|
Year |
Events |
|
1
8
9
2 |
- Summer
- Charles W. Manahan, Jr. travels to Elmira,
NY and the Elmira Industrial Association is formed. The Elmira
Industrial Association goes on to construct the town of Elmira Heights (Source:
Research)
|
|
1
8
9
3 |
- March 4 - Grover Cleveland is inaugurated
as the twenty-fourth President of the United States
(Source: Wikipedia)
|
|
1
8
9
4 |
|
|
1
8
9
5 |
- Entire Year - The New Orange Industrial
Association acquires a great deal of land in Union Township, New
Jersey, totaling three-and-one-half square miles of
land.
|
|
1
8
9
6 |
- January 4 - Utah becomes the 45th
State (Source: Wikipedia)
- August 16 - Gold is discovered in the
Yukon, beginning the Klondike Gold Rush (Source:
Wikipedia)
- By this time - The "Big Four" had been
constructed, the Circular Loom Company, the Ricca Manufacturing
Company, the New Orange Decorative Leather Company, and the
Charles E. Wright Company Photo
(Source: Research)
|
|
1
8
9
7 |
|
|
1
8
9
8 |
-
February 15 - The USS Maine
mysteriously explodes in Havana Harbor, ultimately beginning the
Spanish-American War (Source: Wikipedia)
-
April 25 -
The United States enters into a state of war with Spain,
beginning the Spanish-American War, the war would end three months
later (Source: Wikipedia)
-
July
(?) - #1, former Northern Central Railroad #322, 4-4-0
American-type locomotive, is purchased (Source: Rahway Valley
Railroad: Saga of a Shortline by John J.
McCoy).
-
July 7 -
The Republic of Hawaii is annexed to the United
States (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
8
9
9 |
-
Entire Year - An industrial recession forces
the factories of the New Orange Industrial Association to remain
closed.
-
July - Another
locomotive is purchased, #2. (Source: Cranford
Citizen, 7/15/1899)
-
August 21 - A scathing article is published
in the NY Herald telling of the poor state of things in New Orange
(Source: NY Herald, 8/21/1899)
-
September 1 - An NY&NO train, backing
across Westfield Avenue, collides with the wagon of Theo. S.
Harrison of Newark, NJ. Mr. Harrison sustains bruises, a
laceration of the right leg, and a contusion to the back of the
head. (Source: Railroad and Canal Reports,
1899)
-
December 9 - A
new passenger train schedule is instituted for the New York
& New Orange Railroad, consisting of ten round trips daily and
four round trips on Sundays. Regularly scheduled stops made along
the NY&NO are: N. 20th Street (Warren Street Station?),
Central Station (New Orange Station), and Aldene. Connecting
service is offered with the CRR of NJ and the Lehigh Valley to
Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, and New York City. (Source: Passenger
Schedule)
-
Unknown - CRR of
NJ #502 is returned after a ~two~ year lease and is subsequently
scrapped (circa) (Source: Jeff
Jargosch) |
|
1
9
0
0 |
-
The population of the United States
exceeds seventy-five million (Source: Wikipedia)
-
November 8 - The New York & New Orange
Railroad is foreclosed upon (Source: Thomas T. Taber,
III)
-
Unknown - #3 is
purchased. (Source: Official Railway Equipment
Registers) |
|
1
9
0
1 |
-
February 4 - The New Orange Four Junction
Railroad Company is formed. William W. Cole, William S. McCord,
Charles W. Manahan, Jr., Dennis Long, Nicholas C. J. English,
Platt V. Bryan, and Albert M. Bennett, incorporators (Source:
Articles of Incorporation)
-
February 16 - The New Orange Four Junction Railroad purchases the
New York & New Orange Railroad at a Sheriff's auction (Source:
Thomas T. Taber, III)
-
September 6 - William McKinley, the
President of the United States, is assassinated
in Buffalo, NY. Theodore Roosevelt becomes the
twenty-sixth President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
0
2 |
-
January 15 - A new passenger
train schedule is instituted for the New Orange Four Junction
Railroad, consisting of ten round trips daily and four round trips
on Sundays. Regularly scheduled stops made along the NOFJ are: N.
20th Street (Warren Street Station?), Central Station (New Orange
Station), Faitoute Ave., and Aldene. Connecting service is offered
with the CRR of NJ to Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, and New York
City. (Source: Passenger
Schedule)
-
September - Surveys are made to extend the
line of the New Orange Four Junction Railroad to Summit (Source:
New
Orange Junction Railroad, NY Times,
9/21/1902)
-
September 10 - The Cross-Country Railroad
Company is incorporated to construct a rail line between New
Orange and Summit, with a branch line extending to Millburn. Louis
Keller, Ray Tompkins, Horatio F. Dankel, William W. Cole, George
B. Frost, Elmer G. Houghton, and Howard H. Hallock, incorporators.
(Source: Articles
of Incorporation) |
|
1
9
0
3 |
|
|
1
9
0
4 |
-
February 26 - The Panama Canal Zone
is created (Source: Wikipedia)
-
May 11 - William H. Harding, a Conductor
on the New Orange Four Junction Railroad, was injured in a
coupling accident. He died on May 13. (Source: Railroad and Canal
Reports, 1904)
-
July 18 - The Rahway Valley Railroad Company
is formed to build a rail line between New Orange and Summit, with
a branch line extending to Millburn. Louis Keller, Horatio F.
