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91-557: In the early 20th century, Atlantic City and the South Jersey seashore were major seaside vacation destinations for Philadelphia area residents. The popularity of South Jersey's seashore was made possible by rail transport , which provided inexpensive and fast service between the Philadelphia area's population centers and shore points. There were two competing railroad companies connecting Camden and, by ferry , Philadelphia, with

182-528: A resort town . Three years later, in early 1853, it was named "Atlantic City". Because of its location in South Jersey , which hugs the Atlantic Ocean between marshlands and islands, Atlantic City was viewed by developers as prime real estate and a potential resort town. In 1853, the first commercial hotel, the Belloe House, was built at the intersection of Massachusetts and Atlantic Avenues. The city

273-585: A $ 1.5-$ 2-billion casino resort, the company canceled its construction plans and sold the land for $ 29.5 million. MGM Resorts International announced in October 2007 that it would pull out of all development for Atlantic City, effectively ending its plans for the MGM Grand Atlantic City. In 2006, Morgan Stanley purchased 20 acres (8.1 ha) directly north of the Showboat Atlantic City for

364-668: A 1974 referendum on legalized gambling failed to pass. Immediately after the legislation passed, the owners of the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel began converting it into the Resorts International. It was the first legal casino in the eastern United States when it opened on May 26, 1978. Other casinos were soon constructed along the Boardwalk and, later, in the marina district for a total of nine today. The introduction of gambling did not, however, quickly eliminate many of

455-602: A 30-cent toll. Albany Avenue was the first road to the mainland available without a toll. By 1878, because of the growing popularity of the city, one railroad line could no longer keep up with demand. Soon, the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway was also constructed to transport tourists to Atlantic City. At this point massive hotels like the United States Hotel and Surf House, as well as smaller rooming houses, had sprung up all over town. The United States Hotel took up

546-482: A bill offering tax incentives to attract new investors and complete the job, but a poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University 's PublicMind released in March 2010 showed that 60% of voters opposed the legislation, and two of three of those who opposed it "strongly" opposed it. Ultimately, Governor Chris Christie offered Revel $ 261 million in state tax credits to assist the casino once it opened. Revel completed all of

637-559: A condo complex, and Resorts Atlantic City . The old Ambassador Hotel was purchased by Ramada in 1978 and was gutted to become the Tropicana Casino and Resort Atlantic City , only reusing the steelwork of the original building. Smaller hotels off the boardwalk, such as the Madison also survived. In an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 passed a referendum, approving casino gambling for Atlantic City; this came after

728-640: A contender to build a supermarket. As of December 2023, there was only one functioning supermarket in Atlantic City, the Save-A-Lot food store located in Renaissance Plaza, an area of the city known for its significant homeless population and drug use. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has proposed a new supermarket that would be located on an empty parking lot behind the Tanger Outlets and near

819-803: A few years after the Penn Central. As a result, Conrail took over the P-RSL on April 1, 1976. Effective May 4, 1896, the Pennsylvania Railroad consolidated all of its railroads and several smaller properties in South Jersey into the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad . The WJ&S had lines coming from its Federal Street Terminal in Camden. The "Main Line" ran to Atlantic City and to other shore points via Winslow Junction , and its line via Woodbury to Millville . It

910-462: A full city block between Atlantic, Pacific, Delaware, and Maryland Avenues. These hotels were not only impressive in size, but featured the most up-to-date amenities, and were considered quite luxurious for their time. In 1883, salt water taffy was conceived in Atlantic City by David Bradley. The traditional story is that Bradley's shop was flooded after a major storm, soaking his taffy with salty Atlantic Ocean water. He sold some "salt water taffy" to

1001-414: A girl, who proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Bradley's mother was in the back of the store when the sale was made, and loved the name, and so salt water taffy was born. In the early 20th century, Atlantic City experienced a radical building boom. Many of the modest boarding houses that dotted the boardwalk were replaced with large hotels. Two of the city's most distinctive hotels were

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1092-604: A group from Gloucester City , which wanted a rail line to link the busy passenger ferry landing at Kaighn's Point in Camden to the Gloucester City industrial area 3.9 miles (6.3 km) away, then from that point another 1.3 miles (2.1 km) to Mount Ephraim Borough . A 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge was required, as much of the right of way used existing city streets with sharp curves. Work began in January 1874 and

