Blue Comet
Encyclopedia
The Blue Comet was a named passenger train operated by Central Railroad of New Jersey
from 1929 to 1941 between the New York metropolitan area
and Atlantic City. Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 1928, this train whisked passengers from Communipaw Terminal
in Jersey City to Atlantic City, making the total trip from Manhattan (via ferry to the Jersey City terminal) to Atlantic City in three hours. The Blue Comet would take NY&LB
trackage to Red Bank
, then follow the Southern Division
Main Line to Winslow Junction, where it would travel over the Atlantic City Railroad
's tracks to Atlantic City.
The colors chosen for the Blue Comets locomotive and passenger cars were ultramarine, for the sea, cream, for the sandy coastal beaches, and nickel. The tickets for the train were blue, the dining car chairs were upholstered in blue linen, and the porters were dressed in blue as well. The locomotive was capable of 100 miles per hour, and the railroad claimed the train itself was the first east of the Mississippi to be equipped with roller bearings for easy starting and stopping.
The Blue Comet would offer extra accommodations at the regular coach fare and have assigned seats so passengers knew exactly where they would sit. The PRR charged extra for its all parlor car Atlantic City Limited and its New York Limited. In addition, the PRR charged extra fees for parlor cars on the Nellie Bly. The Blue Comet ran on schedule 97% of the time for the first five years. A billboard was put up on the Routes 33 and 34 overpass at Farmingdale
listing the times the train would pass that area.
Initially, the Blue Comet was a huge success. The first train was on February 21, 1929, as thousands of spectators along the line came to see the new train. However, as the great depression
continued, passenger travel on the line continued to plummet. On April 30, 1933, the Blue Comet was reduced to one daily round trip as opposed to the two round trips being run prior. Also that year, the PRR and Reading consolidated their southern New Jersey routes and formed the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
. An immediate impact was felt on the Blue Comet service. Prior to the merger, the Blue Comet traveled over the friendly Reading's track from Winslow Junction to Atlantic City. After the merger, the PRR owned two-thirds of the trackage. Reports from travelers indicate that Blue Comet information was not readily available at the Atlantic City station. This had the Blue Comet service at a disadvantage, as PRR Atlantic City-New York information was readily available for passengers heading to points north.
Ocean County
stops for the Blue Comet included Lakewood and Lakehurst
. The Lakewood stop was to pick up and drop off passengers as well as Jolly Tar Trail bus service. The stop at Lakehurst was for people needing a connection for the Barnegat Branch, later replaced by Jolly Tar Trail service during off-peak hours in the early 1930s, and for the locomotives to take on water. For residents of the more isolated sections of the Pine Barrens
who did not have radios or electricity, the Blue Comet provided local residents with a goodwill gesture. The Blue Comet crew would drop off newspapers for the residents, allowing them to keep up with the latest news. Showing their appreciation, the residents would bring baskets of freshly picked berries for the crew. Indeed, the Blue Comet had a positive effect on the lives of the people who lived near the tracks.
On August 19, 1939, extraordinarily heavy rains caused a washout
at Chatsworth
. Though the crew had been informed of a possible washout and reduced the train's speed, the tracks were under too much sand and water and the train derailed. Reports that one hundred people were killed led to a flurry of ambulances from northern parts of the state. Actually, only forty-nine people were on board. Thirty-two were injured and a chef was killed by scalding in the kitchen car, which overturned. The majority of the injuries were minor, resulting from the flying wicker chairs in the observation car
. CNJ crews replaced about six hundred feet of damaged track in approximately forty-eight hours.
Eventually, the depression and the PRR's direct access to New York took the life out of the Blue Comet. The train's last run was on September 27, 1941, from Atlantic City to Jersey City. Its main competitor, the Nellie Bly, lasted until 1961.
locomotives were assigned to the train; numbers 831, 832 and 833. The CNJ totally refurbished sixteen cars for Blue Comet service, inside and out. Each train consisted of a baggage car
, combine-smoker, coaches, and an observation car. The diner accompanied the early morning trip to Atlantic City and the evening return to Jersey City. Each car was named for a comet as follows:
As passenger traffic diminished, the G3s were withdrawn from Blue Comet service and other locomotives pulled the train. Frequently, one would find camelback locomotive
592 at the point, or other Pacifics. Pacific 820 was on the point for the only derailment of the Blue Comet on August 19, 1939.
