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Don Lee’s PRSLHS page Teenage
Recollections By Donald B. Lee My father, H. R. Lee, was a
freight conductor for the Pennsylvania- |
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By the mid-60’s, I was regularly riding
my bicycle from home in Audubon to watch trains at various PRSL locations
including the south Camden area. Many of
these treks were timed to coincide with the early evening arrival of WY34. Dad would ride the head end of the train from
Millville to Morgan Blvd., where he would cut off the RDG cars. The head
brakeman would accompany the set off into Bulson St. yard while dad would walk
back to the cabin car to finish his paperwork and then ride into Pavonia. I would walk with him to the cabin car and
ride up to Morgan Blvd. where I would drop off of the slow moving train to get
my bike and ride home. It didn’t take
long to realize that the bicycle was a real hindrance to my main ambition,
getting a train ride. The first time I
walked to Morgan Blvd, dad asked about my bike.
I told him that I left it home and that I hoped I could ride home with
him. After a disapproving frown, I got
my train ride to Pavonia and a ride home.
Dad stayed on WY33/WY34 until his
retirement in 1969. In the last five
years of his career, I made the pilgrimage to Morgan Blvd. several times, never
wanting to be too frequent to wear out my welcome. I got to know the crossing watchmen and
learned to operate the manual crossing gates while waiting for his train. First, turn the hand crank on the right to
lower the gates for oncoming traffic from both sides. Second, use the left crank to lower the gates
for the exit sides of the crossing. At dusk,
the watchman would bring out and clean four red kerosene lights, one hung from
the each of the gates as the only illumination after dark. Cast iron cross bucks were in place, but no
crossing flashers. The black and white
striped wooden, four quadrant gates would look out of place today.
The crossing watchman’s shanty was
located on the southeast corner of the crossing. It was nearly identical to the
one currently in the park on Cooper St., Woodbury, and east of the
railroad. There was just enough room
inside for the watchman to have a place to sit and a coal stove for heat in the
winter. On cool evenings it felt good
inside the shanty with the heat radiating from the stove. There was no room to sit down with the
watchman inside, but the aroma of coal smoke and kerosene was a most enjoyable
smell. Morgan Blvd. was a cabin car
supply point. Behind the shanty were ice
and coal bins. It was usually more
convenient supply on the southward trip since the cabin car was usually stopped
near the crossing. The rear brakeman
would gather supplies while the rest of the crew made the Bulson St. pick up.
When WY34 arrived, my attention
turned to the train. If Bulson St. could
not take the setoff immediately, I would sit in the engine with dad, usually
the second unit, and watch for the position dwarf signal controlled from BROWN
for an indication that would allow the train to proceed into the yard. I learned many of the position light signal
indications and their meaning here. Dad
taught me how to turn the angle cock and pull the pin to uncouple the Bulson
St. set off. As we walked back to the
cabin car, I learned the names and functions of various components of track and
cars. At that time there were no
walkways on the bridge over Newton Creek.
It was not uncommon to have cars or impending train movements on all
three tracks, meaning that the only way to the rear of the train was to climb
up and walk over the roofs of the cars, a common practice at that time that is
now considered unsafe.
During this time, Pavonia yard was
being expanded and improved with the addition of a hump yard and engine house
as a result of the abandonment of Camden Terminal. Long waits to get into Pavonia were
common. We waited at BROWN, we waited at
CENTER and later MILL (near where PATCO curves away to head toward Ferry Ave.)
and occasionally we waited at COOPER at the entrance of the yard. This gave lots of time to talk, learn and
experience what railroading was all about.
WY 34 was normally yarded in
Pavonia east yard. Looking northward
from COOPER, the Bordentown Branch bisected the east and west yards. The Pemberton Branch diverged at COOPER and
wrapped around the east side of the yard.
The east yard was located between the two branches. The east yard could be entered from either
branch through a hand operated electric locked crossover situated just north of
State St. After the termination of
passenger trains on the Bordentown Branch, the yard regularly built outbound
road trains on the Bordentown main therefore it was more common for WY34 to
enter the east yard from the Pemberton Branch.
Dad and I would dismount the train at the main track switch. Once clear of the crossover, the flagman
would give a couple toots on the cabin car backup whistle as he used the brake
valve to stop the train. I would then
reline and lock the switch as dad called COOPER on the block phone to report
clear. The only thing remaining was the
walk to the yard office at 27th St., sign off duty and the ride home
for dinner.
Westville
Cutoff
By
Donald B. Lee
In the decade that began in the mid-1890’s,
southern New Jersey experienced a period of economic prosperity that led to
growth in both population and economic development. It was during this period that many suburban
towns were founded and new industries started or expanded. Along with this growth came an increase in
freight traffic into the area, much of which was coal for both home heating and
powering the new industries. The 1896
opening of the Delair Bridge permitted an all rail route into southern New
Jersey from Philadelphia and the west.
