North Hudson County Railway

Last updated

Trolleys carried passengers from the Edgewater Ferry Terminal up the cliffs to the amusement park and beyond. Edgewater old trolley terminal.jpg
Trolleys carried passengers from the Edgewater Ferry Terminal up the cliffs to the amusement park and beyond.
North Hudson County Railway at the foot of Pershing Road at Weehawken Terminal ca. 1911 Weehawken Terminal 1911.jpg
North Hudson County Railway at the foot of Pershing Road at Weehawken Terminal ca. 1911

The North Hudson Railway Company built and operated a streetcar system in Hudson County and southeast Bergen County, New Jersey before and after the start of the 20th century. [1] It was founded by Hillric J. Bonn who became the first President in 1865 and served for 26 years until his death, [2] [3] [4] [5] and eventually taken over by the Public Service Railway. In its endeavors to overcome the formidable obstacle of ascending the lower Hudson Palisades, or Bergen Hill, it devised numerous innovative engineering solutions including funicular wagon lifts, an inclined elevated railway, an elevator and viaducts. [6] [7] [8] [9]

Contents

The oldest predecessor line of North Hudson County Railway opened 1861. Three companies were consolidated in 1874 to form the North Hudson County Railway Company. North Hudson acquired the Pavonia Horse Railroad Company in 1891, opened the Hudson & Bergen Traction Company in 1893, and opened the Palisades Railroad in 1894. [10]

North Hudson County Railway included 12.75 miles (20.52 km) of at-grade and 1.25 miles (2.01 km) of elevated trackage. [11] Bonn was always involved in other road and real estate projects in the county. [12] He resided in Weehawken, where a street is named in his honor. [1]

Wagon lifts

Site of the Weehawken Wagon Lift Weehawken Wagen Lift from Hackensack Plank Road.jpg
Site of the Weehawken Wagon Lift

Two funicular wagon lifts were built in 1893. The Hoboken lift travelled from near the foot of Paterson Plank Road to Ferry Street, next to Pohlmann's Hall in Jersey City Heights. The Weehawken lift ascended from the foot of Hackensack Plank Road to West Hoboken (now Union City). The remnants of the lift ascend to under Troy Tower, a residential high rise. [13]

Hoboken Elevated

View toward Palisade Ave at Ferry Street in Jersey City Heights showing a former trolley house (right, now offices), station house (left, now a supermarket), and former PSE&G building (center, now residences called Trolley House) Palisade Avenue (Hudson Palisades) at Ferry Street Jersey City Heights.jpg
View toward Palisade Ave at Ferry Street in Jersey City Heights showing a former trolley house (right, now offices), station house (left, now a supermarket), and former PSE&G building (center, now residences called Trolley House)

The Hoboken Elevated was a long elevated railway trestle that ran from Hudson Place near the Lackawanna Terminal, up to Jersey City Heights next to the wagon lift at Pohlmann's Hall. The line continued west over private property to Central Avenue and then south over that avenue to the Hudson County Courthouse on Newark Avenue near Journal Square. The portion from Hoboken Terminal to Palisade Avenue opened January 25, 1886, under cable power. [14] The extension to Newark Ave opened June 19, 1892, with electric cars, passengers changing at Palisade Avenue. Through electric service began in December 1892. [9] Within the next few years North Hudson's streetcar lines were converted to electric trolley operation, and ramps were constructed at Palisade Avenue and Newark Avenue so that trolleys could go up onto the elevated railway. It was then operated by trolleys until it closed in 1949.[ citation needed ]

Trolley house on Bergenline Avenue in Union City, now the headquarters of its Department of Public Works, and its Midtown police station North Hudson County Railway- trolley house- Bergenline (now NJT).jpg
Trolley house on Bergenline Avenue in Union City, now the headquarters of its Department of Public Works, and its Midtown police station

Eldorado Elevator

Eldorado Amusement Park, Weehawken, New Jersey.jpg

The Eldorado Elevator rose from the West Shore Ferry Terminal at Weehawken to meet the streetcar line that travelled along a trestle to a cut in the Palisades which ran parallel to the Eldorado, a pleasure garden, and then proceeded east and north to the Nungesser's Guttenberg Racetrack. [15]

Hillside Line

From 14th Street in Hoboken, the line ran west and with a series of trestles and horseshoe curves ascended the Palisades to West Hoboken and beyond. Part of the system near 14th Street's Wing Viaduct is a New Jersey Register of Historic Places-designated place. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson–Bergen Light Rail</span> Light rail system in New Jersey, United States

The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit (NJT) and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City, at the city line with West New York, and North Bergen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Jersey City, New Jersey-area railroads</span>

