Manhattan Transfer station

Manhattan Transfer station
Company type	Passenger transfer station
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1910
Defunct	1937
Headquarters	Harrison, New Jersey, United States
Area served	Harrison, Newark, New York City metropolitan area
Products	Passenger train transfers, locomotive changes

Manhattan Transfer station

The Manhattan Transfer station was a facility dedicated to passenger transfers situated in Harrison, New Jersey, positioned east of Newark and approximately west of New York Penn Station along the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) main line, which is currently incorporated into Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Functioning from 1910 until 1937, the station featured two platforms aligned with the PRR tracks at car-floor level. Additionally, it was served by the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad. Built solely for the purpose of train transfers and locomotive changes, the station lacked any pedestrian entrances or exits.

Purpose and functioning

Prior to 1910, rail lines crossing New Jersey toward New York City terminated along the Hudson Waterfront, compelling passengers to transfer to ferry services. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) ran passenger trains to Exchange Place in Jersey City.

On November 27, 1910, PRR inaugurated the New York Tunnel Extension, a route passing through twin tunnels beneath the Hudson River to reach New York Penn Station. This extension branched off roughly two miles east of Newark, traversing the Jersey Meadows en route to the tunnels. Just west of this divergence, PRR constructed Manhattan Transfer station. Trains heading toward New York Penn stopped here to switch from steam engines to electric locomotives for passage through the tunnels. The station also allowed passengers to transfer between main line trains and local services bound for Exchange Place, where connections by ferry or Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M) subway trains provided access to Manhattan.

The H&M, which later evolved into the PATH train, commenced operations between Hudson Terminal in Manhattan and Park Place in Newark on October 1, 1911. H&M trains made stops at Exchange Place, Grove Street, Journal Square, Manhattan Transfer, and Harrison. At Manhattan Transfer, they utilized outer tracks adjacent to platforms for passenger transfers from trains en route to Penn Station. Furthermore, H&M handled first-class mail deliveries from downtown post offices to PRR trains at Manhattan Transfer.

To support this service, H&M procured MP-38 railcars—nicknamed "McAdoo Reds"—which operated exclusively between Manhattan Transfer and New York City and bore both PRR and H&M insignias. Until 1922, PRR maintained a shuttle service from Manhattan Transfer to New York Penn using converted MP-54 cars.

During the 1920s, several significant collisions occurred at Manhattan Transfer. On October 27, 1921, two PRR trains collided due to fog-obscured signals, resulting in 36 injuries. On August 31, 1922, an H&M train accident caused injuries to 50 passengers amid heavy fog conditions. Another H&M collision on July 22, 1923, led to one fatality and 15 injuries. A crash on February 24, 1925 involving two PRR trains caused three deaths and injured 32 individuals.

Decline

Manhattan Transfer was originally established primarily for facilitating locomotive changes from steam to electric power on PRR trains. In 1913, PRR’s board approved electrification of its Philadelphia main line using an overhead catenary system operating at 11 kV. This initiative aimed to resolve operational challenges at Broad Street Station where steam engines caused congestion due to lengthy direction reversals. Initially, tracks at Manhattan Transfer were electrified with a 650 V third rail system supporting PRR electric trains traveling between Penn Station and Exchange Place as well as H&M trains running between Park Place and Hudson Terminal.

In 1928, an agreement between PRR and Newark officials planned construction of Newark Penn Station as a replacement for Manhattan Transfer, Park Place, and Market Street stations. Newark Penn was situated about a quarter-mile south of Park Place with H&M extended over new tracks crossing the Passaic River. This extension enabled direct passenger transfers between H&M and PRR services.

Contracts awarded in 1929 covered electrification of PRR tracks south of Manhattan Transfer with an 11 kV overhead catenary system. By 1931, PRR accelerated this electrification project targeting completion within two and a half years backed by a $175 million investment. Concurrently, new approach tracks over the Passaic River leading into Newark Penn were constructed. By December 1932, PRR trains serving Exchange Place operated under the new catenary system; within two months electrification extended from Philadelphia through Wilmington and Paoli all the way to New York Penn Station. Although most main line trains had converted to electric traction by March 1933 while still stopping at Manhattan Transfer for H&M connections, steam operations continued briefly on the South Amboy branch. The third rail west of the tunnels was removed around 1940.

On June 20, 1937, H&M shifted its terminal from Park Place to Newark Penn Station causing closure of both Manhattan Transfer and Park Place stations. Newark Penn allowed seamless transfers among H&M, PRR services, and the extended Newark City Subway while offering street-level access. Following closure, Manhattan Transfer was demolished though remnants of its platforms remained visible into the 1960s. The site of the eastbound platform became a yard for the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in 1967; after opening of the Aldene Connection CNJ routed trains into Newark Penn where they were stored.

Manhattan Transfer achieved cultural significance as well; John Dos Passos’s novel Manhattan Transfer, published in 1925, portrayed New York City’s vibrant urban life. Additionally, the station’s name inspired the jazz vocal group The Manhattan Transfer, formed in 1969.

Layout

Manhattan Transfer station consisted of two island platforms—one designated for westbound trains and the other for eastbound—each measuring 600 feet in length and 30 feet in width. There were four tracks in total, with bypass lines positioned to the north and south running between the platforms. The outer tracks were utilized by H&M trains, while Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) services stopped on the inner tracks. Over time, the brick platforms experienced significant wear and degradation.

To the west of the station, H&M tracks veered northwest, ascending onto a viaduct that included stops at Harrison before terminating at Newark's Park Place station. Meanwhile, PRR trains proceeded southwest. Moving eastward, PRR lines branched northeast toward New York Penn Station (), whereas H&M tracks headed southeast to and Exchange Place, then entered the Downtown Hudson Tubes leading to Hudson Terminal in New York City. Two nearby switch towers controlled operations: Tower N located to the west and Tower S to the east.

Each platform featured a sign box containing approximately twenty destination indicators and named train listings, which attendants updated manually prior to train arrivals.

Manhattan Transfer was accessible solely by rail; there were no direct connections to the surrounding neighborhoods. Throughout its 27 years of operation, the station accommodated roughly 230 million passengers.