West Windsor's Railroad

Train at Princeton Junction train station, Dec. 2024.

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Running through West Windsor is the Northeast Corridor, one of the country's busiest train routes. This line, with origins in the 1830s, stops at the heavily-trafficked Princeton Junction Train Station. Opened during the Civil War, this station was the locale around which the West Windsor community of Princeton Junction grew. Both station and railroad have immensely impacted West Windsor's development and identity over many generations. Scroll down to learn more!

Historical Overview

A National Movement

Our tale of rail starts in the early 1800s. At this time, only two transportation systems existed in town: footpaths and roads. These were rudimentary, slow methods of transportation, relying on dusty, pitted farm lanes (especially well before paving and cars), and had little capability to move large quantities of commodities or people. Thus, an alternative was sought.

In the early 19th century, public discourse about the potential for rail travel grew significantly. Previously, settlement by United States citizens west of the Appalachian Mountains had been sparse,[1],[2] and although railroads had existed in some forms for generations prior, they were limited in scope and capacity.[3],[4] However, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 opened up a vast new territory for United States citizens envisioning a national "Manifest Destiny" (albeit often at the expense of pre-existing indigenous tribes)[5],[6],[7] Meanwhile, advancements in steam engine technology in the late 1700s and early 1800s captured the imaginations of entrepreneurs dreaming of a more efficient form of travel.[8],[9] With the opening of the country's first passenger and freight line in 1830 - the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad - a new chapter in transportation had begun.[10],[11]

John Gast's "American Progress" (1872) is an allegorical interpretation of the national vision for a United States growing ever-westward.

West Windsor's First Railroad

An obvious opportunity was a linkage between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan regions, through central New Jersey. As early as 1815 (if not earlier), the state legislature considered bills incorporating various such train lines.[12] However, at the same time, there was an equally-passionate campaign to establish a canal across the center of the state. Both factions - railroad and canal - wanted to be the first to tap into the highly lucrative opportunity to transport people and cargo between the region's growing cities. Thus, each time legislation on the railroad was advanced, the "canal" faction stymied its success, and vice versa.[13]

Finally, in 1830, the state legislature granted a charter to both transportation systems, in the form of the Camden and Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company, as well as the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company.[14],[15],[16],[17] The following year, to prevent mutually-destructive competition, both ventures were combined under one partnership, forming the "Joint Companies."[18],[19],[20]

In 1834, the Delaware and Raritan Canal opened to provide uninterrupted access from Bordentown to New Brunswick.[21],[22] Meanwhile a cross-state rail network was beginning to link many of New Jersey's major cities to one another. In 1834, the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad opened a line between its namesake cities.[23],[24] By 1837, the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company had established a line between New Brunswick and Jersey City.[25] Finally, in 1839, the Camden and Amboy opened its tracks between Trenton and New Brunswick, forging the missing link between Philadelphia and New York.[26],[27],[28] This was West Windsor's first railroad. It largely followed the canal's southeastern bank.[29]

Over the next few decades, canal and rail worked hand-in-hand to transport millions of tons of cargo - and countless people - across New Jersey. This fueled the rise of two communities: Princeton Basin (where Alexander Road crosses the canal) and Port Mercer (where Quakerbridge Road crosses the canal). Both thrived as industrial hubs, with factories, bridge-tenders' houses, hotels, and more. Both also featured train stations and "turning basins" where train and boats could load and unload. In fact, from 1839 to the mid-1860s, Princeton Basin hosted the primary train depot for both West Windsor and Princeton residents.[30],[31]

Princeton Basin in the 1800s. From the Collection of William J. McKelvey, Jr.

Relocation, the Dinky, and Princeton Junction

However, the Camden and Amboy's rail route along the canal was slow and inefficient, unable to accommodate larger and faster trains due to the canal's winding path. So, by the 1860s, the railroad’s directors decided that a straighter, more direct rail route was a smart investment. After much political debate, in 1863, the Camden and Amboy railroad straightened and relocated about a mile and a half eastward.[32],[33],[34] At the time of this writing (Jan. 2025), this alignment is known as the "Northeast Corridor. So proclaimed the Princeton Standard of November 27, 1863: "Trains commenced passing over the new road Monday last. The scream of the steam whistle has notified the inhabitants of [West Windsor] to look out for their lives, and the lives of their cattle and pigs."[35]

However, this realignment was also the death of the canal and its communities, which now had to compete with rail. The mainline's relocation also made it harder for many Princeton residents to travel across the state. So, in 1865, the 3-mile “Princeton Branch Railroad” - commonly called the “Dinky” or “Princeton Junction and Back” - opened.[36] This second railroad, connecting the Princeton Junction train station to downtown Princeton, also originally had a stop in the West Windsor neighborhood of Penns Neck.[37],[38] Also in 1865, the old Camden and Amboy Railroad tracks along the canal, which had clung onto operation even two years into the mainline's operation, were finally taken up.[39]

Looking west along Dinky line from the Princeton Junction train station, 1860s. Courtesy of Princeton's Mudd Library.

