A romantic trolley ride through Morris County

People crowded around the first trolley car to run in Morristown, August 27, 1909, NJHGC Image Collection

By Linda Ross, North Jersey History and Genealogy Center

In July 1911, one dollar would buy you a moonlight excursion from the Morristown Green to Bertrand Island amusement park on Lake Hopatcong, with a boat ride on the lake included.

The twilight ride through rural Morris County, the moonlit lake, the sleepy trip back home – what could be more romantic at that price?

People crowded around the first trolley car to run in Morristown, August 27, 1909, NJHGC Image Collection
People crowded around the first trolley car to run in Morristown, Aug. 27, 1909, NJHGC Image Collection

The idea for a county-wide trolley system began at the end of the 19th century, among a group of investors who envisioned a system of rails to every rural community, connecting eventually to all the major towns and cities in northern New Jersey.

A trolley company known as Morris County Traction Company, headed by Robert D. Foote of Morris Township, was chartered on June 8, 1899, to bring the vision to reality.

It was headquartered in Morristown, but not until 10 years later did the first trolley run in Morristown.

MCT route map from Lowenthal & Greenberg, Morris County Traction Company
MCT route map from Lowenthal & Greenberg, Morris County Traction Company. Click to enlarge.

After incorporation, the company spent years raising capital and negotiating for rights of way along what was supposed to be the main trolley line, from Chatham to Stanhope.

At last, in June 1903, the company applied for its first franchise, in Dover.

The initial track ran from Blackwell Street in Dover to East Dover, with the first car running on July 4, 1903. By the end of 1904 the line extended westward to Wharton and eastward to Rockaway. Another two years saw the line extended through Kenvil and Succasunna to Ledgewood.

Meanwhile, an eastern segment of the company began development around Summit, with a line to run from Springfield to Maplewood and from Summit to Elizabeth.

Expansion efforts were hampered by ongoing disputes with towns and private citizens over access to rights of way, and with the railroad over access to bridges, tunnels and crossings; various geographic obstructions; and difficulties raising money for building.

Children aboard trolleys for a trip to Lake Hopatcong, August 4, 1926, NJHGC Image Collection
Children aboard trolleys for a trip to Lake Hopatcong, Aug. 4, 1926, NJHGC Image Collection

The cost of land and the expense of construction overextended MCT, and by the end of 1906 the company had fallen into default. Its control passed to a group of investors from Harrisburg, PA, who infused it with fresh capital. The new managers pushed for continued expansion, building the line eastward from Rockaway to Denville and adding a branch line from Denville to Boonton.

The company was headquartered in Morristown but so far no track had been laid anywhere near the town. In 1907, MCT gained right of way to build on Speedwell Avenue. Construction of a central segment that would connect the western and eastern sections began.

On Aug. 27, 1909, to loud cheers and clanging gongs, the first trolley rolled down Speedwell Avenue and stopped in front of the municipal building at the corner of Speedwell and Water Street.

It had traveled from Five Corners (Hanover Avenue) with its own current, and was loaded with town and MCT officials and their guests. The Daily Record heralded  “a great day for Morristown” and gave it front-page coverage. (Daily Record, Aug. 27, 1909, page 1.)

By this time, the company consisted of three unconnected sections that had little beyond ownership in common. It needed better direction to be successful.

Snow sweeper stuck in a snow drift. The photographer's logbook comments, "Been there three days." February 7, 1920, NJHGC Image Collection
Snow sweeper stuck in a snow drift. The photographer’s logbook comments, “Been there three days.” Feb. 7, 1920, NJHGC Image Collection

In 1910, investors from Pittsburgh took over, reorganized the company and issued new bonds to raise capital.

The new managers restarted work on the Boonton branch; began construction on a Morris Plains-to-Mount Tabor link; obtained a franchise for a line from Summit through Chatham; and started work on an extension of the Morristown track from the Green to the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western station on Morris Street.

Eastward expansion beyond the station was impeded by a railroad project for a grade separation at the Morris Street crossing.

Work on the western portion of the line progressed and the first trolley to run from Dover to Morristown arrived on Aug. 21, 1910. Now passengers could make the trip from the Green to Bertrand Island without interruption. The trolley ran every 30 minutes; the trip took two hours, but it cost only 35 cents! The following summer moonlight excursions between the two points began.

Only the gap from Morristown to Madison remained to be built. More than any other segment of the line, this stretch was challenged by opposition from private landowners.