1183-523: A harsh light on Atlantic City, which by then was in the midst of a long period of economic decline. Many felt that the friendship between Johnson and Governor of New Jersey Richard J. Hughes led Atlantic City to host the Democratic Convention. By the late 1960s, many of the resort's once great hotels were suffering from high vacancy rates. Most of them were either shut down, converted to cheap apartments, or converted to nursing home facilities by

1274-460: A health resort, his efforts to convince the municipal authorities that a railroad to the beach would be beneficial, his successful alliance with Samuel Richards (entrepreneur and member of the most influential family in southern New Jersey at the time) to achieve that goal, the actual building of the railroad, and the experience of the first 600 riders, who "were chosen carefully by Samuel Richards and Jonathan Pitney": After arriving in Atlantic City,

1365-478: A hint from the Marlborough-Blenheim, commissioned the firm of Price and McLanahan to build an even bigger hotel. Rising 16 stories, the tan brick and gold-capped hotel would become one of the city's best-known landmarks. The hotel made use of ocean-facing hotel rooms by jutting its wings farther from the main portion of the hotel along Pacific Avenue. One by one, additional large hotels were constructed along

1456-633: A new $ 2-billion-plus casino resort. Revel Entertainment Group was named as the project's developer for the Revel Casino . Revel was hindered with many problems, the biggest setback occurring in April 2010 when Morgan Stanley, the owner of 90% of Revel Entertainment Group, decided to discontinue funding for continued construction and put its stake in Revel up for sale. Early in 2010, the New Jersey state legislature passed

1547-410: A second train brought the visitors to the door of the resort's first public lodging, the United States Hotel. The hotel was owned by the railroad. It was a sprawling, four-story structure built to house 2,000 guests. It opened while it was still under construction, with only one wing standing, and even that wasn't completed. By year's end, when it was fully constructed, the United States Hotel was not only

1638-460: A speed record. It ran the 55.5 miles (89.3 km) in 43 minutes at an average speed of 77.4 mph (124.6 km/h). The 29.3 miles (47.2 km) between Winslow Jct and Meadows Tower (outside of Atlantic City) were covered in 20 minutes at a speed of 87.9 mph (141.5 km/h). During the short segment between Egg Harbor and Brigantine Jct, the train was reported to have reached 115 mph (185 km/h). Incorporated on 17 June 1873 by

1729-529: Is widely known as a food desert , with the nearest fully-functioning supermarket being located in neighboring Ventnor City , which is 3 miles (4.8 km) away from the majority of Atlantic City's population. As a result, proposals for a supermarket were floated beginning in May 2021, and Atlantic City's City Council gave permission to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to look for

1820-471: The Atlantic City Expressway . Groundbreaking for a ShopRite supermarket had taken place in October 2021, after Village Super Market received $ 18.7 million from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to construct the store. The supermarket was expected to be completed by December 2022, although no construction or building had happened on the site, which drew attention from residents. After

1911-454: The Atlantic Ocean . Prior to Atlantic City's founding, the region served as a summer home for the Lenape , a Native American tribe. While the precise date of European settlement in present-day Atlantic City is not precisely determined, it is commonly thought that it was in 1783, when Jeremiah Leeds built and occupied a year-round home there. In 1850, present-day Atlantic City was developed into

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2002-619: The Boardwalk Hall , finalized on September 30, 1924. Bader was also a driving force behind the creation of the Miss America competition. In May 1929, Johnson hosted a conference for organized crime figures from all across America that created a National Crime Syndicate . The men who called this meeting were Masseria family lieutenant Charles "Lucky" Luciano and former Chicago South Side Gang boss Johnny "the Fox" Torrio , with heads of

2093-565: The Bugs and Meyer Mob , Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel , being used as muscle for the meeting. Gangster and businessman Al Capone attended the conference and was photographed walking along the Atlantic City boardwalk with Johnson. The 1930s through the 1960s were a heyday for nightclub entertainment. Popular venues on the white-populated south side included the 500 Club , the Clicquot Club , and

2184-449: The Corps of Topographical Engineers , was approved, with work initiated the next year. By 1874, almost 500,000 passengers a year were coming to Atlantic City by rail. In Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City , "Atlantic City's Godfather" Nelson Johnson describes the inspiration of Jonathan Pitney (the "Father of Atlantic City" ) to develop Atlantic City as

