NJ Transit to host public exhibition and event to celebrate 40 years of rail service
New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) is planning a fun-filled historic rail weekend Sept. 30 through Oct. 1 in honor of their 40 years of service to the New Jersey community. To kick off the events, NJ Transit and The United Railroad Historical Society (URHS) of New Jersey are partnering to operate a special excursion train titled the “40th Anniversary Express”.
Riders can purchase a ticket to travel down memory lane on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines in a special train with historic and conventional equipment, recreate the “South Amboy engine change” and ride the Bay Head loop track in a unique railroad experience. On Oct. 1, all members of the public are invited to historic Hoboken Terminal for a special display of NJ Transit’s heritage decorated locomotives.
“This special weekend is an amazing and fun way to honor NJ Transit’s rich history and gives the public an exclusive look at our railroad’s heritage,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “Here’s to another great 40 years ahead.”
“This historic rail weekend invites passengers, families, and enthusiasts to join NJ Transit in a unique experience that transcends time,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “From the reenactment of the ‘South Amboy engine change’, to the nostalgic display of our heritage locomotives, this event will bring history lovers together to celebrate 40 years of rail service that has connected people and places across New Jersey.”
The special excursion train on Sept. 30 will travel between New York, Bay Head and Hoboken, over sections of all three of NJ Transit’s major legacy commuter systems: the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. It will be hauled first by NJ Transit’s Pennsylvania Railroad heritage locomotive, wrapped in a historic livery to represent the many GG1 locomotives that hauled commuters in New Jersey from the 1930s to the 1980s. Participants will get to witness a recreation of the famous “South Amboy engine change,” which is a ritual that occurred at South Amboy station for decades until 1988. The second portion of the trip will be hauled by F40 diesels, the F40 being the first model locomotive purchased by NJ Transit as part of its major renewal in the agency’s early years.
Participants will also have a unique opportunity to travel around the Bay Head loop track and take a break for a catered lunch at the station. The trip will then resume the journey back through Newark Penn Station for a great photo opportunity and then depart for historic Hoboken Terminal to end the day.
On Oct. 1, NJ Transit will display all of its heritage decorated locomotives celebrating 40 years of NJ Transit Rail Operations and its predecessor railroads. This event is open to the general public and is free of charge. Take a stroll down memory lane with the beautiful locomotives decked out in historical liveries. A recruiting table will also be available to those interested in joining NJ Transit's ranks.
“We are incredibly proud to be partnered with NJ Transit for this event,” said URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon. “As historians, we want to tell important stories. This trip will help us reach a large audience in a whole new way and will help bring attention to the incredible 40-year story of NJ Transit’s commuter railroad.”
