20th century
In 1901, the Reading Company (RDG), successor to the Philadelphia & Reading, acquired control of the CNJ through purchase of a majority of its stock, and at about the same time Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) acquired control of the RDG, gaining access to New York over RDG and CNJ rails.[2][4]
In 1929, CNJ inaugurated the Blue Comet, a deluxe coach train operating twice daily between Jersey City and Atlantic City. It was painted blue from the pilot of its 4-6-2 to the rear bulkhead of its observation car, and its refurbished cars offered a level of comfort much higher than the usual day coach of the era. The train was the forerunner of the coach streamliners that blossomed nationwide in the late 1930s and the 1940s. It succumbed to automobile competition in 1941. Also in 1929 CNJ purchased a 30 percent interest in the Raritan River Railroad, a 12-mile (19 km) short line from South Amboy to New Brunswick. In 1931 it acquired total ownership of the Wharton & Northern Railroad and a partial interest in the Mount Hope Mineral Railroad from Warren Foundry & Pipe Corporation.[2]
Following World War II, passenger traffic diminished, and was almost entirely commuter business, requiring great amounts of rolling stock for two short periods five days a week. Three-fourths of CNJ's freight traffic terminated on line; the railroad was essentially a terminal carrier, which meant little if any profit. In addition, taxes levied by the state of New Jersey ate up much of CNJ's revenue.
In 1946, the lines in Pennsylvania were organized as the Central Railroad of Pennsylvania (CRP) in an effort to escape taxation by the state of New Jersey. CNJ resumed its own operation of the Pennsylvania lines at the end of 1952. The CRP continued in existence as owner of the Easton & Western, four miles of track in Easton, Pennsylvania.[2]
The merger between the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway proposed in 1965 sought to counter the impending PRR merger with New York Central Railroad merger was to have included CNJ, but the bankruptcy of Penn Central Transportation Company killed that prospect. CNJ drafted elaborate plans for reorganization; they came to naught as neighboring railroads collapsed. Conrail took over freight operations of the CNJ on April 1, 1976; passenger routes were transferred to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, including the present New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line and Raritan Valley Line.[2]
In 1961, the Lehigh and New England Railroad was abandoned, and CNJ acquired a few of its branches and organized them as the Lehigh and New England Railroad. In 1963, Lehigh Coal & Navigation sold its railroad properties to the RDG, although the lease to the CNJ continued.
In 1964, the state of New Jersey began subsidizing commuter service, and the tax situation changed in 1967.
In 1965, CNJ and the Lehigh Valley Railroad consolidated their lines along the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania and portions of each railroad's line were abandoned; the commercial anthracite traffic that had supported both railroads had largely disappeared. CNJ operations in Pennsylvania ended March 31, 1972.[2]
CNJ maintained a small carfloat terminal in The Bronx. It was the site of the first successful Class 1 railroad diesel operation. Over the years, CNJ maintained an extensive marine operation on New York Bay, including a steamer line to Sandy Hook.
On April 30, 1967, CNJ's last marine service—the ferry line between Manhattan and CNJ's rail terminal at Jersey City—made its last run, which was also the last day for the terminal itself; the next day CNJ passenger trains began originating and terminating at the PRR station in Newark via the Aldene Connection, where New York City passengers could transfer to either PRR or Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) trains.[2]
On August 6, 1978, the Bayonne "Scoot" ran for the last time. The CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge would be abandoned and the lift spans demolished in July and August 1980.
In 1979, CNJ emerged from bankruptcy as Central Jersey Industries, later renamed CJI Industries. In 1986, it merged with the packaging company Triangle Industries, owned by Nelson Peltz.
