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There is little doubt that one of, if not the most important commodity to be transported through the facilities once located within the Liberty State Park was coal.
As early as 1836, the Morris Canal began moving coal from Pennsylvaniaís Lehigh Valley across New Jersey to their terminus now located in the northeastern corner of the Park. By the end of the nineteenth century, the railroads had replaced the canal for transporting Pennsylvanian coal to the New York Harbor. Both the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) and the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) operated facilities within what is now Liberty State Park. |
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Less then 100 years after the Morris Canal brought the first boatload of coal into the area, the CRRNJ established a state-of-the-art coal transferring station within their Communipaw yard. In 1919, the CRRNJ began operating this modern marvel, which was located in the vicinity of the Parkís Interpretive Center. The facility included two coal-thawing houses that could each process 75 cars a day. After thawing (if required), the railcars of coal were moved into position on one of the stationís two coal dumpers. The car was clamped to the cradle, which was then lifted and the contents dumped into the hopper. Next the coal would follow an electrically operated, adjustable chute that would transfer the coal to a waiting barge or steamer. Coal from this transfer station was used in factories, power plants to generate electricity for the growing population of the region, or shipped to other ports. |
| Unfortunately, in 1976, the CRRNJ demolished these structures and sold the salvaged material for scrap to help pay off the debt of the bankrupt railroad. |
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