Railroad electrification in the United States
Encyclopedia
Railroad electrification in the United States comprised many different systems in many different geographical areas, few of which were connected. Despite this, there were a small number of common reasons for electrification.
Streetcars and interurban
systems are not within the scope of this article. Most of these systems electrified very early; many were electrified from the beginning.
is a good example.
s possess rapid acceleration, fast braking (sometimes regenerative braking) and the ability to change direction without running a locomotive around. It also reduces diesel locomotive emissions in relatively high-density areas.
The Empire Connection was electrified when it was built in 1991, allowing trains from Albany direct access to Penn Station New York
by use of dual-mode locomotives. The Empire Connection was electrified with 750V DC third rail, compatible with the third rail system used within Penn Station by the Long Island Rail Road
.
The Northeast Corridor
mainline from New Haven to Boston was electrified in 1999, completing the thwarted ambition of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. This electrification was part of the Acela Express
high-speed project, and involved the building of overhead lines electrified at 25kV 60 Hz AC, requiring trains to handle a change of voltage and frequency on the fly at New Haven. Plans to convert the rest of the Northeast Corridor to 60 Hz AC have been shelved, although the section from New Haven to the Hell Gate Bridge has been converted to 60 Hz by Metro-North.
system.
from a mine near Kayenta, Arizona
to the Navajo Generating Station
power plant at Page, Arizona
. When built in 1973, it was the first line to use 50,000 V overhead catenary. The coal it hauls on the 78 miles (125.5 km) is used by the power plant at its western terminus to power the line itself. The line does not connect to any other part of the American freight rail network.
used the Burlington & Mount Holly tracks to experiment with 500 volt DC trolley wire; trolley pole electric operation, with three motor passenger-baggage combination cars built by Jackson and Sharp Company
at Wilmington, Del.
This service was discontinued on Oct. 29, 1901, after the electrical powerhouse in Mount Holly burned.
On April 1902 PRR orders demolition of Mount Holly power house and ends experiment of electric trolley operation between Burlington and Mount Holly.
This line was the first electrified PRR branch in New Jersey. The Burlington & Mount Holly line was abandoned by the PRR in 1927.
Burlington County RT 541 is on and or follows the Burlington & Mount Holly Railroad and Transportation Co. Right of Way.
. It was the first primarily freight railroad in North America to electrify. Original motive power was in the form of 28 identical B-B boxcab
s, which served until de-electrification in 1967, by which time diesel-electric locomotives were cheaper to run. General Electric used the BA&P as a model railroad for demonstrating the success of its DC electrification techniques. The Milwaukee Road electrified soon afterward using a similar technique at 3,000 V DC.
's Morris & Essex Lines
(the Morristown Line
and Gladstone Branch
) and Montclair-Boonton Line
were electrified by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
at 3kV DC in 1930/31, until NJ Transit converted them to 25kV AC 60 Hz in August, 1984.
) in 1909 electrified the 2.5 miles (4 km) original Cascade Tunnel near the summit of Stevens Pass in the Cascades. This first electrification system and GE-built boxcabs were the only three-phase A.C. implementation ever used in North America. The electric boxcabs pulled the trains through the tunnel with their steam locomotives still attached until they were retired in 1927.
In 1925 work began on the new 7.8 miles (12.6 km) Cascade Tunnel
, with the Great Northern ultimately electrifying a 73 miles (117.5 km) section of its main line route to Seattle, Washington from Wenatchee
to Skykomish
. The new tunnel and electrification reduced the mainline by 9 miles (14.5 km), eliminated 502 feet (153 m) of elevation and 6 miles (9.7 km) of snow sheds. Electric locomotives handled mainline freight and passenger trains on this section exclusively. The route was de-energized and dismantled in 1956, after the Cascade Tunnel was fitted with ventilation fans.
and beyond.
's electrification was initiated in the first decade of the 20th century while it was owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad
, which was building tunnels under the Hudson River
and East River
to gain access to Manhattan
. The first segment of the LIRR to be electrified was the trackage between the Atlantic Avenue
terminal in Brooklyn
and Jamaica Station. In 1910, the opening of Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
ushered in electric service between that station and Jamaica. The LIRR's Port Washington Branch
was rebuilt and electrified by 1918. By the 1934, LIRR branches to Hicksville
, Hempstead
, West Hempstead
, Far Rockaway
, Long Beach
, and Babylon
were electrified. At some later date, electrification was extended from Hicksville to Huntington
on the Port Jefferson Branch
. In 1987, electrification of the Main Line between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma
was completed, resulting in greatly increased service.
