Paterson and Hudson River Railroad
The Paterson and Hudson River Railroad was a railroad that operated in New Jersey and connected the cities of Jersey City and Paterson. The railroad was started in 1833.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Locale | Jersey City to Paterson |
| Dates of operation | 1833–1852 |
| Successor | New York and Erie Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The company was the first in the United States to build moveable bridges for rail, crossing the Passaic River and Hackensack River.[1]
Originally the Paterson and Hudson River Railroad used a fleet of horses to pull the train cars.[2] The first steam locomotive to operate on the line was called the McNeil and manufactured by Robert Stephenson and Company then assembled by Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works.
A decade after opening, the railroad's importance increased when the Paterson and Ramapo Railroad was built, enabling a connection to it in Paterson. The two lines provided a shorter route from Suffern to New York City than did the New York and Erie Railroad, though initially it did require using other transportation for the 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) between the stations. In 1852, the New York and Erie Railroad leased the track rights of the P&HR and P&R and made their lines the new New York and Erie Railroad mainline.[3] Erie took ownership in 1953.[4]
References
- Allen, Richard Sanders (2004), Covered Bridges of the Northeast, ISBN 9780486436623
- Jersey City And Its Historic Sites - (Get NJ!) (Accessed November 30, 2008).
- Erie Railroad Home Page (Erie Lackawanna Historical Society) (Accessed November 30, 2008.)
- https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/02/10/84389800.pdf