The resulting growth and prosperity placed strains on the yards in
Camden, primarily Pavonia, to efficiently handle the additional traffic.
The year 1906 became a monumental
year for expansion of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its subsidiary, the West
Jersey & Seashore Railroad. Among
the projects on the agenda for that year included the grade separation of the
railroad from the Federal St. ferry terminal through the heart of downtown
Camden, the third rail electrification from Camden to Atlantic City and
Millville via Newfield, the negotiation of trackage rights from Winslow to
Woodbine Jct. over the Atlantic City Railroad and the double tracking of that
line as a result of the increased traffic and the construction of an all new
freight bypass around Camden that became known as the Westville Cutoff.
On January 26, 1906 the WJ&S
Board of Directors voted to construct a branch from a point near West
Haddonfield to a point north of Westville, present day Brooklawn, which would
connect the Delaware River Railroad and Bridge Co. Branch of the PRR with the
Cape May Division of the WJ&S.
Construction began in the spring of 1906. The line was to be grade separated to eliminate
both highway and railroad crossings at grade.
The line was to begin with the construction of a switch in the Bridge
Branch that was to be located immediately under the south side of the Haddon
Ave. overhead bridge, north of the West Haddonfield station. The WJ&S Atlantic City Division, the
former Camden & Atlantic, was to cross this new track on an overhead
bridge. Immediately on the south side of
this new bridge another switch was to be constructed for a short, .35 mile
branch to the south that would connect with the southbound main of the Atlantic
City main line at West Haddonfield. This
would permit the simultaneous movement of a southbound train from the Bridge
Branch and a northbound train to Camden.
The Westville Cutoff itself would
extend 4.7 miles in a general southwesterly direction to a point it the Cape
May Division approximately 4200 feet north of Westville Station. This would have placed the switch just north
of a street known today as Old Broadway in Brooklawn. In 1906, this highway was a grade
crossing. Generally, the trackage would
be located in a cut north of Nicholson Road in Audubon and on a fill south of
that location. Bridges were constructed
to permit the Atlantic City Railroad and the Clementon trolley car line to
cross the new railroad north of the Audubon Station. The cutoff bridged over the Gloucester Branch
of the Atlantic City Railroad about ¼ mile south of Cloverdale Station. Cloverdale Station would have been near the
intersection of Park Ave. and Station Ave. in Mt. Ephraim.
In 1907, a financial panic gripped
Wall St. The stock market lost 50% of
its value from the peak in 1906. Cash
was tight and railroad revenues were on the decline. By 1908, the resulting recession was showing
no signs of improvement. The
Pennsylvania Railroad started to look for ways to conserve cash. One of the unfortunate victims of this cash
crunch was the Westville Cutoff. In the
fall of 1908, with about 80% of the work complete and about a mile of track
constructed on the south end, all work was suspended until further notice. In 1916, with the advent of World War I, the
PRR considered reactivating the cutoff project.
However, in the decade since the inception of the project, numerous
improvements had been made to the railroad physical plant in and around Camden. It was decided that the existing rail route through
Camden was now adequate to handle the existing traffic. No funds were voted for reactivation.
In the 1960’s the Westville Cutoff
right of way was sold to Public Service Electric & Gas Co. for a power
transmission line. Even though most of
the bridges and fills have been removed over the years, the right of way is
still readily evident as it carries the power lines through the Camden suburbs.
Note
The
following photos were taken on 1-9-2009. Because of their historic nature, some
PRSLHS members want to keep the exact location of these photos unknown. We will
respect that. They are believed to be the last surviving original narrow gauge
tracks in New Jersey.
These
tracks were laid by the contractor hired to build the standard gauge track.
They would have been removed prior to laying the standard gauge tracks.
Audubon
Westville
Photos
by Kevin Moran
Why
Color Search Light Signals on the PRSL?
By
Don Lee
Over the years there has been much debate as to why the
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines replaced the Hall disk type signals on its
former Atlantic City Railroad lines between Camden and Woodbine Jct. with color
Search Light Signals between 1939 and 1941, instead of standardizing on the
Pennsylvania Railroad position light signals.
After the creation of the PRSL in 1933, the PRR influence was readily
visible. The PRSL used the PRR operating
rules, PRR forms and paper work, painted their locomotives with the PRR
Brunswick Green and in fact used hand-me-down, PRR steam locomotives. To the uneducated, the PRSL looked just like
any other PRR operating division. At one
point in its history, even joint PRSL/PRR Atlantic Division employee timetables
were issued.
