The ''Blue Comet'' was a named passenger train operated by

Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...

from 1929 to 1941 between the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...

and Atlantic City. Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 1928, this train whisked passengers from

Communipaw Terminal The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replacing ...

in Jersey City to Atlantic City, making the total trip from Manhattan (via ferry to the Jersey City terminal) to Atlantic City in three hours. The ''Blue Comet'' would take NY&LB trackage to Red Bank, then follow the Southern Division Main Line to Winslow Junction, where it would travel over the

Atlantic City Railroad The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933. At the end of 1925 it operated of road on of track; that year it reported 43 million ton-miles of re ...

's tracks to Atlantic City.When the ''Blue Comet'' started service in 1929 the

was wholly owned by the

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly call ...

. By 1933 the

Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines The Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a railroad that operated in South Jersey in the 20th century. It was created in 1933 as a joint consolidation venture between two competing railroads in the region: the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Rea ...

were jointly owned by the Reading Company and the Pennsylvania Railroad. The colors chosen for the ''Blue Comets locomotive and passenger cars were ultramarine and Packard Blue, for the sea, cream, for the sandy coastal beaches, and nickel. The tickets for the train were blue, the dining car chairs were upholstered in blue linen, and the porters were dressed in blue as well. The locomotive was capable of 100 miles per hour, and the railroad claimed the train itself was the first east of the Mississippi to be equipped with roller bearings for easy starting and stopping.

History

Inaugurated on February 21, 1929, the ''Blue Comet'' was designed to provide coach passengers with deluxe equipment, accommodations, and service at a regular coach fare. The first revenue passengers to board the CNJ's new flagship at Communipaw Terminal were Miss Beatrice Winter and Miss Helen Lewis of New York. As the ''Blue Comet'' made its way to Atlantic City, it was put on display for patrons, railfans, and local residents to see and inspect. Thousands of spectators along the line came to see the new train. This was due in part to a clever ad campaign via radio and newspaper which spurred public interest. Following its first arrival in Atlantic City, a formal dinner was held for railroad officials at th
Hotel Dennis
The ''Blue Comet'' was published in several periodicals and trade magazines such as ''

Railway Age ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine's ...

'' (March 1929), ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

'' (the first issue in February, 1930), ''The Modelmaker'', and several advertisements fo
ELESCO
Superheaters and Feedwater Heaters. Periodic articles about the train appeared in ''The New York Times'', ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', and local papers such as the ''

Red Bank Register Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan ...

''. It was featured in a British 1937 Gallaher Ltd collection of tobacco cards entitled "Trains of the World." Billed as the "Seashore's Finest Train", it was dubbed a "Symphony in Blue." Lionel founder

Joshua Lionel Cowen Joshua Lionel Cowen (; August 25, 1877 – September 8, 1965) was an American electrical engineer and inventor. Cowen attended two different colleges but never obtained a degree. He had a mechanical inclination and was interested in the principa ...

was among those who frequently rode the ''Blue Comet''. Inspired by the train's elegant beauty, speed and the sublime power of its towering locomotive, Lionel offered a standard gauge model of the train in 1930. This gave the train and Lionel an almost mythical quality. There were three factors behind the creation of the ''Blue Comet'': * To eliminate passenger service south of Winslow Junction, and replace

rail service Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

with bus connections. * To better compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) for Atlantic City passengers. * To eliminate a costly Pullman parlor car lease, in which the CNJ had a loss ten months of the year. The ''Blue Comet'' offered extra accommodations at the regular coach fare and assigned seats so passengers knew exactly where they would sit. The PRR charged extra for its all-parlor car ''

Atlantic City Limited The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

'' and ''

New York Limited New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

''. The PRR charged extra fees for parlor cars on the ''

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

''. The ''Blue Comet'' ran on-schedule 97 percent of the time for the first five years. A billboard was installed on the Routes 33 and 34 overpass at Farmingdale listing the times the train would pass that area. The ''Blue Comet'' was initially a success, but fell victim to the Great Depression. Service was reduced to a single daily round-trip by April 1933. Also that year, the PRR and Reading Company (RDG) consolidated their southern New Jersey routes and formed the

. After the merger, the PRR owned two-thirds of the trackage. Reports from travelers indicate that ''Blue Comet'' information was not readily available at the Atlantic City station. This had the ''Blue Comet'' service at a disadvantage, as PRR Atlantic City-New York information was readily available for passengers heading to points north. Blue Comet Ticket

