Gateways to New York - Passenger Terminals

jacksonbarno

Alco Spoken Here
When most people think of New York railroads, the first two thoughts that come to mind are usually the PRR and the NYC. While these were the only railroads that had terminals on Manhattan Island, there were many other terminals that were located on the Jersey City waterfront.

The first of these terminals that I am going to shed some light on is the CNJ's Communipaw Terminal. The Central Railroad of New Jersey first built a terminal in Jersey city in 1864. This structure was replaced in 1889 by a new terminal built with brick on the waterfront. To reach Manhattan, passengers boarded ferries, which terminated at the ferry terminal across the river.

A picture of the terminal: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/USA-NYC-Jersey_Historic_Train_Station_crop.jpg

The B&O's part in the terminal is a bit complicated. To gain entry into New York, the B&O gained control of the Reading, which had control of the CNJ. The B&O bought land and built yards on Staten Island, but it lacked adequate passenger facilities. Until World War 1, the B&O operated it's Royal Blue Line trains, and the Reading operated it's New York bound trains, into Communipaw. During WWI, the U.S. government mandated that B&O trains operate into PRR's Penn Station. The B&O operated this way until 1925, when the PRR kicked them out of Penn Station. The B&O returned to Communipaw until the end of B&O Royal Blue Line service in 1958.
The B&O advertised direct service to New York, even though they terminated at Jersey City. They used busses to transport people from the Communipaw to places on Manhattan Island, mostly hotels. The busses would operate to "stations" located at these places.

Many famous trains operated into and out of the terminal, such as the Capitol Limited, Royal Blue, The Crusader, and the Blue Comet.

After the B&O pulled their passenger services in 1958, the terminal was mostly used for the CNJ's commuter services. In 1967, the Aldene Plan allowed the CNJ to reroute their few passenger services left to Penn Station, leaving the terminal abandoned. Thankfully, it was saved, and it now serves as a tourist attraction.

More Pictures

B&O Busses:
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x464/lumuru/BOBus.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x464/lumuru/bus.jpg
http://mrohrer.home.mindspring.com/images/bobusjc.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o111/bigken7005/Transit/MTA Bus Roadeo 20 Sept 2008/100B2990.jpg
http://mrohrer.home.mindspring.com/images/bobus72.jpg

The Approach to the Terminal:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/19087/B O.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2703/4061450743_5de6e6bb4f_z.jpg
http://baldwindiesels.railfan.net/cnj/cnj1208cz.jpg
 
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The second terminal in this series is going to be the Erie's Pavonia terminal.

The Erie's terminal was constructed in 1887 on Pavonia Avenue at the banks of the Hudson River. It was constructed out of wood to put less strain on the woden piles that kept it elevated above the river. As with the other Jersey terminals, the Erie used ferries to transfer people from the terminal to Manhattan. In addition to the Erie, the NYS&W served the terminal as well. Most of the trains that came into the terminal were the Erie's commuter trains. In 1954, a moving sidewalk was constructed between the terminal and the Hudson and Manhattan (a predecessor to PATH) station on Pavonia Avenue. In 1958, the Erie moved all of it's passenger services to the DL&W's Hoboken terminal in anticipation for their merger in 1960. The NYS&W remained in the terminal until 1961. The terminal was torn down after the NYS&W left in 1961.

Pictures:
http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/rspav05.jpg
http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/rspav03.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7195/6884551359_d6d8d589a6_z.jpg
http://www.decodog.com/inven/rr/rr28359.jpg
http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/fileSe...e/MEDIUM/inlineImage/true/9360.1235948960.jpg
 
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