Friday, August 20, 2021

Jersey City, NJ: 1889 CNJ or Communipaw Terminal

(HAERSatellite, Liberty State Park used to be the railyard for this terminal)

CNJ = Central Railroad of New Jersey or Jersey Central

See Railroad Terminals for an overview of the ferry terminals in Jersey City, NJ.

One of the destinations for car float ferries was the Bronx Terminal.

Ingfbruno; cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 07:31, 18 October 2013 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bob Frasco posted
The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replacing an earlier one that had been in use since 1864. It operated until April 30, 1967.

1947 Jersey City Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

Charlie Smith
Two CNJ work cranes, used to hoist the wheel sets in the foreground, are seen parked next to the massive coaling tower at Communipaw, JCNJ. Photo by R.H.Long 03.20.54. From the collection of Donald Dynes.
Vince Kelly shared


The terminal also handled trains for B&O and Reading. And the yard handled immigrants arriving from Ellis Island. "It is said that between 1890 and 1915 Jersey Central Terminal witnessed several million, mostly Italian and Irish, immigrants passing through the complex." [american-rails]
Significance: Jersey Central Terminal is of rare architectural type (railroad/maritime terminals) unique to only two areas of the United States. It was also one of only three mainland ports that received processed immigrants from Ellis Island. The station house is one of the remaining works of Peabody & Stearns, prominent East Coast architects in the late 19th century. [HAER-data]
Jack Bobby Lou Mulreavy posted twelve photos with the comment: "I don't know if any of my fellow members have ever visited the Library of Congress website, which features literally THOUSANDS of railroad images. maps and diagrams. Among them are records of the HAER, the Historic American Engineering Record, a project that documented a large amount of railroad infrastructrure shortly after the creation of Conrail. Here are some items from this collection showing the CNJ Jersey City Ferry Terminal after abandonment by Conrail." 
Paul O'Brien: The CNJ abandoned passenger operations in JC in 1967. Believe they also “retrenched” to Elizabethport shortly thereafter with no freight activity at Johnston Avenue
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[I looked it up: HAER NJ,9-JERCI,4--25,
25. VIEW, LOOKING NORTH, SHOWING TYPICAL HARBORSIDE END OF FERRY SHED AT LOWER LEVEL OF FERRY CONCOURSE - Central Railroad of New Jersey, Jersey City Ferry Terminal, Johnson Avenue at Hudson River, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ]

RoadAndRailPictures

Jimy Takvingsson shared Bob Gajewski's post
CRR Jersey City. Date unknown
Joseph Kuczynski: Pre April 1958. This picture also shows the B&O RR transfer bus on the turntable.

Pete Klapper
Before it was Liberty State Park, it was all Central Railroad of NJ property. You can see the Communipaw Terminal in the background. This picture was probably taken from the top of the Coaling Dock during the late 30s or early 40s.
Neil Becker shared

Neil Becker shared Bob Gajewski's post
Eric Fahner: Was after the B&O pulled out of the Terminal.
Chris Ciesla posted
Jimy Takvingsson shared
Jersey City CNJ Terminal 1960s.  Photo credit Andy Blair

So this must be the Communipaw Terminal.
Jim Kissel posted
Central Railroad of New Jersey ferry terminal across the Hudson from lower Manhattan.
Nikon S9900, 2016


Jack Bobby Lou Mulreavy posted
aerial photo showing CNJ and Lehigh Valley piers and yards at Jersey City.
Keith W. Heard shared

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

Bruce Stewart commented on Beverly's post
Here is a Jersey City Rail Yard photo from the 1950's
 
Neil Becker shared Jack Bobby Lou Mulreavy's post
CNJ yards and ferry terminal at Jersey City
Don Walton: I can't imagine the workload of the poor guy in the 'Switching Tower'.

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.

Daniel Burgos posted
Central Railroad of New Jersey coal dumpers at Pier #18 in Jersey City New Jersey... Built in 1910, shut down in 1971 and dismantled in July of 1975, these mighty coal dumpers would lift up a gondola full of coal weighing tons, and tilt it to pour the coal into barges at the dock right below. The coal then went to electricity producing power plants like Con Edison in New York City or to businesses that distributed it for home, commercial or industrial use... quite an elaborate but well-oiled operation at the CNJ coal dock...
Kent Frantz: A gondola was 80 to 100 tons in the 70’s.


Chris Ness posted
Taken in 1997 from the New Jersey Central Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The ferry ramps for the trip from the railroad terminal to Manhattan Island.
Most people are totally unaware of the various fleets of harbor craft. people ferries, train car ferries, and tug boats maintained by the various railroads of NYC. -PRR, NYC, Erie-Lackawana, CNJ
Back in the late 1940s. When that ferry blew its horn, a then 18 month old me tried to climb the rail to abandon ship. My earliest trauma.

Jesse Smith commented on Chris' post

Mark Hayden commented on Chris' post
2021 view from One World Observation Tower.

Tony Campano posted two photos with the comment: "LIBERTY STATE PARK..CENTRAL RAILROAD OF NJ...Now......right side....what the terminal looked like..."
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Dennis DeBruler shared

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Tony Campano commented on his post
From hudson river.

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