Dankel, W. Irving Scott, Nicholas C. J. English, George B. Frost,
Charles W. Webb, and Edward G. Thompson, incorporators (Source:
Articles of Incorporation)
-
Summer - J. Wallace Higgins surveys the route
of the Rahway Valley Railroad between New Orange and Summit
(circa) (Source: Research)
-
Fall - Construction of the railroad between
New Orange and Summit commences, beginning just north of the New
Orange Station (Source: Rahway
Valley RR Open, NY Times,
5/25/1905)
-
December - The Rahway Valley Railroad and the
Morris County Traction Company enter into a disagreement over who
has the right to a certain piece of right-of-way within the City
of Summit (Source: Railroad's
Right to Land, NY Times,
12/24/1904)
-
Unknown - #4, an ex-DL&W 2-6-0 Mogul, is purchased from
Fitzhugh-Luther Company (circa) (Source: Thomas T.
Taber, III; Allen Stanley of the Railroad Data
Exchange) |
|
1
9
0
5 |
-
March 1 - The Rahway Valley Railroad Company
is consolidated with the New Orange Four Junction Railroad
Company, forming the Rahway Valley Railroad Company. Board of
Directors increased from seven members to nine. Members of the
Board of Directors: Louis Keller, Horatio F. Dankel, James S.
Gilbert, W. Irving Scott, Nicholas C. J. English, George B. Frost,
Edward G. Thompson, William W. Cole, and Charles J. Wittenberg
(Source: Articles of Incorporation)
-
April -#5, an
ex-CNJ 0-6-0T, is purchased from J.E. Bowen of Norfolk, VA (Source: Harry
Frye)
-
May 25 - The Rahway Valley Railroad is
formally opened between New Orange and Springfield. Louis Keller,
Secretary, rides from New Orange to Springfield in a special coach
(Source: Rahway
Valley RR Open, NY Times,
5/25/1905)
-
October 5 - The City of Summit, during the
middle of the night, demolishes the Rahway Valley's newly
constructed bridges over Ashwood Avenue and Russell Place, citing
they had been constructed without proper permits. (Source:
Summit
Smashes Bridges, NY Sun, 10/6/1905; Pugnacious
Summit, NY Times,
10/7/1905)
-
October 17 - Nicholas C. J. English, General
Counsel for the railroad, meets with the Summit City Council to
discuss the Ashwood Avenue and Russell Place bridges. (Letter
to William W. Cole, 10/18/1905) |
|
1
9
0
6 |
-
-
April 10 - A new passenger
train schedule is instituted for the Rahway Valley Railroad,
consisting of nine round trips daily, one additional train on
Saturdays, and four round trips on Sundays. Regularly scheduled
stops made along the RVRR are: Springfield, Katemiller, Doty,
Warren Street Station, Central Station (Kenilworth Station),
Michigan Ave., and Aldene. Katemiller, Doty, and Michigan Ave. are
noted as flagstops. Connecting
service is offered with the CRR of NJ to Elizabeth, Jersey City,
and Newark. (Source: April
10 Passenger Schedule)
-
-
September - The Lehigh Valley Railroad begins
operating a through-train service between New York City and the
Baltusrol Golf Club, known as the "Baltusrol Special" (Source: Brooklyn
Daily Eagle ,
9/15/1906)
-
November 25 - A new passenger train schedule
is instituted for the Rahway Valley Railroad, consisting
of nine round trips daily and four round trips on
Sundays. Regularly scheduled stops made along the RVRR are: Summit,
Baltusrol, Springfield, Katemiller, Doty, Warren Street Station, Central
Station (Kenilworth Station), Michigan Ave., and
Aldene. Katemiller, Doty, and Michigan Ave. are noted as flagstops. Connecting
service is offered with the CRR of NJ
to Elizabeth, Jersey City, and Newark. Total trip time Aldene to Summit:
23 minutes. (Source: November 25, 1906 Passenger
Schedule)
-
December 4 - #6, ex-Silver Lake Railway #3, is
purchased from the Southern Iron & Equipment Co. of Atlanta,
GA. It is of the 0-4-4T wheel arrangement. (Source: Harry Frye)
-
Unknown - The Rahway Valley Railroad is
denied a switch connection with the Delaware, Lackawanna, and
Western Railroad by the latter company(circa) (Source:
Images of Rail: The Rahway Valley Railroad by
Donald Maxton)
-
Unknown -
Excavation of Tin Kettle Hill in Kenilworth by the PRR concludes.
