Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company

Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company

Overview
Headquarters	New York City, U.S.
Locale	New Jersey
Dates of operation	1830 (1830)–1872 (1872)
Founder	Robert L. Stevens
Successor	United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 10 in (1,473 mm)
Track length	99.71 miles (160.47 km)

The Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company, usually shortened to the Camden and Amboy Railroad, was a railway company and operator in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was incorporated in 1830 and opened its first line in 1832, making it one of the oldest railroads in North America.

It was consolidated with two other railroads in 1872 to form the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (a forerunner of the Pennsylvania Railroad). Part of the company's original main line between Camden, New Jersey, and Bordentown, is used by the River Line.

History

A map of the Camden and Amboy in 1869

Situated between New York City and Philadelphia, New Jersey has long been a crucial corridor for transporting people and goods between the two cities. Before the railroads, people would travel between the two cities by stagecoaches, ferries or horseback. In February 1830, the New Jersey Legislature chartered the Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company, the first railroad in New Jersey and the third in the United States. Robert L. Stevens (1787–1856), a leading steamboat builder, served as the railroad's corporate architect, first president, and chief engineer.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal, chartered on the same day in 1830 as the Camden and Amboy Railroad, was designed to serve as a bulk freight corridor between Philadelphia and New York. It was intended to complement part of the proposed railroad’s route while also acting as a potential competitor. In February 1831, the New Jersey Legislature approved a partial merger of the railroad and canal companies, creating the Joint Companies. By December 1832, the state granted the Joint Companies exclusive rights to prevent the construction of any other rail line between New York and Philadelphia, effectively giving them a monopoly on bulk freight transportation via the canal and railroad. In exchange, the state received shares of stock and revenue from transit duties on each passenger and ton of freight. These transit taxes alone accounted for up to twenty percent of the New Jersey’s total income, further enhancing the Joint Companies’ political influence.

Bordentown and South Amboy were designated as the main terminals for the railroad, with Camden serving as an alternative terminal when ice on the Delaware River hindered steamboat travel between Bordentown and Philadelphia. In September 1832, the initial 14-mile section of single-track railroad opened between Bordentown and Hightstown, and by December, the line extended to South Amboy. Initially, teams of horses pulled the rail carriages, but by 1833, steam locomotives had replaced the horse-drawn trains.

Shortly after the New Jersey Legislature chartered the Camden and Amboy Railroad, Robert Stevens traveled to England to acquire rails and a steam locomotive. During this trip, he designed an innovative rolled iron rail that became the standard in the U.S. He also purchased a steam-powered locomotive from Robert Stephenson & Co. This engine, known as the John Bull, is now the oldest complete and operable locomotive in the western hemisphere.

In 1834, the southern Bordentown–Camden section of the 61-mile rail line was completed. With the blessing of the Legislature, the Camden and Amboy absorbed competitors such as the Pennsylvanian chartered Trenton and Philadelphia Railroad and added new connecting lines. By 1838, additional routes from Bordentown to Trenton and from Trenton to New Brunswick were up and running, making the section between Camden and South Amboy complete by 1 October 1832. The New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company, which was controlled by the Joint Companies, built a northern route linking New Brunswick, Newark and Jersey City, where connecting ferry service to Manhattan Island was offered. By 1839, the Camden and Amboy and its related entities controlled all rail service between Philadelphia and New York. By the early 1860s, Camden and Amboy routes carried nearly 500,000 passengers each year.

The state charter for the United Companies was set to expire in 1869. By 1867, facing growing criticism over safety and monopolistic practices, as well as increasing competition for profitable rail lines, the Joint Companies sought to maintain their market dominance through legal maneuvers. They formed the United New Jersey Rail Road and Canal Company, an informal alliance of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, and the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. However, as railroads expanded regionally and nationally, the United New Jersey Rail Road and Canal Company agreed in 1871 to lease its holdings to the powerful Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which became one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, thus bringing the railroad company to an end by 1 February 1867.

In 1905, the Pennsylvania Railroad would electrify the northern section of the Camden and Amboy between Trenton and New Brunswick as well as other cities on the line, such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C, using catenary wires to primarily to address the inefficiencies and environmental concerns associated with steam locomotives. By the early 20th century, the dense urban areas along the corridor, particularly New York City, were grappling with significant smoke and pollution issues caused by steam engines. Electrification offered a cleaner, more efficient alternative, reducing smoke and improving air quality. Additionally, electric trains provided greater tractive effort and reliability, which was needed for handling the high traffic volumes on this busy route.

After the collapse of Penn Central (a joined company between the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads), the United States's national passenger rail operator, Amtrak would purchase the trackage between Trenton and New Brunswick to use it for their Northeast Corridor, bringing back former Pennsylvania Railroad and Penn Central services, as well as bringing newer services such as the Acela, a higher speed rail connection between Washington D.C. and Boston.

The southern section of the original Camden and Amboy Railroad between Camden and Bordentown was acquired by Conrail, the freight service operating along the former Penn Central routes. Following the dissolution of Conrail, this line was taken over by New Jersey Transit. It was subsequently adapted to accommodate both passenger and freight services. In 2004, New Jersey Transit would open the River Line, a diesel light rail service between Trenton and Camden via Bordentown, consisting of most of the original route of the Camden and Amboy.

Former branch lines

The Camden and Amboy built three other short branches: the Princeton Branch, serving Princeton, New Jersey; the Kingston Branch, serving Kingston, New Jersey; and the Florence Branch, serving Florence, New Jersey.

See also

• John Bull (locomotive)

References

• Churella, Albert J. (2013). The Pennsylvania Railroad: Volume I, Building an Empire, 1846–1917. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-4348-2. OCLC 759594295.
• Coverdale & Colpitts (1946). The Pennsylvania Railroad Company: The Corporate, Financial and Construction History of Lines Owned, Operated and Controlled To December 31, 1945. Volume II: Lines East of Pittsburgh. Philadelphia: Allen, Lane & Scott. OCLC 13172415.
• Freeman, Leslie E. Jr. (May 1953). "The New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin (88): 100–159. JSTOR 43520074.