You don’t have to be a railroad enthusiast to appreciate “Railroads of Monmouth County.”
With a modicum of imagination and romanticism, readers are ready to ride the rails along with Tom Gallo andWilliam B. Longo, the editors of the train lore book that is part of the “Images of Rail” series published by Arcadia Publishing, South Carolina.
The book spotlights many never-before seen images of trains like the Blue Comet, Central New Jersey’s (CNJ) most fondly remembered train.
The 123-page book includes notations from former railroad employees regarding their experiences working for the railroads and contains images from at least 10 photographers that have never been assembled before. In addition, it provides important dates for those who wish to indulge in further research.
Gallo and Longo have spent a lifetime experiencing the railroad world. They both grew up near railroad tracks and both work for NJ Transit. They have joined together to write the book and have compiled more than 200 vintage photographs that tell of Monmouth County’s past through the life of its railroad system, including people, tracks, services, supplies and journeys.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARCADIA PUBLISHING The Blue Comet, a steam locomotive that has a special place in local railroad lore, is featured in “Railroads of Monmouth County,” which surveys railroad history beginning with the county’s first railroad built in 1853. The authors dedicate the book to George Lester Whitfield, who for 45 years worked for the Central Railroad of New Jersey, retiring in 1885 as trainmaster.
“His collection represented the changes from steam-era industrialized America to today’s modern-day world and was offered to us by his family,” they write.
There are many black-and-white photographs of the Blue Comet, a steam locomotive that ran between Jersey City and Atlantic City.
According to the authors, the colors of the train were intended to represent a restful blue sky and ocean with the crémetinted warmth of sandy beaches. According to spectators, the colors gave the train the appearance of a comet streaking though space. In addition to its unusual exterior, the train featured first-class services, like deliciously prepared foods and a lounge, at regular fares. Its first run was on Feb. 21, 1921, and because of reduced ridership, its last was Sept. 27, 1941.
There are images of diesel, diesel electric and steam engine trains as well as the passenger and freight trains that crisscrossed the Jersey Shore with engine names like Camelback, Sharknose, Baby Trainmaster and a gas/electric car named Doodlebug. There are images of many train stations along the route: Matawan, Red Bank, Long Branch, Freehold, Jamesburg, FarmingdaleAsbury Park andManasquan.
Scattered among the images are posters announcing special train service to places likeMonmouth Park Race Track, Asbury Park Baby Parade and a special excursion train to Sandy Hook’s Tent City during World War II.
There is also a menu from the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Jersey Shore commuters’ bar, which offered ham and cheese sandwiches for 50 cents, as well as alcoholic beverages from 40 cents for beer or ale to 95 cents for rye, bourbon, scotch or Canadian (straight or highball).
According to the introduction, by the 1880s, there were railroad lines from Sandy Hook toManasquan that connected with trains from New York, Newark and Philadelphia. They played a big part in getting people to Monmouth County’s ocean beaches and summer resorts.
Monmouth County’s first railroad, built in 1853, was the Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad (F&J), which connected the county seat at Freehold with the Camden and Amboy (C&A) at Jamesburg. The F&J was gradually expanded and then came under control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). The F&J provided through service from Philadelphia and Trenton to Long Branch and Red Bank via Monmouth Junction, Freehold and Sea Girt.
There were few paved highways at the time, which led to the construction of the New York and Long Branch Railroad, completed to Long Branch in 1875.
Rail passenger service in Monmouth County reached its zenith in 1929 when the Blue Comet began service. By the 1950s, the building of better roads and superhighways decreased bus and automotive travel time from the New York metropolitan area to points in Monmouth County, and resulted in fewer people riding the rails.
Gallo is a lifelong resident of Keyport, growing up adjacent to a railroad branch line. After gaining a construction trade license in private practice and serving in the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, he was hired by the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s maintenance crews, working with the U.S. Navy Railroad during furloughs.
For 30 years, Gallo worked in various management positions. Today, he is superintendent of stations for NJ Transit. A member of several railroad and local historical societies, he serves in officer- and board-level appointments.
Longo is a native of Hazlet who, after living in Matawan for 10 years, returned to Hazlet. He became interested in trains as a youngster, watching them pass through. He later began researching railroad history and collecting railroad memorabilia. He is the author of Arcadia Publishing’s “Hazlet Township” book and is currently employed by NJ Transit.
Both Gallo and Longo said the inspiration for the collaboration was to share and preserve the rare photos, timetables, employee interviews and detailed history they had collected over many years in an easyto read format. They have collected newspaper articles, interviewed former employees, contacted photographerswilling to share their collections, taken their own photographs and collected books that contain information on the Central Railroad of N.J. and the Pennsylvania Railroad.
“We think readers will like the organization of the subject matter, interesting and readable maps, rare timetables, unusual brochures, striking photos and detailed and readable captions,” Gallo said. Longo added: “It is intended to create an interest in further research.”
The authors hope that the book will provide a one-source reference of the brief history of Monmouth County railroads. They would like to see younger readers and those just getting interested in railroad history be inspired and begin research and preservation efforts of their own.
“We hope it will provide facts associated with fond memories for those old enough to remember the railroads of this era,” the railroad men said.
The “Images of Rail” series celebrates the history of rail, trolley, streetcar and subway transportation across the country. The softcover book is available at area bookstores and online at www.arcadiapublish ing.com.