AboutHank Hokamp Expertise U. S. (American) History has been a hobby of mine for many a moon. When you understand history, you understand basic concepts and ideas. You will learn about cause and effect, relationships and human nature.
Question I'm writing a novel about that involves the Orphan Trains and I have a couple of questions:
1. What kind of train would they have traveled on? Steam Engine? etc.
2. What was the seating like? seats or benches? wooden or upholstered?
3. Were there bathrooms on trains then? Separate car?
Hello, Sandra. That was a tough one. Anyway, let's take a ride on the BLUE COMET:
The BLUE COMET, New Jersey Central’s luxury coach train, provided service from 1929 to 1941 between New York and Atlantic City. Advertised as “The Seashore’s Finest Train,” it was designed to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Atlantic City service… remember Nellie Bly?…by offering fast…three hours portal to portal…first-class service to coach passengers at regular fare.
The COMET made two round trips daily with extra trips on weekends and on Fridays during the summer months. Stops were made to pick up or discharge passengers at Elizabethport, Red Bank, Lakewood, Lakehurst and Hammonton. It created good will all along its route, too. Often the crew would toss newspapers from the moving train to folks who lived in the remote areas of the Pine Barrens. They’d reciprocate by bringing to the Lakewood stop baskets of goodies or, in season, berries picked in the woods.
Everything about the steam-powered train suggested a speeding blue comet. Its exterior was painted a rich, deep blue with a cream-colored stripe running its length on both sides (a reminder, too, of the Jersey Shore’s sky, surf and sandy beaches.) Over the course of its run, hundreds of people frequently lined the tracks just to watch it thunder by, a flashing blue comet on earthbound rails. Each car was named for a comet…including the most famous one, Halley’s Comet, visible to us Earthlings this year. The BLUE COMET motif continued inside the train with Persian blue upholstery, royal blue linen, comets etched on window glass ovals, and even train schedules, tickets and menus with a BLUE COMET logo.
A ride on the BLUE COMET was unique. The car one entered upon boarding was lavishly furnished. All chairs were reserved and they were triple cushioned, upholstered in expensive, figured mohair, and spaced to give plenty of legroom. A porter (in blue, of course) waited nearby to fulfill your slightest need. An observation car was open to all without extra charge. There was also a smoking car for men and a tastefully decorated lounge for women.
Food? A dining car with inlaid wood interior, tables with fine linen and silver awaited the hungry rider. Food was home cooked right on board. Prices were laughably low by today’s going rates. The Blue Plate special was 75 cents; dinner…a choice of fish, chicken or steak…was $1.25! Just thinking about the warm, baked apple pie served with a wedge of aged, New York cheddar cheese could set mouths watering.
Like many comets, the BLUE COMET burned out. After a few brilliant years, passenger volume dropped. It was the onset of the Depression, revenues declined, service was reduced. Finally, competition with the larger Pennsylvania Railroad, the expansion of the state’s highway system and the increased use of cars put an end to the service. The BLUE COMET made its last run on September 27, 1941. It was a blue day for New Jersey train travelers.
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