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TheNorth Hudson Railway Company built and operated astreetcar system inHudson County and southeastBergen County, New Jersey before and after the start of the 20th century.[1] It was founded byHillric J. Bonn who became the first President in 1865 and served for 26 years until his death,[2][3][4][5] and eventually taken over by thePublic Service Railway. In its endeavors to overcome the formidable obstacle of ascending the lowerHudson Palisades, orBergen Hill, it devised numerous innovative engineering solutions includingfunicular wagon lifts, aninclined elevated railway, anelevator andviaducts.[6][7][8][9]
The oldest predecessor line of North Hudson County Railway opened 1861. Three companies were consolidated in 1874 to form the North Hudson County Railway Company. North Hudson acquired the Pavonia Horse Railroad Company in 1891, opened the Hudson & Bergen Traction Company in 1893, and opened the Palisades Railroad in 1894.[10]
North Hudson County Railway included 12.75 miles (20.52 km) of at-grade and 1.25 miles (2.01 km) of elevated trackage.[11] Bonn was always involved in other road and real estate projects in the county.[12] He resided inWeehawken, where a street is named in his honor.[1]
Twofunicular wagon lifts were built in 1893. The Hoboken lift travelled from near the foot ofPaterson Plank Road to Ferry Street, next toPohlmann's Hall inJersey City Heights. The Weehawken lift ascended from the foot ofHackensack Plank Road toWest Hoboken (nowUnion City). The remnants of the lift ascend to under Troy Tower, a residential high rise.[13]
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The Hoboken Elevated was a longelevated railway trestle that ran fromHudson Place near theLackawanna Terminal, up toJersey City Heights next to the wagon lift atPohlmann's Hall. The line continued west over private property toCentral Avenue and then south over that avenue to theHudson County Courthouse on Newark Avenue nearJournal Square. The portion from Hoboken Terminal toPalisade Avenue opened January 25, 1886, under cable power.[14] The extension to Newark Ave opened June 19, 1892, with electric cars, passengers changing at Palisade Avenue. Through electric service began in December 1892.[9] Within the next few years North Hudson's streetcar lines were converted to electric trolley operation, and ramps were constructed at Palisade Avenue and Newark Avenue so that trolleys could go up onto the elevated railway. It was then operated by trolleys until it closed in 1949.[citation needed]
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The Eldorado Elevator rose from theWest Shore Ferry Terminal at Weehawken to meet the streetcar line that travelled along a trestle to acut in the Palisades which ran parallel to theEldorado, apleasure garden, and then proceeded east and north to theNungesser's Guttenberg Racetrack.[15]
From14th Street in Hoboken, the line ran west and with a series of trestles andhorseshoe curves ascended thePalisades toWest Hoboken and beyond. Part of the system near 14th Street's Wing Viaduct is aNew Jersey Register of Historic Places-designated place.[16]