In Rio Grande, New Jersey
the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc. has former Blue Comet observation car Tempel
(later known as CNJ car #1169) parked awaiting restoration. The historical society would like to restore the car and use it in passenger service along the Cape May Seashore Lines
.
A Blue Comet observation car
called Biela was moved to Clinton, New Jersey
in the 1970s and continues to serve as a restaurant there.
The De Vico
(later known as CNJ #1178) observation car was in use by New Jersey Transit
as an inspection car from 1982 until 1993.
The car, renumbered NJT-1, was donated in 2003 to the United Railroad Historical Society (URHS) of New Jersey, an organization that plans to restore the car. The URHS also owns Westphal
(later known as CNJ #1172) and D'Arrest
(later known as CNJ #1173) and plans to restore them too.
In 2010 a "Jersey Coast" commuter club car, formerly used along the North Jersey Coast Line
(but not in Blue Comet service), was rebuilt to appear like a Blue Coment observation car by the Whippany Railway Museum
in Whippany, New Jersey.
, which is now considered a very desirable collectable. On season six of HBO's The Sopranos
there was an episode called "The Blue Comet
". In that episode toy train buff and mobster Bobby Baccalieri is murdered in a hobby shop as he bargains for an antique Lionel "Blue Comet" set.
The Comet passenger railcar class of the 1960s and later was named to honor the Blue Comet.
In December 1975 a special Blue Comet Nostalgia Train operated with a steam locomotive from Raritan Bay
to Bay Head along the former New York and Long Branch Railroad
(today's North Jersey Coast Line
). The nostalgia train trip was filmed and appeared in a Christmas special edition of the Tomorrow
television program with host Tom Snyder
on December 25, 1975.
In 1979 an animated version of The Little Rascals
appeared in a Christmas Special on NBC television.
In that special program Spanky is at first pleased and surprised to find out that his mother (voiced by Darla Hood
)
will be getting him a "Blue Comet" model train set, only to later find out that his mother had to sell her winter
overcoat to buy the train. He then tries to raise the funds with the gang in order to buy the coat back.
Documentary filmmaker Robert A. Emmons Jr. details the history of the Blue Comet in his 2009 feature length documentary film De Luxe: The Tale of the Blue Comet.
The Black Cat Motorcycle Club of Lansdale, Pennsylvania
, often encountered the Blue Comet on their rides to the Jersey Shore. Members decided the rename the club Blue Comet MC in 1937, and the club survives to this day in Skippack, Pennsylvania
.
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
from 1929 to 1941 between the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
and Atlantic City. Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 1928, this train whisked passengers from Communipaw Terminal
Communipaw Terminal
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, sometimes known as Communipaw Terminal was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal at the mouth of the Hudson River at the Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey.-Designation:...
in Jersey City to Atlantic City, making the total trip from Manhattan (via ferry to the Jersey City terminal) to Atlantic City in three hours. The Blue Comet would take NY&LB
New York and Long Branch Railroad
The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railroad was jointly owned and operated by the Pennsylvania...
trackage to Red Bank
Red Bank
-Places:In Canada*Red Bank, New Brunswick, a rural community in Northumberland CountyIn the United States*Red Bank, Indiana*Red Bank, New Jersey, in Monmouth County*Red Bank, Gloucester County, New Jersey**Battle of Red Bank, in the above community...
, then follow the Southern Division
New Jersey Southern Railroad
- Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad :The New Jersey Southern Railroad began life as the Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad Company , in March 1854. The R&DB was chartered to construct a railroad from the Raritan Bay to Cape Island , near the outlet of the Delaware Bay. It was to form part of a...
Main Line to Winslow Junction, where it would travel over the Atlantic City Railroad
Atlantic City Railroad
The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933.- History :...
's tracks to Atlantic City.
The colors chosen for the Blue Comets locomotive and passenger cars were ultramarine, for the sea, cream, for the sandy coastal beaches, and nickel. The tickets for the train were blue, the dining car chairs were upholstered in blue linen, and the porters were dressed in blue as well. The locomotive was capable of 100 miles per hour, and the railroad claimed the train itself was the first east of the Mississippi to be equipped with roller bearings for easy starting and stopping.
History
There were three factors behind the creation of the Blue Comet:- Eliminate passenger service south of Winslow Junction, and replace rail serviceRail transportRail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
with bus connections. - To better compete with the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR) for Atlantic City passengers. - Eliminate a costly Pullman parlor car lease, in which the CNJ had a loss ten months of the year.
