Princeton Branch
Encyclopedia
The Princeton Branch is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit
in the U.S. state
of New Jersey
. The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line
, running from Princeton Junction
northwest to Princeton
with no intermediate stops. Also known as the Dinky Line, or the Princeton Junction and Back (PJ&B), the branch is served by special shuttle trains. Dinky
is a term for a small locomotive. The line is today served by a set of two Budd
Arrow III self-propelled electric coach cars. The Federal Railroad Administration
considers any power car to be a locomotive
. One-car sets are sometimes used. NJ Transit has also considered using diesel multiple unit
coaches on the line.
The Princeton Branch provides rail service directly to the Princeton University
campus from Princeton Junction, where New Jersey Transit and Amtrak
trains that go to Newark, New York City
, and Philadelphia can be boarded. Peak period trains leave Princeton on weekdays between 5:59 am and 8:14 am, approximately, and leave Princeton Junction on weekdays between 5:03 pm and 8:10 pm, approximately (some trains handle both peak and off-peak commuters to and from the Northeast Corridor). There are 41 departures in each direction daily.
, about one mile (2 km) from downtown Princeton. The new alignment (now the Northeast Corridor Line
) opened in 1863, but some passenger trains continued to use the old line until the Princeton Branch opened on May 29, 1865, using a Grice & Long steam dummy
for passenger service.
The Pennsylvania Railroad
leased and began to operate the C&A, including the Princeton Branch, in 1871. Penn Central Transportation
took over operations in 1968, and, when Conrail was formed in 1976, the line was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Transportation
.
The Princeton train, locally called the "Dinky" or the "PJ&B" (for "Princeton Junction and Back"), is a unique symbol of Princeton University that has grown over time to emblemize the University. It is mentioned in F. Scott Fitzgerald
's "This Side of Paradise
", featured in the TV program "Family Ties
" when young Alex P. Keaton goes for his on-campus interview, and it is also in the 1934 Bing Crosby
Movie "She Loves Me Not
". The theme of Princeton and the train is repeated again in the University's own traditional homecoming song "Going Back to Nassau Hall" by Kenneth S. Clark (1905). In it, the line "We'll clear the track as we go back" refers to the Princeton Branch tracks that stop on campus.
Princeton University plans a campus expansion at the site of the branch's terminal station that will move the station 460 feet south of its current location. Rail advocates fear that access to the new station would be less convenient, resulting in decreased ridership that would "threaten the train's existence."
In 2010 the Princeton Regional Planning Board and New Jersey Transit (NJT) presented plans to convert the train to a Rapid Transit Bus (BRT) that would be part of a larger regional BRT system. In April 2010 a group formed on the social network site, Facebook
, called "Save the Princeton Dinky". It has attracted over 6,000 alumni, locals and others in support of keeping the Dinky train. The Princeton Regional Planning Board ultimately passed a resolution supporting the continuation of train service, however on October 4, 2011, by a vote of 3-2, Princeton Borough Council voted to ratify an agreement that permits Princeton University to request that NJTransit cut back the line to the Princeton Borough boundary, and to incorporate the current existing commuter parking lot and terminal building into the university's "Arts and Transit" project. .
students on Friday, May 3, 1963. The Dinky referred to is the Princeton Branch service operated at the time by the Pennsylvania Railroad
, usually a one-car train. At the time, Princeton was an all-male school, so the Dinky was the primary means of transportation for women coming to the campus to meet their dates.
In the "Robbery", four students on horseback ambush
ed the train as it was arriving in the Princeton Junction station
. A convertible was parked across the track forcing the Dinky to come to an abrupt halt. At that point, the ersatz cowboys rode up to the Dinky, and, led by George Bunn '63 who was armed with a pistol loaded with blanks, boarded and seized four girls selected on the spot. The riders and their newly-found dates rode off on the horses, the convertible was moved off the tracks, and the Dinky arrived safely, albeit a few minutes late. Although the University administrators were aware of the event and knew who was involved, they took no official action against them.
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line
Northeast Corridor Line
The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail operation run by New Jersey Transit along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It is the successor to commuter services provided by the Pennsylvania Railroad along the section between Trenton, New Jersey and New York Penn Station...
, running from Princeton Junction
Princeton Junction (NJT station)
Princeton Junction Station at West Windsor is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail station on the Northeast Corridor located in Princeton Junction, an area within West Windsor Township in New Jersey, USA...
northwest to Princeton
Princeton (NJT station)
Princeton is served by thePrinceton Branch of New Jersey Transit. It serves the borough of Princeton and is located on the Princeton University campus...
with no intermediate stops. Also known as the Dinky Line, or the Princeton Junction and Back (PJ&B), the branch is served by special shuttle trains. Dinky
Dinky Train
Dinky train is a U.S. nickname sometimes used to describe a smallish train that runs on a "Dinky line". This is a railroad, often constructed with narrow gauge track, used for short supply runs between closely spaced cities and towns...
is a term for a small locomotive. The line is today served by a set of two Budd
Budd Company
The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and was formerly a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars during the 20th century....