The mainline's relocation also gave rise to yet another historic community within West Windsor, called "Princeton Junction." This locale was so-named because it grew around the "junction" (intersection) of the mainline and the Dinky Line. Old Princeton Junction featured a hotel, warehouses, farms, general store/post office, and more. Some of its earliest buildings still stand along Station Drive. It catered to the railroad and, over generations, grew into West Windsor's main commercial and transportation hub. Click here to learn more.

​The Princeton Junction Train Station also opened in 1863/4.[40] It originally featured a ticket building/passenger depot with large overhanging eaves, located on an elevated platform over the southbound (northwestern) side of the tracks (see adjacent photo).[41] A pedestrian bridge, built in 1865,[42] spanned the railroad tracks, although a train crash demolished this structure a decade later.[43] There was also a waiting shelter on the southeast (northbound) elevated platform,[44] a freight house where the Dinky line met the mainline,[45] and at least two water towers.[46],[47] At first, the mainline was just a single line,[48] but a second, parallel track was soon added,[49] and a third around 1887/8.[50] Finally, the fourth track (the current configuration currently passing through the train station) was added in 1889.[51] The platforms themselves were lowered to the level of the tracks in 1876.[52] but obviously raised many decades ago.

Princeton Junction train station, ca. 1868-70. Courtesy of Princeton's Mudd Library.

However, the Princeton Junction train station has changed significantly since it first opened. Thus, the map below is especially crucial for understanding the rest of this article.

Evolution of the Princeton Junction train station, 2024. Click to enlarge.

20th Century Developments

Between the late 1800s and early 1900s, a new, enclosed waiting shelter opened on the southeast (northbound) side of the tracks.[53] Around the same time, in 1892, the original 1-story passenger depot burned down. By the following year, a new, two-story brick ticket building/passenger depot had been erected (see adjacent photo).[54],[55] This was far larger than the first, even featuring a six-room apartment on the top floor for the station master.[56],[57] It stood roughly where the original freight depot once stood (and where the Dinky waiting room exists today) - see adjacent photo.

Prior to the 1910s, many passengers crossed the tracks at-grade. However, in 1913, a cement contractor named Charles A. Rogers returned to Princeton Junction after a visit to Bradley Beach. After making a phone call on one side of the tracks, Charles crossed back over the tracks, but some empty freight cars obstructed his view of any other approaching trains. As he stepped out past them, he was run over and killed by another set of freight cars backing up. His wife, Lena, and several railroad workers witnessed the accident.[58] The old (northern) tunnel at the train station was constructed within the next few years, to prevent any further such incidents.[59],[60] This was around the same time the old freight station burned.[61]

Dinky train and 2-story ticket building, 1952.

In 1928, the enclosed waiting shelter (on the southeast - northbound - side of the tracks) from the late 1800s/early 1900s was replaced by a larger brick-and-mortar building.[62],[63] This originally served as a waiting room, but as this article will cover shortly, eventually became the third ticket building.

In 1933, the rail line was electrified,[64] and the current power station built to provide power to the tracks.[65] The line has remained electric ever since.

In the mid-20th century, the current "Nassau Interlock Tower" was also constructed on the northbound side of the tracks to help signal to trains coming into the station.[66] This replaced and older signal tower that stood in a similar location.​[67] The purpose of these towers is to control the movement of trains and tracks to ensure a safe operating environment. The signal tower is no longer used as such, but instead serves as offices and storage.[68]

​​The two-story station building burned down in 1953, purportedly due to mice chewing on old electrical wires.[69],[70] It was replaced the next year by a smaller waiting room and covered walkway, and ticket purchases moved to the northbound brick-and-mortar waiting room that had been built in 1928.[71]​

Nassau Interlock signal tower in front of power station, 2023.