For the purposes of this article, the Jersey City area extends North to Edgewater, South to Bayonne and includes Kearny Junction and Harrison but not Newark. Many routes east of Newark are listed here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Line (Conrail)</span>

The River Line was a Conrail rail line located between Jersey City, New Jersey and Selkirk, New York, running along the west side of the Hudson Palisades and, after passing through a tunnel at Haverstraw, New York, along the west bank of the Hudson River. It was previously the New York Central's West Shore Railroad and Weehawken Branch. The River Line has since been split into several sections, following the 1999 division of Conrail assets between Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exchange Place station (Pennsylvania Railroad)</span> Former intermodal terminal in Jersey City (closed 1961)

The Pennsylvania Railroad Station was the intermodal passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) vast holdings on the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey. By the 1920s the station was called Exchange Place. The rail terminal and its ferry slips were the main New York City station for the railroad until the opening in 1910 of New York Pennsylvania Station, made possible by the construction of the North River Tunnels. It was one of the busiest stations in the world for much of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavonia Terminal</span> Former intermodal terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey

Pavonia Terminal was the Erie Railroad terminal on the Hudson River located in the Harsimus section of Jersey City, New Jersey. The station opened in 1861 and closed in 1958 when the Erie Railroad moved its passenger services to nearby Hoboken Terminal. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway also ran commuter trains from the terminal and various street cars, ferries and the underground Hudson and Manhattan Railroad serviced the station. The station was abandoned in 1958 and demolished in 1961. The site was eventually redeveloped into the Newport district in the late 20th century.

Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, connects the city of Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront. It has largely been superseded by Route 3, but in the many towns it passes it has remained an important local thoroughfare, and in some cases been renamed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackensack Plank Road</span>

The Hackensack Plank Road, also known as Bergen Turnpike, was a major artery which connected the cities of Hoboken and Hackensack, New Jersey. Like its cousin routes, the Newark Plank Road and Paterson Plank Road, it travelled over Bergen Hill and across the Hackensack Meadows from the Hudson River waterfront to the city for which it was named. It was originally built as a colonial turnpike road as Hackensack and Hoboken Turnpike. The route mostly still exists today, though some segments are now called the Bergen Turnpike. It was during the 19th century that plank roads were developed, often by private companies which charged a toll. As the name suggests, wooden boards were laid on a roadbed in order to prevent horse-drawn carriages and wagons from sinking into softer ground on the portions of the road that passed through wetlands. The company that built the road received its charter on November 30, 1802. The road followed the route road from Hackensack to Communipaw that was described in 1679 as a "fine broad wagon-road."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergen Hill</span> Lower part of the Hudson Palisades, New Jersey, United States

Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hudson, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

North Hudson is the area in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, situated on the west bank of the Hudson River, mostly atop the Hudson Palisades. It comprises Weehawken, Union City, West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weehawken Terminal</span> Former intermodal terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey

Weehawken Terminal was the waterfront intermodal terminal on the North River in Weehawken, New Jersey for the New York Central Railroad's West Shore Railroad division, whose route traveled along the west shore of the Hudson River. It opened in 1884 and closed in 1959. The complex contained five ferry slips, sixteen passenger train tracks, car float facilities, and extensive yards. The facility was also used by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. The terminal was one of five passenger railroad terminals that lined the Hudson Waterfront during the 19th and 20th centuries; the others were located at Hoboken, Pavonia, Exchange Place and Communipaw, with Hoboken being the only one still in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Waterfront</span> Place in Hudson and Bergen

The Hudson Waterfront is an urban area of northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it is often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington Bridge that is approximately 19 miles (31 km) long. Historically, the region has been known as Bergen Neck, the lower peninsula, and Bergen Hill, lower Hudson Palisades. It has sometimes been called the Gold Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulls Ferry</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

Bulls Ferry is an area along the Hudson River, just north of Weehawken Port Imperial in the towns of West New York, Guttenberg and North Bergen in New Jersey. It takes its name from a pre-Revolutionary settlement belonging to the Bull family, who operated a row-and-sail ferry to the burgeoning city of New York across the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pershing Road (Weehawken)</span> Road ascending the Hudson Palisades in Weehawken, New Jersey

Pershing Road is a road located entirely in Weehawken, New Jersey that travels for 0.42 miles (0.68 km) on the Hudson Palisades between Boulevard East and Weehawken Port Imperial, and carries the designation Hudson County Route 682. At County Route 505, the road meets 48th Street, one of the very few two-way streets in the urban grid of North Hudson, which travels west to Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard. It is named for World War I hero John J. Pershing. Earlier names have included Clifton Road, named for the estate on whose land it was located, and Hillside Road, which would speak to its location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulevard East</span> County road in New Jersey, U.S.