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.Lakewood and Lakehurst. The Lakewood stop was to pick up and drop off passengers as well as Jolly Tar Trail bus service. The stop at Lakehurst was for people needing a connection for the Barnegat Branch, later replaced by Jolly Tar Trail service during off-peak hours in the early 1930s, and for the locomotives to take on water. By the mid-1930s service had picked up to a morning and an afternoon train in the southerly direction and an afternoon and an evening train in the northerly in summer 1936 service. For residents of the more isolated sections of the

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

, the ''Blue Comet's'' railroad crews dropped off newspapers. In Chatsworth, the train slowed as it went through the center of town on its return from Atlantic City to disperse a bundle of the daily papers - including ''The New York Times'', ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', among other big-city publications - which had been provided for passengers to read while on board. This goodwill gesture offered a way for locals who did not have radios or electricity to stay informed on current events. Community lore has it that residents would show their appreciation by bringing baskets of freshly-picked berries for the crew. However, this anecdote has been disputed by some who lived in the area at the time and insisted the express train did not stop in a location where such an exchange would have happened. The train's last run was on September 27, 1941. Its main competitor, the PRR ''Nellie Bly'', lasted until 1961.

Accidents

On Friday, December 26, 1935 the ''Blue Comet'' experienced a small fire in the roof of the dining car Giacobini. The fire was discovered while the train was en route to Red Bank by the chef, who promptly alerted the steward Lewis Herring. The two men attempted to put out the fire themselves using fire extinguishers; however, the origin of the fire was inaccessible. An overheated flue from the coal stove had caused some of the roof structure to burn between the ceiling and the roof of the dining car. Red Bank firefighters were summoned as the train pulled into the station, and the fire was quickly put out. Damage was estimated at only $50.00. The passengers were unaware that there was any problem until they were politely asked to leave the dining car at the station. The ''Blue Comet'' was delayed for 39 minutes while the fire was put out and the dining car removed from service. The train arrived in Atlantic City only 22 minutes behind schedule. On August 19, 1939, train No 4218 was traveling east-bound with a consist of a combine ''Halley'', a coach ''D'Arrest'', a diner ''Giacobini'', a second coach ''Winnecki'', and an observation car ''Biela''. Engine No. 820, a 4-6-2 Pacific, was on point. Conductor Walsh and Engineman Thomas were in charge of the train, which was carrying 49 passengers and crew. Extraordinarily-heavy rains fell in the area throughout the day. It is estimated that roughly inches of rain fell, and about inches fell between 2 and 6 pm. The train's crew had reduced speed from the usual 70 mph to between 3540 mph, as visibility was poor and the crew had been given a message at Winslow Junction to keep a lookout for sand on the crossings due to the heavy rains. Near milepost 86, about a mile west of Chatsworth station, the train hit a washout at 4:37 pm. The surface water had overwhelmed two 24-inch culverts, and undermined the roadbed. The engine and tender made it across the damaged track, with the rear tender truck being derailed. The rear truck floating lever was damaged, rendering the tender brakes inoperative. The entire 5-car consist had become uncoupled from the tender and derailed. The cars came to rest in general line with the track, and were leaning at various angles. Roughly 500 feet of track was destroyed. When the train failed to arrive at Chatsworth Station, personnel and local residents waded over a mile through the woods in water waist deep in parts to reach the wreck. Reports that one hundred people were killed led to a flurry of ambulances from northern parts of the state. Actually, only forty-nine people were on board. The injured included 32 passengers, 4 dining car employees, 1 porter and 1 train service employee. The chef, Joseph Coleman, was crushed and badly scalded in the kitchen of the dining car when the stove fell on top of him as the car overturned. He later died from his injuries. The majority of the injuries were minor, resulting from the flying wicker chairs in the

observation car An observation car/carriage/coach (in US English, often abbreviated to simply observation or obs) is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the rearmost carriage, with windows or a platform on the rear of ...

. CNJ crews replaced about six hundred feet of damaged track in approximately forty-eight hours. A relief train arrived a few hours later to transport the remaining passengers. An investigation concluded that the derailment was caused by the washout, which resulted from the unusually heavy rainfall. Today, the mainline track and wreck site are abandoned and very overgrown. All of the equipment involved in the wreck was repaired and returned to service, except for the dining car "Giacobini''. Being a steel-clad wooden car, it was unable to withstand the forces of the wreck and was too badly damaged to repair. It was used as a rail yard freight office until it was eventually scrapped.