The LIRR utilizes third rail
electrification, which was the original method used by the Pennsylvania Railroad. By the 1930s, the Pennsylvania Railroad had switched to overhead catenary electrification, but the LIRR has continued utilizing its third rail system. Voltage was increased from 600 to 750 volts in the early 1970s to meet the greater power needs of the railroad's new M-1 cars.
) to Harmon (now Croton-Harmon), where it changes to normal steam or diesel power. The Harlem Division in Westchester County, New York
was also electrified to North White Plains
.
The Hudson Division electrified line is still in use by Amtrak
for inter-city passenger service. Metro-North Railroad
, a commuter railroad, uses both Divisions and in 1983 extended electrification from North White Plains to Brewster North station (now Southeast
).
- New York City mainline and was one of the pioneers of heavy electric railway use in the United States. The New Haven choose the 11kV/25 Hz system later used by the Pennsylvania, in addition to working with Westinghouse to develop AC/DC electric motors (locomotives) to run on both AC overhead lines
and DC third rail
. The New Haven was at the forefront of many developments in heavy electric railroads. It possesses a unique triangular contact wire and rounded pole design not repeated in any line.
to Iaeger, West Virginia
, between 1913 and 1950. It was an 11 kV overhead electrification in a mountain region with a major tunnel.
's Keystone Corridor
) between the former Broad Street Station in Philadelphia
and the village of Paoli
. The PRR electrification utilized overhead catenary wires
electrified at 11 kV/25 Hz, and was fed by two substations
, one in Philadelphia and another in Ardmore
. It was expanded in 1919 on the PRR's Chestnut Hill
line, and in the 1920s on the Philadelphia-Washington Main Line between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware
and on the West Chester Line between Philadelphia and West Chester
, with the latter two lines being fed through a single substation located in Chester
.
Extensive electrification after 1925 occurred on the PRR's New York-Washington line (now part of the Northeast Corridor
), the Chicago-Philadelphia Main Line between Paoli and Harrisburg
, several major commuter lines in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and on major low-grade, through-freight lines, including the Trenton Cut-Off, the Atglen & Susquehanna, Port Deposit, Philadelphia & Thorndale, Shellpot, and Enola
branches. All electrification done after 1919 used the same catenary supports used on the Paoli commuter line, but with the catenary being supplied with 100 kV/25 Hz "transmission" lines with the voltage stepped-down at substations located every 10 to 20 miles. The PPL
-owned Safe Harbor Dam
, located near the Exelon
-owned Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant between Conowingo, Maryland
and York, Pennsylvania
, supplies the voltage for all post-1925 electrical expansion projects, while Exelon supplies the pre-1925 electrification areas through the existing Philadelphia, Ardmore, and Chester substations. Plans were made in the thirties to extend electrification to Pittsburgh, but were not pursued due to the Great Depression.
Since its takeover by Amtrak
in 1976, both the Northeast and Keystone Corridors are undergoing extensive wire replacements, either by Amtrak or SEPTA, while the through-freight branches taken over by Conrail have been de-electrified and freight operations carried out by diesel locomotives. Those lines that were de-electrified, but have transmission lines are maintained by Amtrak through arrangements through Conrail's successors, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation
.
began during the late 1920s. The first stage was placed in operation on July 26, 1931, when electric suburban trains began serving the Bethlehem Branch between Reading Terminal
, Philadelphia and Lansdale
, the Doylestown Branch between Lansdale and Doylestown
, the Warminster Branch between Glenside and Hatboro, and the Jersey City Branch between Jenkintown and West Trenton, New Jersey
. The second stage, the Norristown
and Chestnut Hill branches, was opened on February 5, 1933. Like the Pennsylvania Railroad's Paoli commuter line, the Reading employed overhead catenary wire powered at 11 kV/25 Hz, but unlike the PRR, the Reading used a single generator, located at Wayne Junction, with long-distance lines being supplied by spider-frame pylons that can still be seen, mostly along the Schuylkill Expressway
(I-76).
Extensions of electrification over intercity lines, such as West Trenton-Jersey City, Norristown-Reading-Harrisburg, and Lansdale-Bethlehem were planned, but because of the Great Depression
, they were dropped. Only two expansion projects, carried out by the Reading with funding from SEPTA, were that of the Newtown Branch between Newtown Junction and Fox Chase in September 1966, and the Warminster Branch between Hatboro and Warminster in 1974.