(Source: Images of Rail: The Rahway Valley Railroad by Donald Maxton)
-
Unknown - James
Gray, an engineer on the Rahway Valley Railroad, is thrown from
the cab of #3 while running
at full speed. His foot is crushed so badly it has to be
amputated above the ankle (Source: Twenty-Ninth Annual Report
of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor and Industries of New
Jersey)
-
Unknown - #3 is destroyed in an
apparent wreck (Source: Harry Frye, Thomas T. Taber,
III) |
|
1
9
0
7 |
-
May 4 - The Rahway Valley Railroad Company is
issued a $400,000.00 mortgage by the Chemung Canal Trust Company
of Elmira, NY (Source: Rahway Valley Bonds, NY Herald,
5/8/1907)
-
June 24 - The Baltusrol Railroad Company is
incorporated to build a railroad from the tracks of the Rahway
Valley Railroad to Louis Keller's Stone Quarry on Baltusrol
Mountain (later Commonwealth Stone Quarry and Houdaille Stone
Quarry), a distance of 1,410 feet. Louis Keller, Horatio F.
Dankel, Elmer L. McKirgan, J. Walter Gray, Edward G. Thompson,
John N. H. Cornell, and Charles P. Rogers, incorporators. (Source:
Articles of
Incorporation)
-
November 16 - Oklahoma becomes the 46th State
(Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
0
8 |
-
May 27 - The Baltusrol Railroad Company
is dissolved, after little less than a year of its existance. No
track was ever constructed by this company. Louis Keller, Charles
P. Rogers, Edward G. Thompson, John N. H. Cornell, and Horatio F.
Dankel approve its dissolution. (Source: Certificate of
Consent)
-
June 24 - The Rahway Valley Railroad files
suit against the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad,
demanding a switch connection be constructed between the two
roads. Elmer L. McKirgan is General Counsel for the RVRR. (Source:
Research)
-
July 10 - The Interstate Commerce Commission
(ICC) rules in favor of the Rahway Valley Railroad, requiring the
DL&W to install a connection to the RVRR by September 1.
(Source: Loses Fight About Switches, NY
Press, 7/10/1908)
-
August 12 - The
first Ford Model T is produced (Source: Wikipedia)
-
August 24 - The DL&W begins suit in the
United States Circuit Court against the ICC and the RVRR. (Source:
NY Sun, 8/25/1908)
-
September - #7, the Rahway Valley Railroad's
only new steam locomotive, is constructed by the Baldwin
Locomotive Works. The locomotive is of the 2-4-4T wheel
arrangement (Source: Baldwin Builder's
Records)
-
October 22 - Judge Lacombe of the US Circuit
Court grants an injunction against the ICC ruling of July 10
(Source: Interstate Board
Enjoined, NY
Press, 10/23/1908 |
|
1
9
0
9 |
-
February 27 - The Rahway Valley Company is
incorporated, Louis Keller, Horatio F. Dankel, Charles J.
Wittenberg, James S. Gilbert, Edward G. Thompson, Elmer L.
McKirgan, and H. Montague Vickers, incorporators (Source: Articles
of Incorporation)
-
March 1 - The Rahway Valley Company
enters into a lease agreement with the Rahway Valley Railroad
Company to lease the latter company's tracks,
equipment, and property for an annual rental fee (Source: Railroad
and Canal Reports)
-
March 4 - William
Howard Taft is inaugurated as the twenty-seventh President of the
United States (Source: Wikipedia)
-
April 6 - Robert
Peary begins his expedition to the North Pole (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
July 16 - The silent film, Escape from
Andersonville, is released in theatres. Produced by the Kalem Film
Manufacturing Company and filmed along the Rahway Valley Railroad,
the film receives poor reviews. (Sources: Silent Era; NY Dramatic Mirror,
7/24/1909) |
|
1
9
1
0 |
|
|
1
9
1
1 |
-
May 15 - The
Supreme Court dissolves Standard Oil (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
1
2 |
|
|
1
9
1
3 |
-
March 4 - Woodrow Wilson is inaugurated as the
twenty-eighth President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
June 14 - Horatio F. Dankel, General Manager
& Secretary of the Rahway Valley Railroad, dies. Dankel had
previously been with the NY&NO and NOFJ RRs. (Source:
Research)
-
Unknown - James S. Caldwell is installed as
General Manager & Secretary of the Rahway Valley Railroad.
(Source: Research)
-
Unknown - #5 is sold to a contractor (circa) (Source: Harry
Frye) |
|
1
9
1
4 |
-
July 28 - World
War I breaks out in Europe (Source: Wikipedia)
-
August 4 - The Rahway Valley Line is
incorporated to build a railroad from a connection with the Rahway
Valley Railroad Company in Union to a terminus near the
intersection of Boyden Ave. and Tuscan Way in Maplewood, NJ. Louis
Keller, James S. Caldwell, Elmer L. McKirgan, William S.
