Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad

The Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), frequently referred to as Jersey Central or New Jersey Central, was a prominent Class I railroad established in the 1830s with its headquarters located at 148 Liberty Street, New York City. In April 1976, CNJ was integrated into Conrail along with several other major Northeastern railroads that had declared bankruptcy. The railroad's principal route primarily operated within New Jersey and now mainly facilitates the Raritan Valley Line passenger service. Meanwhile, the tracks near Phillipsburg were incorporated into Conrail's Lehigh Line.

History

19th century

The origins of CNJ trace back to the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad, which was chartered in 1831 and began operations by 1836. Transitioning from horse-drawn power to steam locomotives by 1839, the line extended westward reaching Somerville by 1842. The Somerville and Easton Railroad, formed in 1847, acquired the Elizabethtown & Somerville in 1849 and adopted the name Central Railroad Company of New Jersey. By 1852, the railroad had reached Phillipsburg on the Delaware River and expanded eastward to Jersey City by 1864. Branch lines were constructed to serve important New Jersey markets such as Flemington, Newark, Perth Amboy, Chester, and Wharton.

The New Jersey Southern Railroad (NJS), built beginning in 1860 and controlled by CNJ from 1879 onward, extended CNJ’s network across southern New Jersey. Additionally, CNJ briefly operated the Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad across Delaware and Maryland before it was acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1901.

Operations in Pennsylvania were managed through a lease agreement of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S) starting in 1871. This line connected Phillipsburg to Wilkes-Barre by 1866 and was further extended to Scranton in 1888 via a subsidiary company. Coal freight traffic dominated this corridor until regulatory restrictions enacted in 1920 limited railroads from transporting commodities they owned.

From 1883 until 1887, CNJ was leased to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad to establish a continuous route between New York and Philadelphia but returned to independent management following a reorganization.

Centralized maintenance facilities were located in Elizabethport, New Jersey. In 1901, modern concrete shops replaced older buildings, boasting capacity to service over 400 locomotives and handle maintenance for approximately 20,000 freight cars annually. The Jersey City terminal featured upgraded repair shops and roundhouses constructed by 1914 to support both freight and passenger operations opposite Manhattan.

This robust infrastructure underpinned CNJ’s competitive position and influence throughout its operational lifespan.

20th century

In 1901, control of CNJ shifted when the Reading Company (RDG), successor to Philadelphia & Reading, acquired a majority stake. Concurrently, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) gained control of RDG, thereby securing access to New York via RDG and CNJ tracks.

In 1929, CNJ introduced the Blue Comet, a premium coach train running twice daily between Jersey City and Atlantic City. Distinguished by its entirely blue livery, it provided enhanced comfort compared to standard coaches and anticipated the coach streamliners that emerged later in the 1930s and 1940s. The service ended in 1941 due to rising automobile competition. That same year, CNJ acquired a 30% stake in the Raritan River Railroad, a short line connecting South Amboy to New Brunswick; it later obtained full ownership of the Wharton & Northern Railroad as well as partial interest in the Mount Hope Mineral Railroad.

Following World War II, passenger volumes declined sharply with operations focusing primarily on weekday commuter services requiring significant rolling stock utilization. Freight business was largely terminal-based, limiting overall profitability. Moreover, substantial state taxes imposed by New Jersey adversely affected revenue streams.

To reduce tax burdens, CNJ established Central Railroad of Pennsylvania (CRP) in 1946 to manage its Pennsylvania lines but resumed direct control by 1952. CRP retained ownership of a small segment known as Easton & Western.

A planned merger in 1965 between the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway, which would have included CNJ as a countermeasure against the Penn Central merger, collapsed due to Penn Central’s bankruptcy. CNJ’s reorganization efforts failed amid widespread regional railroad failures. On April 1, 1976, Conrail took over CNJ’s freight operations while passenger services were transferred to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, now operated by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations on routes including the North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line.

After abandonment of the Lehigh and New England Railroad in 1961, CNJ acquired certain branches under that name. In 1963, Lehigh Coal & Navigation sold its rail assets to RDG with leases continuing through CNJ.

Starting in 1964, New Jersey began subsidizing commuter services; tax reforms followed three years later. In 1965, CNJ collaborated with Lehigh Valley Railroad to consolidate Pennsylvania lines along the Lehigh River, abandoning redundant tracks amid declining anthracite coal traffic. By March 31, 1972, CNJ had ceased operations within Pennsylvania entirely.