The wealthy estate owners who occupied the properties between the two towns were stridently opposed to the trolley. The managers of MCT countered by forming a separate steam rail company, Morris RR, to build tracks from Danforth Road in Madison to Morris Street in Morristown.

Eventually the trolley company prevailed and completed a line connecting Madison and Morristown – and with it, the eastern and western portions of the system. On March 1, 1914, the first car ran the line from Wharton to Maplewood.

Ridership increased over the next years, with 1920 becoming the peak year for operation. In that year, MCT ran 42 trolleys over a little more than 50 miles of track, carrying 7.7 million passengers over 1.42 million passenger miles.

Morris Street flood that washed the trolley off its tracks, September 9, 1924, NJHGC Image Collection
Morris Street flood that washed the trolley off its tracks, September 9, 1924, NJHGC Image Collection

Weather occasionally caused problems for the line. On Feb. 3, 1920, a hail storm turned to heavy snow that fell throughout the night.

Combined with strong winds, the snow drifted more than six feet high in places, including across the trolley tracks. The sweepers and ploughs were helpless against the drifts. It took most of a week to completely clear the lines so that the trolley could run unhindered again.

September 1924 saw heavy rainfall that caused flooding at the Morris–Elm Street intersection in Morristown. The water swept the trolley completely off the tracks.

Collisions between automobiles and trolleys were regular occurrences, as were collisions between trolleys.

Damaged trolley car #402, April 19, 1926, NJHGC Image Collection
Damaged trolley car #402, April 19, 1926, NJHGC Image Collection

The NJHGC archive has several photographs of damaged autos and bashed trolley cars testifying to the frequent encounters. Car 402 appears in a number of them.

Although at its peak the Morris County Traction Company ran one of the most successful trolley systems in New Jersey, it never became profitable.

The debts accrued from buying rights of way and constructing the line combined with the costs of maintaining the tracks and the public roads on which they ran drained away any profit that might have been.

Road damage around the trolley track on Speedwell Avenue at Henry Street, March 14, 1926, NJHGC Image Collection
Road damage around the trolley track on Speedwell Avenue at Henry Street, March 14, 1926, NJHGC Image Collection

The increasing affordability of automobiles by the working class and the expanding network of paved roads on which the cars could travel also contributed to falling revenues.

Former passengers who now drove their own cars began to consider the trolleys an impediment to traffic. Not only MCT, but most other trolley systems, fell out of favor as the 1920s progressed.

Small, privately-owned buses called jitneys began to run on roads that paralleled the tracks, attracting potential trolley passengers. Bit by bit, buses replaced the trolley on the branch lines, then on parts of the main line.

In July 1923, Morris County Traction Company went into receivership, from which it never recovered. In October 1927 it was sold at auction to its bondholders. They quickly resold it to Public Service Coordinated Transport. Public Service took over the MCT franchise in February 1928.

On Feb. 2, 1928, an article in the Daily Record was headlined “Last Trolley Car to Run Saturday.” On Feb. 4, the last trolley ran and buses took over the entire system. Thus ended the history of “the slowest moving trolley line in the country.” (Daily Record, Feb. 4, 1928, page 3.)

Sources consulted for this article were:
Hamm, Edward, Jr., The Public Service Trolley Lines in New Jersey, Polo, IL: Transportation Trails, 1991, pp. 189-191
Lowenthal, Larry and Greenberg, William T., Morris County Traction Company, Conshohocken, PA: Crusader Printing, 1984
Daily Record, various issues from 1909 – 1928
The Jerseyman, various issues from 1899 – 1909

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Mr. Lowenthal, do you know where a copy the 2006 edition of your book can be purchased? I own the 1984 edition, and have referenced it many times. I am very interested in purchasing the 2006 edition, but cannot seem to find it online anywhere. Thanks!

  2. Thank you for your comments Mr. Lowenthal and for writing the book. I hope to purchase a copy of the second edition for our collections. Please contact me at james.lewis@mainlib.org if you are looking for a home for the materials (i.e. photographs, maps, notes, rare books, railroad timetables) used in doing the research for the book.

  3. Appreciate your interest in a fascinating subject that is an important part of Morris County history. I would like to advise that we did a later edition of Morris County Traction (2006), which is approx. 3 times as long, more photos, better maps, & much fuller history. Some copies of this edition are still available, whereas the smaller 1984 edition is long out-of-print. I can provide more information if you wish.

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