2275-525: The Delaware River , connecting Philadelphia and Camden. Car, truck, and bus usage increased as the state built roads in the 1920s and 30s next to the railroads going from Camden to the shore, cutting into profits. On March 4, 1931, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) ordered the two companies to join their southern New Jersey lines into one company. The Consolidation Agreement decreed that

2366-566: The Jockey Club . In the Northside neighborhood , home to African Americans in the racially segregated city, a black entertainment district reigned on Kentucky Avenue. Four major nightclubs, Club Harlem , the Paradise Club , Grace's Little Belmont , and Wonder Gardens , drew both black and white patrons. During the summer tourist season, jazz and R&B music could be heard into the wee hours of

2457-609: The Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel and the Traymore Hotel . In 1902, Josiah White III bought a parcel of land near Ohio Avenue and the boardwalk, where he started construction and built the Queen Anne style Marlborough House. The hotel was a success. In 1905, he chose to expand the hotel and bought another parcel of land adjacent to his Marlborough House. In an effort to make his new hotel a source of conversation, White hired

2548-476: The South Jersey seashore. Competition was fierce and by its height in the 1920s competition between the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad (WJ&S), owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad , and the Atlantic City Railroad , owned by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway , was so intense that at one time both lines boasted some of the fastest trains in the world. Trains often raced one another so as to be

2639-637: The United States Supreme Court agreed to hear Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association and heard oral arguments in December 2017. Then, on May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional. The act was overturned, allowing New Jersey to move ahead with plans to implement legalized sports betting. Despite being

2730-486: The "Skyscraper by the Sea". With tourism peaking in the 1920s, the period is often considered by historians to be Atlantic City's golden age. During Prohibition , which was enacted nationally in 1919 and lasted until 1933, much liquor was consumed and gambling regularly took place in the back rooms of nightclubs and restaurants. During Prohibition, racketeer and political boss Enoch L. "Nucky" Johnson rose to power. Prohibition

2821-620: The 1920s, and ran from Sunset Beach in Lower Township , around the Point to South Cape May (now known as South Meadows), into Cape May City , out to Sewell's Point (now the Coast Guard Training Center), and back around to Schellenger's Landing, where visitors could then connect to Philadelphia-bound trains. Ocean City Junction to Ocean City Winslow Junction to Tuckahoe , Sea Isle City and Cape May Acquired in April 1932,

Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines - Misplaced Pages Continue

2912-639: The Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan statistical area , which encompasses those cities and all of Atlantic County for statistical purposes. Both Atlantic City and Hammonton, as well as the surrounding Atlantic County, are culturally tied to Philadelphia and constitute part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area or Delaware Valley , the nation's seventh-largest metropolitan area as of 2020. Located in South Jersey on Absecon Island and known for its taxis , casinos , nightlife , boardwalk , and Atlantic Ocean beaches and coastline ,

3003-457: The Blenheim and merged the two hotels into the Marlborough-Blenheim. Bally's Atlantic City was later constructed at this location. The Traymore Hotel was located at the corner of Illinois Avenue and the boardwalk. Constructed in 1879 as a small boarding house, the hotel grew through a series of uncoordinated expansions. By 1914, the hotel's owner, Daniel White, Josiah White's half-brother, taking

3094-618: The Brigantine Transit Company was built as an electric trolley line. The road extended along Brigantine Beach NJ a distance of 6.25 miles (10.06 km) On 27 June 1895, George H Cook, the secretary of Brigantine Transit Company, bought the Brigantine Beach Railroad at foreclosure sale. On 1 April 1896, the Brigantine Beach Railroad reincorporated as Philadelphia & Brigantine Railroad with George H. Cook as president. The Philadelphia & Brigantine Railroad leased

3185-544: The Brigantine Transit Company. On 30 September 1897, Atlantic City Railroad canceled the lease of Philadelphia & Brigantine Railroad. On 12 September 1903, a storm destroyed trestle leading to Brigantine Island on Philadelphia & Brigantine Railroad. (Coxey) On 9 October, the Philadelphia & Brigantine Railroad abandoned all service. (Coxey) On 2 November 1932, the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Company joined their southern New Jersey railroad lines into one company, The Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines which