Since the takeover of the Reading commuter lines in 1983, SEPTA has rehabilitated the catenary wires between the Center City Commuter Connection
and Wayne Junction, and on all ex-Reading tracks owned by SEPTA. Those sections of ex-Reading tracks owned by Conrail, and later by CSX Transportation
are being done on a step-by-step basis.
to Mullens, West Virginia
. It went to the N&W with the 1959 merger and was de-electrified in 1962.
, owner of West Jersey & Seashore Railroad, electrified with 600 VDC from Camden, New Jersey
to Atlantic City
, via Newfield, and to Millville. A third-rail system was used for most of the line except overhead trolley wire was installed between Mickle Street in Camden
and Gloucester City, New Jersey
as well as a ten-mile segment between Newfield and Millville. The Camden-Gloucester City portion was installed due to a decision to use the old Camden Seventh Street line as part of the route. Numerous grade crossings on both this segment and in Gloucester City precluded the use of third rail due to public safety considerations. The Millville branch, however, was equipped with overhead wire as a "method of comparing the durability of trolley wire versus third rail under high-speed open-country operating conditions." The WJ&S ordered 62 coaches and six combination baggage mail units split between Jackson and Sharp Company
at Wilmington, Del., and J. G. Brill and Company at Philadelphia, which had 46 cars from the order. J. G. Brill and Company sublet work on 22 coaches to its Wason
subsidiary at Springfield, Mass.
The electrification was opened in 1906 with cars that resembled wooden interurbans of other electric traction properties. The same year the 1906 Atlantic City train wreck
occurred, in which a three-car train of the new equipment derailed and fell into a waterway; 53 people died. Other cars were built in 1909 bringing the fleet total to 80 MP1 and MP2 class wooden MU coaches. The 19 purchased in 1909 had steel instead of wooden ends and featured PRR porthole style windows on each end. There were six MO1 class passenger-baggage combines including two with steel ends, four MBM1 baggage-mail cars and two MB1 baggage-express cars. In 1912, Pennsylvania Railroad assigned two MPB54 all-steel combines and 15 all-steel MP54
coaches to WJ&S. WJ&S and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary Atlantic City Railroad
were merged into Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
in 1932.
Electric MU service between Newfield and Atlantic City ended Sept. 26, 1931 so P-RSL only inherited the electrified Millville commuter rail service from WJ&S. On Oct. 20, 1948, New Jersey's public utility regulators ordered P-RSL to remove all remaining 26 wooden MU coaches from service as a safety hazard should they be involved in fire or collision. P-RSL management already was considering replacing the MUs due to an aging power distribution system and obsolete rolling stock. So nearly two-thirds of the MU fleet was removed from service. With only the PRR style all-steel MUs left for passenger service, P-RSL cut back the electrified commuter service to Glassboro in fall 1948 and management then ordered an end to all remaining electrification as of Sept. 8, 1949. On that date a morning commuter run from Glassboro to Camden ended 43 years of electrification. Non-electrified commuter rail service to Glassboro and Millville continued until March 5, 1971.
Streetcars and interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
systems are not within the scope of this article. Most of these systems electrified very early; many were electrified from the beginning.
Laws banning steam locomotives
A number of municipalities passed laws in the early part of the 20th century forbidding steam locomotives from operating within city limits, after some bad accidents caused by the awful conditions of visibility in smoke and steam-filled tunnels and cuttings. The most prominent of these was New York City.Long tunnels
Long, deep tunnels provide poor ventilation for steam locomotives, to the point where crews had to wear oxygen masks to avoid asphyxiation. The ventilation problem also limited the frequency of trains through these tunnels. The Cascade TunnelCascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two tunnels at Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains, approximately to the east of Everett, Washington. The first Cascade Tunnel was a 2.63-mile long single track railroad, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1900 to avoid problems caused by heavy winter...
is a good example.
Mountainous terrain
The electric locomotive has many advantages in mountainous terrain, including better adhesion, greater power at low speeds, no requirements for fueling or watering, and regenerative braking.Traffic density
Extremely high-traffic lines can readily recoup the high capital investment of electrification by the savings accrued during operation.Short-distance commuter operations
Suburban commuter trains are an ideal subject for electrification since electric multiple unitElectric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s possess rapid acceleration, fast braking (sometimes regenerative braking) and the ability to change direction without running a locomotive around. It also reduces diesel locomotive emissions in relatively high-density areas.
