plainsboro transportation

Did you know...

Plainsboro Was Served By The Fast Line Trolley

In the early 1900's there were few automobiles, so residents walked or rode horses down Plainsboro's dirt roads to a station to board a trolley for Trenton or New Brunswick.

During the golden age of the Fast Line Trolley, between 1902 and 1918, Plainsboro residents could access the service from any one of three stations: Cranbury Road (now called Grovers Mill Road), Plainsboro Road or Dey Road.

The Fast Line Trolley was in Inter-Urban electric trolley built for the Trenton & New Brunswick Railroad to connect those two cities. The line was opened in November, 1902 and soon became part of a larger plan: An electric trolley connecting Trenton with Jersey City. This service lasted for only two years as it became unpopular due to the running time of over five hours. The line between Trenton and New Brunswick continued to operate.

Public Service acquired the line in 1912 and built a new line between Metuchen and Elizabeth. New trolley cars were built and hourly service between Trenton and Newark began in July, 1913.

The auto would mean the beginning of the end of service. After World War I, as automobiles became more affordable, trolley traffic declined drastically and the services was reduced. Gas/Electric cars replaced the electric trolleys in December, 1930. In November, 1934, a Rail/Bus made one daily trip over the line to hold the franchise so the electric company could build the high tension power lines that you see today. Service was discontinued in May 1937.

Trolley Service had come to an end, but it had lasted 34.5 years. With the traffic problems we have today, the trolley might be a suitable alternative. Save you trolley tokens.

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From a booklet called

"Remembrances Of Growing Up In Plainsboro"

by Paul Kostue

These excerpts are all railroad related.

Description of the water pans on the railroad:

..."Before the electric engines came, all trains were steam engines and had to have water in their boiler. I can barely remember a stand pipe tank that was over the tracks with a long movable arm and elbow that the fireman in the engine would put the end of the spout over the water tank and fill it up. The water supply came from two large water tanks that were located at the point where the Millstone River and Walker-Gordon and the railroad meet. That is when the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) put steel pans in the center of the rails on all four tracks. Now when the engine was in need of water and these would mostly stop and unhook from the long line of cars, and make up a lot of speed and steam engines that pulled long cars of freight, the engines would head for the water pans and when he was over the pans that were like a long sliding board about two feet wide and eight inches deep and about 1/8th of a mile long, he would release a scoop from under the engine and with speed would pick up water. At times the engineer would go more than once and after the water splashed out of the coal car and water tank he knew he had it full and would backup to his line of cars and hook it up and pull away slowly chug, chug and away"...

Description of mail delivery at the Plainsboro Station:

..."asking my mother if I could go with Mr. Britton who took the mail in from the Post Office to the railroad tracks by the High Bridge. The bags were in the shape of a letter "8" with rings on each end and squeezed in the middle. They then were hooked on special posts by the bridge and as the train, being pulled by a steam engine and not going as fast as the trains today, was not supposed to stop, the person in charge of the mail would open a door and an arm like device curved like a walking cane would reach out and snatch the mail sack and swing it in the car without stopping and at the same time the one in charge would throw a mail bag out in the track for him to pick up and take to the Post Office in his old Model "T" Ford."

Description of the railroad crossing at Schalks Crossing Road:

"We are now at the railroad crossing before the bridge was built. There was a little shed on the left where George Ttitus and his wife operated the gates that closed the cars (not traffic because there was not any) when a train was approaching, on both sides of the crossing on the east and westbound sides was a concrete post around 500 feet from the crossing and it had a large letter "W" for the engineer for the train started to blow the whistle. The gates were hand operated from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. After 11:00 PM the gates were left up in the open position and one wanting to cross has to wait to hear if a train was coming or get out of the car and look for himself. I think the bridge was built around 1947.

Plainsboro Trolley Station completed by October 29, 1903. It was located by the PS&G power lines at Princeton Meadows Shopping Center. View Shows Plainsboro Road looking West. Probably taken latter part of 1913 as crossing signal was used in the New Construction - Bayway to Bonhamtown Jct. Photo postcard circa July 1912 to November 1915
Collection of Evelyn Wicoff

Plainsboro's Brick Station This photograph shows Presidential candidate Wendell Wilkie (Republican) at the Plainsboro train station on a whistle stop campaign tour in 1940. Wilkie then attended and spoke at a rally at Walker-Gordon. Note the tight security of the NJ State Police. Photo 1940

Gift of Evelyn Wicoff