3276-449: The C&;A for 24 years) left to build a second railroad from Camden, New Jersey , to Atlantic City by way of Clementon. It was incorporated on 24 March 1876. A 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) track gauge was selected because narrow gauge was successful at the time and saved in lower operating cost. Work began in April 1877. The track work was completed in 90 days. On 7 July 1877,

3367-669: The Camden and Atlantic Railroad to Brigantine Island. On 21 April 1890, Pomona Beach Railroad incorporated in New Jersey to build from Camden and Atlantic Railroad to the Atlantic City Railroad at Pomona, to connect the Brigantine Beach Railroad with the ACRR. On 18 August, the Brigantine Beach Railroad and Pomona Beach Railroad were leased to Atlantic City Railroad. On 27 January 1891, Pomona Beach Railroad consolidated with Brigantine Beach Railroad, now running 13.9 miles (22.4 km) from Brigantine Beach to Brigantine Junction.. In 1893,

3458-613: The P70s that carried its name. They were leased from the WJ&;S. The passenger cars of the PRSL were painted Tuscan Red. This is a brick-colored shade of red. Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City , sometimes referred to by its initials A.C. , is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County , in the U.S. state of New Jersey . Atlantic City comprises the second half of

3549-406: The PRSL did not gain ownership of any ACRR-RDG locomotives. Additional locomotives were leased as needed from PRSL's parent companies, PRR and RDG. Beginning in the 1950s the PRSL purchased a rather modest fleet of its own diesel locomotives to replace its steam engines for passenger and freight services. When additional power was needed for the busy summer tourist season engines were borrowed from

3640-459: The PRSL was in need of more powerful and more reliable locomotives and turned to industry-leader EMD to supply 10 new second generation diesel electric locomotives. PRSL inherited the following from the WJ&S: Additional passenger cars were leased as needed from PRSL's parent companies, PRR and RDG, and sometimes from the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ). The PRSL did not own any of

3731-428: The PRSL was more apt to lease its motive power from either of its parent railroads as it completely lacked any heavy passenger locomotives (like 4-6-2 Pacifics ). As its parent railroads began to replace steam with diesel locomotives, the PRSL became a haven for steam locomotives during their final years of operation. The 0-6-0 type was assigned class B, and was used in switcher service. The 4-4-2 "Atlantic" type

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3822-536: The Pennsylvania Railroad had two-thirds ownership, and the Reading Company had one-third ownership. Following World War II , the rise of automobile use, the completion of the Atlantic City Expressway , and growing popularity of air travel led to a reduction in rail use. Increased air travel also led some to abandon Atlantic City for more exotic vacation destinations, including Florida . By the late 1960s,

3913-581: The Philadelphia and Reading Railway consolidated all of its railroads in Southern New Jersey into the Atlantic City Railroad (ACRR). The ACRR, a subsidiary of the Reading Company , had one line from its Kaighn's Point Terminal going to Winslow Junction with lines splitting off to Atlantic City, Ocean City , Wildwood , and Cape May. Branch lines included the Gloucester Branch to Grenloch, and

4004-512: The Pleasantville & Ocean City Railroad to the West Jersey and Atlantic Railroad. On 1 June, the West Jersey and Atlantic Railroad leased the Pleasantville & Ocean City Railroad and converted to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge began on 4 June. On 7 August 1889, Brigantine Beach Railroad incorporated in New Jersey to build from Pomona on

4095-933: The SHRR ran from Cape May Court House to Stone Harbor ; it was merged with the PRSL in 1936. Acquired in July 1930, the W&;DBSLRR ran from Wildwood Junction to Wildwood ; it was merged with the ACRR (by then PRSL) in 1934. On 9 June 1880, Pleasantville & Ocean City Railroad incorporated in New Jersey, with William Massey as president (Val). On 26 October, Pleasantville & Ocean City Railroad ( 3 ft 6 in  / 1,067 mm narrow-gauge ) opened between Pleasantville and Somers Point, NJ, operated by Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway. Thr opening excursion ran from Philadelphia to Ocean City. The Ocean City Association operated connecting steamboat between Somers Point and Ocean City. (Val, Lee) In May 1882, William Massey sold

