The Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company, usually shortened to the Camden and Amboy Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. 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
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
). Part of the company's original main line between
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
River Line
The River Line (stylized as River LINE) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its rout ...
.
History
The state of New Jersey chartered both the Camden and Amboy and the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company on February 4, 1830. Both companies were to develop a connection between New York City and Philadelphia. The two companies, though remaining independent, agreed to cooperate and became known as the "Joint Companies." The Camden and Amboy was the first railroad to use wooden railroad ties and T-section rails. The company completed a line between Bordentown, New Jersey, on the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
, and South Amboy, New Jersey, in December 1832. The line was further extended south from Bordentown to
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
, across the Delaware from Philadelphia, in September 1834. In the absence of a bridge over the Delaware, passengers bound for Philadelphia transferred to boats at Bordentown or Camden.
The Protection Act, passed in 1832, "prohibit dany other railroad from building within three miles of the Camden & Amboy's termini." This did not preclude the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company from building a line between
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad, a Pennsylvania company, was building a line between its two namesake cities. In 1836, the Philadelphia and Trenton agreed to cooperate with the Joint Companies. The Camden and Amboy linked these projects together by building from Bordentown to Trenton (1838), and then Trenton to New Brunswick (1839).
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
Florence Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 12,109, reflecting an increase of 1,363 (+12.7%) from the 10,746 counted in the 2000 Census, ...
.
The New Jersey Rail Road, Camden and Amboy Railroad, and Delaware and Raritan Canal Company moved to a closer association in 1867 when they created a joint board of directors. This was known as the "United Companies", although all three companies continued to be independent. A formal consolidation into the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company followed in 1872; the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...