The Central Railroad of New Jersey, more commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a regional railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States. Its main line ran from a terminal at Jersey City west through New Jersey to Phillipsburg and across the Delaware River to Easton and Scranton in Pennsylvania. Branches also stretched into southern New Jersey to Delaware Bay.

The CNJ was acquired by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway in 1883. Though that was later canceled, the Reading continued to exert a major influence over the CNJ, and used it for its New York City-area terminal.

Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey includes the site of the CNJ's terminal.





History

Origins
The Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad was chartered on February 9, 1831 to build from Elizabeth on the Newark Bay (with a steamboat transfer to New York City) west to Somerville. The line to Plainfield was completed in March 1839, connecting to the New Jersey Rail Road in Elizabeth. Extensions took it west to Dunellen in 1840, just east of Bound Brook in 1841 and the rest of the way to Somerville in 1842.

The Somerville and Easton Railroad was chartered February 26, 1847 to continue the line west to Easton. The first extension, to Whitehouse, opened in 1848 and was leased to the Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad. On February 11, 1849 the Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad bought the Somerville and Easton Railroad, and on February 26 the two companies were consolidated as the Central Railroad of New Jersey.


Jersey City Terminal ca. 1900The rest of the line to Phillipsburg opened in 1852, and on September 8, 1855 the upper level of the Lehigh Valley Railroad's Easton Bridge over the Delaware River, taking the CNJ to Easton. At that time, Lehigh Valley coal trains began running over the CNJ to Elizabeth. A similar operation with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, joining at Hampton, began May 27, 1856. This required the addition of a third rail to join the broad gauge DL&W onto the standard gauge CNJ.

On December 1, 1859 the CNJ arranged to run over the New Jersey Rail Road to the latter's terminal in Jersey City. That operation began December 19, and included a third rail for DL&W trains.

The South Branch Railroad, controlled by the CNJ, opened July 1, 1864 as a branch from Somerville to Flemington. The CNJ's extension to their new terminal in Jersey City, including the first CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge, opened on July 29, 1864, with a ferry transfer to Cortlandt Street in New York City, ending operations over the NJRR. On July 23, 1869, the Newark and New York Railroad opened, providing a straight route from downtown Newark to the CNJ's Jersey City terminal. The Newark Branch, running north from Elizabethport to the N&NY in Newark, opened June 7, 1872.


Expansion
On October 6, 1873 the CNJ leased the New York and Long Branch Railroad, which was in the process of building from Perth Amboy southeast to Long Branch. At the same time the Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad was building from Elizabethport on the CNJ south to Perth Amboy. Hostilities at the crossing of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Perth Amboy and Woodbridge Railroad in April 1872 led to an injunction against the PRR interfering with the construction. The CNJ bought the PA&E later that year. The full line to Long Branch opened September 7, 1875, and was later extended south, reaching Bay Head in 1881 by acquiring other companies. In 1882 the CNJ and Pennsylvania Railroad agreed to use the line jointly, with trackage rights granted to the PRR over the Perth Amboy and Elizabethport between the Perth Amboy and Woodbridge crossing and its south end at the Raritan River bridge.

The CNJ leased the Dover and Rockaway Railroad for 990 years from April 26, 1881.

The CNJ leased the Ogden Mine Railroad for 999 years from January 1, 1882.

The CNJ leased the Hibernia Mine Railroad for 20 years from October 1, 1890; this lease was renewed at least once for another 20 years.


A CNJ camelback locomotive built by Baldwin in the 1920s.In late 1917, the following companies were absorbed into the CNJ:

Buena Vista Railroad
Carteret and Sewaren Railroad
Carteret Extension Railroad
Cumberland and Maurice River Railroad
Cumberland and Maurice River Extension Railroad
Elizabeth Extension Railroad
Freehold and 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 and Barnegat Railroad
Vineland Railroad
Vineland Branch Railway
West Side Connecting Railroad
West End Railroad
The first commercially successful diesel-electric locomotive manufactured by Alco in 1924 was built for the Central Railroad of New Jersey.

In 1929, the CNJ began operating its most famous train, The Blue Comet, which ran from the Jersey City terminal to Atlantic City. Service ran until 1941.

The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) authorized the CNJ to acquire the Wharton and Northern Railroad and the Mount Hope Mineral Railroad on February 4, 1930.

The Hibernia Mine Railroad was merged into the CNJ on November 25, 1930.


Decline
On June 6, 1935, the ICC authorized the CNJ to abandon the Ogden Mine Railroad.

In 1961 the CNJ purchased two portions of the dissolving Lehigh and New England Railroad from the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. This became the Lehigh and New England Railway, with two segments - Lansford to Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, connecting coal mines to the Reading Railroad, and Bethlehem to Bath and Martins Creek, Pennsylvania, connecting cement mills to the CNJ and Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Paralleling the Lehigh Valley Railroad from the Hudson River to Scranton, the CNJ was a fierce competitor for anthracite coal and freight traffic. With heavy commuter traffic and short freight hauls, the company was in and out of bankruptcy throughout its history. In 1967, bankruptcy was declared for the last time. In 1972 all Pennsylvania operations ceased and the Lehigh Valley Railroad took over the remaining Pennsylvania trackage. The CNJ was merged into Conrail on April 1, 1976.