The Blue Comet would offer extra accommodations at the regular coach fare and have assigned seats so passengers knew exactly where they would sit. The PRR charged extra for its all parlor car Atlantic City Limited and its New York Limited. In addition, the PRR charged extra fees for parlor cars on the Nellie Bly. The Blue Comet ran on schedule 97% of the time for the first five years. A billboard was put up on the Routes 33 and 34 overpass at Farmingdale
Farmingdale, New Jersey
Farmingdale is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,329....
listing the times the train would pass that area.
Initially, the Blue Comet was a huge success. The first train was on February 21, 1929, as thousands of spectators along the line came to see the new train. However, as the great depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
continued, passenger travel on the line continued to plummet. On April 30, 1933, the Blue Comet was reduced to one daily round trip as opposed to the two round trips being run prior. Also that year, the PRR and Reading consolidated their southern New Jersey routes and formed the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a railroad that operated in southern New Jersey in the 20th century. It was created as a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company .- History :...
. An immediate impact was felt on the Blue Comet service. Prior to the merger, the Blue Comet traveled over the friendly Reading's track from Winslow Junction to Atlantic City. After the merger, the PRR owned two-thirds of the trackage. Reports from travelers indicate that Blue Comet information was not readily available at the Atlantic City station. This had the Blue Comet service at a disadvantage, as PRR Atlantic City-New York information was readily available for passengers heading to points north.
Ocean County
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
stops for the Blue Comet included Lakewood and Lakehurst
Lakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
. The Lakewood stop was to pick up and drop off passengers as well as Jolly Tar Trail bus service. The stop at Lakehurst was for people needing a connection for the Barnegat Branch, later replaced by Jolly Tar Trail service during off-peak hours in the early 1930s, and for the locomotives to take on water. For residents of the more isolated sections of the Pine Barrens
Pine Barrens (New Jersey)
The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across southern New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn't take well...
who did not have radios or electricity, the Blue Comet provided local residents with a goodwill gesture. The Blue Comet crew would drop off newspapers for the residents, allowing them to keep up with the latest news. Showing their appreciation, the residents would bring baskets of freshly picked berries for the crew. Indeed, the Blue Comet had a positive effect on the lives of the people who lived near the tracks.
On August 19, 1939, extraordinarily heavy rains caused a washout
Washout
A washout is the sudden erosion of soft soil or other support surfaces by a gush of water, usually occurring during a heavy downpour of rain or other stream flooding. These downpours may occur locally in a thunderstorm , or over a large area, such as following the landfall of a tropical cyclone...
at Chatsworth
Chatsworth, New Jersey
Chatsworth is an unincorporated area within Woodland Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08019...
. Though the crew had been informed of a possible washout and reduced the train's speed, the tracks were under too much sand and water and the train derailed. Reports that one hundred people were killed led to a flurry of ambulances from northern parts of the state. Actually, only forty-nine people were on board. Thirty-two were injured and a chef was killed by scalding in the kitchen car, which overturned. The majority of the injuries were minor, resulting from the flying wicker chairs in the observation car
Observation car
An observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
. CNJ crews replaced about six hundred feet of damaged track in approximately forty-eight hours.
Eventually, the depression and the PRR's direct access to New York took the life out of the Blue Comet. The train's last run was on September 27, 1941, from Atlantic City to Jersey City. Its main competitor, the Nellie Bly, lasted until 1961.
Equipment
Three brand new G3 Pacific4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
locomotives were assigned to the train; numbers 831, 832 and 833. The CNJ totally refurbished sixteen cars for Blue Comet service, inside and out. Each train consisted of a baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
, combine-smoker, coaches, and an observation car. The diner accompanied the early morning trip to Atlantic City and the evening return to Jersey City. Each car was named for a comet as follows:
- DinerDining carA dining car or restaurant carriage , also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant....
: Giacobini21P/Giacobini-ZinnerComet Giacobini–Zinner is a periodic comet in our solar system.It was discovered by Michel Giacobini from , who observed the comet in the constellation of Aquarius on December 20, 1900... - CombineCombine carA combine car in North American parlance, most often referred to simply as a combine, is a type of railroad car which combines sections for both passengers and freight....
s: Halley EnckeComet EnckeComet Encke or Encke's Comet is a periodic comet that completes an orbit of the Sun once every three years — the shortest period of any known comet... - Baggage carBaggage carA baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
s: Olbers13P/Olbers13P/Olbers is a periodic comet in our solar system.Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovered the comet on March 6, 1815. Its orbit was first computed by Carl Friedrich Gauss on March 31, Friedrich Bessel calculated an orbital period as 73 a, later as 73.9 a, calculations by other astronomers...
