Easton and Amboy Railroad was a railroad built across central

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

by the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad built in the Northeastern United States to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Pennsylvania. The railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 for freight and transportation of passengers, goods, w ...

(LVRR) in the 1870s. The line was built to connect the Lehigh Valley Railroad coal hauling operations in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

with the

Port of New York and New Jersey The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It includes the system of navigable water ...

to serve consumer markets in

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 area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

. Until it was built, the terminus of the LVRR had been at

Phillipsburg, New Jersey Phillipsburg is a town located along the Delaware River in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located across the river directly east from Easton, Pennsylvania. Phillipsburg is the most populous municipality in Warren County w ...

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 ...

opposite

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

. It is now part of

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

operations, partially the Lehigh Line The Lehigh Valley Railroad bought the charter to the Perth Amboy and Bound Brook Railroad and also formed a new railroad company, the Bound Brook and Easton Railroad, to run across Western New Jersey from Phillipsburg to Bound Brook. These two railroads were combined under the name "Easton and Amboy Railroad". Construction commenced in 1872 and was completed in 1875. For three years, engineering and financial difficulties delayed the crucial tunnel through the Musconetcong Mountains at Pattenburg. The Lehigh Valley Railroad then stepped in, purchasing the E&A and completing the line to Easton in 1875. At

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

, a tidewater terminal was built on the

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port of ...

comprising a large coal dock used to transport coal into New York City. The tracks were laid and started hauling coal in 1875. Operations continued until the LVRR's bankruptcy in 1976.Deas, Wayne L
"PERTH AMBOY'S REBIRTH TIED TO PROJECT"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', August 16, 1987. May 4, 2015. "The first, already begun along the right of way of the Conrail and Lehigh Valley Railroads from Route 440, will consist of 168 condominium units. It will serve as a scenic entrance to Harbortown." The

marshalling yard A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ya ...

is now the residential area known as Harbortown. Passenger traffic connected with 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 ...

(PRR) at

Metuchen Metuchen ( ) is a suburban Borough (New Jersey), borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan River, Raritan Valley reg ...

and continued to the PRR'S Exchange Place terminus in

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New York 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 ...

, with a terminus in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Roselle and South Plainfield Railway The Roselle and South Plainfield Railway was a railroad built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) in 1888 to connect the LVRR's Easton and Amboy Railroad with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), and provided access over the CNJ to the Hudson ...

Lehigh Valley Terminal Railway The Lehigh Valley Terminal Railway was a Lehigh Valley Railroad company organized in 1891 through the consolidation of the companies that formed the Lehigh Valley's route from South Plainfield through Newark to Jersey City via its bridge acro ...

References

External links

The Lehigh Valley Railroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easton Amboy Railroad Predecessors of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Defunct New Jersey railroads Railway companies established in 1872 Railway companies disestablished in 1903 Transportation in Middlesex County, New Jersey Transportation in Somerset County, New Jersey