Crossing accidents

On Friday, January 10, 1936, William Taylor, 42, a farmhand, was instantly killed when his produce truck was struck by the ''Blue Comet'' while crossing the tracks at Finkel's Lane, Shrewsbury. Mr. Taylor was employed on the farm owned by C. Borderson of Shrewsbury and had been transporting produce from one side of the farm to the other. The crossing was on private property and had no watchman. The engineer, William J. Smith of Elizabeth, was taken into custody for questioning and later released. Engineer Smith stated that the bell of the ''Blue Comet'' had been kept ringing ever since the train pulled out of the Red Bank station. He said the whistle had been sounded. The truck was demolished and the locomotive badly damaged. A steam valve cap from the automatic safety control of the engine was damaged, and the steam escaped. After a delay of about an hour, the train limped into Eatontown station, where an extra locomotive from Red Bank took up the interrupted journey. Shortly before noon on January 14, 1936, a National Biscuit Company trailer-truck stalled on the tracks of the New York & Long Branch railroad at the Shrewsbury Avenue crossing and was struck by a southbound Pennsylvania train. The driver, Joseph Clark, 53, of Corona, Long Island, jumped from the cab of the truck before the train crashed into it. According to the driver, the motor of the truck stalled just as it reached the tracks. A wrecking crew removed the truck from the tracks so as to permit the ''Blue Comet'', due at Red Bank at 10:04 o'clock, to pass. At 6:10 PM on Monday, September 8, 1941, a mother and two of her children were killed when the ''Blue Comet'' express train crashed into a light delivery truck at an unprotected crossing not far from their home. They were Mrs. Antionette Macciocca, 35, of White Horse Pike Elm, and her two daughters, Gloria, 13, and Joanne, 4. The accident took place as Mrs. Mocciocca was driving back to her home after visiting a neighbor to obtain advice on canning vegetables. The crash occurred a few minutes after the ''Blue Comet'' left Hammonton, bound from Atlantic City to Jersey City. State police said the crossing was marked with a sign but was without a watchman, crossing bells or signal lights. The train stopped several hundred yards up the tracks after the incident and was delayed for an hour. The crew included A. Feryling, Phillipsburg, engineer, and J.F. Walsh, Somerville.

Equipment

Three brand-new G3s

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

locomotives were assigned to the train: numbers 831, 832 and 833. The CNJ totally refurbished sixteen cars for ''Blue Comet'' service, inside and out. The train and its engines were painted in Packard Blue to suggest the sea and the sky. The passenger cars all had a cream band running the length of the side at the windows to evoke the sand of the shore. The paint scheme was unusual, since the road name did not appear on each car. Only the name of the train, "THE BLUE COMET", appeared in gold lettering on the letter board. Each car was named for a different comet. The name of each car was placed in gold lettering at the middle of each side below the windows. The underframes and trucks were painted royal blue and varnished. The locomotives' marker lights, headlights, handrails, coupler lifting rods, cylinder head covers and back valve chambers were nickel-plated. Side rods were polished. The name of the train was painted in gold lettering on a blue nameboard that was mounted to the front of the locomotive smoke box just below the Elesco feedwater heater. The train was known by its distinctive

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a lar ...

. Mounted on the fireman's side of the steam dome, it was usually angled forward. While the manufacturer and cadence of the specific whistle has not been verified (none are known to exist), it is reported to have been a long-bell 3-chime steamboat whistle similar to a Hancock or Star Brass 6" long-bell 3-chime. In later years, as ridership declined, the usual G3s locomotives were sometimes used in other service. As a result, a variety of motive power was used. Sometimes the Blue Comet was pulled by other CNJ fast Pacifics such as #820, or Camelback locomotives such as #592. No. 592 was one of the CNJ's fastest Camelbacks and could frequently be found on the point in Blue Comet service. Each train consisted of a baggage car, combine-smoker, coaches, and an observation car. Inside the train, the cars were lavishly furnished. Each car was clad in

circassian walnut ''Juglans regia'', the Persian walnut, English walnut, Carpathian walnut, Madeira walnut, or especially in Great Britain, common walnut, is an Old World walnut tree species native to the region stretching from the Balkans eastward to the Himalay ...