Post, Andrew A. Lockwood, Matthias O. Mitchell, and John E.
Metterhouse, incorporators. (Source: Articles of
Incorporation)
-
Unknown - The Rahway Valley Railroad loses
its mail contract to a Millburn, NJ trucker. (Source: Doin' Fine Thanks! by William S.
Young) |
|
1
9
1
5 |
|
|
1
9
1
6 |
-
Unknown -
#8,
ex-Pittsburgh & Lake Erie #9319, nee #140, is purchased. It is
of the 2-8-0 wheel arrangement. (Sources: Shortline & Industrial Railroads of New
Jersey: Volume I, by Benjamin Bernhart; Allen Stanley of the
Railroad Data Exchange) |
|
1
9
1
7 |
-
April 6 - The
United States declares war on Germany, effectively entering the US
into World War I (Source: Wikipedia)
-
December - #9, ex-PRR Class B-4 #506, is
purchased. It is of the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement (Source: Allen
Stanley of the Railroad Data Exchange)
-
Unknown - #7 is sold to the General
Equipment Company (Source: Thomas T. Taber,
III) |
|
1
9
1
8 |
-
February - #10, ex-PRR Class B-4a #396, is
purchased. It is of the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement (Source: Allen
Stanley of the Railroad Data Exchange)
-
November 11 - The Armistice with Germany is signed, ending
World War I (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
1
9 |
-
March 19 - Charles J. Wittenberg, President
of the Rahway Valley Company, Lessee, dies at his home in New York
City (Source: Obituary , NY Herald.
3/21/1919)
-
Unknown - Robert H. England is installed as
General Manager & Secretary of the Rahway Valley Railroad,
after the death of James S. Caldwell. (Source: Research)
-
Unknown - Roger A. Clark is installed as
Auditor of the Rahway Valley Railroad, after the firing of Andrew
A. Lockwood (Source: Research)
-
Last year Passenger Revenues are accounted
seperately from Freight Revenues (Source: Railroad and Canal
Reports) |
|
1
9
2
0 |
-
January 17 - The
Eighteenth Amendment takes effect, establishing the prohibition of
alchoholic beverages in the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
August 18 - The
Nineteenth Amendment is ratified, giving women the right to vote
in the United States (Source: Wikipedia)
-
Unknown - Robert H. England resigns as
General Manager & Secretary of the Rahway Valley Railroad
(Source: Research)
-
Unknown - In addition to being Auditor, Roger
A. Clark is installed as General Manager & Secretary of the
Rahway Valley Railroad (Source: Research)
-
Unknown - #11, ex-Grafton &
Upton Railroad #5, is purchased from the General Equipment
Company. It is of the 2-6-0 Mogul type (Source: Harry
Frye)
-
Unknown - #9 is retired (Source:
Harry Frye) |
|
1
9
2
1 |
-
March 4 - Warren
G. Harding is inaugurated as the twenty-ninth President of the
United States (Source: Wikipedia)
-
April - Last known Rahway Valley
Railroad passenger schedule is issued. Schedule accounts for four
trains daily, except on Sundays. The schedule also mentions "labor
trains" being operated over the Rahway Valley Line to Maplewood
(Newark Heights). All remaining passenger service is presumed to
of been discontinued soon after. (Source: April, 1921
schedule) |
|
1
9
2
2 |
-
February 16 - Louis Keller, President of the
Rahway Valley Railroad Company, founder, backer, and principle
owner of the railroad, dies. His nephew, Charles Keller Beekman,
is charged with administering his estate which includes the Rahway
Valley Railroad. (Source: Obituary)
-
Unknown - Roger A. Clark is installed as
President of the Rahway Valley Railroad Company, Rahway Valley
Company, Lessee, and Rahway Valley Line. (Source: Research)
-
Unknown (?) - All passenger service is
presumed to of been discontinued.
-
Unknown - #10 is retired (Source:
Harry Frye) |
|
1
9
2
3 |
-
April 1 - #8 breaks a set of
springs, rendering the locomotive out of service. #11, the only
other locomotive, handles all switching chores. (Source: Letter to
E.E. Loomis dated 9/27/1923)
-
August 2 - President Harding dies in office, Calvin
Coolidge becomes the thirtieth President of the United States
(Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
2
4 |
-
May 10 - J.
