(Update: the photos specific to the CNJ terminal have been moved to the Communipaw Terminal notes. And photos specific to the DL&W Hoboken ferry terminal have been moved to here.)
Pennsy handled their freight to NYC from a dock further south. B&O handled their passengers to NYC here but their freight used a dock on Staten Island. Even NYC, which had mainland access to NYC, used ferries: West Shore Ferry Terminal and 69th Street Transfer.
I normally title an overview of a city's railroad scene as a Railroad Hub. But in this case, Jersey City is the eastern terminus of several railroads.
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| Neil Becker shared a post by Pete Klapper Tommy Cooke: The PRR Greenville docks aren't included just 2 miles south of the CNJ |
Except for the north part of Lackawanna Railroad, which is now Hoboken Terminal, these yards have been replaced with riverfront buildings and a park.
This map provides the railroad names for each terminal.
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| wikepedia-terminals, License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike |
The Pennsy terminals were the eastern end of the original 1858 route. Exchange Place was the 5-track passenger terminal and provided ferry service to Manhattan. Harsimus Cove was the freight terminal. [Dennis DeBruler] In 1910, Pennsy completed its through route through New York City to Long Island and New England using the Portal Bridge, North River Tunnel and Hell Gate Bridge. That route is now Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Pennsy also built the Greenville Yard further south that is a larger freight ferry service. Most of that yard is now an intermodal facility, but I see it still has a freight car ferry.
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| Satellite |
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| Robert Daniels posted |
Raymond Storey posted two photos with the comment: "JERSEY CITY NJ THE PRR."
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| Neil Becker shared Bob Gajewski's post Tugboat pushing freight cars across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan to Jersey City. 1959 Dennis Obren: Instead of developing a big port area in Jersey City, Hague made his deals and got paid huge sums to double handle and ship the RR cars across the river to the NY piers for export. Bayonne and Jersey City could've led the world in export and import shipping, and Ports Newark and Elizabeth more than likely wouldn't even exist. No sharp turns and bridges to worry about. Just go right up NY Bay and pull into port. |
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| Beverly Gray Lewis posted Daily life on the Morris Canal small and large basins with lots of sailboats, coal barges, horses and wagons, factories, trains entering the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal. Jersey City. 1883 Neil Becker shared |
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| Beverly Gray Lewis posted Delaware Lackawanna train yards in Hoboken on the right before the terminal was built in 1907. The tracks were elevated then, on tall piles. Erie railroad yards and Pavonia Avenue on the left. Jersey City. 1883 Neil Becker shared |
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| safe_image for The Railroad Helped Jersey City to Grow and Prosper |
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| Sean Dynes posted Lehigh Valley RR pier 1954. Neil Becker shared Rich Chapin: Jersey City William Chaplik: All RR in that photo now Liberty Landing Marina for boats. |
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| Neil Becker shared Jack Bobby Lou Mulreavy's post Aerial view of CNJ Jersey City Ferry Terminal and yards plus Lehigh Valley piers as well. |
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| Jack Bobby Lou Mulreavy updated Nice, clear image of Communipaw Yards and Claremont in Jersey City NJ |
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| π₯π²πΊπ²πΊπ―π²πΏ πͺπ΅π²π»: π‘π²π ππ²πΏππ²π & π‘π²π π¬πΌπΏπΈ posted Railroad Yards in Jersey City • 1929! π·: Fairchild Aerial Survey |
Looking at the CNJ yards from the other direction.
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| Olden Heritage posted In 1932, the Jersey Central yard stood as a bustling hub of activity, with the iconic New York City skyline looming in the background. The yard, located along the New Jersey waterfront, was a key part of the region's transportation network, serving both freight and passenger trains. At a time when railroads were the lifeblood of American industry, the Jersey Central line played a crucial role in moving goods between the factories of the Midwest and the ports of New York Harbor. The juxtaposition of the sprawling railyard with the rapidly growing skyline of Manhattan symbolized the dynamic interplay between industrial progress and urbanization. The early 1930s were marked by the Great Depression, and while economic hardship was widespread, New York City remained a beacon of ambition and growth. The skyline, with its iconic structures like the Empire State Building (completed in 1931), represented hope and resilience during a time of national uncertainty. [I left out the remainder of the description because it is just more generalities. If you enjoy reading something that is graded by the number of words, then you can follow the posted link.] Scott Powers: Looking at the end cab switcher in the foreground I don't think that is 1932. Chuck Killian: Scott Powers You’re correct. The earliest it could be is 1939 when CNJ got its first EMD switchers. Michael Greene: The Empire State Building would have been well out of the picture here...it was Midtown, more than 2 miles to the NNE. Matthew McGuire: Regardless whether this was 1932 or shortly thereafter the Central Of New Jersey RR (aka Jersey Central) CNJ was rather small compared to most other railroads. It was commonly referred to as 'The big Little railroad' because it did so much business. Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania where I reside the line ended in the rich coal fields of the Anthracite Coal Region. During my youth I recall the CNJ being one of the most active railroads. Unfortunately its passenger service in this area ended much earlier do to railroads such as The Lackawanna DL&W and Delaware & Hudson having a greater foothold on passenger travel. Great photo of an era now gone but not forgotten. My Compliments to whoever posted it along with the insight. ❤️ [Even what I copied is wrong. It did not handle freight to the Midwest, it handled coal from Pennsylvannia. Looking at the Alphabet Route, it appears that Reading got the Midwest traffic from the New York port. But the photo is terrific.] Daniel C Carroll Jr. shared |
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| Bob Gajewski posted Erie Railroad Company, Jersey City, New Jersey, ca. 1915 Raymond Storey shared |
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| Bob Gajewski posted Afternoon commuter trains at Erie’s Jersey City terminal, June 26, 1951. J.B. Rail Photog posted |
Jack Bobby Lou Mulreavy posted two images with the comment: "Rare atlas map of the CNJ's Black Tom Island terminal."
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Jack's post Wow, a lot of landfill has been added since then. It is a good thing that Liberty Island and the original Ellis Island are fixed reference points or I would have had a hard time identifying that pier as todays Liberty State Park. 1955 Jersey City Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 |
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| ETH-Bibliothek ZΓΌrich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: BΓ€rtschi, Hans-Peter / SIK_03-007507 / CC BY-SA 4.0, the link is from a commenty by Peter Christener on Port Authority Ferry: "Checkout this pic from the car float operation in NYC. I think, it's the East River. Singer Building can be seen in the skyline. http://doi.org/10.3932/ethz-a-000595627." |
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