4186-675: The Willamstown Branch from Willamstown Junction (on the Atlantic City Main) to Mullica Hill to the south, and Atco to the north. On July 15, 1933, The WJ&S was leased by the ACRR, and changed its name to Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines , as the Consolidation Agreement had decreed. The 21 steam locomotives owned by the PRSL were from the PRR subsidiary WJ&S. They all consisted of PRR classes. Before dieselization

4277-403: The architectural firm of Price and McLanahan. The firm made use of reinforced concrete , a new building material invented by Jean-Louis Lambot in 1848, and Joseph Monier received the patent in 1867. The hotel's Spanish and Moorish themes, capped off with its signature dome and chimneys, represented a step forward from other hotels that had a classically designed influence. White named the new hotel

4368-415: The boardwalk was expanded in length and width, and modified several times in subsequent years. Prior to the destructive 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane , the historic length of the boardwalk was about 7 mi (11 km) and it extended from Atlantic City to Longport , through Ventnor and Margate . The first road connecting the city to the mainland at Pleasantville was completed in 1870 and charged

4459-559: The boardwalk, including the Brighton, Chelsea, Shelburne, Ambassador, Ritz Carlton, Mayflower, Madison House, and the Breakers. The Quaker -owned Chalfonte House, opened in 1868, and Haddon House, opened in 1869, flanked North Carolina Avenue at the beach end. Over the years, their original wood-frame structures would be enlarged, and even moved closer to the beach. The modern Chalfonte Hotel, eight stories tall, opened in 1904. The modern Haddon Hall

4550-514: The city from 2013 to 2018. As of the 2020 census , the city had a population of 38,497, a decline of 1,061 (−2.7%) from the 2010 census count of 39,558, which in turn reflected a decrease of 959 (−2.4%) from the 40,517 counted in the 2000 census . The city was incorporated on May 1, 1854, from portions of Egg Harbor Township and Galloway Township . It is located on Absecon Island and borders Absecon , Brigantine , Egg Harbor Township, Galloway Township, Pleasantville , Ventnor City , and

4641-465: The city is prominently known as the "Las Vegas of the East Coast" and inspired the U.S. version of the board game Monopoly , which uses various Atlantic City street names and destinations in the game. New Jersey voters legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, and the first casino opened two years later. From 1921 to 2004, Atlantic City hosted the Miss America pageant, which later returned to

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4732-485: The city to attract customers to his casinos. Mike Tyson fought most of his fights in Atlantic City in the 1980s, which helped Atlantic City achieve national attention as a gambling resort and vacation destination. Several highrise condominiums were built for use as permanent residences or second homes. By end of the decade, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. On June 27, 2017,

4823-424: The city were scrapped in 2002, the tunnel opened in 2001. The new roadway prompted Boyd Gaming in partnership with MGM/Mirage to build Atlantic City's newest casino. Borgata opened in July 2003, and its success brought an influx of developers to Atlantic City with plans for building grand, Las Vegas-style mega casinos to revitalize the aging city. Owing to economic conditions and the late 2000s recession , many of

4914-424: The city, as well as from kickbacks on construction projects. During this time, Atlantic City was led by mayor Edward L. Bader , known for his contributions to the construction, athletics and aviation of Atlantic City. Despite opposition, he had Atlantic City purchase the land that became the city's municipal airport and high school football stadium, both of which were later named Bader Field in his honor. He led

5005-566: The construction plans and the two proposals were still "being reviewed." According to the United States Census Bureau , Atlantic City had a total area of 17.21 square miles (44.59 km ), including 10.76 square miles (27.87 km ) of land and 6.45 square miles (16.72 km ) of water (37.50%). Atlantic City Railroad The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933. At

5096-549: The early 1990s, along with newly built casinos in the nearby Philadelphia metro area in the 2000s, Atlantic City's tourism began to decline due to its failure to diversify away from gambling. In 1999 the Atlantic City Redevelopment Authority partnered with Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn to develop a new roadway to a barren section of the city near the Marina. Nicknamed "The Tunnel Project", Steve Wynn planned