Modernization

Finally, in 1987, the current (in 2023) two-story ticket building with newsstand-store underneath was erected on the northbound side, next to the 1928 waiting room.[72] A second, wider tunnel next to the current ticket building was excavated, and for the first time in over 100 years, the platforms permanently raised several feet above the track grade.[73] A new Dinky line waiting booth also replaced the 1954-era waiting room.[74] The 1928-era northbound waiting room was demolished around the same time as well.[75]

From its inception, the train station was an integral part of West Windsor’s identity and history. It allowed farmers and others a chance to sell their wares to distant markets. It provided express travel to metropolises such as New York and Philadelphia for recreational, educational, and employment opportunities. It has hosted legendary orators such as William Jennings Bryan (for his Presidential campaign stop in 1900).[76] Woodrow Wilson used it as one of his main points of connection into Princeton.[77] Longtime residents may also remember the funeral procession of former Attorney General and presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy stopping at the station in 1968.[78] So, too, did the funeral trains of assassinated Presidents Abraham Lincoln (in 1865)[79],[80] and James A. Garfield (1881) pass through the station.[81] Other prominent figures have doubtless used the train station.

Mourners watch "Bobby" Kennedy's funeral procession at the Prct. Jct. train station, June 8, 1968. Photo Courtesy of Kerry Fowler.

​West Windsor’s first planned development was constructed starting in 1916, just south of the train station. Here, the neighborhood of "Berrien City" arose. Residences were laid out in uniform lots and appealed to those looking for easy access to the train station.[82] Legendary Nobel Prize and Abel Prize Winner John Forbes Nash – subject of a book and movie, both titled “A Beautiful Mind” - lived here for decades until his and his wife’s (Alicia) death in 2015.[83],[84]

​Today, the Princeton Junction Train Station remains one of the busier stops along the Northeast Corridor - itself one of the United States' most heavily-trafficked railroads, connecting multiple metropolitan regions, including New York and Philadelphia. The station has likely drawn tens of thousands of residents to move to West Windsor over the decades. It, and the broader community of Princeton Junction, indelibly persist as significant elements of West Windsor's rich history.

Current ticket building (left) and 1928 waiting room (right), ca. 1987.

Current ticket building, 2018. Courtesy of Paul Ligeti.

