Forgotten Delaware has recently taken on the assignment of finding remnants of the New Jersey Southern / Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad route that crossed the Delaware Bay between Woodland Beach, Delaware and Bay Side, New Jersey. This operation was to be part of a grand scheme to allow the Central Railroad of New Jersey build a route to Richmond, VA. The route never made it as a through route but a car float was operated for at least a season. Both sides of the bay operated transferring passengers and freight between the railroad and the steamers on the Delaware Bay. Special excursion trains operated from Del-Mar-Va to Woodland Beach where passengers transferred to excursions boats to Cape May. Special hayride trains of flatcars were also operated to Woodland Beach. The tracks between Smyrna and Woodland Beach were not operated after 1895 and were formally abandoned and sold for scrap in 1903. In New Jersey the tracks lasted about 30 years longer providing a route for waterman to send fresh seafood to market. Very little information is available on these operations, please email us if you can help with any new information, corrections, photos, maps, or if you just feel like commenting.
The left map shows the overall route and the right map shows the two ports and the railroads meeting the Delaware Bay. Click either map for a larger view.
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Woodland Beach, Delaware Bay Side, New Jersey