The North Jersey Rapid Transit Company was an Interurban railway that operated between Suffern, New York and Paterson, New Jersey. It was headquartered in Ho-Ho-Kus. Most of the right-of-way is now a PSE&G utility corridor.
History The line was constructed between 1908 and 1910 from East Paterson to Ho-Ho-Kus, and it was extended to Suffern in 1911.
On July 21, 1911, cars 12 and 20 collided head-on due to faulty signals, killing trackman John Frotaillo, motorman William Hutchinson on his last day of work, and superintendent Francis J Pilgrim who had convinced him to work one more day.
In 1925, a competing bus line opened, and in 1926, unable to pay its power bills, the NJRT was taken over by the Public Service Corporation and extended to the P.S. terminal in downtown Paterson. The final trains ran on December 31, 1928, and it was demolished the following year, with the rails being sold to Russia.
Route The NJRT ran largely parallel to the Erie Railroad, which is now the Bergen County Line. +MileageStationCrossing (flag stop)Switch15.2SuffernMain Street- Lafayette Avenue14.9Oliver Street-Hospital14.6State Line, N.Y.-N.J.14.2Fox Lane14.1Christie Avenue13.7MahwahMiller Road13.3Cragmere-Franklin Turnpike13.1Airmont Road12.7No.812.2Spring Street11.5Island Road11.3Chestnut Street11.0RamseyMain Street10.0No.79.5Crescent Avenue9.0AllendaleAllendale Avenue-Maple Street8.7Erie R.R. interchange8.4Chestnut Street7.6WaldwickProspect StreetNo.67.5Franklin Turnpike6.6Saddle River Road6.1Ho-Ho-KusFranklin Turnpike, NJRT HQNo.55.6Harrison Avenue5.4Meadowbrook Avenue5.2Linwood Avenue5.0Overbrook Road4.8RidgewoodRidgewood AvenueNo.44.5Spring Avenue4.1Grove Street3.8Prospect StreetNo.33.5Ackerman Avenue3.1Glen RockHamilton AvenueNo.22.5Harristown Road2.0No.11.2FairlawnFairlawn Avenue1.0Berdan Avenue0.6Morlot Avenue0.3Willow Street0.0East PatersonBroadway-River RoadHudson River Line2.5PatersonMain StreetP.S. Terminal
Rolling stock The NJRT ran a fleet of eight cars built by Jewett Car Company, numbered with even numbers from 10 to 24. In addition, number 8 was the Work Car. These ran on 600 volts direct current, and a bank of incandescent lamps lowered the voltage to 100 to operate a third-rail contact for the block signals and crossing gates.
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