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Bibliography

1. “Proclamation Line of 1763, Quebec Act of 1774 and Westward Expansion.” U.S. Department of State: Office of the Historian. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/proclamation-line-1763#:~:text=The%20settlement%20of%20the%20lands,land%20speculators%20ignored%20their%20directives. 
2. “Proclamation Line of 1763.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/proclamation-line-of-1763. 
3. “ Chronology of America’s Freight Railroads.” Association of American Railroads, August 16, 2024. https://www.aar.org/chronology-of-americas-freight-railroads/. 
4. “The Beginnings of American Railroads and Mapping.” The Library of Congress. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/the-beginnings-of-american-railroads-and-mapping/. 
5. “Westward Movement.” Encyclopædia Britannica, December 9, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/event/westward-movement.
6. “American Acquisition and Migration.” The Library of Congress, 2000. https://www.loc.gov/collections/meeting-of-frontiers/articles-and-essays/colonization/american-acquisition-and-migration/. 
7. “Westward Expansion: Encounters at a Cultural Crossroads.” The Library of Congress. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/westward-expansion-encounters-at-a-cultural-crossroads/. 
8. “The Beginnings of American Railroads and Mapping.” The Library of Congress. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/the-beginnings-of-american-railroads-and-mapping/. 
9. “Steam Locomotive.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-technology/Steam-locomotive. 
10. “Baltimore & Ohio Railroad: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Case Western Reserve University.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, May 11, 2018. https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/baltimore-ohio-railroad#:~:text=The%20Baltimore%20%26%20Ohio%20was%20chartered,roads%20that%20operated%20through%20Cleveland. 
11. “Today in History - February 28: The B & O Railroad.” The Library of Congress. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/february-28/. 
12. "New Jersey Legislature. List of Acts." The Pallladium of Liberty (Morristown, NJ). March 8, 1815.
13. Chirco, Vicki. “A Historic Place.” D&R Canal State Park. Accessed December 25, 2024. https://dandrcanal.org/history.
14. Ibid.
15. “A Brief History of the Delaware and Raritan Canal.” Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission. Accessed December 25, 2024. https://www.nj.gov/dep/drcc/about-canal/history/. 
16. "Legislature of New Jersey." Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.). February 5, 1830.
17. "Legislature of New Jersey." Emporium and True American (Trenton, N.J.). February 6, 1830.
18. Chirco, Vicki. “A Historic Place.” D&R Canal State Park. Accessed December 25, 2024. https://dandrcanal.org/history.
19. “A Brief History of the Delaware and Raritan Canal.” Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission. Accessed December 25, 2024. https://www.nj.gov/dep/drcc/about-canal/history/. 
20. "Legislature." Emporium and True American (Trenton, N.J.). February 19, 1831.
21. Chirco, Vicki. “A Historic Place.” D&R Canal State Park. Accessed December 25, 2024. https://dandrcanal.org/history.
22. "Delaware and Raritan Canal." Princeton Whig. August 29, 1834.
23. Philadelphia and Trenton Rail Road. (1834, October 30). The Directors have the pleasure to announce to the public that the Philadelphia and Trenton Rail Road is so far completed as to admit of Cars being run throughout the line of the Road. National Gazette and Literary Register. Philadelphia.
24. "The Philadelphia and Trenton Rail Road having been completed, and a superior locomotive placed upon it, was opened on Saturday last." National Gazette (Philadelphia, P.A.). November 3, 1834.
25. New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. (1837, January 6). New Arrangement. Princeton Whig and Somerset & Middlesex Advertiser. Princeton. 
26. “Camden and Amboy Railroad/Delaware and Raritan Canal Companies Minutes of the Joint Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, 1831 - 1872,” n.d. Located at the New Jersey State Archive’s Manuscripts Room.
27. "An uninterrupted line of railroad from the city to Washington will now, we rejoice to announce, be opened to the public about Jan. 1; the link from Jersey City to New Brunswick, and on to Trenton, being entirely completed." Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser (Alexandria V.A.). December 29, 1838.
28. "New York paper says that the Rail Road to Philadelphia, via Jersey City, New Brunswick, and Trenton, is completed." Staunton Spectator and General Advertiser (Staunton, V.A.). January 3, 1839.
29. Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full. Shows the Camden and Amboy Railroad following the canal's southeastern bank and a train station in Princeton Basin.
30. Ibid.
31. Anderson, William. “Map - Rough Draft of Princeton Basin.” Map. Online Archives of the Historical Society of Princeton. Historical Society of Princeton, n.d. https://princeton.pastperfectonline.com/archive/7CD8C557-3889-4FD1-AC95-365547403139. Photocopy of an original map drawn in 1854 by William Anderson of the Princeton Basin area. Shows several of the existing buildings, other structures, and businesses in Princeton Basin.
32. "Camden and Amboy Railroad/Delaware and Raritan Canal Companies Minutes of the Joint Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, 1831 - 1872,” n.d. Located at the New Jersey State Archive’s Manuscripts Room.
33. Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full. Shows the original route of the Camden & Amboy Railroad on the eastern bank of the canal.
34. ​“Map of Princeton Township.” Map. 1875 Historical Atlas of Mercer County, New Jersey - Map of Princeton Township and Princeton Basin. Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Stuart, 1875. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010587333/. Shows the current route of the Northeast Corridor.
