Central Railroad of New Jersey:
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey had a bayshore line, The Seashore Branch that ran along the same track as the current Henry Hudson Bike Trail. Established in 1836, originating from Elizabeth, it was considered a Class 1 Rail line. The company was absorbed into Conrail in 1976 along with several other bankrupt rail lines. Conrail sold or abandoned many of its unprofitable lines. These lines are referred to as fallen flags.
The "Big Little Railroad", proudly saw service from its 1889 construction to its last service in 1967. Central Jersey operated over a small footprint of 700 miles but it served a densely populated area over 1900 miles of track and 2/3 of the Garden State. They ran as far south in NJ as Bivalve and as far West as Harrisburg, PA. The Jersey City terminal currently serves as a local museum.
Today the line serves as the Henry Hudson Bike Trail, part of the Monmouth County Park system. The trail runs from Sandy Hook, through the Raritan Bayshore up to Freehold. Most of its adjacent land was given or sold to surrounding properties. There are plans awaiting further development of the trail system. Marlboro section partially uses public roadways.
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| Henry Hudson Trail (HHT) |
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| HHT unfinished segments |
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| Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, Jersey City |
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| Keansburg Train Station, located near Keelen's Bar |
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| Keansburg Train Station |
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| Union Beach Train Station, located near the Middle School |
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| Keyport Train Station |
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| 1969 Central Jersey RR |
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| Jersey Central Lines |
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| Early Keansburg map, showing limited streets |
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| Raritan Bayshore tidal map from 1920's |
Additional Information:
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Very interesting history-
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