of the same pictures, but you posted first!
There are also some sleepers in a similar display (not original location) outside the historical museum on N. Main St(?), and more surprising was the parking lot of Rocky Brook Park on Bank St. It seems most of the parking area had what to me look like old sleepers around it on the edge. Maybe a few dozen of them?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hight ... 74.5232089
JS

[liftedjeep]

Guys,
Thanks a lot for the continuing information! I was not aware of the sleepers elsewhere in Hightstown. There must have been such a surplus of them when the original line was removed that they wound up all over the place, not just in monuments to the C&A.

Question: For those more familiar with the Hightstown area than I am, is the Hightstown freight station still in existence? I've heard it might have possibly been moved from its original location, closer to the town hall. I was not aware of this during my trip through town the other day. Any info or pics would be greatly appreciated!
Ben

[R&DB]

liftedjeep wrote:

There must have been such a surplus of them

During the original construction the stone sleepers were supplied by the inmates at New York's Sing Sing prison. At some point the supply ran short and the C&A switched to wooden ties so they could keep building. They soon discovered that the wood ties held gauge better than the stone sleepers and the ride was smoother. Robert Stevens ordered the rest of the line be built with wood. After they finished the line with wooden ties, they went back and replace all the stone with wood, hence the surplus.

[pumpers]

Here is a Google streetview image of the small outdoor display I mentioned at the museum on the corner of N. Main St and Bank St.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2717494 ... 312!8i6656
If I recall correctly, the sleepers around the parking lot at Rocky Brook Park also had holes drilled(?) in the top of them for the spikes (or whatever they called them back then) to go into. Jim S
PS. Looking up the web site for the museum, which I stumbled on by chance but was closed when I was there, the web page isn't 100% clear but it makes it sound like the freight station Ben was asking about might have been moved to the site.
http://www.hewhs.com/museum/ There is an addition on the back of the main house, which you can see at back right of the above Streetview image link, which has the shape and lines of a freight house, but obviously with modern siding and roof. There was an entrance on the other side - that might be the "museum" of the historical society.
EDIT: It is indeed the freight house. Details here: http://www.hewhs.com/about-us/
Another view: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2718881 ... 312!8i6656

[liftedjeep]

Excellent detective work Mr Pumpers!

That was the structure I was inquiring about. Definitely easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for.
Ben

[GSC]

Great stuff, especially the photo gallery. Thanks for posting all of this.

There are some sleepers at the Pine Creek RR in Allaire. Not on display, but rescued from someplace that wanted them removed. Preserved rather than destroyed.