Glassboro Railroad
| Company type | Rail corridor |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Williamstown Railroad, Williamstown and Delaware River Railroad |
| Founded | 1861 |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Fate | Discontinued and abandoned |
Area served | Atco, New Jersey to Mullica Hill, New Jersey |
The Williamstown Branch was a 22-mile rail corridor located in New Jersey, extending from Atco, New Jersey to Mullica Hill, New Jersey through Williamstown, New Jersey. Built over the period from 1861 to 1888 by the Williamstown Railroad and the Williamstown and Delaware River Railroad, it became part of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad network in 1883 and was ultimately discontinued in 1969.
History
In October 1872, the Williamstown Railroad finished a 9-mile stretch connecting Williamstown to Atco, where it linked with the main line of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad. Although there were initial intentions to expand westward to Glassboro, New Jersey, financial limitations delayed progress until Philadelphia and Reading stakeholders restructured the company as the Williamstown and Delaware River Railroad, which successfully extended the route to Glassboro. The Glassboro Railroad contributed a short 0.34-mile spur into central Glassboro in 1884. By 1888, the track was further extended from Glassboro to Mullica Hill.
On March 29, 1889, a consolidation occurred involving the Williamstown and Delaware River Railroad and Glassboro Railroad alongside the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad, Camden, Gloucester and Mount Ephraim Railway, and Kaighn's Point Terminal Railroad, resulting in the formation of the Atlantic City Railroad. Passenger operations between Glassboro and Mullica Hill ended in April 1929. During the 1930s, South Jersey rail services were merged by the Reading Company and Pennsylvania Railroad, leading to the rebranding of Atlantic City Railroad as the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL) on July 15, 1933, with ownership divided as two-thirds Pennsylvania and one-third Reading.
Subsequent to this merger, PRSL discontinued service on the segment from Williamstown to Williamstown Junction along with the Glassboro branch in 1934, followed by closure of the section between Williamstown Junction and Atco in 1942. The portion running from Glassboro to Mullica Hill was abandoned in December 1950. Apart from some yard tracks located within Glassboro, the remaining line between Glassboro and Williamstown was officially abandoned on October 1, 1969.