Amtrak
Amtrak, the national intercity passenger railroad, inherited an 1930s era 25 Hz electrification system from the Pennsylvania Railroad, which it is slowly modernizing, and has completed two electrification projects on its own lines.The Empire Connection was electrified when it was built in 1991, allowing trains from Albany direct access to Penn Station New York
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
by use of dual-mode locomotives. The Empire Connection was electrified with 750V DC third rail, compatible with the third rail system used within Penn Station by the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
.
The Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
mainline from New Haven to Boston was electrified in 1999, completing the thwarted ambition of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. This electrification was part of the Acela Express
Acela Express
The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...
high-speed project, and involved the building of overhead lines electrified at 25kV 60 Hz AC, requiring trains to handle a change of voltage and frequency on the fly at New Haven. Plans to convert the rest of the Northeast Corridor to 60 Hz AC have been shelved, although the section from New Haven to the Hell Gate Bridge has been converted to 60 Hz by Metro-North.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The construction of a line through Baltimore in order to make a rail connection to New York City brought about the world's first mainline electrification. Operation began in 1895 with three General Electric locomotives. These locomotives only worked pulling northbound trains; southbound traffic simply coasted through this section, which was all downhill. Initially the system used a unique overhead track in which the current shoe rode, but shortly after it was converted to a conventional 675V DC third railThird rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
system.
Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad
The BM&LP is an isolated short line in Arizona which hauls coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from a mine near Kayenta, Arizona
Kayenta, Arizona
Kayenta is a census-designated place which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,189 at the 2010 census. Kayenta is located south of Monument Valley and contains a number of hotels and motels which service visitors to Monument...
to the Navajo Generating Station
Navajo Generating Station
Navajo Generating Station is a 2250 megawatt coal-fired powerplant located on the Navajo Indian Reservation, near Page, Arizona, USA. This plant provides electrical power to customers in Arizona, Nevada, and California...
power plant at Page, Arizona
Page, Arizona
Page is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, near the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 6,794.-Geography:Page is located at ....
. When built in 1973, it was the first line to use 50,000 V overhead catenary. The coal it hauls on the 78 miles (125.5 km) is used by the power plant at its western terminus to power the line itself. The line does not connect to any other part of the American freight rail network.
Burlington & Mount Holly Railroad and Transportation Company
The Burlington & Mount Holly Railroad and Transportation Company, was incorporated in 1836. The railroad ran from Burlington NJ to Mount Holly NJ. 7.2 track miles. In 1895, the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
used the Burlington & Mount Holly tracks to experiment with 500 volt DC trolley wire; trolley pole electric operation, with three motor passenger-baggage combination cars built by Jackson and Sharp Company
Jackson and Sharp Company
Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer and shipbuilder in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was founded in 1863 by Job H. Jackson , a tinsmith and retail merchant, and Jacob F. Sharp Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer...
at Wilmington, Del.
This service was discontinued on Oct. 29, 1901, after the electrical powerhouse in Mount Holly burned.
On April 1902 PRR orders demolition of Mount Holly power house and ends experiment of electric trolley operation between Burlington and Mount Holly.
This line was the first electrified PRR branch in New Jersey. The Burlington & Mount Holly line was abandoned by the PRR in 1927.
Burlington County RT 541 is on and or follows the Burlington & Mount Holly Railroad and Transportation Co. Right of Way.
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
The BA&P, a copper ore-hauling short line in Montana, electrified in 1913 using a 2,400 Volts DC system engineered by General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. It was the first primarily freight railroad in North America to electrify. Original motive power was in the form of 28 identical B-B boxcab
Boxcab
A boxcab, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive in which the machinery and crew areas are enclosed in a box-like superstructure . It is a term mostly used in North America while in Victoria , such locomotives have been nicknamed "butterboxes"...
s, which served until de-electrification in 1967, by which time diesel-electric locomotives were cheaper to run. General Electric used the BA&P as a model railroad for demonstrating the success of its DC electrification techniques. The Milwaukee Road electrified soon afterward using a similar technique at 3,000 V DC.