with a gold inlay pattern. The headliners were cream colored. Window shades were made of blue Spanish pantasote. The luggage racks were nickel-plated. Each car had a drinking fountain by the North Pole Sanitary Drinking Fountain company of Chicago. Collapsible cone-shaped paper cups with the train's logo were available via a dispenser above the fountain. Coaches were fitted out with 64 individual seats which rotated, nickel-plated coat hooks and umbrella holders mounted to the back of the seats. Upholstery was Persian Blue, rendered in figured mohair. The observation car seats were triple-cushioned, 48 rattan lounge chairs in silver and blue, lining either side. These were upholstered in Persian blue Avalon plush, with a gold-tinted floral pattern. The coaches and combines each had a men's lavatory and toilet located at one end of the car to each side of the aisle. The coaches and observation car were each fitted out with a generous women's lounge with an adjoining toilet. The lounge had a full-length mirror, two wicker armchairs, a boudoir chair, and a cup and towel vendor. The floor covering was a Persian blue carpet with a gold modern pattern. The combines had 48 blue leather bucket seats. The flooring was a blue-and-cream diagonal checkerboard linoleum tile. This same flooring was installed in the vestibules and lavatories as well as on the observation platform. The diner accompanied the early-morning trip to Atlantic City and the evening return to Jersey City and could accommodate 36 patrons. Porters in blue uniforms served savory dishes and homemade goodies. The fresh apple pie with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese was a popular offering. The tables were set with the finest embroidered blue tablecloths with the train's logo, special china and flatware, and a silver base lamp with parchment shade. The lampshades had an astral pattern of comets and stars, and tinted lightbulbs were employed to cast a soft blue glow.

Locomotive

* Pilot truck ** Commonwealth cast steel with pedestals cast integral with frame * Trailing truck ** Commonwealth Delta type * Drive train ** Pistons: 5" diameter, heat treated steel casting ** Reverse: Alco Power Reversing Gear ** Crossheads: underhung type with forged steel box guides ** Side Rods: floating bushings, grease cups forged solid and integral ** Counterbalancing: 55% of the reciprocating weight * Suspension ** Chrome silicon manganese driving and truck springs * Firebox ** Stoker: Type B * Lubrication system ** Nathan Eight Feed mechanical lubricator with 20 pint capacity * Throttle ** Chambers backhead throttle valve * Drifting valves ** Automatic *

Automatic train control Automatic train control (ATC) is a general class of train protection systems for railways that involves a speed control mechanism in response to external inputs. For example, a system could effect an emergency brake application if the driver d ...

Union Switch & Signal Union Switch & Signal (commonly referred to as US&S) was an American company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which focused on railway signaling equipment, systems and services. The company was acquired by Ansaldo STS (from 2015, Hitachi Rail ...

coded continuous ** 2 × Westinghouse Simplex air compressors mounted on right side of boiler

Rolling stock

* Diner: ''Giacobini'' 81 * Combines: ''Halley'' 300, ''Encke'' 302 * Baggage cars: ''Olbers'' 391, ''Barnard'' 392 * Coaches: ''Tuttle'' 1170, ''Holmes'' 1171, ''Westphal'' 1172, ''D'Arrest'' 1173, ''Faye'' 1174, ''Spitaler'' 1175, ''Winnecke'' 1176, ''Brorsen'' 1177 *

Observation car An observation car/carriage/coach (in US English, often abbreviated to simply observation or obs) is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the rearmost carriage, with windows or a platform on the rear of ...

s: ''DeVico'' 1178, ''Biela'' 1179, ''Tempel'' 1169 As passenger traffic diminished, the G3s engines were withdrawn from ''Blue Comet'' service and other locomotives pulled the train. Frequently, one would find

camelback locomotive A camelback locomotive (also known as a Mother Hubbard or a center-cab locomotive) is a type of steam locomotive with the driving cab placed in the middle, astride the boiler. Camelbacks were fitted with wide fireboxes which would have severely ...

592 at the point, or other Pacifics. Pacific 820 was on the point for the only derailment of the ''Blue Comet'' on August 19, 1939. File:Blue Comet observation.jpg, The observation platform. File:Blue Comet observation car interior.jpg, The interior of the observation car. File:Blue Comet smoking lounge.jpg, The smoking lounge. File:Blue Comet coach car.jpg, The interior of a coach car. File:Blue Comet dining car.jpg, The dining car. File:Blue Comet locomotive.jpg, A side view of the locomotive.