5187-576: The end of 1925, it operated 161 miles (259 km) of road on 318 miles (512 km) of track; that year it reported 43 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 204 million passenger-miles. Effective 1 April 1889, the Philadelphia and Reading Railway consolidated all of its railroads in Southern New Jersey into the Atlantic City Railroad. On 20 July 1904, the regularly-scheduled train no. 25, which ran from Kaighn's Point in Camden, New Jersey, to Atlantic City , New Jersey, with Philadelphia and Reading Railway class P-4c 4-4-2 No.334 and 5 passenger cars, set

5278-885: The end of the decade. Prior to and during the advent of legalized gambling, many of these hotels were demolished. The Breakers, The Chelsea , the Brighton, the Shelburne, the Mayflower, the Traymore and the Marlborough-Blenheim were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s. Of the many pre-casino resorts that bordered the boardwalk, only the Claridge, the Dennis, the Ritz-Carlton , and the Haddon Hall survive to this day as parts of Bally's Atlantic City ,

5369-411: The end of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century, railroads were primary channels for accessing New Jersey shore beaches. PRR property railroads carried beachgoers from Philadelphia and Camden . The Atlantic City Railroad was reincorporated on 14 June 1901 as a merger with other railroads...... The Camden County Railroad was incorporated on 17 September 1889 with

5460-486: The exterior work and had continued work on the interior after finally receiving the funding necessary to complete construction, and had a soft opening in April 2012 before being fully open the next month. Ten months later, in February 2013, after serious losses and a write-down in the value of the resort from $ 2.4 billion to $ 450 million, Revel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It was restructured but still could not carry on and re-entered bankruptcy on June 19, 2014. It

5551-410: The final spike was driven and the 54.67-mile (87.98 km) line was opened. On 12 July 1878, the P&AC RY slipped into bankruptcy. The Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway was acquired by the CNJ and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway for $ 1,000,000 on 20 September 1883. The name was modified to Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad effective 4 December 1883. The first task was to convert

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5642-420: The first hotel in Atlantic City but also the largest in the nation. Its rooms totaled more than 600, and its grounds covered some 14 acres. The first boardwalk was built in 1870 along a portion of the beach in an effort to help hotel owners keep sand out of their lobbies. Businesses were restricted and the boardwalk was removed each year at the end of the peak season. Because of its effectiveness and popularity,

5733-411: The first to arrive at their destination. Racing was encouraged by the fact that in many areas, the two lines were only several hundred feet apart. On the Cape May lines, the trains were in sight of each other for 11 miles between Cape May Court House and Cape May . Over the last 5 miles into Cape May, the tracks were only 50 feet apart. On July 1, 1926, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened, spanning

5824-405: The initiative, in 1923, to construct the Atlantic City High School at Albany and Atlantic Avenues. Bader, in November 1923, initiated a public referendum, during the general election, at which time residents approved the construction of a Convention Center. The city passed an ordinance approving a bond issue for $ 1.5 million to be used for the purchase of land for Convention Hall, now known as

5915-491: The line from Kaighn's Point to Gloucester City opened on 14 February 1874. The line to Mount Ephraim Borough opened in May 1876. In mid-November 1884, the Philadelphia and Reading Railway acquired the Camden, Gloucester and Mt Ephraim Railway. The lines were converted to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge in 1885. During 1875, four of the Camden and Atlantic (C&A) Board of Directors, led by Samuel Richards (an officer of

6006-428: The line to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge , which was completed on 5 October 1884. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway acquired full control on 4 December 1885. The railroad was chartered on 13 March 1871 by the owners of one glassworks in Williamstown to build a line from Atco to Williamstown, and later to Glassboro, New Jersey. The 9.5 miles (15.3 km) line

6097-410: The line. After construction was complete, the Camden County Railroad , which had been established with the sole purpose of constructing this extension, was leased to the Atlantic City Railroad . Atlantic City Railroad Timetable No. 3, effective 14 April 1892, was the first to show trains operating on the Gloucester Branch between Mt. Ephraim and Grenloch. This particular line existed from 1863 until

6188-428: The locomotives were painted in black referred to as "True Black." By the late 1960s, the original Baldwin diesels were beginning to suffer reliability problems, which was exacerbated by the fact that Baldwin had gone out of business some 10 years before and could no longer provide spare parts or maintenance. With the new powerplant being constructed at Beesley's Point ready to consume several 90 car coal trains per week

