Railroads, Tourism, and Commuters at the Jersey Shore
Presented by Bill Elwell

Nestled halfway between two of America's most important cities, the Jersey Shore seems perfectly positioned to be a vacation destination. What was once desolate beachfront did not become a vacationing mecca overnight. Railroads were the defining factor in creating and shaping the development of the Shore as a center for everything from day trips to whole summer vacations. As the winds of technology changed, the passenger-centric Jersey Shore railroads were able to turn into the breeze and refocus to commuters, redefining themselves and the Jersey Shore as a whole. This work explores railroads and their effects on Jersey Shore, especially vacationing and commuting, focusing through the lens of railroad-publications like timetables and advertisements.

Bill Elwell is an adjunct professor of history at Monmouth University and a lifelong Jersey Shore resident. Much of that life has been spent exploring all different aspects of railroads, especially local ones, through history, modeling, and railfanning. Additionally, Bill is on the Board of the Ocean County Historical Society, the Point Pleasant Historical Preservation Committee, a member of the Anthracite Roads Historical Society and West Jersey Chapter NRHS, formerly worked in historical outreach for Monmouth County, and is proud to help share our common story.

In-Person and Virtual options available

For In-Person Attendees: Our meetings are held at the Rainis Auditorium of Saint Elizabeth University in Morristown, NJ. For printable driving directions, please click here. Doors open at 7:00 PM (no early birds, please), the membership portion of the meeting will start at 7:30 PM, and the presentation should begin around 8:00 PM.

For Virtual Attendees: All of our membership meetings are simulcast on Zoom and our Facebook page. The membership portion of the meeting begins virtually at 7:30 PM. The presentation should begin around 8:00 PM. For Zoom, click here to register in advance for this meeting. Virtual attendees will need to register in advance for the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Admission is free and all are welcome to attend!

Your membership dollars help keep these meetings free for all to enjoy. Join today here. Or, you can support us by sending a donation here.