Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , also known as Jersey Central Lines or CNJ , was an American railroad company with routes in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania . It existed from 1847 until it was taken over by Conrail in 1976. The company's main line ran from Jersey City across New Jersey to Philippsburg and then across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania it continued via Allentown and Wilkes-Barre to Scranton . Jersey City also had a north-south connection via Red Bank and Lakehurst to Bridgeton in the south of New Jersey.
history
The origin of the CNJ goes back to the year 1831. That year the Elizabeth and Somerville Railroad was founded, which opened a connection from Elizabethport to Elizabeth in 1836 . In 1839 this line was switched from horse to steam operation and in early 1842 it was extended westward to Somerville . In 1847 the Somerville and Easton Railroad was founded, which two years later took over the Elizabeth & Somerville Railroad and changed its name to the Central Railroad of New Jersey. In 1852 the company reached Phillipsburg on the east bank of the Delaware River. On July 29, 1864, the line was extended eastward from Elizabeth to Jersey City. On June 7, 1872, the Newark Branch followed from Elizabethport to Newark . The Pennsylvania line was completed in 1866 by the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S) to Wilkes-Barre. In 1871 the CNJ leased this railway. The continuation to Scranton was completed in 1888 by the Wilkes Barre and Scranton Railroad , a subsidiary of L&S. Between 1883 and 1887 the CNJ was under a lease under the control of Philadelphia & Reading, a predecessor of the Reading Company . In 1887 it regained its independence, but from 1901 the Reading Company owned the majority of the shares.
Between 1946 and 1952, the CNJ operated its routes in Pennsylvania as the Central Railroad of Pennsylvania to avoid the high taxation of the state of New Jersey. In freight, especially coal, the CNJ long competed with the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which ran parallel between Jersey City and Wilkes-Barre . After the Second World War , the company, which was particularly active in commuter and regional freight traffic, ran into economic difficulties and finally had to file for bankruptcy in 1967. On April 1, 1976, it was taken over by Conrail . The tracks, which are important for passenger train traffic, were bought by the New Jersey Transit public transport company from 1966 to 1982 and have been used by local trains since then.
See also: List of North American Railroad Companies
