Here is the "history" of the SJ&W. :=3

[lionkingcmsl]

Here is the time line for the SJ&W. Let me know what you think.

SOUTH JERSEY & WESTERN

History of the SJ&W

• February 4, 1830 - Camden & Amboy Railroad chartered by the New Jersey legislature.
  
• September 1832 - Completion of single track between Bordentown, NJ and South Amboy, NJ.
  Company owned steamboats carry passengers to/from Philadelphia and Bordentown, and also between New York City and South Amboy.
  
• September 1834 - Completion of track between Bordentown, NJ and Camden, NJ. Ferry service begins between Philadelphia and Camden.
  
• Late 1834 or early 1835 - Control of the Philadelphia and Trenton RR acquired.
  
• 1838 - Trackage completed between Bordentown and Trenton.
  
• January 1839 - Trackage complete between Trenton and Jersey City. Section between Jersey City and New Brunswick constructed by the New Jersey Rail Road & Transportation Company.
  This is the beginning of the present day "Northeast Corridor".
  
• March 19, 1852 - Camden and Atlantic Railroad chartered.
  
• 1853 - Camden and Atlantic reaches Hammonton, NJ.
  
• 1854 - Line completed between Camden and Atlantic City, NJ.
  
• July 4, 1854 - Regularly scheduled service start between Camden and Atlantic City. Running time is scheduled for 2.5 hours.
  
• 1865 - Relationship started with the Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad Company.
  
• 1867 - "United Companies" is formed when the NJRR&TC was persuaded into the fold with the C&A and P&T.
  
• 1867 - PRR starts through service to Jersey City, using the tracks between Philadelphia and Jersey City.
  
• July 1, 1871 - Audit of the United Companies shows the following:
  Stock held in 4 railroads and 1 canal company- Delaware and Raritan Canal.
  Holdings in 13 other railroads, 2 ferry companies, 3 horse car lines, 2 bridges, 4 turnpikes, 1 steamboat line and unnamed telegraph companies.
  These are valued at $38,312,371.
  Rolling stock for the railroads included: 160 locomotives, 221 passenger cars and 2,277 freight cars.
  
• November 30, 1871 - United companies buy out of pending PRR lease. Instead they sell the PRR the Philadelphia - Jersey City route.
  
• 1880 - Line between Newfield, NJ and Atlantic City, NJ completed.
  
• 1894-1896 - Construction of the Delair Bridge across the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Pennsauken, NJ, with connecting link to Atlantic City mainline at Haddonfield, NJ.
  
• 1897-1899 Construction of Delaware River Bridge between Bridgeport, NJ and Chester, PA. Purchase of the PRR's Chester Creek branch, routes to Phoenixville, through West Chester, and to Avondale. This is the start of western expansion. Equipment on lines west and south use "UC" reporting marks.
  
• 1900 - UC rails reach Washington D.C.
  
• 1910 - UC rails reach to Chicago, IL and St. Louis, Mo. This is the limit of western expansion.
  
• 1922 - Introduces The Phantom as its premier passenger train between Camden and Chicago.
  
• 1933 - UC renames itself, and all controlled railroads, the South Jersey and Western when it purchases the Reading's southern New Jersey rail lines.
  
• 1937 - Purchases the Fredrick, MD to York, PA branch from the PRR.
  
• 1940 - Purchases CNJ's Southern Division between Bridgeton, NJ and Lakehurst, NJ.
  
• 1947 - The Phantom is re-equipped with new cars and diesels. This is the first time that the The Phantom paint scheme is seen on dedicated cars. Previously it used pooled equipment.
  
• 1957 - Purchases New York,Ontario & Western. The NYO&W keeps its corporate identity.
  
• 1971 - Opts out of Amtrak. This includes the NYO&W.
  
• 1976 - Purchases the Lehigh and Hudson River, Lehigh and New England, Lehigh Valley, parts of Penn Central, Reading and CNJ prior to the formation of Conrail.
  SJ&W and NYO&W were not considered in Conrail.
  
• 1977 - Takes over NEC commuter services between New York City and Wilmington, DE after Conrail wants out. Also take over some of the Jersey Coast Line service and other northern New Jersey commuter services at this time.
  
• 1978 - Purchases the Milwaukee Road. The Milwaukee Road, as the NYO&W, keeps its corporate identity. SJ&W pulls the MILW out of Amtrak and starts operating passenger trains to the west coast from Chicago.
  The Olympia Hiawatha makes a triumphal return.
  
• 1980 - Transcontinental passenger train service is instituted between Camden, NJ and Seattle, WA. The train's name is called, fittingly, The Transcon.
  
• 1998 - Purchases the Illinois Central. It keeps its corporate identity, is pulled from Amtrak and starts running service to the Gulf Coast.
  The City of New Orleans is once again an IC train.
  
• 2000 - The Shore Breeze start running between Camden, NJ and New Orleans, LA through St. Louis.

Note:

Everything up to 11/30/1871 is actual history. The PRR did lease the UC starting 12/1/1871. The time line for the Delair bridge is also accurate as are any dates that show completion of lines in southern New Jersey.

Comments

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned last night that history is as detailed, if not more so, then some of the actual rail road sites on the web. I've got to agree with you that some people are going to be wondering where this rail road is. The answer being of course "On a table in my basement".