I used to be a trackman for the city subway old trolley cars I missed that job so much driving these things was so fun #16 that was our work trolley I wish I could relive onemore time 7 city subway line forever a part of my life...
My mom grew up on the North side of Newark, and I remember hopping on those old cars back in the 1990's going down town. I was amazed by the cars back then. I wonder why they didn't construct this to go all over Newark.
I think someone said this before, but Newark, and most of Northern New Jersey, used to have a massive trolley network in the first half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, after World War II, most of them were replaced by bus routes, leaving the Newark City Subway as the only survivor until 2000, when NJ Transit opened a new trolley network in Hudson County. Around the same time, the old trolley cars on this line were replaced by new Light Rail Vehicles, and the subway was later expanded with a new line running through downtown Newark between Penn Station and Broad Street Station.
The 7 line served as the trunk line to bring the rest of the lines downtown without clogging up the street area! I think something like eight different routes branched off till the PCC cars arrived in the 1950s
We can romanticize about the loss of the old PCC cars all we want (and I certainly would join you on that), but those tracks are so overgrown with brush and other signs of neglect, I can't imagine anybody being sorry that it wasn't fixed.
One of the Newark PCC's is being restored by the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. They hope to have it operating this summer. I rode another Newark PCC at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in Rockhill, PA. {I used to take the City Subway to school}
@Licleonschakal If you really want to ride a PCC still in revenue service, they have them currently in Boston, Massachusetts. Look up the Mattapan High Speed line of the MBTA. There are several videos here on you tube.
Newark has trolley lines that ran from downtown up into suburban Irvington, Maplewood and South Orange. The tracks are still down just covered by gravel. As a matter of fact one of the old station is still standing on South Orange Ave on the border of Newark and South Orange. The 7 Line of Newark City Subway was designed to bring people who lived in Bloomfield and Belleville to downtown.
Thanks again for posting this up here! A great slice of history right here. And you are not missing much on the new system, unfortunately. The original wasn't broken but they went and fixed it anyway. I'm only 29 but I still miss the PCC's and the original, simple trolley line :(
It had a San Francisco vintage cablecar, coin fare slot machine (and boardwalk amusement park ride) charm. Yet the new cars are high, wide, and easy step in and out, and a voiceover automated AI nanny voice preannounces each stop. Ultra quiet and no wobble.
@@henryostman5740 years ago there was a plan called the "Newark Elizabeth Rail Link" which would have connected downtown Newark with the airport, part of the seaport, Jersey Gardens and midtown Elizabeth, then out to Cranford on the old CNJ right of way. The only thing that became of it was the Broad Street "extension", basically a shuttle between Penn Station and Broad Street Station. The rest of the plan has pretty much faded away.
The other routes of the Newark City Subway were the 21 Main Street, 23 Central Avenue, and 29 Bloomfield Avenue. The 21 and 23 went through the East Orange, Orange and West Orange; the 29 through Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Cedar Grove, Verona, and Caldwell. Those were the last routes to use the subway before they were converted to bus in 1952. The PCC's only ran on the 7, which was the "trunk" line.
Now a state of the art (if not, mag lev), 21st century fwd autobahn. Sleek and chic (if not in the "clang, clang, clang went the trolley" vintage way) "into the woods," yet windows no longer passenger openable.
Amazing video. I love how it goes stop by stop. As a weekly rider for the current Newark Light Rail, there's a lot that changed. What was the other line that branched off at 4:29?
Joe, that's an editing trick. That shot was actually a PCC coming the other way (outbound) up to the Orange Street crossing, and that's a switchover track you see the car going past. It's visible again a few seconds later as the car crosses Orange Street. This was my neighborhood stop when I was a kid.
@@pierredubois719 Orange St. was my stop, also, for many years. I lived right around the corner on First St. After my entire neighborhood was razed to build Rt. 280, my house was only house left standing on my block.
This was made in 1982? I guess NJT was in no hurry to put their logo on the PCCs as they had taken delivery of new Grumman buses in 1980 and repainted many former TNJ and Maplewood Equipment buses into the NJT color scheme as well. Not sure what they did with all the Somerset equipment.
Joe: Great video of the PCCs in Newark. When did you film it? My guess is sometime around 1977 or so. I commuted on that line from 1986 - 1991 and always enjoyed it, even in bad weather. Thanks for the memories.
@evilrabbit33 I first visited the US, and rode on the City Subway, in April of 2002, so the old cars had been withdrawn by then. Several of them were stored at the new depot for the line, and they looked in good condition for their age. What happened to them, are any preserved somewhere?
