Travel by Rail

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South Jersey Rail Road Locamotive

1897

Photograph

Photograph of Locomotove used between Philadelphia and Cape May for the South Jersey Railroad

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Historic Cold Spring Village

Passenger railroads began in the United States in the early 1830's with the B&O (Baltimore and Ohio) Railroad. By 1850 approximately 9,000 miles of railroad track existed in the United States. 

Ideas for the development of rail service to Cape May began in the 1850s but got bogged down for over a decade in local politics and disagreements between competing landownders, businessmen and various entrepreneurs. The main disagreement was over what route the rail should take. Eventually two railroads were built. First the Cape May-Millville Railroad and then the Atlantic City Railroad. The names of the routes and their ownership changed throughout the 1800s

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Rail Schedule

1877

Advertisement

Newspaper advertisement listing the 1877 schedule and fares from trips from Philadelphia to Cape May. 

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Historic Cold Spring Village

It was not until August of 1863 at the height of the Civil War that the first passenger rail service between Camden and Cape May on the Cape May-Millville Railroad started. 

On August 26, 1863 Amelia Hand wrote in her diary, "We at last have a railroad from Cape Island to Philadelphia. The cars made the trip in 3 1/2 hours, quite an improvment over our old way of going to Philadelphia. We have two trains per day."

This 1877 rail schedule shows the dramatic difference rail travel made for people wanting to escape the summer heat of Philadelphia and enjoy the cool ocean breezes of Cape May. What had once taken two days by stagecoach or seven hours by steamboat could now be done in two and half to three hours. 

It was a little more expensive and not quite as comfortable as traveling by steamboat, but the shortened travel time meant that travelers could now spend more time enjoying their destination. 

Those not wanting or able to spend several days in one of Cape May's hotels could now afford to take a day trip down the shore. Daytrippers would pack a lunch in a shoebox to enjoy once they arrived. This is the origin of a term locals often use for tourist to this day, "Shoobies."

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Map of Railroad Routes in Cape May County

1912

Paper

Map detailing the two major railroad routes in Cape May County

Historic Cold Spring Village

Due to the narrow nature of the Cape May peninsula, the two competing rail lines ran very close together. Throughout most of the route the rails were only several hundred feet apart.

The map here is from 1912 and details the routes of the two tracks

The Cape May-Millville Rail is the soild line

The Atlantic City Railroad is the dotted line

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Close up of Map of Railroad Routes in Cape May County

1912

Paper

Map detailing the two major railroad routes in Cape May County

Historic Cold Spring Village

By the time the two railroads reached the final five mile stretch into Cape May City they were only 50 feet apart.

This can be seen in better detail in this enlargment of the 1912 map.

The close nature of the rails along with the spirt of competition often resulted in races between trains to see who would arrive first. These races were actually encouraged by the rail companies.

Visitors today can imagine how close the two locomotives would get by visiting the Route 9 Entrance to the Village. The existing rail lines were once part of the Atlantic City Railroad, now owned by Cape May Seashore Lines. The Cape May County Bike Path runs along the route of the former Cape May-Millville Line.

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Rio Grande Rail Station

1894

Wood construction

1973.1.23 – Donated in 1974

Historic Cold Spring Village

This small passenger rail station originally served the farming community of Rio Grande, NJ just north of Historic Cold Spring Village on U.S. Route 47. It was built in 1894 by the Atlantic City Railroad, part of the Reading Company, which established a second rail line to Cape May. This line brought thousands of passengers from Camden, NJ to Cape May via Atlantic City during the 19thcentury. 

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Photograph of Rio Station

c 1923

View of the station looking north from what is now Route 47 in Rio Grande, NJ. T

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Historic Cold Spring Village

The photograph here shows the Rio Grande Station in its original location. 

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Woodbine Signal Tower

1894

Wood construction

1973.1.26 – Donated in 1974

Historic Cold Spring Village

The two story railroad signal tower originally overlooked the tracks of the Atlantic City Railroad line in Woodbine Junction, in Dennis Township, Cape May County. In 1996, along with the Rio Grande Station, it became part of the Historic Cold Spring Village station on the Cape May Seashore Lines. A private line that reinstituted limited passenger rail service in Cape May County between 1996 and 2012.

Service between Woodbine and Cape May ended in 2012 after extensive vandalism and theft of track materials. 

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Rail Tickets

1894 -1895

Paper

Stamped Ticket stubs from South Jersey Rail Road to Rio Grande, NJ Aug 1894 through December 1895

Historic Cold Spring Village

These two items are very special parts of Historic Cold Spring Village's collection. They are two of a collection of vintage ticket stubs the Village has in its archives. Due to their age and fragile nature they are very rarely removed from storage. They provide a direct connection between travelers to Cape May in from the past with their modern day counterparts. 

Stagecoaches, steamboats, and railroads all had their day as the dominant mode of transportation to Cape May. Despite the railroads eventually eclipsing the others, at the end of the 19th and begining of the 20th century they actually existed in a symbiotic relationship. Railroads could reach the interior parts of the region that steamboats could not. Conversely, steamboats provided a service to those in costal areas that did not have direct access to railroads. Horse and coach travel could connect both. Neither the railroad or the steamboat could reach all destinations. Coach travel, while no longer necessary for long distance made the connections between rail stations, steamboat wharfs, and final destinations. The three modes of travel would work together to meet the demands of travelers who wanted to enjoy the sun and sand of the beaches of Cape May. This would of course all change with the advent of the automobile. 

This exhibit has provided an oportunity to showcase some of the elements of Historic Cold Spring Village from a different perspective. We hope you have enjoyed this opportunity and are able to better appreciate the connection visitors today have with those of the past. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit our shared heritage here. For additional information on these topics please see the next pages. We hope you will come visit Historic Cold Spring Village in person. For more information on the Village follow the links to our web and Facebook pages at the top of this page.  

Rail