The Shore Fast Line was an electric interurban railroad running from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Ocean City, New Jersey, by way of the mainland communities of Pleasantville, Northfield, Linwood and Somers Point. The line of about 11 miles (18 km) ran from 1907 until 1948, when a hurricane damaged the viaduct and the decline of trolleys meant that the cost to replace it was prohibitive.[1][2] The company that operated the Shore Fast Line was called Atlantic City and Shore Railroad.
| Shore Fast Line | |
|---|---|
 Two Mile Trestle across Great Egg Harbor Bay in an early 20th century postcard | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | New Jersey |
| Termini |
|
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | Atlantic City and Shore Railroad |
| History | |
| Opened | 1907 |
| Closed | 1948 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Atlantic City Quakers who helped develop the Monopoly board game named one of the railroad squares for the Shore Fast Line.[3] Charles and Olive Todd, who taught the game to Charles Darrow, its eventual patentee, shortened the name on their oilcloth board to Short Line.[4][5] It is also possible that the existence of short-line railroads, those that operate along short distances, influenced that change.
Portions of the Right-of-way running for 6 miles (9.7 km) between Pleasantville and Somers Point have been repurposed as the Somers Point Bike Path[6]
-
Terminus at Boardwalk and Eight Street, Ocean City -
Bridge Approaching Ocean City -
Northfield Golf Links -
Pleasantville
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ George Woodman Hilton; John Fitzgerald Due (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. p. 307. ISBN 9780804740142.
- ^ Borgnis, Mervin E. "We Had A Shore Fast Line," 1979 (Exposition Press)(ISBN 0682494119).
- ^ Orbanes, Philip E. (2006). 'Monopoly: the world's most famous game & how it got that way'. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-306-81489-7.
- ^ Orbanes, Monopoly, p. 53
- ^ Anspach, Ralph (2000). The Billion Dollar Monopoly Swindle (Second ed.). Xlibris Corporation. p. 132. ISBN 0-7388-3139-5.
- ^ Klenk, Steffen. "On The Move: History of South Jersey Railroads", Shore Local, March 29, 2018. Accessed March 21, 2023. "The six-mile long Somers Point Bike Path, a six-mile long trail that stretches between Somers Point and Pleasantville, runs along the former Atlantic City and Shore Railroad. This railroad, also known as the Shore Fast Line, operated from 1907 until 1948 and provided service between Atlantic City and Ocean City."
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