CNJ operated a modest carfloat terminal located in The Bronx, pioneering diesel locomotive use among Class I railroads. Its extensive marine operations on New York Bay included steamer services to Sandy Hook. On April 30, 1967, ferry service between Manhattan and its Jersey City terminal ended—the terminal itself closed that day—with passenger trains rerouted via Newark’s PRR station using the Aldene Connection, enabling transfers to PRR or PATH trains.

The Bayonne "Scoot" service terminated on August 6, 1978; subsequently, the CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge was abandoned with its lift spans dismantled during mid-1980.

Emerging from bankruptcy proceedings in 1979 as Central Jersey Industries (later CJI Industries), CNJ merged with packaging company Triangle Industries in 1986 under investor Nelson Peltz.

Primary original routes

The northeastern endpoint of CNJ was located in Elizabethport, New Jersey. By 1864, the line had been extended over the bay into Bayonne and further north to Jersey City, utilizing a series of bridges, with the final one being the Newark Bay Bridge, which was dismantled during the 1980s.

Starting from Elizabethport, CNJ managed several key routes: one heading west toward Elizabeth and Plainfield, another traveling south toward Perth Amboy and continuing into southern New Jersey along what is now known as the North Jersey Coast Line. The railroad also collaborated with the Reading Company (RDG) to provide service into Pennsylvania and beyond. Furthermore, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) gained access to Jersey City by using CNJ's tracks.

Segments still in operation

Aldene to High Bridge (Main Line): currently served by New Jersey Transit (NJT) on the Raritan Valley Line
Jersey City to Bayonne (Main Line and Newark and New York Branch): operated by NJT's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
Perth Amboy to Bay Head: part of NJT’s North Jersey Coast Line
Elizabethport to Aldene; Elizabethport to Perth Amboy; Red Bank to Lakehurst: managed by Conrail Shared Assets Operations
Lakehurst to Woodmansie: operated by Cape May Seashore Lines
Winslow Junction to Vineland, NJ: Southern Railroad of New Jersey – mostly abandoned or removed following damage in 2003; represents a remnant of CNJ’s Southern Division Main line
Dover & Rockaway Branch (Wharton-Rockaway); High Bridge Branch (Kenvil-Flanders): run by Morristown & Erie Railway
White Haven, PA to Laurel Run, PA: jointly operated by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, a surviving segment from the post-1965 partnership with Lehigh Valley
Vineland to Bridgeton, NJ: Winchester and Western Railroad – a surviving portion of CNJ’s Southern Division Main line
Bridgeton to Port Norris, NJ: Winchester and Western Railroad – partial branch line still active

Gallery

Predecessor companies

Buena Vista Railroad
Carteret & Sewaren Railroad
Carteret Extension Railroad
Cumberland & Maurice River Railroad
Cumberland & Maurice River Extension Railroad
Elizabeth Extension Railroad
Freehold & Atlantic Highlands Railroad
Lafayette Railroad
Manufacturers' Extension Railroad
Middle Brook Railroad
New Jersey Terminal Railroad
New Jersey Southern Railroad
Navesink Railroad
Passaic River Extension Railroad
Raritan North Shore Railroad
Sound Shore Railroad
Toms River Railroad
Toms River & Barnegat Railroad
Vineland Railroad
Vineland Branch Railway
West Side Connecting Railroad
West End Railroad

Distinguished passenger trains

CNJ operated various named interstate services, such as:

Blue Comet: connecting Jersey City with Atlantic City, New Jersey
Bullet: running between Jersey City and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (via Allentown)
Crusader: linking Jersey City and Philadelphia (in cooperation with RDG)
Interstate Express: Syracuse to Philadelphia route (operated jointly with Delaware, Lackawanna & Western and RDG)
Mermaid: service from Sandy Hook to Scranton, Pennsylvania
Queen of the Valley: connecting Jersey City with Harrisburg (in partnership with RDG)
Wall Street: running between Jersey City and Philadelphia (with RDG collaboration)
Williamsporter: linking Jersey City and Williamsport, Pennsylvania

In addition, non-CNJ trains utilized CNJ tracks north of Bound Brook en route to the Jersey City terminal:

Capitol Limited: operated by B&O between Jersey City and Chicago
National Limited: B&O service from Jersey City to St. Louis
Royal Blue: B&O train connecting Jersey City and Washington, D.C.

Heritage units

In celebration of its 30th year in 2012, Norfolk Southern adorned 20 locomotives with paint schemes representing predecessor railroads; among them, NS #1071, an EMD SD70ACe, showcased the distinctive orange and blue colors of CNJ. Later, in 2019, NJ Transit paid tribute to CNJ heritage by applying a CNJ-inspired livery to locomotive 4109.