Jonathan Gilbert

Great, in-depth history of the trolleys that once covered most of NJ The Public Service Trolley Lines in New Jersey by Edward Hamm Jr is an interesting catalogue of NJ trolley lines. It has detailed route maps and descriptions of every trolley line in northern, central, and southern NJ that fell under the control of Public Service. The book is mostly a list of the routes with details of schedules and the progression of owners through construction, operation, and eventual abandonment. It's interesting to compare the routes to street maps and see how the lines traversed the towns and cities we now recognize in modern times. Each route description also includes two or three pictures of the trolley cars used on the line and important stops. It would have been nice to have more stories from people who rode and ran the trolleys to provide some color. Lacking them, this is more of a reference book. Overall, I found it interesting to read and a deeply comprehensive guide to something that is long lost. Many of these lines were abandoned 90 years ago now, and the traces of them are hard to find. You might see them in the form of electric powerline rights-of-way, an occasional rail sticking out of the pavement, or a rare trolley wire pole in service as a streetlamp. Recommended!