Edgar Hoover is appointed Director of the Bureau of Investigation
(precursor to the FBI) (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
2
5 |
|
|
1
9
2
6 |
|
|
1
9
2
7 |
-
May 21 - Charles
Lindbergh completes his Trans-Atlantic flight between New York and
Paris (Source: Wikipedia)
-
September - #12, ex-Bessemer &
Lake Erie Railroad #96, is purchased. It is of the 2-8-0
Consolidation type (Source: Harry Frye) |
|
1
9
2
8 |
-
November 18 - Disney's animated production 'Steamboat
Willie' is released (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
2
9 |
-
February 14 - The St. Valentine's Day Massacre occurs in
Chicago (Source: Wikipedia)
-
March 4 - Herbert Hoover is inaugurated as the
thirty-first President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
April - #8 is scrapped. (Source: Shortline & Industrial Railroads of New
Jersey: Volume I, by Benjamin Bernhart)
-
October - Wall
Street crashes, signalling the start of the Great
Depression (Source: Wikipedia )
-
-
Unknown - #12 is retired from
service (Source: Shortline &
Industrial Railroads of New Jersey: Volume I, by Benjamin
Bernhart) |
|
1
9
3
0 |
|
|
1
9
3
1 |
|
|
1
9
3
2 |
-
July 28 - The
Bonus Army marches on Washington, D.C. (Source: Wikipedia)
-
October 3 - Roger A. Clark, President,
General Manager, Secretary, and Auditor of the Rahway Valley
Railroad, dies at his home at 2204 Morris Ave., Union, NJ.
(Source: Obituary, NY Times, 10/4/1932;
Death
Certificate) |
|
1
9
3
3 |
|
|
1
9
3
4 |
|
|
1
9
3
5 |
|
|
1
9
3
6 |
|
|
1
9
3
7 |
-
July 28 - The Rahway Valley Railroad
purchases its last steam locomotive, #15, from Birmingham Rail &
Locomotive. The locomotive is former #20 of the Oneida and Western
Railroad of Tennessee. It is of the 2-8-0 Consolidation type.
(Sources: steamlocomotive.com)
-
|
|
1
9
3
8 |
|
|
1
9
3
9 |
-
April 30 - The
1939 New York World's Fair opens (Source: Wikipedia)
-
September 1 - Nazi-Germany invades Poland, signalling the
start of World War II in Europe (Source: Wikipedia)
-
October - William "Pop" Snyder,
a long-time Rahway Valley Railroad engineer, retires (Source:
"Pop" Snyder Retires, Cranford
Chronicle, 10/26/1939) |
|
1
9
4
0 |
|
|
1
9
4
1 |
-
December 7 - The
Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, signalling the entrance of the
United States into World War II (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
4
2 |
|
|
1
9
4
3 |
-
February - #12 is scrapped (Source: Shortline & Industrial Railroads of New
Jersey: Volume I, by Benjamin Bernhart, Allen Stanley of
Railroad Data Exchange)
- Unknown
- George Clark purchases a new
Buda (human powered) velocipede to ride to work between Unionbury
and Kenilworth, the Tinkettle Hill grade (and the Route 29 grade
crossing!) prove to arduous to him, the idea is soon abolished
(Source: Short-Line Man
by William S. Young)
|
|
1
9
4
4 |
-
June 6 - Allied
forces begin their invasion of Normandy (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
4
5 |
-
April 12 - President Roosevelt dies, Harry Truman
becomes the thirty-third President of the United States
(Source: Wikipedia)
-
May 7 - Victory
in Europe (Source: Wikipedia)
-
August - The
United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
signalling the end of the war with Japan and the end of World War
II (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
4
6 |
|
|
1
9
4
7 |
-
April 15 - Jackie Robinson makes his debut with the
Brooklyn Dodgers (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
4
8 |
-
June 24 - The
Berlin Blockade begins (Source: Wikipedia)
-
|
|
1
9
4
9 |
-
March 28 - Louis Lawrence, a nephew of Louis
Keller, dies. Mr. Lawrence was a major shareholder and member of
the RVRR Board of Directors. (Source: Obituary, Cranford
Chronicle, 3/29/1949) |
|
1
9
5
0 |
-
June 25 - The
Korean War begins (Source: Wikipedia)
-
-
October 2 -
The comic strip 'Peanuts' makes its
first debut in newspapers (Source: Wikipedia)
- Unknown
- After much contemplation, an order is placed with General
Electric for a brand new 70-ton diesel electric locomotive.
Cost is estimated to be around $100,000. The RVRR had looked at
Baldwin diesel locomotives, among others. George Davis is sent to
Erie, PA to learn the 'ins-and-outs' of the new locomotive.
Arrival is set for sometime after the new year. (Sources:
Rahway Valley RR Expects Diesel After January
1, Cranford Chronicle, 11/16/1950; 1 Lung Line Modernized,
NY Times, 4/27/1951)
|
|
1
9
5
1 |
- January 29 -The
RVRR's first diesel, #16, arrives
from Erie, PA. The engine arrives via the DL&W
interchange. George Clark personally opens the door to the new
diesel shed and waves it in. (Sources: Bob Hoeft (RVRR Fireman),
Shortline & Industrial Railroads of
New Jersey: Volume I, by Benjamin Bernhart)
-
-
January 30 - #15 gets into a grade crossing
with a truck of Corson Brothers Tree Experts. Click Here. (Sources:
Jeff Jargosch photo collection, Bob Hoeft (RVRR Fireman))
-
February - A power shovel clobbers #13
and Caboose #102 near the Garden State Parkway crossing. The GSP
was under construction. Click
Here. (Source: Bob Hoeft
(RVRR Fireman)).
