West Windsor's Trolley

Map of the Fast Line from 1904.

You may very well recognize the Trolley Line Trail – the pedestrian walkway extending from Rabbit Hill Road, running through Community Park, and ultimately terminating at Village Road West. Or, you might instead recognize the PSEG power lines spanning this very same route. But did you also know that the name “Trolley Line Trail” is no accident, and in fact memorializes an actual, early-1900s rail route that traversed this very path?

Historical Overview

Let’s take a trip back in time, to the very early 1900s. Back then, West Windsor was an agricultural community of about 1,300 residents,[1] with farmland stretching as far as the eye could see. At the turn of the 20th century, the era of high speed electric railway was underway. A high speed line between Trenton and New Brunswick was planned by the Trenton and New Brunswick Railroad Company, which bought up land to form a right-of-way from Greenwood Avenue in Trenton to Milltown, just south of New Brunswick.[2]

The Trenton and New Brunswick Railroad formally established regular “Fast Line” service on November 3, 1902.[3] Cars departed once every two hours at first, although high demand necessitated that the frequency eventually increase to once every hour.[4] The trip between Trenton and New Brunswick took about an hour and forty five minutes at first,[5] but was reduced over time.[6] The round trip fare between the two cities in 1902 was 80 cents;[7] this lowered to 60 cents by 1906.[8] One newspaper described the steam-heated[9] electric trolley cars as being “45 feet long, with 50 electric lights and as handsomely upholstered as any coaches now in the trolley service.”[10]

​Trans-state trolley service improved as further connections – part of a much larger and expanding statewide trolley network - were constructed, ultimately allowing passengers to travel between the Philadelphia and New York metropolitan areas (with transfers).[11] For a reader today, this might not seem like much, but back then – especially before most families owned cars - this was significant. College students could travel to their classes more quickly. Relatives and friends could more easily visit one another. Freight could be transported to steamboats on the Delaware River.[12] Trips to Coney Island (round trip tickets in 1903: $1.25 for adults and $0.75 for children)[13] were promoted.

Trenton-bound trolley near Penn-Lyle Road in 1929.

In West Windsor, there ultimately appeared four “Fast Line” stations: one at Cranbury Road (the “Grovers Mill” stop), one at Princeton-Hightstown Road (“Pig Town” stop – to be explained later), one at Penn-Lyle Road (the “Dutch Neck” stop), and one at Conover Road.[14] The Historical Society of West Windsor knows of no photos of these stations, but they were possibly just simple wooden platforms, perhaps with a rudimentary shelter to protect passengers from the elements. Dutch Neck, in particular, was described in 1903 as having a “waiting room.”[15] Meanwhile, a ticket station existed at the Grovers Mill stop (315 Cranbury Road), alongside a “power station” that helped charge the line.[16] One of the line’s superintendents, Howard Fravel, lived in the house there.[17]

​As with any high-speed transportation, accidents did happen along the trolley line: reports of livestock, farmers on horseback and automobiles being struck by high-speed trolley cars can be found in old newspapers.[18],[19],[20] Some trolleys even collided with each other.[21] Notable to us was a high-speed collision near Plainsboro on May 7, 1906, in which about eighteen people were injured.[22]

Diagram of Grovers Mill Power House.

Even closer to home, the Trenton Evening Times reported a car striking Eliza Brown and Ellen Coulter (both from West Windsor) near the West Windsor community of Grovers Mill on February 12, 1910. That evening, they and Eliza’s husband, James Coulter (employed by the trolley line) were riding home in a carriage, when the lights of the approaching trolley car spooked their horse and mule, who, in fright, took off running, causing the collision.[23] Luckily, there were no known fatalities.[24]

In 1910, the Elizabeth and Trenton Railroad formed to take over the old Trenton and New Brunswick Railroad, as well as the “Short Line” extension between Milltown and Elizabeth.[25] Three years later, the Public Service Corporation (PSC), an energy and transportation company, acquired the line.[26] This conglomerate eventually became the Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSEG).[27]

​A July, 1906 advertisement in the Trenton Evening Times rhetorically asked, “Who wants an automobile?”[28] when convenient trolley service was available instead. While possibly an effective argument back then, within the next few decades, car and bus traffic increasingly dominated in United States transportation. At some point, the Grovers Mill power station closed. Service was eventually reduced to three trips daily. In 1931, gasoline-electric trolley cars replaced previously all-electric trolley cars. Finally, in 1937, service on the Fast Line fully ceased. The track was dismantled, leaving just the high PSE&G towers to mark the old trolley route.[29]​

Map of the trolley route in West Windsor. Click to download.

It took another 70 years for another transportation route to run through this easement. In the summer of 2007, a pedestrian/cyclist walkway was paved underneath the PSEG power lines.[30] Following a naming contest, the title “Trolley Line Trail” was chosen for this path as an homage to its history.[31] It opened later that summer.[32] That same year, the old metal rail bridge over the Bear Brook (just north of Community Park) was rebuilt using its original abutments.[33] This structure is called the “Pig Town Bridge.” Why? Well, according to llongtime legend, a conductor on an early Fast Line trolley observed the number of pigs near the Princeton-Hightstown Road station, and gave the location the nickname “Pig Town” – disliked by many, but amusing to others.[34]

In June 2024, a Boy Scout from Troop 66 named Siddharth Belahal restored and reinstalled, for his Eagle Project, an 8-foot section of original metal trolley track in Community Park, near the Pig Town Bridge.[35] He also posted a permanent sign describing the Fast Line's history. Thanks, Sid!  Click here for an photo of his project from 2024. This project, the trail, and the bridge remain community amenities and memorials to this element of local and statewide history.

