The Jersey Central Traction Company was a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

company in 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 ...

, with its main lines from Red Bank and

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

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 ...

Lines

The main line began in Perth Amboy, at the corner of Smith Street and Davidson Avenue (

Public Service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

's #3 and #5 lines operated on Smith Street). It went south on Davidson Avenue, west on Market Street, and south on Sheridan Street and over the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...

on a low bridge. The south side of the bridge connected to Scott Avenue; the line turned east on Stevens Ave, crossing Public Service's #1 line at Main Street. The line out of South Amboy is unknown. It eventually got to what is now Route 35 and followed it into Monmouth County; the truss bridge that now carries Route 35 northbound over the

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 ...

Sayreville Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2010 United Sta ...

was probably built for it. The line left Route 35 between County Road and Cliffwood Avenue, running just to the east where South Amboy Road, Sweetbriar Street and Bridge Avenue run, joining Front Street at Matawan Creek. It ran through Keyport on Front Street, Broad Street and 1st Street.

Keyport-Middletown-Highlands

From Keyport the line ran east alongside the

New Jersey Southern Railroad image:New Jersey Southern Railroad.svg, New Jersey Southern RR and connections The New Jersey Southern Railroad was a railroad that started in 1854. It would continue under this name until the 1870s as a separate company and the lines that it had c ...

(NJS, part of the

Jersey Central Railroad 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 ...

) tracks to Belford near the junction of the NJS Port Monmouth-Red Bank. From here the line went south along Main St to Campbell's Junction. The Stone Church Branch departed east along Valley Drive (now Leonardville Road), shifted northward towards the NJS line to Atlantic Highlands in Leonardo between Concord and Hosford Aves and then continued along Valley Drive to Stone Church at Claypit Creek with another short section to Highlands via Navesink Ave around to Portland Rd overlooking the river inlet. Later a connection was made to Atlantic Highlands.

Middletown-Red Bank-Rumson

The main line from Campbell's Junction continued south towards Middletown Village on Tindall Road joining the King's Highway (today's NJ-35) south to Red Bank. A trestle built alongside Cooper's Bridge allowed trolleys to cross the Navesink River. The line moved along Bridge Ave to meet with the

(current

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or com ...

) at the train station. From here the line split again. A branch headed east along Monmouth St. The line wrapped around multiple blocks using West St and Broad St to join Front St/River Rd towards Fair Haven and

Rumson Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,343, reflecting a 3.1% increase from the 7,122 enumera ...

Red Bank-Eatontown-Long Branch

The main line headed west on Monmouth and continued south via Shrewsbury Ave to Eatontown along Main St. The line then turned east onto Broad St (then Broadway) which lead onto Eatontown Blvd into West Long Branch and on to Long Branch as Broadway.

History

Until November 1901, the company was known as the Keyport and Matawan Street Railway, incorporated March 26, 1891. The line, originally horse-powered, was

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

on July 4, 1901. The line to Highlands opened on September 1, 1907. The line originally ended in

South Amboy South Amboy is a suburban city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 9,411.Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...

opened on July 10, 1910, and was shared by

north of Main Street in South Amboy. In 1917, the

American Railways Company American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

bought the line. Operations ended in 1923.

References