Barnard - Coaches: Tuttle8P/Tuttle8P/Tuttle is a periodic comet in our solar system. Perihelion was late January 2008, and as of February was visible telescopically to Southern Hemisphere observers in the constellation Eridanus. On December 30, 2007 it was in close conjunction with spiral galaxy M33...
Holmes Westphal20D/Westphal20D/Westphal is a periodic comet in our solar system, originally discovered by the German astronomer J. G. Westphal on July 24, 1852....
D'Arrest6P/d'Arrest6P/d'Arrest is a periodic comet in our Solar System, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. It passed 53 Gm from the Earth, about a third of the Earth-Sun distance, on August 9, 2008....
Faye4P/Faye4P/Faye is a periodic comet discovered in November, 1843, by Hervé Faye at the Royal Observatory in Paris....
Spitaler113P/SpitalerComet Spitaler is a periodic comet in the solar system discovered by Rudolf Ferdinand Spitaler on November 17, 1890 whilst attempting to observe Comet Zona .Spitaler, together with G. M. Searle, J. F. Tennant, and J. R...
Winnecke7P/Pons-Winnecke7P/Pons–Winnecke is a periodic comet in our solar system.Jean Louis Pons originally discovered the comet on June 12, 1819, it was later rediscovered by Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke on March 9, 1858. It is believed to be the parent body of the June Bootids of late June.7P has an orbital...
Brorsen23P/Brorsen-MetcalfComet Brorsen–Metcalf is a periodic comet in our solar system that was first discovered by Theodor Brorsen on July 20, 1847, and again by Kaspar Schweizer on August 11, 1847, the prediction was made it would return between 1919 and 1922.On August 21, 1919, the comet was recovered by Reverend Joel... - Observation carObservation carAn observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
s: DeVicoComet de Vicode Vico is the name of several comets discovered by Father Francesco de Vico, a Jesuit priest. - See also :* 54P/de Vico-Swift-NEAT, discovered 1844 August 23* 122P/de Vico, discovered 1846 February 20* C/1845 D1 * C/1846 B1...
Biela TempelComet TempelComet Tempel may mean:* Either of these numbered periodic comets:** 9P/Tempel, Comet Tempel 1 ** 10P/Tempel, Comet Tempel 2 Comet Tempel may mean:* Either of these numbered periodic comets:** 9P/Tempel, Comet Tempel 1 (a.k.a. 9P/1867 G1, 1867 II, 9P/1873 G1, 1873 I, 1873a, 1879 III, 1879b, 9P/1967...
As passenger traffic diminished, the G3s were withdrawn from Blue Comet service and other locomotives pulled the train. Frequently, one would find camelback locomotive
Camelback locomotive
A camelback locomotive is a type of steam locomotive with the driving cab placed in the middle, astride the boiler...
592 at the point, or other Pacifics. Pacific 820 was on the point for the only derailment of the Blue Comet on August 19, 1939.
Disposition
CNJ Camelback locomotive #592 is preserved in the roundhouse at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Maryland.In Rio Grande, New Jersey
Rio Grande, New Jersey
Rio Grande is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Middle Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc. has former Blue Comet observation car Tempel
Comet Tempel
Comet Tempel may mean:* Either of these numbered periodic comets:** 9P/Tempel, Comet Tempel 1 ** 10P/Tempel, Comet Tempel 2 Comet Tempel may mean:* Either of these numbered periodic comets:** 9P/Tempel, Comet Tempel 1 (a.k.a. 9P/1867 G1, 1867 II, 9P/1873 G1, 1873 I, 1873a, 1879 III, 1879b, 9P/1967...
(later known as CNJ car #1169) parked awaiting restoration. The historical society would like to restore the car and use it in passenger service along the Cape May Seashore Lines
Cape May Seashore Lines
Cape May Seashore Lines is a short line railroad in southern New Jersey. It offers two excursion services; a 30-mile round trip between Richland and Tuckahoe, and a 14-mile round trip between Rio Grande, Cold Spring Village, and Cape May City. The track is owned by New Jersey Transit and leased to...
