Hoboken Shore Railroad

Hoboken Shore Road

In 1784 John Stevens purchased the land of today's city of Hoboken from the State of New Jersey. After his death in 1838, his heritage was managed by the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company (HLIC), which held the subsidiary Hoboken Railroad Warehouse and Steamship Connecting Company (HRRWH&SSConCo) founded at September 17, 1895. The railroad began operation as Hoboken Shore Road on September 20, 1897.

Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad

In 1902 the Hoboken Manufacturers Railroad (HMR) was incorporated. Its task was to extend the Hoboken Shore Road further South to connect with the DL&W in Jersey City, which never happened. Incorporated in 1905, the American Warehouse & Trading Company took control of the HMR. The less than a quarter mile long mainline of the HMR ran from the end of the Hoboken Shore Road to 1st Street and was opened about 1906. In the same year the HMR leased the railroad operation from the HRRWH&SSConCo for 99 years.

When the United States joined the Allies in World War I in 1917, the government seized all the piers and properties of German transatlantic shipping companies, namely the Hamburg America Line and the North German Lloyd. Furthermore, the Government bought all the shares of the American Warehouse & Trading Company for 2.45 Million dollars on July 1, 1917 and therefore gained control over the HMR. After the war, in 1924, discussions were held about selling the railroad to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but it didn't have sufficient funds for the purchase. Therefore, it got sold in September 1927 to the Hoboken Railroad & Terminal Company owned by the Paul Chapman Company, which sold it in 1932 to Seatrain Lines.

Hoboken Shore Railroad

After the death of Paul Chapman in 1954, the Hoboken Shore Railroad was created. Its 4000 shares were all owned by the HRRWH&SSConCo, which was owned by Webb and Knapp, but was up for sale. Traffic declined when industry and shipping in Hoboken closed or moved to other places. The railroad operated till 1977 and was officially abandoned in 1978.

Shortly after opening to traffic on January 6, 1898, the railroad electrified. The contact wire was installed at a height of 22 feet (6.7 m) in order to allow the brakemen to circulate on the roofs of the freight cars during switching.

By 1911 the railroad had four electric locomotives in operation, and switched between 100 and 150 cars daily. Electric operation was ceased in the 1930s when the GE boxcab diesel locomotives arrived. 1938 brought an Alco HH660 series locomotive and 1947 two GE 44 ton switchers.

After World War II traffic declined. By 1954 the railroad had 38 employees and owned 2 shunting locomotives.