Chicago, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the Milwaukee Road)
The Milwaukee electrified with 3000V DC overhead. Two divisions were electrified; a plan to connect them was never completed. The 438-mile section from Harlowtown, Montana to Avery, Idaho operated under wire from 1916 to 1974. The 207-mile section between Tacoma and Othello, Washington was electrified from 1919 to 1971.Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad / Morris and Essex Railroad
What are now New Jersey TransitNew Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
's Morris & Essex Lines
Morris & Essex Lines
The Morris & Essex Lines are a group of former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad railroad lines in New Jersey now owned and operated by New Jersey Transit...
(the Morristown Line
Morristown Line
The Morristown Line is one of New Jersey Transit's commuter lines and is one of two branches that run along the Morris and Essex Lines. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound trains use the Kearny Connection to Secaucus Junction and New York Penn...
and Gladstone Branch
Gladstone Branch
The Gladstone Branch is a branch of New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines. The Gladstone Branch primarily serves commuter trains; freight service is no longer operated...
) and Montclair-Boonton Line
Montclair-Boonton Line
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Montclair Branch, which ran from Hoboken Terminal to Bay Street,...
were electrified by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
at 3kV DC in 1930/31, until NJ Transit converted them to 25kV AC 60 Hz in August, 1984.
Great Northern Railway
The Great Northern Railway (now BNSF RailwayBNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
) in 1909 electrified the 2.5 miles (4 km) original Cascade Tunnel near the summit of Stevens Pass in the Cascades. This first electrification system and GE-built boxcabs were the only three-phase A.C. implementation ever used in North America. The electric boxcabs pulled the trains through the tunnel with their steam locomotives still attached until they were retired in 1927.
In 1925 work began on the new 7.8 miles (12.6 km) Cascade Tunnel
Cascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two tunnels at Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains, approximately to the east of Everett, Washington. The first Cascade Tunnel was a 2.63-mile long single track railroad, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1900 to avoid problems caused by heavy winter...
, with the Great Northern ultimately electrifying a 73 miles (117.5 km) section of its main line route to Seattle, Washington from Wenatchee
Wenatchee, Washington
Wenatchee is located in North Central Washington and is the largest city and county seat of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925...
to Skykomish
Skykomish, Washington
As of the census of 2000, there were 214 people, 104 households, and 58 families residing in the town. The population density was 623.2 people per square mile . There were 162 housing units at an average density of 471.8 per square mile...
. The new tunnel and electrification reduced the mainline by 9 miles (14.5 km), eliminated 502 feet (153 m) of elevation and 6 miles (9.7 km) of snow sheds. Electric locomotives handled mainline freight and passenger trains on this section exclusively. The route was de-energized and dismantled in 1956, after the Cascade Tunnel was fitted with ventilation fans.
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad electrified its passenger lines into Chicago in 1926 due to ordinances passed by the city. The IC commuter lines remain electrified and now run as Metra Electric. The catenary is energized at 1500V and serves four tracks of commuter operations. Two tracks are unelectrified and used for freight and Amtrak service to downstate IllinoisDownstate Illinois
Downstate Illinois refers to all of Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. This term is flexible, but because it is generally meant to refer to everything outside the Chicago-area, some cities in Northern Illinois, such as Rockford and DeKalb, , are considered to be "downstate".The term...
and beyond.
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail RoadLong Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
's electrification was initiated in the first decade of the 20th century while it was owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, which was building tunnels under the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
to gain access to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The first segment of the LIRR to be electrified was the trackage between the Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic Avenue (New York City)
Atlantic Avenue is an important street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It stretches from the Brooklyn waterfront on the East River all the way to Jamaica, Queens...
terminal in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and Jamaica Station. In 1910, the opening of Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
ushered in electric service between that station and Jamaica. The LIRR's Port Washington Branch
Port Washington Branch
The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York...
was rebuilt and electrified by 1918. By the 1934, LIRR branches to Hicksville
Hicksville, New York
Hicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 41,547 at the 2010 census...
, Hempstead
Hempstead
Hempstead may refer to:PlacesIn England:*Hempstead, Essex*Hempstead, Kent*Hempstead, near Holt, Norfolk*Hempstead, near Stalham, Norfolk*Hemel Hempstead, HertfordshireIn the United States:*Hempstead County, Arkansas...
, West Hempstead
West Hempstead, New York
Not to be confused with West Hampstead, London.West Hempstead is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 18,862 at the 2010 census...
, Far Rockaway
Far Rockaway, Queens
Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood starts at the Nassau County line and extends west to Beach 32nd Street. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community...