-
Unknown - #14 is scrapped (Source: Images of Rail: The Rahway Valley
Railroad by Donald Maxton) |
|
1
9
5
2 |
-
Unknown - #13 is scrapped (circa) |
|
1
9
5
3 |
-
January 20 - Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated the
thirty-fourth President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
New Jersey State
Highway 29 is re-designated as US 22 between Bridgewater and
Newark (Source: Wikipedia)
-
November 25 - 28, 1953 - #16 is in the shops
waiting for a new turbo-charger. #15 is operated for the last time
over the Rahway Valley Railroad (Source: The Story of Number 15 by
William S. Young) |
|
1
9
5
4 |
-
February 2
- The Rahway Valley Railroad takes delivery of a second
diesel, #17. (Source: Shortline
& Industrial Railroads of New Jersey: Volume I, by
Benjamin Bernhart)
-
May 17 - The
decision in Brown v. Board of Education is handed down
(Source: Wikipedia)
-
December 14 - A Rahway Valley Railroad train
collides with a car on Route 22 being driven by Joseph V. Manno,
his son Joseph was a passenger. The Mannos bring sue the
Rahway Valley Railroad Company and the Rahway Valley Company,
Lessee for $35,000 damages. (Source: Accept $1,900 in Rail-Car Suit,
Cranford Chronicle, 4/19/1956) |
|
1
9
5
5 |
-
April - The
first McDonald's Restaurant franchise opens (Source:
Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
5
6 |
-
April - In the suit Rahway Valley Railroad v.
Manno, the railroad agrees to pay $1,500 to Joseph Manno, 16, of
Summit, and $400 to Joseph V. Manno, his father. Source: Accept $1,900 in Rail-Car Suit,
Cranford Chronicle, 4/19/1956)
-
June 29 - The
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is enacting, authorizing 25
billion dollars to be spent on the construction of 41,000 miles of
the Interstate Highway System (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
5
7 |
-
October 4 - The
Soviet Union launches Sputnik (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
5
8 |
|
|
1
9
5
9 |
-
January 3 - Alaska becomes the 49th State
(Source: Wikipedia)
-
January 21 - Four members of the track gang,
Peter Costa, Antonio Cuppari, Frank Palmadesso, and Antonio
Vizzoni, go out on strike. They seek a pay raise from $1.43 an
hour to $2.03. The strike receives national attention in
newspapers and on television (Sources: Rahway Valley Railroad: The little railroad
that helped build Kenilworth, Part II, Walter
Boright, Cranford Chronicle, 5/10/2011; Railroad of 16 Men, Facing Strike by
4, NY Times, 1/14/1959; )
-
March 15 - The DL&W threatens to
discontinue passenger service. It is surmised that the Rahway
Valley Railroad could be used by commuter trains to transport
people living in the Summit-Short Hills-Millburn area who would be
otherwise stranded if the DL&W discontinued passenger service.
(Source: Tiny RR May Solve Commuter
Problems, ________, 3/15/1959)
-
April 30 - After three months, the strike of
the track crew ends with a pay raise (Source: 3 Man Railroad Strike Ends With a Pay
Rise, NY Times, 4/30/1959)
-
-
-
August 21 - Hawaii becomes the 50th State
(Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
6
0 |
-
July 19 - While crossing the eastbound lanes
of Route 22, #17's pilot is struck by a tractor-trailer being
driven by Leonard England of New Providence, NJ.
The locomotive is derailed and sustains minor damage to the
handrails. Traffic is tied up on Route 22 for more than an
hour. Mr. England suffers minor injuries. (Sources: Truck Derails Locomotive, NY
Times, 7/19/1960; Train and Truck Crash Disables Half of
Railroad, Lebanon Daily News, 7/19/1960)
-
October 17 - The
Delaware, Lacakwanna, & Western Railroad merges with the Erie
Railroad, forming the Erie-Lackawanna Railway (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
Unknown - O. Winston Link purchases an
ex-Rutland combine. Link negotiates with George Clark to have the
combine moved to Kenilworth, where he will restore it. Click Here (circa) (Source:
Walt Switz, RVRR Conductor; Patty Clark
photograph) |
|
1
9
6
1 |
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January 20 - John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as the
thirty-fifth President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
April - The Bay
of Pigs Invasion (Source: Wikipedia)
-
June 4 - The
Berlin Crisis begins (Source: Wikipedia) |
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1
9
6
2 |
-
October - The
Cuban Missile Crisis (Source: Wikipedia) |
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1
9
6
3 |
|
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1
9
6
4 |
-
February 7 - The
Beatles arrive in New York, beginning the "British Invasion."
(Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
6
5 |
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1
9
6
6 |
|
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1
9
6
7 |
-
January 15 - Superbowl I is held in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers
defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
6
8 |
-
April 4 - Martin
Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
June 6 - Robert
F. Kennedy is assassinated in Los Angeles (Source:
Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
6
9 |
-
January 20 - Richard Nixon is inaugurated at the
thirty-seventh President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
April 8 - George A. Clark
, President, General Manager, Secretary, and Auditor of
the Rahway Valley Railroad dies in his office in Kenilworth.
(Source: Obituary, NY Times, 4/9/1969)
-
July 20 - Neil
Armstrong walks on the moon (Source: Wikipedia)
-
August 15-18 - The Woodstock Festival is held
(Source: Wikipedia )
-
Unknown - Robert G. Clark
, travels to the Law Offices of Beekman & Bogue in
New York City. Clark is installed as the President, General
Manager, Secretary, and Auditor of the Rahway Valley Railroad,
filling the spot after the death of his father. (Source: Corinne
Clark) |
|
1
9
7
0 |
-
June 24 - The
Lehigh Valley Railroad files for bankruptcy (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
December 29 - OSHA is signed into law (Source:
Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
7
1 |
-
Unknown - Frank Froat retires after 37
years with the Rahway Valley Railroad (Source: Obituary) |
|
1
9
7
2 |
-
May 31 - George Davis, Superintendent of the
Rahway Valley Railroad, retires on pension (Sources: Corinne
Clark; News Article)
-
June 17 - A
break-in takes place at the Watergate office complex
(Source: Wikipedia)
-
June 26 - The
Erie-Lackawanna Railway files for bankruptcy (Source:
Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
7
3 |
-
January 27
- The Paris Peace Accords
are signed, temporarily ending the fighting in Vietnam
(Source: Wikipedia)
-
October - The
1973 Oil Crisis (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
7
4 |
-
August 9 - President Nixon resigns, Gerald Ford becomes
the thirty-eighth President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
August 20 - In an attempt to remove some bee
nests from the eaves of the Kenilworth Station, the building
catches fire. The fire damages the attic portion of the building.
The building is subsequently condemned by the Kenilworth Fire
Department. (Source: Corinne Clark)
-
Unknown - Corinne Clark, wife of Bob Clark,
secures an office trailer to conduct the railroad's day-to-day
operations from. (Source: Corinne Clark)
-
Unknown - Bob Clark the RVRR's President
& General Manager, ailing from health issues, takes a leave of
absence from the railroad (Source: Corinne
Clark) |
|
1
9
7
5 |
-
-
June 14 - Robert G. Clark, President, General
Manager, Secretary, and Auditor of the Rahway Valley Railroad,
dies at his home in Bayville, NJ. His death brings a close
to 56-years, and three generations, of Clark management.
(Source: Obituary, Cranford Chronicle,
6/19/1975)
-
April 30 - Fall
of Saigon (Source: Wikipedia)
-
Unknown - Bernard J. Cahill is installed
as the President, General Manager, Secretary, and Auditor of the
Rahway Valley Railroad by the Law Firm of Beekman & Bogue whom
oversee the affairs of the railroad's stockholders. (Source:
Research)
-
Unknown - George Davis, a former employee of
the RVRR who had been working for the railroad as a contractor
since 1972, discontinues doing business with the Rahway Valley
Railroad.
-
Unknown - #16 and 17 are repainted in
identical maroon and white paint schemes (Source: Research)
-
Unknown - The Rahway Valley Railroad's "RV"
logo is introduced (Source:
Research) |
|
1
9
7
6 |
-
April 1 - Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail)
assumes the operation of several bankrupt northeastern railroads
including Penn Central, Central Railroad of New Jersey,
Erie-Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, and others. This
effectively consolidated all three of the Rahway Valley's
interchange partners into one entity (Source: Wikipedia)
-
July 4 - The
United States Bicentennial (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
7
7 |
-
January 20 - Jimmy Carter is inaugurated as the
thirty-ninth President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
July 13-14, 1977 - The New York City blackout (Source:
Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
7
8 |
-
September 17 - The Camp David Accords are signed
(Source: Wikipedia)
-
September 19 - The Rahway Valley Railroad
leases from ITEL Corporation one hundred 70 ton, 50'
6", boxcars, numbered #1000 - 1099, for a term of fifteen
years (Source: Surface
Transportation Board
document) |
|
1
9
7
9 |
-
March 28 - The
Three Mille accident (Source: Wikipedia)
-
August 31 - A covered hopper derails while
crossing the Boulevard in Kenilworth. The derailed car blocks
traffic for a brief time. The situation is soon rectified.
(Source: Off Track, Cranford Chronicle,
9/2/1979)
-
November 4 - The
Iran hostage crisis begins (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
8
0 |
-
May 18 - The
eruption of Mount St. Helens (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
8
1 |
-
January 20 - Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the fourtieth
President of the United States (Source: Wikipedia)
-
|
|
1
9
8
2 |
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1
9
8
3 |
|
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1
9
8
4 |
|
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1
9
8
5 |
-
April - Delaware
Otsego Corporation assumes operation of the Staten Island Railroad
Corporation, renaming it the Staten Island Railway Corporation.
