BALTIMORE AND OHIO
This page will cover trains on the former Central Railroad of New Jersey. At one time the B & O ran a number of rather famous passenger trains from Washington, D.C. to the New York harbor. Since the B & O ended in Philadelphia, through trains to New York used rights over the Reading and the CNJ to reach New York City.
With a much slower running time than the rival Pennsylvania Railroad, the B & O ended its passenger service very early. The last through train ran in 1959. Freight service continued and with today's CSX Railroad the through service from the B & O days continues today.
The CNJ had pulled out of their terminal in Jersey City by the very early 1970's and all operations focused around their yard in Elizabethport.
B & O units typically came to E'Port on trains 682 and 681. These were the last through trains operated by the 1970's.
The bright Chessie cat paint scheme was introduced in 1972. Photos from 1974.
At the west end of the yard sits 681 with CNJ SD35 2505 leading. 1975.
The first stop for 681 was at Cranford Jct. The B & O actually
owned the Staten Island Rapid Transit Line in New York.
After selling off the passenger operation to the City of New York, the B & O
continued to serve the freight customers. A line joined the CNJ
at Cranford, NJ and ran east to the bridge over the Arthur Kill and onto Staten
Island. After Conrail was formed the traffic dwindled down to
almost nothing and the line was embargoed for several years. Just recently
it was re-activated and the bridge repaired. Container traffic to
and from New York now moves again with the trains using an upgraded connection
to the old Lehigh Valley, now CSX-NS, just east of the old
Cranford Jct. yard and connection with the former CNJ. NJ Transit owns the
former CNJ main as their Raritan Valley Line and through freights
are not operated.
681 rolls west on the CNJ at Netherwood behind a set of Chessie painted GP38's
and GP40's. Oct. 1974.
Sadly, I had taken several more pictures of B & O trains at Bound Brook, but the film developer I used at the time lost my film.
After Conrail took over the CNJ and most other northeastern
railroads, the B & O/Chessie System and then CSX continued to run
through trains into North Jersey. They now ran over the former Lehigh
Valley main upgraded by Conrail.
RF&P 131 brings train 171 out of Oak Island Yard and over the Amtrak
Mainline in Newark. 3-19-89.
CSX 7717 on the Tropicana Juice train at Clark, NJ on the old LV. 3-1-92.
Still Conrail at the time.
A RF&P sandwich heading west on the newly single-tracked LV main at Bound
Brook Jct. 9-27-87.
The traditional caboose could still be found by this time. My notes
indicate this was train OBSS.
133 on an early morning westbound at Bound Brook Jct. February 19, 1989.
Gray ghosts in RF&P and CSX colors roar east by a waiting Conrail
train. 12-6-87. No double stacks yet.
If you are interested in the CNJ material, click here for the CNJ page.