|
Route Guide The Jersey Devil The Lexington Group in Transportation History
Route Guide The Jersey Devil The Lexington Group in Transportation History
Soft Cover
Approx 120 pages
Copyright 2015
CONTENTS
Welcome Aboards!
The Jersey Devil
Here We Go!
Our Route Today
Oak Island Yard
Passaic & Harsimus Line
Increment Two
Bergen Hill, Bergen Tunnel and Waldo Tunnel
Some Missing History
The National Docks Railway
National Docks Branch
The B&O Alternative
Increment Three
The Garden State Secondary
Chemical Coast Secondary
Bayway Yard
The Bayway Refinery Complex
Increment Four
The Amboy secondary
Increment Five
Jamesburg NJ to Port Reading
Increment Six
Port Reading to Port Reading JCT
Port Reading Secondary
Increment Seven Port Reading JCT to Pennsylvania Station Newark
Time Tables of General Interest
Growing Up with Trains
Our West Side Story
A Literary Break
Wreckmasters Moon
THE JERSEY DEVIL
Today's trip that has been designed to not only further your appreciation for the rich history of New Jersey railroading, but also illustrate the challenges faced by the pioneers of this industry who laid down the first rails in this state during the early 1830's, an era far removed from the engineering technology (as well as the mindless government regulation) that we have at our disposal (and are subject to) today. New Jersey and its railroads, as well as those who had the vision and fortitude to build and operate them, contributed greatly to the ongoing stream of innovation that has marked the growth of the railroad industry. In this Route Guide I hope you find many tidbits of what might seem insignificant information that will add as much to the pleasure of the hours that we will spend together today, as will the lunch we will enjoy in a few hours.
Naming a special train is always a challenge....We could have a Garden State Special, a Chemical Coast Clipper, there once was a Queen of the Valley, as well as the Phoebe Snow and of course the Pony Expresses to Monmouth Park, Atlantic City Raceway and Garden State Park. Somehow they just didn't seem to fit the bill.
Some of what you will see today is right out of HBO's The Soprano's and I am sure that you will see many of the locations that were featured in that hit TV series. From the Pulaski Skyway, to the New Jersey Turnpike, to the CITGO storage tanks at Bayway and the junk yards (excuse me; recycling facilities) with their unmarked "final" resting places that line the right of way, it is all along the route we will travel. Therefore this train needed a more sinister name. The fact that we are traveling on Halloween only made a proper choice more imperative.
Later today we will skirt what at one time were the northernmost fringes of the State's fabled "Pine Barrens". It is in these woods that the Leeds family of Galloway Township literally gave birth to the legend of the "Jersey Devil". It is a story of superstition and intrigue that spans from the colonial era to the early 20th Century and it as much pure New J000sey as the Turnpike, the refineries, and that other popular TV show Jersey Shore!
"It was said that Mother Leeds, an impoverished Quaker woman, had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, stated that this one would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a member of the clergy exorcised the demon for 100 years and it wasn't seen again until 1890."
"Mother Leeds" has been identified by some as Deborah Leeds, on grounds that Deborah Leeds' husband, Japhet Leeds, named twelve children in the will he wrote in 1736, which is compatible with the legend."
"In any case, the child left the family and escaped into the woods, where it became a supernatural beast with the body parts of many creatures. It became known most popularly as the Leeds Devil."
"The Jersey Devil has been sighted over the years by famous people and ordinary citizens, including Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. The American naval hero, Stephen Decatur, is supposed to have seen the Jersey Devil when he was testing cannonballs in the Pine Barrens. Sightings of the devil began to be documented as fact in the nineteenth century. A sighting was recorded in 1899 in a Philadelphia newspaper, when a man, George Saarosy, was awakened by screams in his yard and saw the Jersey Devil."
"A flurry of sightings occurred one week in January 1909 that terrorized thousands of people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Councilman E.P. Weeden heard flapping wings outside his Trenton home and found cloven footprints in the snow. Many people saw the creature, which was described by at least one witness as hissing and flying, with glowing, phosphorescent eyes. The sightings were widely described in the Philadelphia Press. Mr. Evans of Gloucester described the beast, which he and his wife watched for ten minutes from their bedroom window, as "about three and a half feet high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane and it had horse's hooves."
"The Philadelphia Zoo offered a $10,000 reward for its capture. At least a hundred people claimed to see or hear the Jersey Devil in at least thirty sightings that week of 1909. Although the rest of the country laughed at the panic, people locked away livestock and pets and walked around with guns. It was not safe to be anything that flew or hissed in January 1909!"
"Although the Devil was sighted intermittently in the early 20th century and in 1939 was allegedly designated the "Official State Demon," the next major series of sightings would occur in 1951, when a ten-year-old boy saw a creature dripping blood outside his window, sparking the "Gibbstown-Paulsboro invasion." Other people heard shrieks and screams and saw a creature that varied from seven foot tall to cave man size. The police were not amused by the gun-toting townspeople, several of whom were arrested. As in 1909, the sightings dwindled away, people lost interest, and the Jersey Devil apparently slunk away into the pines."
All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
US Shipments: Ebay will add $1.25 each additional items, there are a few exceptions.
Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and forwarded to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. Refunds may be issued if you add multiple items to your cart and pay with one payment. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 7 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