Crew

Retirement and preservation

All of the G3s Pacific 4-6-2 locomotives were scrapped by Luria Brothers between 1954-55. Coach "Winnecke", 1176, was scrapped in Red Bank during the 1980s. In its last years, it had been used as a locker room. Various pieces of Winnecke were salvaged and eventually donated by the

United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, Inc. (or URHS of NJ) is a non profit educational organization directed at supporting the preservation of New Jersey's historical railroad equipment and artifacts for the proposed New Jersey Trans ...

to the Black River & Western Railroad's restoration of CNJ coach 1009. CNJ camelback locomotive #592 is preserved in the roundhouse at the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Balt ...

in Maryland. In

Tuckahoe, New Jersey Tuckahoe is a census-designated place unincorporated community located within Upper Township in Cape May County of New Jersey. History The tuckahoe was pounded into pulp by local Native Americans and used for cooking and baking, as flour ...

the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc., has former ''Blue Comet'' observation car "Tempel" (later known as CNJ car #1169) parked awaiting restoration. The historical society would like to restore the car and use it in passenger service along the

Cape May Seashore Lines Cape May Seashore Lines is a short line railroad in southern New Jersey. It offers two excursion services: a round trip between Richland and Tuckahoe and a round trip between Rio Grande, Cold Spring Village, and Cape May City. The track is ...

. The

currently owns three cars, DeVico, Westphal, and D'Arrest. The "

De Vico Vico or de Vico may refer to: People * Prefetti di Vico, a 10th- to 15th-century Italian noble family Surname * Enea Vico (1523–1567), Italian engraver * Francesco de Vico (1805–1848), Italian astronomer * Francesco Vico (fl. 17th century), ...

" (later known as CNJ #1178) observation car was in use by

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

as an inspection car from 1982 until 1993. The car, renumbered NJT-1, was donated in 2003 to the

(URHS), an organization that plans to restore the car. It currently is located in Boonton, NJ and has been recently painted in ''Blue Comet'' livery. The "

Westphal Westphal or Westphall may refer to the following people: *Ari Westphal (born 1994), Brazilian fashion model * Bernd Westphal (born 1960), German politician * Brigitta Westphal (born 1944), German painter *Carlo Westphal (born 1985), German professi ...

" (later known as CNJ #1172) and " D'Arrest" (later known as CNJ #1173). were stored for a long time at Winslow Junction, NJ awaiting plans for restoration. In March 2017, enough funds were secured to move them to Boonton, and Westphal was moved by truck from Winslow Junction to Boonton, followed by D'Arrest a few months later. In September of that year, both cars arrived in Boonton and were coupled up to the DeVico with plans for further restoration to return them to Blue Comet livery and be operated on excursions. The combine "Halley" #300 was reconfigured, repainted and used in service on the Santa Fe Southern Railway. "Halley", a smoker/combine, has been modified a bit with the removal of the vestibules, and the baggage area window has been blanked out. The dining car "Giaccobini" was too badly damaged in the 1939 wreck. It was never returned to service and spent the rest of its days as a freight office. It was eventually scrapped. In 2010 a "Jersey Coast" commuter club car, formerly used along the

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system m ...

(but not in ''Blue Comet'' service), was rebuilt to appear like a ''Blue Comet'' observation car by the

Whippany Railway Museum The Whippany Railway Museum is a railway museum and excursion train ride located in the Whippany, New Jersey, Whippany section of Hanover Township, New Jersey, Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, United State ...

in Whippany, New Jersey.

Legacy

*In the 1930s, the

Lionel Corporation Lionel Corporation was an American toy manufacturer and holding company of retailers that had been in business for over 120 years. It was founded as an electrical novelties company. Lionel specialized in various products throughout its existence. ...

produced a ''Blue Comet'' model train, which is now considered a desirable collectable. While the set was popular, it bore little resemblance to the actual train. *A sixth-season episode of HBO's ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' is titled "

The Blue Comet "The Blue Comet" is the 85th and penultimate episode of the HBO television series ''The Sopranos'', the eighth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, and the 20th episode of the season overall. Written by series creator and showr ...

". In the episode, toy train buff and mobster Bobby Baccalieri is murdered in a hobby shop as he bargains for an antique Lionel ''Blue Comet'' set. *The

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...

passenger railcar class of the 1970s and later was named to honor the ''Blue Comet''. *In December 1975 a special ''Blue Comet Nostalgia Train'' operated with a steam locomotive from

Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Per ...

to Bay Head along the former

New York and Long Branch Railroad The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The rail ...

