Winslow
Junction, the home of the Southern Railroad Company of New Jersey,
is tucked into the agricultural center of the Pine Barrens, just
west of Hammonton, "The Blueberry Capital of the World".
Just a few blocks off Route 30, a.k.a. The White Horse Pike, are
many old trains in various states of renovation. Here are photos
of some of them. I hope to return for more in-depth photos in the
near future. While driving by and taking these photos, I saw 3 or
4 gentlemen who looked like they were a part of SRCNJ, but unfortunately,
I didn't have time to stop and chat. Next time....
Winslow Junction was
once a busy place, as the number of tracks leading here will attest.
Even the famed "BLUE
COMET" stopped here! Currently, New Jersey Transit
trains pass through (over the trestle, I believe) on its Atlantic
City Line, which runs from Philadelphia to Atlantic City.
Regarding
the sign's statement of the train wreck, "Wikipedia" reports:
Winslow Junction Train Derailment, Winslow, New Jersey: on the West
Jersey and Seashore's Line near the Winslow Tower, at 12:30am, a
derailment of Train 33, the Owl, when the shore bound train going
90 miles per hour, sped through an open switch at Winslow Junction.
Four passengers, the engineer, fireman and conductor were killed,
65 were injured. Blame was fixed on the switchman in the tower and
the Owl's engineer. This crash is memorialized with a sign at Winslow
Junction, which reports the date incorrectly as July 21, 1922, and
refers to the train as the 'Midnight Flyer'. It appears from reports
in the New York Times dated from July 3 - July 8 1922, that 'Midnight
Flier' was a nickname for this particular route/time.
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