About Our Cape May Seashore Lines Layout
"click on pictures for enlarged view"
Cape May Branchline:"click on pictures for enlarged view"
A model of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line would not be complete without the sand and ocean. It was cool ocean breezes from the Atlantic Ocean and the need to escape the cities' heat, that inspired railroad pioneers to cross the lower part of New Jersey in search of faster routes to the shore.
Tuckahoe:
A junction where the branchlines from Cape May & Ocean City meet and continue Northward to Winslow Junction
Woodbine Junction:
A junction where the branchlines from Tuckahoe and Millville meet. The upper branchline from Tuckahoe continues southward to Cape May. The lower branchline from Millville continues eastward to Sea Isle City. Before entering Sea Isle City, the line branches southward at Sea Isle Junction to Cape May.
4H Fairgrounds Station:
This is the northern station for the Cape May Seashore Line. Its located near the Cape May County Zoo.
Rio Grande:
This area contains the Cape May Seashore Line Maintenance Yard Tracks. The yard tracks contain RDC's, passenger cars, & locomotives awaiting restoration that were once used on the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines.
Cold Spring Station:
A stop along the line which services historic Cold Spring Village.
Cape May Canal:
The line crosses the canal separating Cape May from the mainland. The canal is used as a short cut for boaters heading from the Atlantic Ocean into the Delaware Bay so that do not have to travel around Cape May Point. This Moveable Bridge pre-dates the canal that passes under it. The bridge was built from half a turntable that was moved to the sight and assembled before the Army Corp of Engineers dug the canal. Beginning in Aug 1942 and completed in March 1943 the Cape May Canal provided a protected shipping lane allowing ships to cut thru and avoided the problems of going around Cape May Point.
Cape May Point:
This corner section, created by one of our junior members, depicts a scene along Cape May Point with bathers soaking up some sun and the coolness of the ocean. Cape May Lighthouse can be seen in the background.
Harbor Branch:
This module contains the mating northern half of the old steam era reversing wye. Just 2/10 of a mile south of the "The Moveable Bridge" over the Cape May Canal, at Harbor Branch Junction, a branch ran east crossing Old State Highway 4 into Schellenger's Landing. Cape May Harbor was built to allow larger ships to bring passengers and freight into Cape May. Schellenger's Landing along the edge of the Harbor became the transfer point for boat to rail services. In 1999 a modern rubberized crossing was built at the end of Wilson Street to allow developers to access the open property east of the CMSL right-of-way. This crossing quickly became an access point for joy riders making the crossing a hazard to the train crews. To temporally secure the crossing, a fence was erected and a P70 work car has been positioned across the crossing. One of the early water towers erected in Cape May maybe seen just to the right after the Cape May Point Branch switch.
Cape Island Creek:
The town of Cape May was originally called Cape Island. A small creek separated it from the main land until the railroads came to town and built a bridge over the "Cape Island Creek". To re-establish service into Cape May Station, the CMSL rebuilt the small trestle over the creek. Today the Cape Island Creek drains the wet lands beginning at Schellenger's and is a prime location for observing wild birds. Included on this module is the southern leg of the old steam area reversing wye that dead ends on the bank of the Cape Island Creek 2/10 of a mile from the main line. The Cape May Point spur also originates just north of the Cape Island Bridge heading west. It was built to access the Cape May Sand Company Pits and was known at one time as the Sand Pit Branch when it opened April 11, 1928. In 1941 the Northwest Magnesite Company began processing dolomite into magnesitnate and became the PRSL's largest customer south of Winslow until freight service was discontinued.
Soap:
This siding that runs along the Cape May Freight House is known by the CMSL as the "Soap Track". The blue-ish building now owned by Morrow's Nut House, was once the transfer point for dry-goods, one major item being soap products. Hence the name given to it by the CMSL
Cape May City:
This is the end of the line where passengers can exit the train and head into the beautiful town of Cape May for a day at the beach or shopping.