(today's

). The nostalgia trip was filmed and appeared in a Christmas special edition of the '' Tomorrow'' television program with host

Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and ' ...

on December 25, 1975. *

Rivarossi Rivarossi is an Italian manufacturers of model railways. In 2004 it was acquired by Hornby Railways. History Rivarossi was founded in 1945 by Alessandro Rossi and Antonio Riva. In the 1990s Rivarossi acquired Lima (1992), Jouef and Arnold (1997 ...

produced a special HO-scale anniversary edition in 1979. It consisted of the 1978 steam locomotive 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific 831 CNJ plus two sets of four different coaches. The set was not prototypical of the actual train. International Hobby Corporation reproduced the Rivarossi HO sets, including a DCC ready locomotive. *Overland Brass made an HO-scale limited edition of the ''Blue Comet'' G3s Pacific locomotive. These models are accurately detailed and considered valuable. *Bethlehem Car Works makes an HO version of the prototypical coaches, diner, and combine. However, these models are not painted in ''Blue Comet'' livery. *In 1979, ''

The Little Rascals Christmas Special ''The Little Rascals' Christmas Special'' is an animation, animated Christmas by medium, Christmas television special based on the ''Our Gang'' comedies of the 1920s-40s. The special was produced by King World Productions, and first aired Decembe ...

'', Spanky learns that his mother (voiced by

Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of music teacher Elizabeth Da ...

) is getting him a ''Blue Comet'' model train set, only to later find out that his mother had to sell her winter overcoat to buy the train. He then tries to raise the funds with the gang in order to buy the coat back. *MTH produced several versions of the ''Blue Comet'' in O gauge. One is a faithful replica of the 1930s Lionel. Another under their Rail King line is more prototypical, and features sound and synchronized smoke features. *Aristo Craft produced a G-scale ''Blue Comet'' set. Like other manufacturers' ''Blue Comet'' representations, some minor details deviate from the original. *Documentary filmmaker Robert A. Emmons, Jr., details the history of the ''Blue Comet'' in the 2009 documentary film ''De Luxe: The Tale of the Blue Comet''. *In 1998, Lionel produced a second ''Blue Comet'' with a model 4-6-4. *The Black Cat Motorcycle Club of

Lansdale, Pennsylvania Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a densely-populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In 1900, 2,754 people live ...

often encountered the ''Blue Comet'' on their rides to the Jersey Shore. Members renamed the club "Blue Comet MC" in 1937. *In 2001, Lionel produced another ''Blue Comet'' model train with a real model 4-6-2; only 1,000 were produced. This model was an entire set. *Also in 2001, Lionel produced a separate two car pack consisting of Combo car Halley, and Coach car Tuttle. *In 2003, Lionel produced a separate model of diner "Giacobini". *In 2009,

Auran N3V Games (formerly Auran Development and later n3vrf41l Publishing) is an Australian video game developer and publisher based in Helensvale, Queensland, Australia. Auran is now operated as a holding company, with operations and development ced ...

produced CGI models of the ''Blue Comet'' train as an add-on for its '' Trainz Railroad Simulator 2009'' PC game. This package contains two G-3s models, one in the ''Blue Comet''s blue livery and one in the later black livery, as well as a P-47 model in a similar, but unlined version of the latter livery. The package also includes models of the train's baggage, combine, coach, diner and observation cars. *In 2012, Lionel produced a fourth ''Blue Comet'' model train with a real model 4-6-2. The locomotive and four cars are sold separately. *In 2014, up and into 2017, PIKO Model Trains & Model Buildings produced a "G"-scale version of "The Blue Comet" using Engine #592 Camelback 2-6-0 with tender, along with 1 Combine car "Hailey" #300, and 2 Coach cars "Westphal" #1172 and "Faye" #1174. Each of these units is sold separately. *The bar in

Newark Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, ...

was named for The Blue Comet. (It closed in 2017.) *''Blue Comet''

Biela Biela may refer to: * Biela, Bohemia, former name of a town in eastern Bohemia, now Luže * Biela, Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central Poland) *Biela (river), a river in eastern Germany. * Wilhelm Freiherr von Biela, an Austrian military offi ...

" was moved to

Clinton, New Jersey Clinton is a town in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It is located on the South Branch of the Raritan River in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town's population was 2,719,

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* * * {{Authority control Central Railroad of New Jersey Named passenger trains of the United States Transportation in Hudson County, New Jersey Transportation in Middlesex County, New Jersey Transportation in Monmouth County, New Jersey Transportation in Ocean County, New Jersey Transportation in Atlantic County, New Jersey Railway services introduced in 1929 Railway lines closed in 1941