Pig Town Bridge in April 2022.

Return to Transportation

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Bibliography

1. United States Census, 1900 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1900.
2. “New Trolley Road.” Trenton Times, January 28, 1902.
3. “New Trolley is Open.” Trenton Evening Times, August 3, 1904.
4. “New 'Fast Line' Schedule.” Trenton Evening Times, September 29, 1903.​
5. “Early Car for Trenton on New Brunswick Line.” Trenton Evening Times, September 29, 1903.
6. Fry, Elmer W. “Broadside,” 1987. From the Spring/Summer 1987 Broadside. Based on a paper written by Elmer W. Fry in 1976 and from his talk during the Historical Society of West Windsor’s March 1986 meeting. Corroborated via multiple interviews with other longtime residents over the years, who used the trolley.
7. Trenton-New Brunswick Rail Road. “Spend Thanksgiving in New Brunswick!” Trenton Evening Times, November 26, 1902. 
8. Trenton-New Brunswick Rail Road. “Reduced Rates of Fare.” Trenton Evening Times, October 20, 1906. 
9. Trenton-New Brunswick Rail Road. “Comfort in Traveling!” Trenton Evening Times, November 29, 1902. 
10. “New Trolley by September.” Trenton Evening Times, July 28, 1902.
11. “Trolley from New York to Philadelphia, but--” Trenton Evening Times, December 9, 1902.
12. “To Carry Freight.” Perth Amboy Evening News, April 18, 1906.
13. Trenton-New Brunswick Rail Road. “Wait for the Big Event" Trenton Evening Times, August 21, 1903.
14. Fry, Elmer W. “Broadside,” 1987. From the Spring/Summer 1987 Broadside. Based on a paper written by Elmer W. Fry in 1976 and from his talk during the Historical Society of West Windsor’s March 1986 meeting. Corroborated via multiple interviews with other longtime residents over the years, who used the trolley.
15. “New Trolley Stations.” Trenton Times, October 29, 1903.
16. Fry, Elmer W. “Broadside,” 1987. From the Spring/Summer 1987 Broadside. Based on a paper written by Elmer W. Fry in 1976 and from his talk during the Historical Society of West Windsor’s March 1986 meeting. Corroborated via multiple interviews with other longtime residents over the years, who used the trolley.
17. “Four Hirt in Crash of Car and Carriage." Trenton Evening Times, February 13, 1910.
18. “Farmer Lucky." Perth Amboy Evening News, August 31, 1907.
19. “Two Cows Derail Two Fast Cars." Trenton Evening Times, July 23, 1908.
20. “Auto Cripples Big Trolley in Bad Collision." Trenton Evening Times, October 29, 1909.
21. “Motormen Blame Each Other.” Trenton Evening Times, August 13, 1905.
22. “Conductors Can Run Cars." Perth Amboy Evening News, May 8, 1906.
23. “Four Hirt in Crash of Car and Carriage." Trenton Evening Times, February 13, 1910.
24. “Mother and Daughter Hurt in Trolley Line Accident." Trenton Evening Times, April 14, 1910.
25. “Form Company and Take Over 'Fast Line.'" Trenton Evening Times, May 19, 1910.
26. “$2,600,000 in Notes by Public Service.'" Trenton Evening Times, February 7, 1913.
27. “Our History.” PSEG Corporate. PSEG. Accessed February 15, 2023. https://corporate.pseg.com/aboutpseg/companyinformation/ourhistory.
28. Trenton-New Brunswick Rail Road. “Who ants an automobile? 'Fast Line' Trolley takes you at good speed anywhere from here to New Brunswick." Trenton Evening Times, July 18, 1906.
29. Fry, Elmer W. “Broadside,” 1987. From the Spring/Summer 1987 Broadside. Based on a paper written by Elmer W. Fry in 1976 and from his talk during the Historical Society of West Windsor’s March 1986 meeting. Corroborated via multiple interviews with other longtime residents over the years, who used the trolley.​
30. Times, Ralph Curcio/The. “Bike/Pedestrian Path Opens.” NJ.com. Advance Local Media LLC, August 15, 2007. https://www.nj.com/timesupdates/2007/08/bikepedestrian_path_opens.html. 
31. Ibid.
32. ​​Times, Ralph Curcio/The. “Bike/Pedestrian Path Opens.” NJ.com. Advance Local Media LLC, August 15, 2007. https://www.nj.com/timesupdates/2007/08/bikepedestrian_path_opens.html. 
33. Community News. “Name That Trail.” West Windsor and Plainsboro News. Community News Service, August 24, 2007. https://www.communitynews.org/news/name-that-trail/article_faf7d4f4-303f-54c9-ac2c-eb822128e0f3.html. 
34. West Windsor Township: People - Purpose - Progress. West Windsor, New Jersey: West Windsor Township, 1964.
35. Personal observations of the author of this article, Paul Ligeti, who served as Siddharth's Eagle Project advisor.