6279-416: The luxury beach resorts during the hot summer. Finally, the rise of relatively cheap jet airline service allowed visitors to travel to year-round resort places such as Miami Beach and the Bahamas . The city hosted the 1964 Democratic National Convention which nominated Lyndon Johnson for president and Hubert Humphrey as vice president. The convention and the press coverage it generated, however, cast

6370-406: The morning. Soul food restaurants and ribs joints also lined Kentucky Avenue, including Wash's Restaurant , Jerry's and Sap's. Like many older East Coast cities after World War II , Atlantic City became plagued with poverty, crime, corruption, and general economic decline in the mid-to-late 20th century. The neighborhood known as the "Inlet" became particularly impoverished. The reasons for

6461-400: The parent corporations (usually the PRR) as was true previously with the steam locomotives. To further supplement its small fleet the PRSL made increasing use of run through power on certain freight trains to large customers that did not require classification at the PRSL's Pavonia yard. The first generation of PRSL diesel locomotives were all from the nearby Baldwin Locomotive Works , which

6552-508: The proposed 'Mirage Atlantic City' around the idea that he would connect the $ 330 million tunnel stretching 2.5 mi (4.0 km) from the Atlantic City Expressway to his new resort. The roadway was later officially named the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector , and funnels incoming traffic off of the expressway into the city's marina district and the city of Brigantine . Although Wynn's plans for development in

6643-504: The proposed mega casinos never advanced further than the initial planning stage. One of these developers was Pinnacle Entertainment , which purchased the Sands Atlantic City for $ 250–$ 270 million and closed it on November 11, 2006 with plans to replace it with a larger casino. The following year, the resort was demolished in an implosion, the first of its kind in Atlantic City. While Pinnacle Entertainment intended to replace it with

6734-551: The purpose of extending the ACRR's Gloucester Branch ex Camden, Gloucester & Mt Ephraim Railway between Mount Ephraim Borough and Spring Mills, home of the Bateman Manufacturing Company where two plants were in use constructing farm equipment. As of 31 December 1890, 5 miles of railroad were completed south of Mt. Ephraim. The remaining 2.19 miles were finished on 10 May 1891. Spring Mills saw its first train during

6825-553: The resort's decline were multi-layered. First, the automobile became more readily available to many Americans after the war. Atlantic City had initially relied upon visitors coming by train and staying for a couple of weeks. The car allowed them to come and go as they pleased, and many people would spend only a few days, rather than weeks. The advent of suburbia also played a significant role. With many families moving to their own private houses, luxuries such as home air conditioning and swimming pools diminished their interest in flocking to

6916-643: The state of New Jersey. In 2019, the Atlantic City area had the highest rates of foreclosures in the nation. This has disproportionately affected Black residents in neighborhoods segregated by redlining , a legacy that is mirrored by the values of properties on the Monopoly game board. After several casino closures and the COVID-19 pandemic , strikes and pickets were being threatened in June 2022 by casino employees which were short-staffed and wanted pay raises. Atlantic City

7007-412: The state saw a drop in money from its 8% tax on those earnings, which is used to fund programs for senior citizens and the disabled. On October 29, 2012, " Superstorm Sandy " struck Atlantic City and caused flooding and power-outages but left minimal damage to any of the tourist areas. The storm produced an all-time record low barometric pressure reading of 943 mb (27.85") for not only Atlantic City, but

7098-572: The state to initiate the landmark ruling, New Jersey was actually the third state to legalize sports betting after Nevada and Delaware . In June 2018, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy signed the legislation into law, and several New Jersey–based casino brands subsequently opened sportsbooks , especially in Atlantic City. With the redevelopment of the Las Vegas Strip and the opening of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut in

7189-641: The summer of 1883, the Williamstown and Delaware's track was laid to Glassboro, for a length of 15.73 miles (25.31 kilometers). That year, a 1.2 miles (1.9 km) branch line long was built in Glassboro NJ as the Glassboro Railroad to the Whitney Brother's glass works. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway acquired full control on 4 December 1885. In 1887, a new extension was built to Mullica Hill NJ. At

7280-587: The surviving former Camden and Atlantic City Main Line was reduced to a commuter service funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) running trains of Budd RDC railcars operating from a small terminal at Lindenwold PATCO station and Atlantic City. While the P-RSL did not enter bankruptcy, its owners, the Penn Central , successor to the Pennsylvania, did. The Reading filed bankruptcy