Those are some large PCCs, longer than Bostons, Does anyone know where the other routes of the Newark City Subway ran to? What other parts of Newark or Essex county.
It depends what era you're talking about. In the first half of the 20th century, most of North Jersey had a massive trolley network. Most of the lines were replaced by busses in the 50s, and by the time this was shot, this was the only surviving line. Since then, two new lines have been built: the Broad Street Extension, which runs through downtown Newark between Broad Street Station and Penn Station, and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which runs on the West Bank of the Hudson River, linking the cities of North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Bayonne.
I used to be a trackman for the city subway old trolley cars I missed that job so much driving these things was so fun #16 that was our work trolley I wish I could relive onemore time 7 city subway line forever a part of my life...
Ml l
Did you work for it when it was still Public Service??
Omg...Im 49 years old and remember all of this..ty
My mom grew up on the North side of Newark, and I remember hopping on those old cars back in the 1990's going down town. I was amazed by the cars back then.
I wonder why they didn't construct this to go all over Newark.
I think someone said this before, but Newark, and most of Northern New Jersey, used to have a massive trolley network in the first half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, after World War II, most of them were replaced by bus routes, leaving the Newark City Subway as the only survivor until 2000, when NJ Transit opened a new trolley network in Hudson County. Around the same time, the old trolley cars on this line were replaced by new Light Rail Vehicles, and the subway was later expanded with a new line running through downtown Newark between Penn Station and Broad Street Station.
The 7 line served as the trunk line to bring the rest of the lines downtown without clogging up the street area! I think something like eight different routes branched off till the PCC cars arrived in the 1950s
Love this video man, thanks.
The 7 City Subway is the original name for the "Newark Light Rail". The other two systems weren't even thoughts in 1982.
Remember when the ride from Penn to Broad Street was run by minibuses!
We can romanticize about the loss of the old PCC cars all we want (and I certainly would join you on that), but those tracks are so overgrown with brush and other signs of neglect, I can't imagine anybody being sorry that it wasn't fixed.
There's actually less brush and grass now than before
@@JoeyDNetsfan Yes, I've seen the more recent pictures of the system.
One of the Newark PCC's is being restored by the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. They hope to have it operating this summer. I rode another Newark PCC at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in Rockhill, PA. {I used to take the City Subway to school}
@Licleonschakal If you really want to ride a PCC still in revenue service, they have them currently in Boston, Massachusetts. Look up the Mattapan High Speed line of the MBTA. There are several videos here on you tube.
That line is classic too and they have retroffited the seventy year old cars with A/C!
Newark DID have an extensive system of trolleys, and at one time several of the other trolley lines shared the right of way of the #7.
In recent years modern lines have extended and expanded in downtown Newark.
Newark has trolley lines that ran from downtown up into suburban Irvington, Maplewood and South Orange. The tracks are still down just covered by gravel.
As a matter of fact one of the old station is still standing on South Orange Ave on the border of Newark and South Orange.
The 7 Line of Newark City Subway was designed to bring people who lived in Bloomfield and Belleville to downtown.
@@a.b.sproductionsllc Is there a map of what the full network looked like?
@@a.b.sproductionsllc 'The board of Newark and South Orange'? I assume you mean 'border'.
@@NYRNGR1 Minor typo 🙄
Thanks again for posting this up here! A great slice of history right here. And you are not missing much on the new system, unfortunately. The original wasn't broken but they went and fixed it anyway. I'm only 29 but I still miss the PCC's and the original, simple trolley line :(
It had a San Francisco vintage cablecar, coin fare slot machine (and boardwalk amusement park ride) charm. Yet the new cars are high, wide, and easy step in and out, and a voiceover automated AI nanny voice preannounces each stop. Ultra quiet and no wobble.
why didn't they have a line out to the airport? I bet a line to Port Newark would generate a lot of traffic too.
@@henryostman5740 years ago there was a plan called the "Newark Elizabeth Rail Link" which would have connected downtown Newark with the airport, part of the seaport, Jersey Gardens and midtown Elizabeth, then out to Cranford on the old CNJ right of way. The only thing that became of it was the Broad Street "extension", basically a shuttle between Penn Station and Broad Street Station. The rest of the plan has pretty much faded away.
My father worked at both ends of the line till 1979
The other routes of the Newark City Subway were the 21 Main Street, 23 Central Avenue, and 29 Bloomfield Avenue. The 21 and 23 went through the East Orange, Orange and West Orange; the 29 through Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Cedar Grove, Verona, and Caldwell. Those were the last routes to use the subway before they were converted to bus in 1952. The PCC's only ran on the 7, which was the "trunk" line.