Arrow III self-propelled electric coach cars. The Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
considers any power car to be a locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
. One-car sets are sometimes used. NJ Transit has also considered using diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
coaches on the line.
The Princeton Branch provides rail service directly to the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
campus from Princeton Junction, where New Jersey Transit and 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...
trains that go to Newark, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Philadelphia can be boarded. Peak period trains leave Princeton on weekdays between 5:59 am and 8:14 am, approximately, and leave Princeton Junction on weekdays between 5:03 pm and 8:10 pm, approximately (some trains handle both peak and off-peak commuters to and from the Northeast Corridor). There are 41 departures in each direction daily.
History
When the Camden and Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company opened its original Trenton-New Brunswick line in 1839, the line was located along the east bank of the Delaware and Raritan CanalDelaware and Raritan Canal
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
, about one mile (2 km) from downtown Princeton. The new alignment (now the Northeast Corridor Line
Northeast Corridor Line
The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail operation run by New Jersey Transit along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It is the successor to commuter services provided by the Pennsylvania Railroad along the section between Trenton, New Jersey and New York Penn Station...
) opened in 1863, but some passenger trains continued to use the old line until the Princeton Branch opened on May 29, 1865, using a Grice & Long steam dummy
Steam dummy
A steam dummy or dummy engine, in the United States of America and Canada, was a steam engine enclosed in a wooden box structure made to resemble a railroad passenger coach....
for passenger service.
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....
leased and began to operate the C&A, including the Princeton Branch, in 1871. Penn Central Transportation
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
took over operations in 1968, and, when Conrail was formed in 1976, the line was transferred to the New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
.
The Princeton train, locally called the "Dinky" or the "PJ&B" (for "Princeton Junction and Back"), is a unique symbol of Princeton University that has grown over time to emblemize the University. It is mentioned in F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's "This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920, and taking its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive Princeton University...
", featured in the TV program "Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
" when young Alex P. Keaton goes for his on-campus interview, and it is also in the 1934 Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
Movie "She Loves Me Not
She Loves Me Not (1934 film)
She Loves Me Not is a 1934 comedy film adapted from the novel of the same name by Edward Hope. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and starred Miriam Hopkins and Bing Crosby...
". The theme of Princeton and the train is repeated again in the University's own traditional homecoming song "Going Back to Nassau Hall" by Kenneth S. Clark (1905). In it, the line "We'll clear the track as we go back" refers to the Princeton Branch tracks that stop on campus.
Plans for the Branch
In 2010 the Princeton Regional Planning Board and New Jersey Transit (NJT) presented plans to convert the train to a Rapid Transit Bus (BRT) that would be part of a larger regional BRT system. In April 2010 a group formed on the social network site, Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, called "Save the Princeton Dinky". It has attracted over 6,000 alumni, locals and others in support of keeping the Dinky train. The Princeton Regional Planning Board ultimately passed a resolution supporting the continuation of train service, however on October 4, 2011, by a vote of 3-2, Princeton Borough Council voted to ratify an agreement that permits Princeton University to request that NJTransit cut back the line to the Princeton Borough boundary, and to incorporate the current existing commuter parking lot and terminal building into the university's "Arts and Transit" project. .
The Great Dinky Robbery
The Great Dinky Robbery was a prank perpetrated by four Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
students on Friday, May 3, 1963. The Dinky referred to is the Princeton Branch service operated at the time by 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....
, usually a one-car train. At the time, Princeton was an all-male school, so the Dinky was the primary means of transportation for women coming to the campus to meet their dates.
In the "Robbery", four students on horseback ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed the train as it was arriving in the Princeton Junction station
Princeton Junction (NJT station)
Princeton Junction Station at West Windsor is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail station on the Northeast Corridor located in Princeton Junction, an area within West Windsor Township in New Jersey, USA...
. A convertible was parked across the track forcing the Dinky to come to an abrupt halt. At that point, the ersatz cowboys rode up to the Dinky, and, led by George Bunn '63 who was armed with a pistol loaded with blanks, boarded and seized four girls selected on the spot. The riders and their newly-found dates rode off on the horses, the convertible was moved off the tracks, and the Dinky arrived safely, albeit a few minutes late. Although the University administrators were aware of the event and knew who was involved, they took no official action against them.
Station listing
| Mile Post | Municipality | Station | Oper | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | |West Windsor | Princeton Junction Princeton Junction (NJT station) Princeton Junction Station at West Windsor is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail station on the Northeast Corridor located in Princeton Junction, an area within West Windsor Township in New Jersey, USA... |
NJT/Amtrak | Northeast Corridor NJT/Amtrak lines. |
| 2.8 | Princeton Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756... |
Princeton Princeton (NJT station) Princeton is served by thePrinceton Branch of New Jersey Transit. It serves the borough of Princeton and is located on the Princeton University campus... |
NJT | no connections at this time |