Donald Maxton 128 pages
Many residents of Union and Essex Counties in New Jersey fondly recall
the whistles of the Rahway Valley Railroad trains that rolled through
the picturesque stations of Roselle Park, Kenilworth, Union,
Springfield, and Summit. The Rahway's steam and diesel locomotives
supported local commerce, provided passenger service, and carried a vast
array of goods to and from local businesses. It connected the area with
larger railroads, such as the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the
Lehigh Valley, and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. One of the
shortest yet most prosperous of American railroads, the Rahway Valley
helped transform a rural region into one of New Jersey's most vital and
populous areas. The Rahway Valley Railroad presents the story of this
colorful short line with rare, vintage photographs of locomotives,
passengers, stations, and train crews. It recounts how the Rahway Valley
evolved from the New York and New Orange Railroad, linking Union County
towns with Newark Heights (Maplewood), in adjoining Essex County.
Images in this book include passengers riding Rahway Valley trains to
picnics, church outings, and Springfield's world-famous Baltusrol Golf
Club. Readers will learn how this feisty little line competed
successfully for many years against the trucking industry and the
interstate highway system during a time when many small railroads were
dying out. The Rahway Valley Railroad tells the distinctively American
story of a proud short line that competed with forces larger than itself
and faithfully served the local merchants and residents who now
remember it so fondly.