My belief had always been that
since this was former Reading territory, it had retained Reading signals. Three pieces of evidence would tend to negate
that idea. First, although Search Light
Signals were used on the Reading in some locations, the Color Light Signal with
the lens arranged in a triangular manner on the head much was more common. Second, as mentioned above, the dominance of
the PRR was evident in most all aspects of the PRSL operations. Third, in 1934, when the new interlocking
towers at Brown in South Camden and Winslow were built to accommodate the
changes resulting from the PRSL merger, all of the newly installed interlocking
signals on the former ACRR tracks at those locations were standardized on the
PRR position light signals.
Invented by Thomas Hall in 1869,
the Hall disk type signals, nicknamed Banjo signals for their unique shape,
were installed on the ACRR in the 1890’s.
Although we are not aware of any specific documented evidence as to why
the Hall signals were retired, it appears that Public Law 378, signed by
President Roosevelt on August 26, 1937, had an influence on the decision. This act, commonly known the Signal
Inspection Act, required that each railroad submit to the Interstate Commerce
Commission a written plan for inspecting and testing signals and the equipment
that made them operate. After the ICC
approved the plan, government inspectors made frequent checks to see that the
plans were being followed. Railroads
could be assessed civil penalties for not adhering to the plan, for not
immediately correcting any deficiencies discovered during the inspection and
testing process and for any part of the signal system that failed to work as
intended. The Hall signal system was old
and, no doubt, worn out and reaching the end of its useful life. The cheaper alternative to comply with the
1937 law was to replace rather than to repair a nearly 50 year old system.
Still the question remained, why
replace with color Search Light signals instead of the PRR position
lights. The Search Light Signal was an
invention of the Hall Signal Company, which became part of Union Switch &
Signal in 1925. To this day, Search
Light signal equipment sold by USS is designated by the prefix “H” which stands
for Hall.
I asked a signal engineer about
the workings of these signals to try to determine an answer. The Search Light Signal is a simple mechanism
that contains one light bulb that illuminates a colored disc that is magnified
to increase intensity. The mechanism is
a simple electrical relay. With no
electrical power the relay is dead center with the red disc in front of the
light. When electricity is applied to
the wires to the relay, a magnet is energized.
This magnet will pull a colored disc, either green of yellow in front of
the light. To change colors; polarity to
the relay is reversed causing the magnet to pull in the opposite
direction. The wires that operate the
bulbs and mechanisms are routed to a signal case that is at or near every
signal installation. This case contains
all of the electrical apparatus that makes the signals display the proper
indications. The Hall Signals operated
in a fashion very similar to the Search Light Signal. Only four wires were required to operate each
Signal, two for the light bulb and two to operate the mechanism that moved the
colors in front of the light. This was
repeated for each signal head on the mast, although the ground (negative) wire
for the light bulbs could be tied together in the signal and run to the case as
one wire.
The Position Light Signal was
different. While there was no moving
mechanism within the signal, just light bulbs and more of them, as many as
seventeen per signal. Again, the
negative ground wires were joined at the signal and run to the case as one
wire, but each light bulb of the position light signal required its own hot
wire. In the case, additional apparatus
was necessary to tell each light bulb in the signal indication when to light
up.
The PRSL was initially created to
stem the financial drain on both parent companies from their South Jersey
operations. Also in the late 30’s the
economic forces of the Great Depression further weakening the finances of the
PRSL. It would make a logical conclusion
that the similarity between the Hall disk type signal and the Search Light
Signal might create a significant cost savings over the Position Light
Signal. The Search Light Signal, being a
modern day update of the Hall signal, could utilize much of the wiring and
signal apparatus of the older system. Of
the parts of the system that were common to both the types of signals, only those
that could not pass the new inspection and testing laws would have to be
replaced. Position Light signals, on the
other hand, with their much more elaborate wiring and circuitry would require
that all parts of the signal system, including the wiring, the signal cases and
apparatus all be converted over to new.
Eddie
Fell’s Track Diagrams
Edward L. Fell was born in 1892 and began his railroad career in
1908 at the age of 16 as a clerk for the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad
Co. in its Haddonfield station. Two
years later Eddie applied for engine service and was hired as a fireman in
1911. In 1917 Eddie was promoted to
engineman, a position that he held until his retirement from the
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1957, almost a half century later. In 1961 he joined the West Jersey Chapter of
the National Railway Historical Society.
In 1965, he was elected Chapter Historian, which he held until his
passing in 1972, at the age of 79.
Eddie created this collection of track diagrams of the WJ&S
as an aid to passing the examination on the physical characteristics of the
railroad necessary for promotion to engineman.
Although undated, it is thought that this work was completed sometime
between 1910 and the beginning of World War I.
It includes all main lines, branch lines and industrial spurs owned and
operated by the WJ&S as well as the newly established trackage rights over
the Atlantic City Railroad between Winslow and Woodbine Jct.
You
need Adobe Acrobat or a PDF reader for this download.
Get
it here
Mainlines Branch Lines
Updated
1-9-10
©
PRSLHS 2010
Resuscitated
from a 20 year nap on 1-25-07