(Source: "Staten Island -
Rahway Valley Finale," Carl G. Perelman,
Railpace Magazine, July 1992)
-
Unknown - Fear is raised over the possible
abandonment of the Rahway Valley Railroad north of Route 22. The
Union County Transportation Advisory Board (UCTAB) steps in
to ward of abandonment proceedings. The UCTAB meets with
businesses along the RVRR to convince them to switch to rail
freight. Jaeger Lumber, a former RVRR customer, switches back to
rail freight. (Source: County steps in
to find added freight for rail line, Cranford
Chronicle, 12/5/1985) |
|
1
9
8
6 |
-
March 28 - The Rahway Valley Railroad
Company; Rahway Valley Company, Lessee; and Rahway Valley Line are
given notice by the California General Insurance Company, their
insurance carrier, that its policy is non-renewable. Management is
forced to either discontinue operations or find another operator.
(Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
April - Delaware Otsego Corporation assumes
operations of the Rahway Valley Railroad. (Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
December - After months of negotiations, the
Delaware Otsego Corporation purchases all shares of the
Rahway Valley Railroad Company; Rahway Valley Company, Lessee; and
the Rahway Valley Line from their prior shareholders, the majority
of which are held by the Estate of Louis Keller and members of the
Keller family. The three companies become subsidiaries of the
Delaware Otsego Corporation. (Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992) |
|
1
9
8
7 |
-
February 4 - NYS&W #120 derails in front
of the Kenilworth shops. Delaware Otsego crews are dispatched to
rerail the engine. (Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
June 12 - President Reagan delivers his "Tear down this
wall!" speech (Source: Wikipedia) |
|
1
9
8
8 |
-
March 30 - Kasten Rail Car leases space from
Delaware Otsego in the Kenilworth enginehouse to repair four E-8
locomotives, #4258, 4324, 4325, 4327, all formerly of New Jersey
Transit. (Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
April - The former Lehigh Valley, by this
time Conrail, interchange in Roselle Park is closed by
Delaware Otsego. All Rahway Valley interchange cars are thence
handled through the Conrail interchange at Staten Island Junction
in Cranford (just west of the former RV-CNJ Aldene interchange).
This is the last operation over the RVRR's Lehigh Valley Branch.
(Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992) |
|
1
9
8
9 |
-
January 20 - George H. W. Bush is inaugurated the
forty-first President of the United States (Source:
Wikipedia)
-
November 30 - Monsanto Corporation, the
RVRR's largest customer, ceases its operations in Kenilworth.
(Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
Unknown - #16 and 17 are removed from
the Rahway Valley Railroad by Delaware Otsego. Both go on to serve
other portions of the D-O system, including the NYS&W and
CACV. (Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992) |
|
1
9
9
0 |
-
April 13 - The last train operates over the
Rahway River Branch (a.k.a. Can Branch, Monsanto Branch). (Source:
"Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
Fall - Southward Salvage Co., Rockaway N.J.,
is contracted by Delaware Otsego to dismantle the Rahway River
Branch. The job is completed by the end of the season. (Source:
"Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992)
-
October 16 - The Rahway Valley Railroad
Company, a subsidiary of Delaware Otsego Corporation, terminates
its lease of one hundred boxcars, numbered #1000 - 1099, from
ITEL Corp. (Source: Surface
Transportation Board
documents) |
|
1
9
9
1 |
-
February - All tracks north of the Route 22
grade crossing are embargoed by the Delaware Otsego Corporation,
due to poor track condition. Two lumber shippers, Ply-Gem and
Jaeger Lumber, are forced to switch to truck freight.
-
March 29 - After a three year lease, Kasten
Rail Car removes their four E-8 locomotives from the Rahway Valley
Railroad. |
|
1
9
9
2 |
-
-
April 21 - The last train movement is made
over the Rahway Valley Railroad between Kenilworth and Aldene;
Bill Donohue, Engineer and Richard Travis, Conductor. NYSW #120
leads two empty hopper cars from Christie Enterprises, Kenilworth,
to the former CNJ interchange in Aldene. This day also marks the
last day operations over the nearby Staten Island Railway.
(Source: "Staten Island - Rahway Valley
Finale," Carl G. Perelman, Railpace Magazine,
July 1992) |
|
1
9
9
3 |
|
|
1
9
9
4 |
- Unknown
- The New Jersey Department of Transportation purchases the Rahway
Valley Railroad, from Delaware Otsego, from Aldene to Summit
as well as the remaining portion of the Rahway Valley
Line.
|
|
Key |
| (Circa) |
Estimated Date |
| Click Here |
Click to learn more about this event |
| Unknown |
Exact date unknown, but presumed to of occurred
in this year |
| Event |
Event in Rahway Valley history |
| Event |
Event in World
History, New Jersey, or Non-RVRR railroad
history | |
.jpg){kind=link}
