NJ Railroad Heritage ..... Who Cares!

[Anonymous]

New Jersey has no heart or soul.

I've lived in NJ all of my short life. I'm very interested in all things railroad and railroading. As part of my interest, I've built small, industrial model railroads .... no huge layout, just little things along one wall in a room depicting NJ railroading and industry.

While doing some online research about early 20th century railroading, it strikes me, once again, how there is no real railroad museum in NJ! What other state has more railroading heritage than NJ? I don't think any do.

Starting with John Stevens and his steam engine in Hoboken. The mineral railroads of northern NJ, which served the first mines of America. So many RR's had facilities here ....... PRR, CRRNJ, Reading, Erie, B & O, Lehigh Valley, Lackawanna ...

Coal loading ports. All the different ferry terminals to get their passengers into the boroughs of NYC. The different car float terminals to get freight and food into NYC. Even built locomotives in Paterson. Etc. You could include the industrial canals we had here and make it a Transportation Museum or something.

Yet, no great railroad museum like so many other states, just a couple places with a couple pieces of rusting equipment sitting there.

I can't even count how many times I've been to the great Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

Similar thing with the great Thomas Edison. His laboratories are falling apart ... leaking roofs, vandals breaking in, everything just falling apart...... no one cares.

New Jeresy has no heart or soul.

Greg

[tmcc man]

Have you ever been to the Cape May Railway Lines? I have a shore house in Avalon, and when I drive up to Secluded Acres Farm, in Rio Grande, I pass over a crossing for it. They have a nice amount of stuff, including Pennsylvania, Reading and Seashore Lines RDC cars, a PRR GP7, a CNJ GP9, a few ALCo's in storage, and a few Lehigh Valley F7's. I have not been on it yet, but when I go down with my parents this year, I think I will take a trip on it.