Boulevard East is a two-way, mostly two lane, scenic county road in the North Hudson, New Jersey municipalities of Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg and North Bergen. Apart from small sections at either end, the road runs along the crest of the Hudson Palisades, affording it views of the Hudson River and the New York City skyline. Developed at the turn of the 20th century, the residential road is characterized by an eclectic mix of 20th-century architecture, including private homes as well as mid and high-rise apartment buildings, mostly on its western side, with a promenade and parks along its eastern side. It is also the setting for Edward Hopper's 1934 painting East Wind Over Weehawken, which is considered one of his best works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palisade Avenue (Hudson Palisades)</span>

Palisade Avenue is the name given to a historic road which parallels the eastern crest of Hudson Palisades in northeastern New Jersey. It travels between Jersey City and Fort Lee, passing through Jersey City Heights, North Hudson, and Cliffside Park, with various parts carrying Hudson and Bergen county route designations. The avenue re-aligns itself at several places along its route as it crosses traditional municipal boundaries created in the 19th century. As a primary route running along the top of the Hudson Palisades, many segments offer scenic views of the Hudson River and the New York skyline. Since 2020 there is proposed state legislation to restrict building heights that would rise above the cliffs on the eastern side of Palisade Avenue along the entire corridor from Jersey City to Fort Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Imperial</span> Intermodal transit hub in Weehawken, New Jersey, US

Port Imperial is a community centered around an intermodal transit hub on the Weehawken, New Jersey, waterfront of the Hudson River across from Midtown Manhattan, served by New York Waterway ferries and buses, Hudson–Bergen Light Rail, and NJT buses. The district lies under and at the foot of Pershing Road, a thoroughfare traveling along the face of the Hudson Palisades, which rise to its west. The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway runs along the shoreline and is abutted by recently constructed residential neighborhoods, Lincoln Harbor to the south and Bulls Ferry to the north.

Eldorado Amusement Park was a 25-acre amusement park that opened in 1891 in the Highwood Park section of Weehawken, New Jersey. It operated as an amusement grounds through 1894, after which time the main building, the Casino, was used to host boxing matches and other athletic events and vaudeville performances. A massive fire in the early morning of November 4, 1898, destroyed the building.

The Route 9 - Coytesville was a former streetcar line in Bergen County, New Jersey. Operated by the Palisades Railroad, a subsidiary of the North Hudson County Railway, the line ran from Coytesville in the north to Palisades Junction on the border of Fort Lee and Cliffside Park, and then split into two branches, one running to Edgewater and its ferry terminal, and one running to Weehawken Terminal. It opened sometime before 1895 and closed on June 1, 1933, although tracks remained until 1937.

References

Inline citations

  1. 1 2 Fry, Chris (October 30, 2017). "Streetcar Stories: History of the North Hudson Railway Company". Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  2. Harvey, Cornelius Burnham, ed. (1900). "JOHN HILLRIC BONN". Genealogical History Of Hudson And Bergen Counties New Jersey. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  3. "North Hudson Railway" (PDF). New York Times. October 18, 1891.
  4. "A Busy Life Brought To A Close.; J.H. Bonn, North Hudson Railway Company's President, Dead" (PDF). New York Times. November 17, 1891.
  5. "Bonn, John H. - Bonn, J.H.Bonn, John Hillric | Hoboken Historical Museum". hoboken.pastperfectonline.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  6. "THE HILLSIDE LINE OF THE NORTH HUDSON COUNTY RAILWAY COMPANY". Scientific American. April 21, 1894. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  7. Thompson, Joe. "Cable Car Lines in New York and New Jersey". Cable Car Guy. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  8. Mankoff, Al (March–April 1992). "Conquest of the Palisades: A Triumph of Victorian Traction Technology". Electriclines. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Francis, Edward T.; Walrath, George w. (September 1946), "Weehawken Time Machine: The North Hudson County Railway" (PDF), The Marker, 5 (2), archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016
  10. Nicholas, Frederic (1901). "New Jersey Railway Certificate". Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  11. "Poor's Directory of Railway Officials". Cable Car Guy. 1887. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  12. "The Hudson Boulevard" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  13. French, Kenneth (2002). Images of America:Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City. USA: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-0966-2. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015.
  14. Mappen, Marc; Bilby, Joe (January 25, 2015). "Today in New Jersey history - January 25". H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  15. Schmidt, W.H. Jr. "Colossus of Weehawken" (PDF). Railroad Magazine: 94–99. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  16. "NJ State Register of Historic Places in Hudson County" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010.

General references