35. "Cars on the New Track." Princeton Standard. November 27, 1863.
36. “The Princeton Branch Rail Road.” Princeton Standard. June 2, 1865.
37. ​“Map of Princeton Township.” Map. 1875 Historical Atlas of Mercer County, New Jersey - Map of Princeton Township and Princeton Basin. Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Stuart, 1875. Shows a dinky stop in Penns Neck, off of Route 1.
38. Sprague, J. L.; Cunningham, J. J. (2013). "A Frank Sprague Triumph: The Electrification of Grand Central Terminal [History]". IEEE Power and Energy Magazine. 11 (1): 58–76. Photo of Dinky stop in Penns Neck.
39. "The railroad track along the canal, between the old depot and Trenton has been taken up." Princeton Standard. July 21, 1865.
40. "The removal of all the trains - but one - running south, from the old to the new track of the Railroad between this city and New Brunswick, is a source of great inconvenience to the people of Princeton and other places along the route." Daily State Gazette. September 27, 1864.
41. Princeton Junction Train Station, ca. 1868-70. Photograph. West Windsor, NJ, ca. 1868-70. West Windsor, NJ. Also found in Princeton University's Mudd Library, Box MP74, Item 2981
42. "The Railroad Company are building a bridge across the railroad track at the Junction, to connect both platforms, so that the dangerous plan of walking across the track will be avoided." Princeton Standard. November 17, 1865.
43. "The Foot Bridge At Princeton Junction Torn Away." Daily State Gazette (Trenton, N.J.). December 24, 1875.
44. Princeton Junction Train Station, ca. 1868-70. Photograph. West Windsor, NJ, ca. 1868-70. West Windsor, NJ. Also found in Princeton University's Mudd Library, Box MP74, Item 2981
45. Ibid.
46. Ibid.
47. Princeton Junction Train Station, 1867. Photograph. West Windsor, NJ, 1867. West Windsor, NJ. Also found in Princeton University's Mudd Library, Box SP06 Item 1403
48. "The new single track from Dean's Pond to Trenton is finished, and cars will be put on the road in a few days." Princeton Standard. November 20, 1863.
49. "Nobody to Blame but Providence." Princeton Standard. September 22, 1865. Mentions a "double track road" configuration at the Princeton Junction train station.
50. "A Four-Track Road." Trenton Times. August 13, 1889.
51. Ibid.
52. "Extensive alterations and repairs are being made at Princeton Junction." Princeton Press. January 22, 1876.
53. Princeton Junction Train Station_Waiting Room. Photograph. West Windsor, NJ, n.d. West Windsor, NJ. Located in the Digital Archives of the Historical Society of West Windsor. Date unknown; presumably between 1876 and 1928 since that's when other shelters occupied the same spot, and neither are seen in this photograph.
54. "Here and There." Daily Princetonian. December 12, 1892.
55. "The new station at the Junction has been opened for public use." Daily Princetonian. April 18, 1839.
56. "Here and There." Daily Princetonian. December 12, 1892.
57. “Broadside,” 1998. Newsletter about the history of Princeton Junction (Part 2 of a 2-part series) produced by the Historical Society of West Windsor. Fall 1998.
58. "Charles A. Rogers Is Crushed Under Train." Asbury Park Evening Press. June 14, 1913.
59. "Company Censured For Rogers's Death." Trenton Evening Times. June 21, 1913.
60. "Trenton Junction Tunnel." Trenton Evening Times. July 17, 1916.
61. "Freight Station And Barn Burned." Trenton Evening Times. March 11, 1910.
62. "Partial Platform Will Shelter New York Bound Weekenders." Daily Princetonian. January 10, 1928.
63. "Princeton Junction Station Improved." Trenton Evening Times. April 8, 1928.
64. "Electric Trains Will Run On Pennsylvania Railroad." Daily Princetonian. February 1, 1933.
65. “West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center. Minutes from 1933 mention erection of power station.
66. “Penns Neck Area EIS - West Windsor and Princeton Townships, Mercer County and Plainsboro Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey - Historic Architectural Survey - Volume 2 of 2,” May 2003. Prepared for the New Jersey Department of Transportation by John Milner Associates (Architects/Archaeologists/Planners).
67. 1910 (approx.) - PJ Train Station - from Elmer Fry (September 2002) - Photo taken by A. Lee Grover. Photograph. West Windsor, NJ, ca. 1910. West Windsor, NJ. Photo located in the archives of the Historical Society of West Windsor at the West Windsor History Museum (50 Southfield Rd, West Windsor, NJ 08550).
68. Based on discussions between the author of this article (Paul Ligeti) and people he know who work on the Northeast Corridor.
69. "Princeton Junction depot burns." Newark Star-Ledger. December 28, 1953.
70. "Fire Consumes Princeton Junction Station." Trenton Evening Times. December 28, 1953.
71. "New Rail Waiting Station At Princeton Jct." Trenton Evening Times. September 23, 1954.
72. "Princeton Junction Station Looking Bright, New and Modern As Final Landscaping and Site Clean-up Approach Completion." Town Topics. September 23, 1987.
73. Ibid.
74. Ibid.
75. "Waiting for the Bulldozer." Town Topics. September 25, 1985.
76. "In The State. Bryan's Journey From Philadelphia to Jersey City." Jersey City News. October 26, 1900.
77. "Two Years Wasted, Says Wilson, On Depot Platform." Washington Times (Washington, D.C.). November 12, 1912.
78. "4,000 View Kennedy Train At Junction." Town Topics. June 13, 1968.
79. "Remains Of The Late President." Princeton Standard. April 28, 1865.
80. "Nassau Hall Inscriptions Mourn Death Of Lincoln." Daily Princetonian. April 16, 1923.
81. "The First and Second Union." Princeton Press. October 10, 1881.
82. ​Sincerbeaux, C. S. “Map Showing Plan of Lots for Scott Berrien Esq.” Map. West Windsor, New Jersey, 1916.
83. “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1994.” NobelPrize.org. Accessed September 20, 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1994/nash/biographical/. 
84. "Two years after parents' death, son of 'A Beautiful Mind' John Nash' has one regret." NJ.com. June 11, 2017.