, Long Beach
Long Beach, New York
Long Beach is a city in Nassau County, New York. Just south of Long Island, it is located on Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the westernmost of the outer barrier islands off Long Island's South Shore. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 33,275...
, and Babylon
Babylon (village), New York
Babylon is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 12,615 at the 2000 census.Its official name is The Incorporated Village of Babylon...
were electrified. At some later date, electrification was extended from Hicksville to Huntington
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
on the Port Jefferson Branch
Port Jefferson Branch
The Port Jefferson Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch splits from the Main Line just east of Hicksville and runs northeast and east to Port Jefferson...
. In 1987, electrification of the Main Line between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma
Ronkonkoma, New York
Ronkonkoma is a census-designated place on Long Island in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 20,029 at the 2000 census...
was completed, resulting in greatly increased service.
The LIRR utilizes third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
electrification, which was the original method used by the Pennsylvania Railroad. By the 1930s, the Pennsylvania Railroad had switched to overhead catenary electrification, but the LIRR has continued utilizing its third rail system. Voltage was increased from 600 to 750 volts in the early 1970s to meet the greater power needs of the railroad's new M-1 cars.
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central electrified a section of its main line Hudson Division route in 1913 from New York City (Grand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
) to Harmon (now Croton-Harmon), where it changes to normal steam or diesel power. The Harlem Division in Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
was also electrified to North White Plains
North White Plains (Metro-North station)
The North White Plains Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of northern White Plains, New York via the Harlem Line. It is the north terminal for most trains that run local to the south and, until 1984, was the northern limit of electrification. Adjacent to the station is a yard/support...
.
The Hudson Division electrified line is still in use by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
for inter-city passenger service. Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
, a commuter railroad, uses both Divisions and in 1983 extended electrification from North White Plains to Brewster North station (now Southeast
Southeast (Metro-North station)
Southeast is a Metro-North Railroad station serving the residents of Southeast, New York via the Harlem Line. Trains leave for New York City every hour, and about every 30 minutes during rush hour. It is the terminus of the Harlem Line electrified service. For travel farther north to Wassaic,...
).
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad completed electrification in 1907 of its New HavenNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
- New York City mainline and was one of the pioneers of heavy electric railway use in the United States. The New Haven choose the 11kV/25 Hz system later used by the Pennsylvania, in addition to working with Westinghouse to develop AC/DC electric motors (locomotives) to run on both AC overhead lines
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
and DC third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
. The New Haven was at the forefront of many developments in heavy electric railroads. It possesses a unique triangular contact wire and rounded pole design not repeated in any line.
Norfolk and Western Railway
The N&W had an electrified district of 52 miles from BluefieldBluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
to Iaeger, West Virginia
Iaeger, West Virginia
Iaeger is a town in McDowell County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 358 at the 2000 census. Iaeger was incorporated in 1917 and named for Colonel William G. W. Iaeger, whose son, Dr. William R...
, between 1913 and 1950. It was an 11 kV overhead electrification in a mountain region with a major tunnel.
Pennsylvania Railroad
Electrification on the Pennsylvania Railroad began in 1915 with the electrification of the Chicago-Philadelphia Main Line (now part of AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Keystone Corridor
Keystone Corridor
The Keystone Corridor is a Federal Railroad Administration "designated high speed corridor" with a 349-mile railroad line between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a top speed of...
) between the former Broad Street Station in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and the village of Paoli
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Paoli is a census-designated place in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown...
. The PRR electrification utilized overhead catenary wires
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
electrified at 11 kV/25 Hz, and was fed by two substations
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
, one in Philadelphia and another in Ardmore
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore is a census-designated place in Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census...
. It was expanded in 1919 on the PRR's Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows:...
line, and in the 1920s on the Philadelphia-Washington Main Line between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
and on the West Chester Line between Philadelphia and West Chester
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
, with the latter two lines being fed through a single substation located in Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
.
