Manhattan Transfer (PRR station)
Encyclopedia
Manhattan Transfer was a passenger station in Harrison
, New Jersey
, east of Newark, 8.8 miles west of New York Penn Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad
(PRR) main line, now Amtrak
's Northeast Corridor
. It consisted of two 1100-foot car-floor-level platforms, one on each side of the PRR line.
The only access to the station was by train; no local access was provided.
Manhattan Transfer gained considerable public familiarity in its time so that the name became used in other contexts
, starting with a 1925 novel
by John Dos Passos.
and beyond ran to Exchange Place
in Jersey City.
On November 27, 1910 PRR opened a new line that branched off the original line two miles east of Newark and ran northeast across the Jersey Meadows
to a pair of tunnels under the Hudson River to New York Penn Station. Along with the new line, they built Manhattan Transfer just west of the junction. Passenger trains to New York Penn changed there from steam locomotive
s to electric locomotive
s to run through the tunnel under the river; while the engine was changed, passengers could transfer to trains on the original line to Jersey City and the ferry connection to Lower Manhattan
. After the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now PATH
) was opened to Newark on October 1, 1911, H&M trains to downtown Manhattan stopped on the tracks outside the two Manhattan Transfer platforms, allowing passengers to transfer from Penn-Station-bound intercity trains. Some PRR trains continued to run to Exchange Place until 1961, but didn't need to change engines and didn't stop at Manhattan Transfer.
In 1933 PRR completed its electrification to Philadelphia/Wilmington/Paoli, so most trains to New York Penn no longer needed to change engines at Manhattan Transfer. They all continued to stop there for the H&M connection until H&M's Newark trains moved about a quarter mile south from their Park Place terminus to the new Newark Penn Station
on June 20, 1937 (the same day the Newark City Subway was extended to Newark Penn Station). That was the end of Manhattan Transfer, and PATH (former H&M) passengers now transfer at Newark Penn Station.
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 13,620. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, east of Newark, 8.8 miles west of New York Penn Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR) main line, now Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
. It consisted of two 1100-foot car-floor-level platforms, one on each side of the PRR line.
The only access to the station was by train; no local access was provided.
Manhattan Transfer gained considerable public familiarity in its time so that the name became used in other contexts
Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer may refer to:* Manhattan Transfer , a Pennsylvania Railroad station in New Jersey* Manhattan Transfer , a 1925 novel by John Dos Passos* The Manhattan Transfer, a jazz, swing, R&B and pop group founded in 1969...
, starting with a 1925 novel
Manhattan Transfer (novel)
Manhattan Transfer is a novel by John Dos Passos published in 1925. It focuses on the development of urban life in New York City from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age as told through a series of overlapping individual stories....
by John Dos Passos.
History
Until 1910 none of the railroads that crossed New Jersey to reach New York City actually reached it; they all ended on the west bank of the Hudson River, where passengers transferred to ferries. The dominant Pennsylvania Railroad was no exception; its passenger trains from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and beyond ran to Exchange Place
Exchange Place (PRR station)
The Pennsylvania Railroad Station was the intermodal passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad's vast holdings on the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey. By the 1920s the station was called Exchange Place in response to local nomenclature...
in Jersey City.
On November 27, 1910 PRR opened a new line that branched off the original line two miles east of Newark and ran northeast across the Jersey Meadows
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
to a pair of tunnels under the Hudson River to New York Penn Station. Along with the new line, they built Manhattan Transfer just west of the junction. Passenger trains to New York Penn changed there from steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s to electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s to run through the tunnel under the river; while the engine was changed, passengers could transfer to trains on the original line to Jersey City and the ferry connection to Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. After the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now PATH
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
PATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...
) was opened to Newark on October 1, 1911, H&M trains to downtown Manhattan stopped on the tracks outside the two Manhattan Transfer platforms, allowing passengers to transfer from Penn-Station-bound intercity trains. Some PRR trains continued to run to Exchange Place until 1961, but didn't need to change engines and didn't stop at Manhattan Transfer.
In 1933 PRR completed its electrification to Philadelphia/Wilmington/Paoli, so most trains to New York Penn no longer needed to change engines at Manhattan Transfer. They all continued to stop there for the H&M connection until H&M's Newark trains moved about a quarter mile south from their Park Place terminus to the new Newark Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (Newark)
Pennsylvania Station is a major transportation hub in Newark, New Jersey. Located at Raymond Plaza, between Market Street and Raymond Boulevard, Newark Penn Station is served by the Newark Light Rail, New Jersey Transit commuter rail, Amtrak long distance trains, the PATH rapid transit system, and...
on June 20, 1937 (the same day the Newark City Subway was extended to Newark Penn Station). That was the end of Manhattan Transfer, and PATH (former H&M) passengers now transfer at Newark Penn Station.
See also
- Susquehanna Transfer (NYS&W station)Susquehanna Transfer (NYS&W station)Susquehanna Transfer was a passenger station on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, located in North Bergen, New Jersey at the Route 495 overpass...
- Kearny ConnectionKearny ConnectionThe Kearny Connection in Kearny, New Jersey, allows suburban passenger trains from New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines to run to New York Penn Station,instead of their traditional ferry terminal on the river in Hoboken. New Jersey Transit dubbed the new service Midtown Direct; the...
- New York Tunnel Extension (PRR tunnel project for New York City area)
- Waterfront ConnectionWaterfront ConnectionThe Waterfront Connection allows trains from New Jersey Transit's Newark Division to switch from the former PRR main line to the former DL&W main line to Hoboken. The connection opened on September 9, 1991....