Stafford Township Unveils Historic Rail Car

Restored Rail Car in Stafford Township to be used as Classroom and Meeting Space  

Eight years ago a corroded old Central Railroad of  New Jersey rail car was found in the woods of the now defunct military site, Camp Evans in Wall Township. The Stafford Township Historical Society decided they wanted to bring it back to Manahawkin and restore it.  

It took 6 years and $60,000 to refurbish the 73-foot rail car, which was supposed to take much less time and money, but the restoration, is finally complete. In the next few months, the rail car will be opened and used as a classroom and meeting space with room for 70 people and comes with all the mod-cons - seating, heating, air conditioning and television which will allow Stafford Township children to learn about our history.

The rail car was originally built back in 1922 for the Central Railroad of New Jersey and was used to carry passengers North Jersey and Pennsylvania to The Jersey Shore from the 1850's to the 1970's. 

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States. Its main line ran from Jersey City west through New Jersey to Phillipsburg and across the Delaware River to Easton and Scranton in Pennsylvania. Branches stretched into southern New Jersey, The Jersey Shore and to the Delaware Bay.  

The CNJ was acquired by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway in 1883. Though that was later canceled, the Reading continued to exert major influence over the CNJ, and used it for its New York City terminal.   The Central Railroad was extremely important to the growth of southern Ocean County and started the tourism trade for the area including Long Beach Island.  For more information on the CNJ, click here.  

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Stafford Township is in Ocean County, New Jersey. The township population was 22,532 and was formed by Royal Charter on March 3, 1750. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's first 104 townships by on February 21, 1798, and became part of the newly-formed Ocean County on February 15, 1850.

Stafford Township is the gateway to the resort communities on Long Beach Island, with Route 72 providing the sole road access, ending in Ship Bottom as it crosses Manahawkin Bay via the Manahawkin Bay Bridge. The Garden State Parkway and Route 9 pass through the township and provide access to Route 72 which would allow an easy commute of about make at 1.5 hours to Philadelphia and 2 hours to downtown Manhattan.  

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