North Hudson County Railway

Trolleys carried passengers from the Edgewater Ferry Terminal up the cliffs to the amusement park and beyond.
North Hudson County Railway at the foot of Pershing Road at Weehawken Terminal ca. 1911

The North Hudson Railway Company built and operated a streetcar system in Hudson County and southeast Bergen County, New Jersey before and after the start of the 20th century.[1] It was founded by Hillric J. Bonn who became the first President in 1865 and served for 26 years until his death,[2][3][4][5] and eventually taken over by the Public Service Railway. In its endeavors to overcome the formidable obstacle of ascending the lower Hudson Palisades, or Bergen Hill, it devised numerous innovative engineering solutions including funicular wagon lifts, an inclined elevated railway, an elevator and viaducts.[6][7][8][9]

The oldest predecessor line of North Hudson County Railway opened 1861. Three companies were consolidated in 1874 to form the North Hudson County Railway Company. North Hudson acquired the Pavonia Horse Railroad Company in 1891, opened the Hudson & Bergen Traction Company in 1893, and opened the Palisades Railroad in 1894.[10]

North Hudson County Railway included 12.75 miles (20.52 km) of at-grade and 1.25 miles (2.01 km) of elevated trackage.[11] Bonn was always involved in other road and real estate projects in the county.[12] He resided in Weehawken, where a street is named in his honor.[1]

  1. ^ a b Fry, Chris (October 30, 2017). "Streetcar Stories: History of the North Hudson Railway Company". Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Harvey, Cornelius Burnham, ed. (1900). "JOHN HILLRIC BONN". Genealogical History Of Hudson And Bergen Counties New Jersey. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  3. ^ "North Hudson Railway" (PDF). New York Times. October 18, 1891.
  4. ^ "A Busy Life Brought To A Close.; J.H. Bonn, North Hudson Railway Company's President, Dead" (PDF). New York Times. November 17, 1891.
  5. ^ "Bonn, John H. - Bonn, J.H.Bonn, John Hillric | Hoboken Historical Museum". hoboken.pastperfectonline.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "THE HILLSIDE LINE OF THE NORTH HUDSON COUNTY RAILWAY COMPANY". Scientific American. April 21, 1894. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Thompson, Joe. "Cable Car Lines in New York and New Jersey". Cable Car Guy. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  8. ^ Mankoff, Al (March–April 1992). "Conquest of the Palisades: A Triumph of Victorian Traction Technology". Electriclines. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  9. ^ Francis, Edward T.; Walrath, George w. (September 1946), "Weehawken Time Machine: The North Hudson County Railway" (PDF), The Marker, 5 (2), archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016
  10. ^ Nicholas, Frederic (1901). "New Jersey Railway Certificate". Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  11. ^ "Poor's Directory of Railway Officials". Cable Car Guy. 1887. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  12. ^ "The Hudson Boulevard" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2010.