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--> }} The ''Blue Comet'' was a named passenger train operated by Central Railroad of New Jersey from 1929 to 1941 between the New York metropolitan area and Atlantic City. Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 1928, this train whisked passengers from Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City to Atlantic City, making the total trip from Manhattan (via ferry to the Jersey City terminal) to Atlantic City in three hours. The ''Blue Comet'' would take NY&LB trackage to Red Bank, then follow the Southern Division Main Line to Winslow Junction, where it would travel over the Atlantic City Railroad's tracks to Atlantic City.〔When the ''Blue Comet'' started service in 1929 the Atlantic City Railroad was wholly owned by the Reading Railroad. By 1933 the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines were jointly owned by the Reading Company and the Pennsylvania Railroad.〕 The colors chosen for the ''Blue Comets locomotive and passenger cars were ultramarine and Packard Blue, for the sea, cream, for the sandy coastal beaches, and nickel. The tickets for the train were blue, the dining car chairs were upholstered in blue linen, and the porters were dressed in blue as well. The locomotive was capable of 100 miles per hour, and the railroad claimed the train itself was the first east of the Mississippi to be equipped with roller bearings for easy starting and stopping. ==History== Inaugurated on February 21, 1929, the ''Blue Comet'' was designed to provide coach passengers with deluxe equipment, accommodations, and service at a regular coach fare. The first revenue passengers to board the CNJ's new flagship at Communipaw Terminal were Miss Beatrice Winter and Miss Helen Lewis of New York. As the ''Blue Comet'' made its way to Atlantic City, it was put on display for patrons, railfans, and local residents to see and inspect. Thousands of spectators along the line came to see the new train. This was due in part to a clever ad campaign via radio and newspaper which spurred public interest. Following its first arrival in Atlantic City, a formal dinner was held for railroad officials at the (Hotel Dennis ). The ''Blue Comet'' was published in several periodicals and trade magazines such as ''Railway Age'' (March 1929), ''Fortune'' (The first issue in February, 1930), ''The Modelmaker'', and several advertisements for (ELESCO ) Superheaters and Feedwater Heaters. Periodic articles about the train would also appear in the ''New York Times'', ''Philadelphia Enquirer'', and local papers such as the ''Red Bank Register''. It was even featured in a British 1937 Gallaher Ltd collection of tobacco cards entitled "Trains of the world." Billed as the "Seashore's Finest Train", it was dubbed a "Symphony in Blue." Lionel founder Joshua Lionel Cowen, was among those who frequently rode the ''Blue Comet''. Inspired by the train's elegant beauty, speed, and the sublime power of its towering locomotive, Lionel offered a standard gauge model of the train in 1930. This gave the train and Lionel an almost mythical quality. There were three factors behind the creation of the ''Blue Comet'': * To eliminate passenger service south of Winslow Junction, and replace rail service with bus connections. * To better compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) for Atlantic City passengers. * To eliminate a costly Pullman parlor car lease, in which the CNJ had a loss ten months of the year. The ''Blue Comet'' would offer extra accommodations at the regular coach fare and have assigned seats so passengers knew exactly where they would sit. The PRR charged extra for its all-parlor car ''Atlantic City Limited'' and ''New York Limited''. In addition, the PRR charged extra fees for parlor cars on the ''Nellie Bly''. The ''Blue Comet'' ran on-schedule 97 percent of the time for the first five years. A billboard was installed on the Routes 33 and 34 overpass at Farmingdale listing the times the train would pass that area. The ''Blue Comet'' was initially a success but fell victim to the Great Depression. Service was reduced to a single round trip by April 1933. Also that year, the PRR and Reading Company (RDG) consolidated their southern New Jersey routes and formed the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. After the merger, the PRR owned two-thirds of the trackage. Reports from travelers indicate that ''Blue Comet'' information was not readily available at the Atlantic City station. This had the ''Blue Comet'' service at a disadvantage, as PRR Atlantic City-New York information was readily available for passengers heading to points north. Ocean County stops for the ''Blue Comet'' included Lakewood and Lakehurst. The Lakewood stop was to pick up and drop off passengers as well as Jolly Tar Trail bus service. The stop at Lakehurst was for people needing a connection for the Barnegat Branch, later replaced by Jolly Tar Trail service during off-peak hours in the early 1930s, and for the locomotives to take on water. For residents of the more isolated sections of the Pine Barrens who did not have radios or electricity, the ''Blue Comet'' provided local residents with a goodwill gesture: railroad crews would drop off newspapers for residents. In Chatsworth, the train slowed as it went through the center of town on its return from Atlantic City to disperse a bundle of the day's newspapers. The newspapers had been provided on board for passengers to read during the day's run. Local residents thus had access to ''The New York Times'', ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', and other big-city publications. Community lore has it that residents would show their appreciation by bringing baskets of freshly picked berries for the crew. However, this anecdote has been disputed by some who lived in the area at the time and insisted the express train did not stop in a location where such an exchange would have happened. The train's last run was on September 27, 1941, Its main competitor, the ''Nellie Bly'', lasted until 1961. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blue Comet」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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