Extensive electrification after 1925 occurred on the PRR's New York-Washington line (now part of the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
), the Chicago-Philadelphia Main Line between Paoli and Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, several major commuter lines in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and on major low-grade, through-freight lines, including the Trenton Cut-Off, the Atglen & Susquehanna, Port Deposit, Philadelphia & Thorndale, Shellpot, and Enola
Enola, Pennsylvania
Enola is a census-designated place located along the Susquehanna River in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,627 at the 2000 census. Norfolk Southern operates Enola Yard, a large rail yard and locomotive shop in Enola...
branches. All electrification done after 1919 used the same catenary supports used on the Paoli commuter line, but with the catenary being supplied with 100 kV/25 Hz "transmission" lines with the voltage stepped-down at substations located every 10 to 20 miles. The PPL
PPL (utility)
PPL, formerly known as PP&L or Pennsylvania Power and Light, is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. It currently controls about 19,000 megawatts of electrical generating capacity in the United States, primarily in Pennsylvania and Montana, and delivers electricity to...
-owned Safe Harbor Dam
Safe Harbor Dam
The Safe Harbor Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the lower Susquehanna River with an associated hydroelectric power station. It is the most northerly and last of three Great Depression-era public electrification projects' hydroelectric dams and was constructed between 1 April 1930 and 7 December...
, located near the Exelon
Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an electricity generating and distributing company headquartered in the Chase Tower in the Chicago Loop area of Chicago. It was created in October, 2000 by the merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom, of Philadelphia and Chicago respectively. Unicom owned Commonwealth Edison...
-owned Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant between Conowingo, Maryland
Conowingo, Maryland
Conowingo is a small community in western Cecil County, Maryland, USA.Conowingo is a Susquehannock word for "at the rapids".Conowingo was originally located on the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River at the confluence of the Conowingo Creek with the river...
and York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
, supplies the voltage for all post-1925 electrical expansion projects, while Exelon supplies the pre-1925 electrification areas through the existing Philadelphia, Ardmore, and Chester substations. Plans were made in the thirties to extend electrification to Pittsburgh, but were not pursued due to the Great Depression.
Since its takeover by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
in 1976, both the Northeast and Keystone Corridors are undergoing extensive wire replacements, either by Amtrak or SEPTA, while the through-freight branches taken over by Conrail have been de-electrified and freight operations carried out by diesel locomotives. Those lines that were de-electrified, but have transmission lines are maintained by Amtrak through arrangements through Conrail's successors, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
.
Reading Railroad
Electrification on the Reading RailroadReading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
began during the late 1920s. The first stage was placed in operation on July 26, 1931, when electric suburban trains began serving the Bethlehem Branch between Reading Terminal
Reading Terminal
The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
, Philadelphia and Lansdale
Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Early in the 20th century, its industries included agricultural implement works, a canning factory, foundries, brickyards, a silk mill, and manufacturers of cigars, stoves, shirts, rope, iron drain pipe,...
, the Doylestown Branch between Lansdale and Doylestown
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...
, the Warminster Branch between Glenside and Hatboro, and the Jersey City Branch between Jenkintown and West Trenton, New Jersey
West Trenton, New Jersey
West Trenton, New Jersey is a section of the Trenton suburb of Ewing Township, located just northwest of the capital's city limits.It is home to the New Jersey State Police Headquarters, Trenton-Mercer Airport, Trenton Country Club , New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company, The Homasote Company,...
. The second stage, the Norristown
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
and Chestnut Hill branches, was opened on February 5, 1933. Like the Pennsylvania Railroad's Paoli commuter line, the Reading employed overhead catenary wire powered at 11 kV/25 Hz, but unlike the PRR, the Reading used a single generator, located at Wayne Junction, with long-distance lines being supplied by spider-frame pylons that can still be seen, mostly along the Schuylkill Expressway
Schuylkill Expressway
The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as the Schuylkill, is a freeway through southwestern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania...
(I-76).
Extensions of electrification over intercity lines, such as West Trenton-Jersey City, Norristown-Reading-Harrisburg, and Lansdale-Bethlehem were planned, but because of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, they were dropped. Only two expansion projects, carried out by the Reading with funding from SEPTA, were that of the Newtown Branch between Newtown Junction and Fox Chase in September 1966, and the Warminster Branch between Hatboro and Warminster in 1974.
Since the takeover of the Reading commuter lines in 1983, SEPTA has rehabilitated the catenary wires between the Center City Commuter Connection
Center City Commuter Connection
The Center City Commuter Connection, commonly referred to as "the commuter tunnel", is a passenger railroad tunnel in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, built to connect the stub ends of the two separate regional commuter rail systems, originally operated by two rival railroad...
and Wayne Junction, and on all ex-Reading tracks owned by SEPTA. Those sections of ex-Reading tracks owned by Conrail, and later by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
are being done on a step-by-step basis.