7371-531: The third week in March, while the first carload of farm equipment and tools did not leave Bateman Manufacturing until the beginning of April. Stations were constructed along the Camden County Railroad at Bellmawr , Runnemede , Glendora , Chews Landing formerly South Glendora, Blenheim , Blackwood , and Spring Mills, renamed Grenloch (in Gloucester Township, New Jersey ) upon completion of

7462-515: The time for the contract expired, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) announced that the deal with Village Super Market (VSM) was dead and that they were looking for new contenders. VSM created a new plan for CRDA and the city's Council to review and by July 2023, it and a Chinese conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong emerged as the two candidates to build the supermarket. However, as of November 2023, no further progress had been made on

7553-408: The urban problems that plagued Atlantic City. Many people have suggested that it only served to exacerbate those problems, as attested to by the stark contrast between tourism intensive areas and the adjacent impoverished working-class neighborhoods. While Atlantic City has been less popular than Las Vegas as a gambling city in the United States, Donald Trump helped bring big name boxing bouts to

7644-488: Was electrified with 650 volt DC third rail and overhead lines , with branches going to Salem , and Deep Water Point from Woodbury, and Bridgeton from Glassboro . While the WJ&S line via Woodbury was a pioneering example of railroad electrification, electric multiple unit (MU) service between Newfield and Atlantic City ended September 26, 1931. The PRSL only inherited the electrified Millville–Camden commuter rail service from WJ&S. Effective April 1, 1889,

7735-515: Was assigned class E. and was used in passenger service. The 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" type was assigned class G. and was used in passenger service. The 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type was assigned class H, and was used in freight service. The 4-6-2 "Pacific" type was assigned class K. and was used in passenger service. Since the Consolidation Agreement had decreed that the PRR Mechanical Department would oversee equipment policy decisions,

7826-467: Was built in stages and was completed in 1929, at eleven stories. By this time, they were under the same ownership and merged into the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel , becoming the city's largest hotel with nearly 1,000 rooms. By 1930, the Claridge, the city's last large hotel before the casinos, opened its doors. The 400-room Claridge was built by a partnership that included renowned Philadelphia contractor John McShain . At 24 stories, it would become known as

7917-543: Was completed in 1873. The line slipped into bankruptcy in November 1881. The Williamstown Railroad had graded a line to Glassboro NJ but the rail was only laid 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) to Robanna NJ. The Williamstown Railroad was acquired by the CNJ and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway on 6 October 1883 at foreclosure sale. The railroad's name was modified to Williamstown and Delaware River Railroad, effective 7 December 1883. In

8008-515: Was incorporated in 1854, the same year train service began on the Camden and Atlantic Railroad . Built on the edge of the bay, this served as the direct link of this remote parcel of land with Philadelphia , the second-most populous city in the United States at the time and the largest city in Pennsylvania . The same year, construction of the Absecon Lighthouse , designed by George Meade of

8099-466: Was largely unenforced in Atlantic City. Because alcohol that had been smuggled into the city with the implicit approval of local officials, it was easily obtained at restaurants and other establishments, and the resort's popularity grew further. The city then dubbed itself as "The World's Playground". Nucky Johnson's income, which reached as much as $ 500,000 annually, came from the kickbacks he took on illegal liquor, gambling and prostitution operating in

8190-654: Was put up for sale, however as no suitable bids were received the resort closed its doors in September 2014. The property was bought by AC Ocean Walk, LLC for $ 200 million in 2017, and reopened in 2018 as Ocean Casino Resort. In the wake of the closures and declining revenue from casinos, Governor Christie said in September 2014 that the state would consider a 2015 referendum to end the 40-year-old monopoly that Atlantic City holds on casino gambling and allowing gambling in other municipalities. With casino revenue declining from $ 5.2 billion in 2006 to $ 2.9 billion in 2013,

8281-400: Was the vendor of choice for the parent PRR in both the steam and early diesel era. The PRSL's diesel locomotives were almost all painted in what is commonly referred to as Brunswick Green which was so dark it seemed almost black. The paint scheme was borrowed from its PRR parent and with the company's official name for this color being DGLE (Dark Green Locomotive Enamel). The undercarriage of

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