Now that is a great story and of course a fabulous subject, well done!!!
Now a state of the art (if not, mag lev), 21st century fwd autobahn. Sleek and chic (if not in the "clang, clang, clang went the trolley" vintage way) "into the woods," yet windows no longer passenger openable.
Amazing video. I love how it goes stop by stop. As a weekly rider for the current Newark Light Rail, there's a lot that changed. What was the other line that branched off at 4:29?
Joe, that's an editing trick. That shot was actually a PCC coming the other way (outbound) up to the Orange Street crossing, and that's a switchover track you see the car going past. It's visible again a few seconds later as the car crosses Orange Street. This was my neighborhood stop when I was a kid.
Youre correct and very observant!
@@pierredubois719 Orange St. was my stop, also, for many years. I lived right around the corner on First St. After my entire neighborhood was razed to build Rt. 280, my house was only house left standing on my block.
Amazing video!
Thanks!
Great vid!! I rode the line several times and I was also there for the retirement festivities at the new Branch Brook Park station.
This was made in 1982? I guess NJT was in no hurry to put their logo on the PCCs as they had taken delivery of new Grumman buses in 1980 and repainted many former TNJ and Maplewood Equipment buses into the NJT color scheme as well. Not sure what they did with all the Somerset equipment.
Sweet memories
IN 2006 IN JULY 17 THEY MADE THE BROAD ST EXTENSION IN BETWEEN PENN STAION AND BROAD ST STAION
"The Little Engine That Could."
Good memories
It's one of my dreams-purposes to ride on a PCC, there are no more of those down here uin Mexico City... :-(
Very Nice.
I first wrote in The 7 City Subway somewhere around the day after Independence Day of 1996 In believe!!!
Joe:
Great video of the PCCs in Newark. When did you film it? My guess is sometime around 1977 or so. I commuted on that line from 1986 - 1991 and always enjoyed it, even in bad weather. Thanks for the memories.
1982 actually it says so in the end of the video this video is almost 40 years old
Oh yah 1\17\15 me and my dad are going to take the city subway from grove st to Penn station
cars 101 to 116 were made in 1999 117 was made in 1998 118 was made in 1999 119 120 121 were made in 2004
PS THE BRANCH BROOK PARK STAION IS NEW
@evilrabbit33 I first visited the US, and rode on the City Subway, in April of 2002, so the old cars had been withdrawn by then. Several of them were stored at the new depot for the line, and they looked in good condition for their age. What happened to them, are any preserved somewhere?
I read that a few are used in San Fransisco, and I know that one is being restored at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine.
They were sold, still in use somewhere ifnot mistaken.
On 1 \24\15 me and dad are taking the city subway to antlantic st
DO YOU KNOW 117 WAS MADE IN 1998
ONE MORE THING IN 2001 THEY RENAMED THE STAION TO BRANCH BROOK PARK
Is anyone familiar with the history of the subway line formerly being a canal?
It was the Morris Canal before it was the Newark City Subway.
sorry they don't have the pcc any more because in 8/24/2001 they put the LRV MADE IN 1999
what about the hudson bergen and newark light rails plus the river line
Don't forget the F Line in San Francisco!
they got assembled in elmira ny in 1998 1999 2004
seth filginouski ASSEMBLED IN HARRISON,NJ
Those are some large PCCs, longer than Bostons, Does anyone know where the other routes of the Newark City Subway ran to? What other parts of Newark or Essex county.
It depends what era you're talking about. In the first half of the 20th century, most of North Jersey had a massive trolley network. Most of the lines were replaced by busses in the 50s, and by the time this was shot, this was the only surviving line. Since then, two new lines have been built: the Broad Street Extension, which runs through downtown Newark between Broad Street Station and Penn Station, and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which runs on the West Bank of the Hudson River, linking the cities of North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Bayonne.
I FORGOT THEY RENIVATED BLOOMFIELD AVE AND DAVENPORT AVE STAIONS
nothing like newark today...
oh yah do you know the LRV MADE IN 1999
PS THEY WERE MADE IN JAPAN
THIS IS MY BROTHERS CHANNEL
ON THE NEWARK SUBWAY
this is my brothers
PS THIS IS MY MOM
Get rid of that music and let the real sounds be on the video.
Judging by the footage, it was probably shot on a silent 8MM camera.