Cape May and Millville Railroad
| Company type | Railroad company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | March 9, 1863 |
| Defunct | September 25, 1879 |
| Fate | Merged with West Jersey Railroad |
| Headquarters | Millville, New Jersey , United States |
Area served | New Jersey |
The Cape May and Millville Railroad was a railroad enterprise in the United States, established in 1863, which operated a route linking Millville, New Jersey with Cape May, New Jersey during that same year. In 1868, it was leased by the West Jersey Railroad, an antecedent of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, and ultimately consolidated with it in 1879.
History
The company was officially formed on March 9, 1863, primarily supported by entrepreneurs from Cape May County along with certain directors from the neighboring Millville and Glassboro Railroad. Although the Millville and Glassboro Railroad had legislative permission to extend its line to Cape May, it lacked the necessary capital. This gap was filled by the Cape May and Millville Railroad, which completed the extension in August 1863, thereby creating an uninterrupted rail connection from Camden, New Jersey to Cape May.
Ownership of the Millville and Glassboro Railroad was assumed by the West Jersey Railroad, proprietor of the Camden–Glassboro, New Jersey route, on April 1, 1868. Shortly thereafter, on June 1, 1868, the West Jersey Railroad leased the Cape May and Millville Railroad. These two entities were fully merged on September 25, 1879.
After the establishment of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933, the original segment of the Cape May and Millville line between Sea Isle Junction and Cape May was discontinued in favor of utilizing the former Cape May Railroad route. Further sections were progressively abandoned until only a portion extending to Manumuskin, New Jersey remained by 1951. This surviving stretch now forms the southern terminus of the Vineland Secondary line.
References
- Coverdale & Colpitts 4
- Dorwart, Jeffrey M. Cape May County, New Jersey: The Making of an American Resort Community. Rutgers University Press, 1992.
- Kramer, Frederick A. Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines: An Illustrated History of Southern New Jersey's Jointly-Owned Railroad. West Jersey Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, 2011.
- Wentzel, Donald B. West Jersey Rails: Stories about Southern New Jersey Railroad History, vol. 3, edited by William J. Coxey. West Jersey Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, 2002.