On Saturday, March 28, WJC Member Pierre Lacombe led a walk and talk on the transition between the Delaware & Raritan Canal and the Camden & Amboy Railroad at Bordentown. Pierre discussed the geology of New Jersey, the track construction methods used on the Camden & Amboy, and the construction techniques used on the Delaware & Raritan Canal. Also on display were facsimiles of interpretive signs that will be placed at fourteen locations in Bordentown on the Camden & Amboy.
The Camden & Amboy Railroad was up and running in 1832 between Bordentown and South Amboy. The Delaware & Raritan Canal was in operation in 1834, as was the full length of the C&A. In 1837 the C&A built the Bordentown Branch to Trenton along the east side of the D&R Canal. The D&R and the C&A built a bridge over Crosswicks Creek so workers and others could walk between the two transportation methods.
Our tour included visiting replicas of the railroad tracks of the C&A in a small park at the light rail station in Bordentown. Pierre discussed the railroad, the canal, the walking bridge over Crosswicks Creek, and the sand and gravel quarry work at what is today Riverview Studios. The quarried sand and gravel was used to build the elevated causeway across Hamilton Marsh on the east side of the canal.
C&A-related photos by Dave Homer. D&R-related photos by John Burlage. WJC group photo by Mitch Dakelman. Facsimiles of C&A interpretive signs provided by Pierre Lacombe.