Eastern Railroad Discussion > Fall colors on the ex- PRR in Monmouth County, NJ

The Jersey Shore area fall colors usually don't really begin to change and become peak until we reach late October. During my lunch, I often walk along the former Pennsylvania Railroad (originally Freehold & Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad) in the Allenwood section of Wall Twp. Going west, the line broke off the New York & Long Branch near the Sea Girt/Manasquan border and ran through Freehiold to Jamesburg and eventually Monmouth Junction on the Northeast Corridor. Today, the converted rail line is called the the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway along the Manasquan section and is part of the Capital to Coast Trail.

I do not know when freight service east of Freehold ceased on the line. I know I am fifty years too late to see a train running as the last train was run by the PRR in 1964. If I recall fro what I have read and seen correctly, the passengers at that point were mostly school children. The motive power at that time was a PRR doodlebug, which is at Ringoes, NJ at the Black River & Western.

With the colors coming in, I meant to bring my camera to photo them, but would often deal with cloudy skies or would forget to bring my camera. Last week, there were two days I made sure I had the camera, and even my bicycle one day to help me cover more ground. Of course cloudy skies moved in earlier than expected that day, but I continued nonetheless. During this time of year, with the lower sun, the trail has shadows (some in large sections), so that is one concern for photos. We've also had several windy and rainy days recently, so more of the leaves would be coming off the trees. Friday's weather was sunny, but didn't have the full time for the bicycle. Okay, onto the photos.

1. Here is an eastward looking view of the ROW. This is between Ramshorn Drive and Route 34.
2. We are now looking west toward Ramshorn Drive.
3. One more view looking west. This stretch of the ROW is on an embankment.

Few more to come.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/14 09:42 by OCtrainguy.

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Continuing west on the trail with the photos.

Heading west from the first three photos, we now approach the former station area and the well know Allenwood General Store. The town has setup a small area near where the station stood (it in now in Allaire State Park and used by the Pine Creek Railroad) with a crossbuck and a small section of rail. There is no plaque or any sign with an explanation, but an educated guess is that these were save when the tracks were removed. Some old photos in the Allenwood Post Office show two tracks in this area. (I don't know when they happened.) A short distance west is the bridge over the Garden State Parkway.

4. Here is the crossbuck and section of rail setup by the town.
5. The eastern side of the bridge over the Parkway. Recent roadwork on the Parkway has force this bridge to be closed at times.
6. A view of the bridge itself The spans are identical over both the southbound and northbound lanes of the parkway which are separated by a median.

A few more photos left.

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After crossing the parkway, the trees along the trail were very bare and those that still had leaves on them weren't colorful. Perhaps some of this may be a result of the more open spaces (farms, golf course & larger properties) along the line from the parkway to Allaire State Park.

7. Approaching the eastern side of the Spring Meadow Golf Course. The trail curves to the right and becomes hilly and curvy. The PRR ROW would've contiuned through the golf course, by where the bicycle is.
8. The western side of the golf course property looking east and I found the ROW again as the trail curves toward County Route 524.
9. Continuing west, we see the final approach of the trail and the eastern boundary of Allaire State Park. Currently, the trail ends at the main entrance to the park. The railroad did serve the Allaire Iron Works.

From Manasquan to Allenwood, there are painted mile markers on the trail every quarter mile. From its start in Manasquan to the Allenwood General Store, the trail is 2.75 miles long. Like many rail trails, it's great that the ROW has been saved. If you're in the area and have the time, I recommend the trail and the Allenwood General Store is well know for it's pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches. Hope you enjoyed the photos!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/14 07:30 by OCtrainguy.

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Very nice shots, thanks for sharing!

GREAT stuff...!!! Thanks for sharing.

i believe it connected with the CNJ Southern Division at Farmingdale

Posted from Android

You are correct. This PRR line crossed the CNJ in Farmingdale.

Looks like a great place to ride a bike.
john