Posted 9 years ago
pajrr
(102 items)
This is a neat find. This pass allows the named employee to travel over 3 different railroad companies as opposed to normally just one. The B&O issued this pass. At the time, the B&O had controlling interest in both the Reading and the Central Railroad of NJ, so this pass isn't as strange as it may seem at first. The B&O reached Philadelphia on its own system. Afterwards it would travel the Reading up to Bound Brook / Manville, NJ, where the train would change over to the CNJ for the run to Jersey City and NY Harbor. The B&O also controlled the Staten Island RR at this time, too, and would transfer off the CNJ at Cranford, NJ to access the SIRR. All has changed now. When Conrail took over the 7 bankrupt railroads in 1976, the old CNJ mainline became property of New Jersey Transit, the current NJT Raritan Valley Line. The B&O (now CSX) connection was cut over (in the same location) to join the ex-Lehigh Valley mainline (which became the Conrail Lehigh Line) for access to the NY area. When Conrail was split between CSX and NS in 1999, the Lehigh Line became the NS Lehigh Line, but from Manville - Newark / NY Harbor remained in control of Conrail Shared Assets to keep access to Newark / NY Harbor equal for both NS & CSX. It is still possible to travel over parts of the lines that this pass covered. Septa operates the Philadelphia - West Trenton Line (The ex-Reading) whereas NJT operates Manville - Newark / NY. The gap between West Trenton & Manville is for you to figure out!
Nice write up...........