Virginian Railway
The VGN had an electrified district of 134 miles of mountainous terrain built in the 1920s from Roanoke, VirginiaRoanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
to Mullens, West Virginia
Mullens, West Virginia
Mullens is a city in Wyoming County, West Virginia. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 1,769.Located in a valley along the Guyandotte River within a mountainous region of southern West Virginia, the town was nearly destroyed by flash flooding in July 2001...
. It went to the N&W with the 1959 merger and was de-electrified in 1962.
West Jersey and Seashore Railroad
The Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, owner of West Jersey & Seashore Railroad, electrified with 600 VDC from Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
to Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, via Newfield, and to Millville. A third-rail system was used for most of the line except overhead trolley wire was installed between Mickle Street in Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
and Gloucester City, New Jersey
Gloucester City, New Jersey
Gloucester City is a city in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 11,456.-Geography:Gloucester City is located at ....
as well as a ten-mile segment between Newfield and Millville. The Camden-Gloucester City portion was installed due to a decision to use the old Camden Seventh Street line as part of the route. Numerous grade crossings on both this segment and in Gloucester City precluded the use of third rail due to public safety considerations. The Millville branch, however, was equipped with overhead wire as a "method of comparing the durability of trolley wire versus third rail under high-speed open-country operating conditions." The WJ&S ordered 62 coaches and six combination baggage mail units split between Jackson and Sharp Company
Jackson and Sharp Company
Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer and shipbuilder in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was founded in 1863 by Job H. Jackson , a tinsmith and retail merchant, and Jacob F. Sharp Jackson and Sharp Company was an American railroad car manufacturer...
at Wilmington, Del., and J. G. Brill and Company at Philadelphia, which had 46 cars from the order. J. G. Brill and Company sublet work on 22 coaches to its Wason
Wason Manufacturing Company
The Wason Manufacturing Company was a maker of railway passenger coaches and streetcars during the 19th and early 20th century. The company was founded in 1845 in Springfield, Massachusetts by Charles Wason and Thomas Wason ....
subsidiary at Springfield, Mass.
The electrification was opened in 1906 with cars that resembled wooden interurbans of other electric traction properties. The same year the 1906 Atlantic City train wreck
1906 Atlantic City train wreck
The 1906 Atlantic City train wreck happened in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday October 28, 1906 when a West Jersey and Seashore Railroad electric train fell off a draw bridge, drowning 53 people.-Accident:...
occurred, in which a three-car train of the new equipment derailed and fell into a waterway; 53 people died. Other cars were built in 1909 bringing the fleet total to 80 MP1 and MP2 class wooden MU coaches. The 19 purchased in 1909 had steel instead of wooden ends and featured PRR porthole style windows on each end. There were six MO1 class passenger-baggage combines including two with steel ends, four MBM1 baggage-mail cars and two MB1 baggage-express cars. In 1912, Pennsylvania Railroad assigned two MPB54 all-steel combines and 15 all-steel MP54
PRR MP54
The Pennsylvania Railroad's MP54 class of electric multiple unit cars was their first and largest class of this type of car. They were initially built for the original Philadelphia-based network of electrified suburban lines and were eventually used throughout the railroad's electrified area...
coaches to WJ&S. WJ&S and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary Atlantic City Railroad
Atlantic City Railroad
The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933.- History :...
were merged into Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a railroad that operated in southern New Jersey in the 20th century. It was created as a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company .- History :...
in 1932.
Electric MU service between Newfield and Atlantic City ended Sept. 26, 1931 so P-RSL only inherited the electrified Millville commuter rail service from WJ&S. On Oct. 20, 1948, New Jersey's public utility regulators ordered P-RSL to remove all remaining 26 wooden MU coaches from service as a safety hazard should they be involved in fire or collision. P-RSL management already was considering replacing the MUs due to an aging power distribution system and obsolete rolling stock. So nearly two-thirds of the MU fleet was removed from service. With only the PRR style all-steel MUs left for passenger service, P-RSL cut back the electrified commuter service to Glassboro in fall 1948 and management then ordered an end to all remaining electrification as of Sept. 8, 1949. On that date a morning commuter run from Glassboro to Camden ended 43 years of electrification. Non-electrified commuter rail service to Glassboro and Millville continued until March 5, 1971.
See also
- AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
- List of current systems for electric rail traction
- Metro-North RailroadMetro-North RailroadThe Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
- 25 Hz Power Transmission System