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NJ TRANSIT NJ TRANSIT

LACKAWANNA RAIL ANNIVERSARY TO HIGHLIGHT NJ TRANSIT'S TRY TRANSIT FESTIVAL

Assembly Light Rail Panel to be Honored

 

CONTACT: Michael Klufas (973-491-7078)

NEWARK, NJ, September 5, 2001 -- NJ TRANSIT will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad during the 20th annual Try Transit Festival this Saturday, September 8 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at historic Hoboken Terminal.

The celebration will include a special anniversary cake to be presented by NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh during opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. State Senator Bernard Kenny, NJ TRANSIT Board Members Victor Cantillo and Patrick Parkinson, and Hoboken Mayor David Russo will join Executive Director Warsh.

Throughout the day, NJ TRANSIT will sponsor special train excursions on historic rail equipment loaned by the United Railroad Historical Society (URHS). Three round-trips will travel over the Lackawanna’s former main line -- now NJ TRANSIT’s Morris & Essex Lines -- between Hoboken and Millburn. Tri-State Railway Historical Society ambassadors will provide a historical overview of the Lackawanna Railroad.

On March 11, 1853, the Pennsylvania Legislature approved a joint application made by the Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company -- which was chartered in 1849 as the Ligett’s Gap Railroad and ran its first train in 1851 -- and the Delaware and Cobb’s Gap Railroad Company for a consolidation under the corporate name of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad Company (DL&W). Over time, this company became known simply as the Lackawanna.

The excursion trips will also feature “Phoebe Snow,” who became synonymous with the Lackawanna’s effort to sell itself as a “clean” railroad. “Phoebe Snow” -- dressed in white from head to toe -- was invented in 1903 by the Lackawanna’s advertising department to highlight the Lackawanna’s use of a cleaner-burning coal and stone ballast, which created the impression that the company was a clean, well-maintained railroad. In 1949, the Lackawanna adopted the name “Phoebe Snow” for its train service from Hoboken to Buffalo, NY.

Ceremonies honoring the Assembly Light Rail Panel will take place at 12:30 p.m. Executive Director Warsh will present panel Chairwoman Rose Heck and members Alex DeCroce and Joseph Doria with plaques of appreciation for their involvement and effort. The panel was a key force behind the development of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit System. Other light rail systems are also being considered in New Jersey thanks to the panel’s leadership.

The festival will include numerous other activities, including:

 

  • Four Wild West train trips with “bandits” from the “Covered Bridge Gang” of the Somerset County Horse & Pony Association.
  • Historic and current bus, rail and light rail equipment displays, including Amtrak’s new Acela train, which operates in express service between Boston and Washington.
  • Music and entertainment, including a live appearance by the Jammin’ 105 (WTJM-FM) “Heart and Soul Patrol” between 12 noon and 2 p.m.
  • Historical tours of Hoboken.
  • Self-guided free tours of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system.
  • Rides, crafts, railroadiana and food vendors.

The Try Transit Festival kicks off NJ TRANSIT’s annual celebration of the American Public Transportation Association’s Try Transit Week, during which NJ TRANSIT and other public transportation agencies encourage the public to try mass transit.

Editor’s Note: Media coverage is welcome for any or all of the Try Transit Festival events. Please call Michael Klufas at 973-491-7081 if you have any special requests or wish to preview the day’s events.

 

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DIRECTIONS TO HOBOKEN TERMINAL

1 Hudson Place, Hoboken, New Jersey

(NOTE: Parking WILL BE LIMITED. Please use mass transit if at all possible.)

VIA MASS TRANSIT

 

  • NJ TRANSIT rail service to and from Hoboken Terminal is available on the Bergen County, Gladstone, Main, Morristown and Raritan Valley lines.
  • NJ TRANSIT bus service to and from Hoboken Terminal is available on the No. 67, 85, 87, 126 and 181 routes.
  • PATH service is available between Hoboken and 33rd Street and Hoboken and the World Trade Center.
  • New York Waterways ferry service between Hoboken and the World Financial Center is also available.

FROM ALL POINTS IN NEW JERSEY

 

  • Take the New Jersey Turnpike to Interchange 14C. After paying toll, continue to first traffic light. Make a left onto Jersey Avenue; OR
  • Take Pulaski Skyway (Route 1/9 North) to the first traffic light. Turn left onto Jersey Avenue.
  • Continue on Jersey Avenue, turning right under the train trestle onto Observer Highway.
  • At the end of Observer Highway (the terminal will be visible) turn left onto Hudson Street then right onto Hudson Place.

FROM NEW YORK

 

  • Exit via the Holland Tunnel. Continue to the fourth traffic light and make a right onto Jersey Avenue.
  • Continue on Jersey Avenue, turning right under the train trestle onto Observer Highway.
  • At the end of Observer Highway (the terminal will be visible) turn left onto Hudson Street then right onto Hudson Place.

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