.
A Blue Comet observation car
Observation car
An observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
called Biela was moved to Clinton, New Jersey
Clinton, New Jersey
Clinton is a Town in Hunterdon County, New Jersey on the South Branch of the Raritan River. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 2,719....
in the 1970s and continues to serve as a restaurant there.
The De Vico
Comet de Vico
de Vico is the name of several comets discovered by Father Francesco de Vico, a Jesuit priest. - See also :* 54P/de Vico-Swift-NEAT, discovered 1844 August 23* 122P/de Vico, discovered 1846 February 20* C/1845 D1 * C/1846 B1...
(later known as CNJ #1178) observation car was in use by New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit rail operations
New Jersey Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of New Jersey Transit. It provides regional rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered around transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark...
as an inspection car from 1982 until 1993.
The car, renumbered NJT-1, was donated in 2003 to the United Railroad Historical Society (URHS) of New Jersey, an organization that plans to restore the car. The URHS also owns Westphal
20D/Westphal
20D/Westphal is a periodic comet in our solar system, originally discovered by the German astronomer J. G. Westphal on July 24, 1852....
(later known as CNJ #1172) and D'Arrest
6P/d'Arrest
6P/d'Arrest is a periodic comet in our Solar System, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. It passed 53 Gm from the Earth, about a third of the Earth-Sun distance, on August 9, 2008....
(later known as CNJ #1173) and plans to restore them too.
In 2010 a "Jersey Coast" commuter club car, formerly used along the North Jersey Coast Line
North Jersey Coast Line
The North Jersey Coast Line is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail service operating between New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal and Bay Head, New Jersey...
(but not in Blue Comet service), was rebuilt to appear like a Blue Coment observation car by the Whippany Railway Museum
Whippany Railway Museum
The Whippany Railway Museum is a railway museum and excursion train ride located in Whippany, New Jersey.-History:In 1965, Whippany was the location of the Morris County Central Railroad, a steam excursion railroad...
in Whippany, New Jersey.
Remembrances
In the 1930s the Lionel Corporation produced a "Blue Comet" model trainRail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
, which is now considered a very desirable collectable. On season six of HBO's The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
there was an episode called "The Blue Comet
The Blue Comet
"The Blue Comet" is the twentieth episode of the sixth season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and eighty-fifth episode overall. It is the eighth episode of the second part of the sixth season, which was broadcast in two separate batches and the show's penultimate episode...
". In that episode toy train buff and mobster Bobby Baccalieri is murdered in a hobby shop as he bargains for an antique Lionel "Blue Comet" set.
The Comet passenger railcar class of the 1960s and later was named to honor the Blue Comet.
In December 1975 a special Blue Comet Nostalgia Train operated with a steam locomotive from Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on the south by the Raritan...
to Bay Head along the former New York and Long Branch Railroad
New York and Long Branch Railroad
The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railroad was jointly owned and operated by the Pennsylvania...
(today's North Jersey Coast Line
North Jersey Coast Line
The North Jersey Coast Line is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail service operating between New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal and Bay Head, New Jersey...
). The nostalgia train trip was filmed and appeared in a Christmas special edition of the Tomorrow
Tomorrow (TV series)
Tomorrow was an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder...
television program with host Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
on December 25, 1975.
In 1979 an animated version of The Little Rascals
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
appeared in a Christmas Special on NBC television.
In that special program Spanky is at first pleased and surprised to find out that his mother (voiced by Darla Hood
Darla Hood
Darla Jean Hood was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the Our Gang series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of James Claude Hood and Elizabeth Davner...
)
will be getting him a "Blue Comet" model train set, only to later find out that his mother had to sell her winter
overcoat to buy the train. He then tries to raise the funds with the gang in order to buy the coat back.
Documentary filmmaker Robert A. Emmons Jr. details the history of the Blue Comet in his 2009 feature length documentary film De Luxe: The Tale of the Blue Comet.
The Black Cat Motorcycle Club of Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Early in the 20th century, its industries included agricultural implement works, a canning factory, foundries, brickyards, a silk mill, and manufacturers of cigars, stoves, shirts, rope, iron drain pipe,...
, often encountered the Blue Comet on their rides to the Jersey Shore. Members decided the rename the club Blue Comet MC in 1937, and the club survives to this day in Skippack, Pennsylvania
Skippack, Pennsylvania
Skippack is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,758 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Skippack is located at ....
.